PureFire wrote:hijack... naughty,
what amps are you going for?
end hijack...
well im heading in a different direction - before i used to not really be bothered by an amps size - but after using the PG and SPL Dynamics which are huge in comparison ive decided to really try and stick to the small form factor amps
right now there are only two of those available in SA - the JL audio and the Alpine - the JL's did have a better signal to noise ratio than the alpines but were really pricey ie they were around 40% more than the comparable alpines but they still were better .... up until now
Alpine has released its new range and the signal to noise ratio and other specs that matter mean that the noise issues which plagued them are (hopefully) a thing of the past. they should be comparable in sound quality to almost any other high end amplifier and the midbass issues of the previous ones have also apparently been fixed - but the thing is that these are still very new so i will have to wait a while before i get amps - so in the meantime im driving around with no system
when they do become available im planning on the Alpine PDX-F6 and PDX-M6 to match my CDA9887 headunit - should make for an interesting and very evenly matched setup if Alpine have indeed sorted out those amps like they have claimed and there wont be any difference between having the cheaper alpines and the more expensive rivals - initial impressions overseas have been favourable even regarding sound quality on the new amps but they are still too new to have official reviews available at the moment
Checking out autostyle.co.za out now just to get a feel for prices. R5k is a good budget, although a teeeny bit less would be preferable.
okay so to get back on topic heres what i would buy at R5kish (maybe just a little more to give a decent mix of quality and performance) - and since you are using autostyle as a reference point i will base a system around what you can get from them - even though you can probably get alternatives that may not be as mainstream as this and a bit more specialized
i would use the following
1) Kenwood KDC-W4044UAY headunit - cos it has aux in and USB - R1495
http://www.autostyle.co.za/product/1917 ... ontLoader/
2) Targa TG-485 amplifier - R1395
http://www.autostyle.co.za/product/1764 ... Amplifier/
3) Kenwood KFC-S702P - High Performance Component Speaker - R1350
http://www.autostyle.co.za/product/1779 ... litSystem/
then this bit is only if you dont want a subwoofer
4) Pioneer TS-A2011 8” coaxial speakers for the rears - R795
http://www.autostyle.co.za/product/1751 ... dSpeakers/
these will give you some low frequency extension and are decent sounding speakers in their own right when amplified properly
this bit here is if you do want a subwoofer but are prepared to set it playing at a low volume so that the correct type of speaker can give you the correct type of sound - remember it neednt be at earthquake inducing levels - you could play it softer just to give you that good bass inside the vehicle
4) Kenwood KFC-W1010 10” 700w Flat Subwoofer - R395 (you dont have the budget for better - maybe could stretch to a pioneer TS-W258D4 10” 1200w DVC Subwoofer - this is definitely better than the kenny but still not perfect but you dont have the budget where i could tell you about better stuff anywhere in the system - anyways the kenwood would do the job you require)
kenwood
http://www.autostyle.co.za/product/1712 ... Subwoofer/
pioneer
http://www.autostyle.co.za/product/1853 ... Subwoofer/
cheapest way for an enclosure is to buy a prefab - it will be half the price that a pro built enclosure will cost you - beware though before installing the sub in it i would recommend getting a tube of silicone and sealing all the internal edges properly - this shouldnt be more than R60 for the tube of silicone and you may find a tube for 25 bucks too if cash is really a huge problem
5) 10" Single Subwoofer Enclosure - R150
http://www.autostyle.co.za/product/1123 ... gleNormal/
if you do go the subwoofer route you will need some coaxial rear speakers in your doors instead of the larger coaxials - any low powered ones powered by the headunits built in amplifier will do here
6) Philips CSQ505 5.25" Speakers
http://www.autostyle.co.za/product/1927 ... eSpeakers/
allow for around R400 to R500 or so for the install if you take it to a reputable shop - and this should hold true for either method though the subwoofer method may cost a tad bit more for install too since they will also have to run speaker wires to the rear doors
personally i would use a subwoofer and drop levels - and both methods of achieving decent bass in the vehicle are dependent upon a preference - i would prefer leaving high frequency out of my bass transducers and a single 10" sub isnt going to shatter your spine and you can drop the volume till it sounds how you like but you can achieve a sound similar to a hi-fi unit in your car with and without the subwoofer - only problem with the 8" coaxial route is that the sound from the rear will be louder than the sound from the front which isnt really the best idea (did you pay for the sound or did the rear passengers pay for it - so who deserves the better sound
..... this argument is before we even get to the technical reasons which i wont bore you with)
note - none of this is cast in stone - you can get a cheaper amp with a more expensive headunit and vice versa but i wont skimp on the speakers aspect because the front speakers make the biggest difference to your sound given that they play between around 100hz to 20000hz and the sub only plays from around 100hz and below - but the speakers are definitely the most important aspect (just to emphasize how important i feel those are - the ones i have retail at more than your entire budget
)
the above setup is more or less what i would buy with a limited budget at autostyle - you can get a similar performing system for around the same at a car audio specialist if you are disciplined enough to not get carried away by the "nice toys" they will try and tempt you with
- this system should be more than adequate in terms of quality given that if you spend half the amount you will definitely get half as good a system but if you spend twice the amount the system you will get will only probably be between 5% to 10% better so this is the level of what you could term a "sweet spot" ie spending less takes you very much down and spending far more takes you up in limited steps due to the laws of diminishing returns
hope that this helps you a bit
anybody know what PMPO stands for? might as well say its ILS output, as only If Lightning Stikes it will you be able to get that theoretical 500 per channel
PMPO = Peak Music Power Output
this wont always be untrue - cos that amp might reach that amount of power in a highish peak and if it was clipping to the max - remember that if it reaches that peak for even one microssecond within its entire lifetime then it still is really the peak amount of power for that amplifier because its the highest that the amp reached in its lifetime even if its once only at the manufacturers testing - but you wont get close to that amount of steady averaged output
there's a reason the RMS ratings are used. and that 2000w amp is at max 75x4 RMS
interestingly to be very pedantic and technically accurate - there is no such thing as RMS power - its all power figures based on RMS voltage but power is not measured as a root mean square of anything - we
should be calling it an average power rating instead of an RMS rating
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