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Hey Goons, I'm thinking of getting the head unit in the top left of this ad: http://www.audioexpress.com/currentad%202.html This particular unit has a 50% off install price, plus $100.00 off any purchase over $500 (which this qualifies for) when installed there. It also comes with a free backup camera, which because my wife and I drive a fairly tall & blind F-150 truck this could come in handy. Basically I'm wondering if this is a decent deal. As far as I can tell it is this unit: http://www.amazon.com/VM9424-6-2-In...keywords=VM9424 or this unit: http://www.amazon.com/Jensen-VM9424...ada+Included%21 Would this head unit be acceptable if I wanted to add a subwoofer down the line? Should it sound pretty good? Are there any alternatives I should see if they have that may be a better value for my money? Will they be able to easily hook it up to my steering wheel controls? I'm pretty set with buying with this shop; I have no interest in doing the install from a stock stereo---I've done it before and it's just not worth it for me. E: Alternatives with the same features. My wife and I share a car and I end up in a situation where I'm waiting outside my work for 30-40 minutes on my work days. Being able to plug in my iPod to watch some videos, or throwing in a DVD or something to blow some time would be wonderful. Knyteguy fucked around with this message at 03:44 on Dec 16, 2012 |
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Dec 16, 2012 03:40
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Lowclock posted:Google Play Music and TV and Movies and Maps and Navigation that all come on the thing are all miles ahead of anything you'll find in an aftermarket car deck. These apps are very simple to control (but lots of features) and made to be used with a touch interface, not hacked up windows programs with big buttons. You can tether data to your phone and bluetooth your whatever, but I don't really know specifics because I don't use it that way. If you want external USB storage, a USB OTG cable and a simple piece of invisible software will do it. The little task switcher button that is always there will let you easily switch between your recently used apps. You also get the latest version of everything with brand new hardware instead of some old hacked up Android 2.3, or totally proprietary closed garbage running 10 year old hardware. If you have huge hotdog fingers, you can change the DPI and make stuff smaller or bigger. There's also plenty of custom roms to change the way things look and function. Plus there's Torque and thousands of other apps. I like this idea, but how would you hook this up to your car speakers? Would you sacrifice sound quality? some texas redneck posted:
I'm actually looking into the tablet thing now. I think that with a data subscription it would probably be a bit too expensive though. Barring any good information on a tablet, I'm probably going to forgo the built-in GPS and go with this: http://www.amazon.com/AVH-X3500BHS-...rds=AVH-X3500BT Thanks for your help. I'm glad I didn't go for the Jensen to save a few bucks. Knyteguy fucked around with this message at 00:26 on Dec 18, 2012 |
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Dec 18, 2012 00:14
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Geoj posted:Wire an amplifier directly into the car's wiring harness, and then plug the tablet into the amplifier with a 3.5mm stereo to RCA cable. Depending on how much you spend on the amp you could actually have better sound quality than with a headunit of the same price. Ah thank you. I'm probably going to hold off a bit and just go the tablet route then, it sounds pretty awesome and it's cheaper than any good HU w/ nav. quote:I would say just hook the headphone jack up to a preamp/crossover/line driver whatever to an external amp. If anything it might be cleaner than a regular deck because the source isn't on that noisy power, and you can get more than the average 2-4v and a little control out of a decent one. Sounds easy enough thanks  .Side note: does anyone have any input on these speakers: http://www.crutchfield.com/p_975B57X/HELIX-Blue-B57X.html?search=975b57x&skipvs=T ? A Crutchfield adviser suggested them when I inquired about picking a good speaker set. They're pricey, but if the quality and sound is wonderful then that's OK. Would these be a good all around speaker? My truck has a factory installed 8" sub that covers the bass enough, so I mostly need mid-high range. E: Here's the email they sent me. There's a bit of spec stuff at the top Hi [Knyteguy], Some of the best speakers we carry that will work in your pickup are the Helix Blue B57X. They not only sound great but are rated at a high 91dB in sensitivity so you get lots of volume out of them before you ever put an amp on them. Some folks find they never need to. Check them out here: http://www.crutchfield.com/p_975B57X/HELIX-Blue-B57X.html?search=975b57x&skipvs=T Fortunately, they work in both the front and back of the truck and we provide the wiring harness for free for an easy install. I've put them in a list for you to order directly from if you decide to give them a try. Let me know if you have any other questions. Nancy Crutchfield Advisor Advisors@Crutchfield.com https://www.crutchfield.com 1-800-388-2911 ext 3249 Knyteguy fucked around with this message at 04:21 on Dec 18, 2012 |
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Dec 18, 2012 04:13
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^^^ Thanks for the tips; I'll pass. Not trying to play Guinea Pig... I'll check out Focal and perhaps Infinity (wasn't sure if either company was any good) I noticed that Lowclock mentioned a component system. I actually have a component system in my truck stock (well a 5x8 and a separate tweeter per side in front, no crossover), would it be advantageous to get a component system? Over a coaxial system? From an article online: quote:Imagine that you're listening to a drum solo. Because the woofer and tweeter are mounted on the same axis, the drum set will sound correct (at least location wise). Now imagine a component set where the installer mounted the woofer in the door and the tweeter in the A-pillar (the piece between the windshield and the front door). Now it's more likely that the snare drum will appear much lower in the vehicle than the cymbal. This can be overcome by mounting the woofer and the tweeter much closer together. The higher quality coaxial speakers are actually component sets where the tweeter has been suspended over the woofer such as in many top speaker brands. Would it really be extremely noticeable that the instruments and in particular the drums are coming from separate speakers? I'm a drummer so this would be pretty important to me. I definitely want the most natural sounding setup I can get with my budget. Thanks again .E: Typo Knyteguy fucked around with this message at 06:08 on Dec 18, 2012 |
