[rob_l]

hey guys 'n' gals, i'm new here and to car audio too, so i have a few questions for you all.

ok, first off i ive just got myself a nice little 1.2l 8v Corsa b (huzzah! i know it aint the better one but never mind, its mechanically sound), it didnt come with a decent stereo, some nasty old tape deck thingy. but it works.

I've had a few things donated to me from friends of mine who gotten rid of their cars. Ive got the front speaker adapter ring thingy with some kenwood 17cm full range speakers 30 watt rms, and 6x9s in a parcel shelf (sony i think they are), so i've slapped them in they work ok. i also got a 10" sub stealthbox for my corsa(no sub though).

so as a result i wanted to get a total new sound system as i plan to keep the motor for a few years.

i havn't got a clue what i'm doing with the specking out of stereos and stuffs, i know no-one who can help me, and the guy in the stereo shop down the road tried to sell me a total system for like 800pound with a 12" sub ,amp, enclosure,component speakers, a philips stereo with optional ipod connection cable(i don't have an ipod, and i told him that i have an iriver) . i really don't think he was listening to what i was trying to tell him.

i have £120 for a stereo, needs aux (front or back) in for my mp3 player and rca out i think for the amp stuffs.

and i have another £300 for the rest amp + sub (have 10" inch enclosure for sub) and a good set of component speakers

do any of you guys have any good recommendations for decent parts for a good system?.... or any hints on what stuff to steer clear of?...

was told told by a mate to ditch the 6x9s and run door speakers and sub from one larger 4 channel amp and bridge 2 channels, but thats only coz he got told to do it by someone else.

i am a competent DIY'er, with experience with fiberglass and electrical stuffs, also can read diagrams and the like.

thanks for reading, any help would be greatly appreciated!!

 

[corsaJ]

Hi mate, definately ditch the 6x9s, they will take a hammering from the sub being in the same air space as the sub in the boot and you will end up buying new ones every so often, and they are also known to drag the sound stage to the back of the car, which will sound crappy, definately go for the components and sub ran off a 4-channel amp option, this will sound so much better and give you better control over the whole music range, having the components nicely powered in the front and the sub in the rear.

I'd get something like this stereo

http://www.caraudiodirect.co.uk/blaupunkt-kingston-mp47-p-5757.html

Nice and simple, nice display and not out of your price range.

This 4-channel amp:

http://www.caraudiodirect.co.uk/jbl-gto754-p-4140.html

Only £99.99, this leaves you £200 for a 10" Sub and some comps;
This 4-channel amp is spot on, they are known to be a solid amp and it can be run using 2,3 or 4 channels, you can bridge two channels for a sub giving you 208RMS and leaves you 104RMS from each other channel which will get some components kicking nicely!

These components:

http://www.caraudiodirect.co.uk/alpine-spr17s-p-5662.html

At £109.99 they are 110RMS which is just nice to be running off the 4 channel amp i showed you above as that will give them just under this at 104RMS a piece, this will definately sound much nicer than any set of 6x9's and will kick nice and hard.

This Sub:

http://www.caraudiodirect.co.uk/audio-re10-p-2981.html

Didn't know they were selling this myself, RE is world re-known for its quality! and this sub is 175RMS which will sound nice as you will be giving it just over this, RE's love to be over-powered as they are nuder-rated anyway, the sound quality will be brilliant especially in a sealed enclosure, in my opinion this sound system would sound really good for the money you have spent and it is of a good quality, all i would do then is to save up for some sound deadening on the doors and some in the boot.

 

[Corsa_Sri]

With speakers i would go with pioneer and subs vibe i have a nice 1200 watt active vibe sub for sale with a built in 800watt mono block.

 

[corsaJ]

Mate he wants to run components he wont be able to do this off an active sub, he just wants to use one 4-channel amp, the little system ive shown above is perfect for you mate imo

 

[rob_l]

thanks corsaJ, i wasn't expecting a reply so quick and so detailed.

all that lot seems perfect, i don't know why i hadn't found that stereo before, guess it does pay to ask someone who knows what there doing rather than attempt to do it yourself

one more question though if i didn't want to install all of it at the same time obviously it will take a long while, but i'll install the stereo first (i need too really),

could i run just the sub off the amp first then install the components later as i plan on mounting the tweeters in the front pillars (using this tut http://www.talkaudio.co.uk/vbb/showthread.php?t=159311 ), I'll run the speakers i have in the front off the head just for a while until i sort the pillars out and carpet them

also wiring kit will this be ok?.. http://www.caraudiodirect.co.uk/value-px009-4awg-p-204.html

 

[corsaJ]

Yeah that wiring kit is fine for what you need mate, and yes you can run just the sub off the amp, just bridge two of the channels as you would do normally and you just wont use the other 2 channels until you install your comps, but if you really wanted to, you could connect the standard door speakers to the amp but just keep the gain on the amp at a low level or else you will damage them as they are only cheap things that come standard in corsa's. And no worries for the reply thats what we are here for

 

[rob_l]

one last question, very last question,

what would be best the best value cable for wiring these up with http://www.caraudiodirect.co.uk/alpine-spr17s-p-5662.html to the amp?..

or even what gauge cable would be best?...

thanks again