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Dec 18, 2012 06:05
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Lowclock posted:The ability to move your sound stage sounds a lot better than just keeping perfect phase with the other driver. Coaxials usually have lovely first order crossovers anyways which make them out of phase anyways. Even if you did have nice 4th order crossovers on that same speaker, you wouldn't hear the phase difference anyways. The higher the frequency is, the easier it is for the ear to detect it's directionality and location and blah blah ear stuff. Ever try to find out who's bumping their system in traffic? It can be pretty hard because bass doesn't have this effect. If you put in properly aimed tweeters though, it seems to move everything because of the opposite. If it sounds the best with the tweeter on top of the mid/woofer or someone really doesn't want to mount them, then cool, go for it. I've never heard a car that sounded best that way though. Thanks, I'm really a newbie when it comes to car audio. If someone doesn't mind, can you let me know how this build would end up working?  Here's a bigger version of this picture Is this setup pretty copacetic? I'm probably going to go pickup a Nexus 7 in the next few days if so. I'm still undecided/ignorant about amp/speakers and the electrical ratings of them (impedance should be the same on both? RMS on amp should roughly match speakers?) E: quote:The only problem I have with what that article is saying is that you often don't have a choice where to mount the woofer, but that's not true with a tweeter. A tweeter will have a much larger impact on the directionality and staging of the sound, and if you could mount the woofer up high right next to it then that'd be great but you can't. So the implied advice is mount the tweeter by the woofer, which is really bad advice if it's down low in the door. Awesome man thank you. The stock tweeters in my truck are mounted right below the window with the woofers right at the foot of the door so I was worried about this. Components it is then! (now I just have to convince the wife that tweeters aren't a website, and yes it will sound better) Knyteguy fucked around with this message at 18:28 on Dec 18, 2012 |
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Dec 18, 2012 18:20
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Lowclock posted:What do you mean with the "2 2-channel line out converters" part? All you should have between the 4 channel amp and the 3.2 are the RCA cables, unless I'm misunderstanding you. Thanks again for your reply. The line out converters are just me thinking of a way to use the existing speaker wire, because I really would like if it I didn't have to run too much wire through the interior panels; so basically I would just be converting the existing speaker wire ends from the factory harness to RCA jacks and plugging that into the pre-amp (speaker->pre-amp), and then cutting the line or extending it somewhere to connect directly to the amp (also with RCA jacks speaker->amp->preamp). I could be/probably am totally off-base on how to add an RCA jack to speaker wire though. Would there be an easier way to do this, or would running new wire pretty much be the best solution? E: ^ pretty much the same, looking for a clean look
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Dec 18, 2012 21:48
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LloydDobler posted:Aren't you already using the speaker wire to drive the speakers? Something tells me you haven't thought this all the way through yet. Ah, yes you're right that was an unnecessary step. That will save some money then . Maybe I will just gut everything like you said (leaving factory wires of course) and run some decent gauge speaker wire to the whole setup. I have to pull the back seat to reset the outside entry lock numbers anyway.I actually just reserved a Nexus 7 16gb tablet, so I'll be picking that up today. At $199.00 I'll still be saving a ton over the head unit I was planning on getting at first, and will still be saving over a non-GPS double din unit. I just found this app for Android/iPod which will be absolutely amazing called Torque. Apparently it interfaces with the car's computer to digitally output pretty much anything you want to know. Example:  I'll be taking project photos while I'm going so if anyone is interested in how it goes let me know, and I will post them. Knyteguy fucked around with this message at 00:35 on Dec 19, 2012 |
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Dec 19, 2012 00:27
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Lowclock posted:e: beat Hey so real quick you think I should re-wire through all the doors and such? Local audio guy said it probably wasn't necessary but then again he might think I won't buy if it's too much work. Also does anyone have any opinions on http://www.crutchfield.com/p_2062ZXDSP1/Kicker-Front-Row.html?tp=37274 vs http://www.crutchfield.com/p_161THREEP2/AudioControl-THREE-2.html?tp=37274 Another local audio shop has the first, and I'll be buying most of my gear there anyway (90 days same as cash). They seemed to think it was pretty hot poo poo (I don't think he was trying to make a sale). The only problem is it doesn't have a volume knob. I was reading about amps that have remote output controls though via radio or something so you can mount a volume knob. Does anyone know anything more on that? Local guy also mentioned something about splitting an RCA or something to allow for a volume knob on the kicker.
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Dec 23, 2012 06:19
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Lowclock posted:Personally, I would re-wire to prevent hacking up any stock wiring, and to actually have some decent gauge wire. Alright thanks the help. Just trying to finalize the plan before buying stuff. I'll be going for the big install next Saturday. I'm going to attempt to mount the amplifier under the driver's seat, and mount the line driver/EQ in an open spot in the dash. Hopefully I can finish in a day 
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Dec 23, 2012 07:15
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In the first post of the thread it mentions using lovely wires... would these qualify as lovely wires? http://www.knukonceptz.com/productDetail.cfm?prodID=KOL-AK4-4 It's about $250.00 cheaper than my local audio shop wants for an 8 gauge install kit (this is 4 gauge) for the same OFC w/ RCA wires. E: Also would the RCAs included in that kit power all 4 speakers? E2: Nevermind looks legit. My local audio shop is just over the top expensive for just about everything. Knyteguy fucked around with this message at 11:30 on Dec 29, 2012 |
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Dec 29, 2012 09:23
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Got my final build together (unless someone sees some mistakes?): Subwoofers 2x 10" Low Profile Subwoofers: https://www.sonicelectronix.com/item_26889_Pioneer-TS-SW2501S2.html 1x 250Wx2 @ 2 OHMs amplifier: http://www.sonicelectronix.com/item_22733_Kenwood-KAC-7205.html Front Speakers 1x 6.5" Component Speakers: https://www.sonicelectronix.com/item_63995_Pioneer-TS-A1605C.html 1x 60Wx2 @ 4 OHMs amplifier: http://www.sonicelectronix.com/item_33466_Kenwood-KAC-1502S.html 2x speaker harnesses 2x speaker adapters (5x8 => 6.5") 1x Dremel  For Tablet 1x EQ/processor/line driver: https://www.sonicelectronix.com/item_41255_Cadence-CEQ-773.html 1x Nexus 7 32gb w/ mobile capabilities 1x Double din HU mount Wires 0 gauge power/ground to battery Power distribution block 8 gauge power/ground (speaker amp) 4 gauge power/ground (sub amp) 2x RCA cables Gonna custom make the sub enclosure. Pretty much I'm going for this: http://www.ebay.com/itm/FORD-F150-S...c1447c0&vxp=mtr. Unsure about the center piece because that's a good place to mount the sub amp. The subs only need a .35 cubic feet minimum to run, and will go up to .7 Will be doing ported probably (unless someone thinks it would be wise to go sealed; the subs say either works) since I mostly listen to rock. Total price should be about $950 w/ the MDF/carpet and amp install kits. Still really pricey but could have been much worse with a headunit that will have anywhere near the features that a tablet will offer. E: typos Knyteguy fucked around with this message at 03:22 on Jan 2, 2013 |
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Jan 2, 2013 01:58
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Mistayke posted:I ordered this: http://www.sonicelectronix.com/item_43552_Pioneer-AVIC-X940BT.html There's how-to guides for dummy faceplates. Basically you just pop off the face, solder or glue the buttons to the plastic and call it good. You may need a strip of velcro to hold it on over your aftermarket though.
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Jan 2, 2013 04:21
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Just a little update on the tablet install (2004 F150 Extended Cab) Got a KAC-8105D http://www.kenwoodusa.com/car_entertainment/amplifiers/kac-8105d installed with a http://www.crutchfield.com/p_2061CVR102/Kicker-10CVR102.html 10" Kicker Comp VR. I had to use a Scosche line-out converter with some t-splices from the stock wires to get it to work with the factory stereo. The line-out converter will eventually be used for a 2-channel amplifier connected to the front speakers, and my EQ/line driver will take care of the sub as far as I know. Unfortunately the amp I bought was open box and it didn't have the speaker level input wire. Right now the sub is in a .75 ft^3 and it's not the sound I'm quite looking for (and it's not even within the minimum cubic feet specs according to Kicker). I couldn't find the cubic feet of the box when I bought it. I'm having a custom sealed box made with 3/4" MDF 15"H/D/W external dimensions that I'm hoping will make it boomier as it will about double the cubic feet. I used a 6 gauge wiring kit so for a couple front speakers I should have just enough power for a decent amp to be powered with a distribution block. I'm sure there's a little power loss from this, but hopefully not much. Just need to rebuild the budget and then the tablet, EQ, and front components will be next. E: Really bummed I chose a 2 ohm DVC sub as my single sub. I was thinking I could run it @ 2 ohms with the 500 watt RMS that amplifier is rated at, because the sub is a 400 watt RMS sub. However I learned that I had to wire both coils so it ends up being a 4 ohm sub or a 1 ohm sub :\. Oh well I got it for $40.00 cheaper at Best Buy than I could find either version anywhere else. Knyteguy fucked around with this message at 23:57 on Jan 6, 2013 |
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Jan 6, 2013 23:55
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Lowclock posted:What kind of space do you have to work with for the sub box? I'm guessing the current one is sealed? Build this instead.(Thanks ddaudio) Holy crap man, thanks! I was seriously looking for vented box plans everywhere and couldn't find anything but discussion regarding it. This one looks relatively easy to do too. I can't build this right now, but in the next couple months I'll be getting a table saw (they're not as expensive as I thought when I looked last night) and trying for this. Current is sealed yea. Re: 1 ohm sub to amp, would that be safe for the amp? quote:Just checked your sub amp from your listing, it's rated at 500w at 4 ohm not 2 ohm. Either way that should be pumping in a decent box. Yea it's actually hitting pretty good now that I adjusted the gain. Knyteguy fucked around with this message at 02:14 on Jan 7, 2013 |
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Jan 7, 2013 02:06
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Hey again, I'm the guy who is going to be doing the tablet install in my 2004 F150. My alternator AND battery happened to go out at the same time which cost about $600 (which was my budget for most of this install), so the install was put on hold while we recouped our losses. I currently have a 10" Kicker sub http://www.crutchfield.com/p_2061CVR102/Kicker-10CVR102.html with a ~300 watt RMS amp running it. I'm still on the stock stereo, and I'm using a Scosche line out converter to hook the speakers up to the amplifier. Anyway, I just found one of these: http://www.sonicelectronix.com/item_12020_Alpine-MRP-F300.html?SearchClickout%5Bquery_id%5D=18244268&SearchClickout%5BIgnore%5D=1 open box/floor model at bestbuy for $117.99 + tax, and I picked up another Scosche amp kit from walmart as well. I was weary the amp kit was going to be junk, but it's measured truly with a decent shield on it. It's probably not as flexible as the really nice kits, but it hasn't been a problem yet. I'm going to be picking up the amp today (with wife's approval  ), and probably a set of components.Last but not least I'll be going with http://www.sonicelectronix.com/item_46587_NVX-XEQ7.html for my line-out, and line driver. I'll probably pick up the tablet today or Friday as well. I have two quick questions though. Back when I was planning this, I figured out how I was going to hook the speaker wires up as an output. Thinking about it again, I can't remember how I can hook my speaker wires up to RCA cables. I'm not sure if my line-out converter will work as a line-in as well. Someone mentioned that I can use a good factory harness connector to get to RCA connections, but I can't find anything like that. I've got some t-splices so I don't really care if I have to splice a few factory wires. Uninstalling everything would be as simple as cutting the extra speaker wire I've ran. The second question is, does anyone have a recommendation on a decent set of 6.5" component speakers in the sub $150 range?
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Mar 26, 2013 20:41
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LloydDobler posted:If you go scratch & dent these are close, I use them in my car and they're pretty impressive. Good clean sound, good bass. http://www.crutchfield.com/p_107DB6501/Polk-Audio-db6501.html Thanks I ended up getting the Polks. I have them installed in one door right now, gonna do the other tomorrow. They sound about 10 times better than the stock speakers.  On that note I finally got the tablet in the truck. It's been a ton of work (mostly installing the amps and speakers). I ended up getting a ported box for the subwoofer as well, which sounds so much better than the too small sealed box I've been running it in since January. I'll post some pictures of everything either tomorrow or Sunday. Also I drove off with the door sill panels on top of my truck, so those are now missing permanently. Hopefully I can find a pair at a local salvage yard
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Mar 30, 2013 07:26
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