I need your help with sound system decisions

[nlauffer]

I am still trying to redo the interior of my pickup, but I need to figure out what else to use for the sound system so I can integrate as I go. 

It is a regular cab pickup and it is mostly bare interior.  It will be mostly stock.  I already have installed:

CD player - Sony CDX-GT250MP In-dash CD/MP3/WMA & AM/FM receiver
                 Peak Power Output: 52 watts x 4 channels
                 RMS Power Output: 17 watts x 4 channels

I have Kicker 3.5" speakers in the factory dash locations.

6X9's in factory 4x10 panels in cab corners -
  Pioneer TS-A6964R A-Series 6"x9" 3-Way 400 Watts

I have bought FatMat sound deadener for the entire cab, doors, including under headliner, and on back cab wall.  I want to add a small amp to run the 3.5"'s and 6x9's and add a shallow mount Pioneer 10" in box with amp. 

I am looking at this for sub and box- 
               Pioneer TS-SWX251 10" Flat Subwoofer with Enclosure 800 Watts
And maybe this for the sub amp - 
                   Pioneer GM-D7500M Class-D Mono Amplifier with 800 Watts Max. Power

I don't want a system that will vibrate the whole block when I pull up.  I want to be able to hear nice bass and clean sound.

Here are some questions:

Should I restrict the 3.5's to mids and highs or just highs?
Should I add a 6.5" component system with tweeters?
Will that amp match the sub well?
What amp should I run with the 3.5s and 6x9s?  Specific would be great. 
Should the 6x9s be in boxes or open back?
Should I ditch the 3.5s and 6x9s for 6.5" components in kick panel and tweets in upper front of cab?  I mean those interior panel pieces next to the door that hold the tweeters you can get now.

Any help is great.
 

[blazing816]

A lot of things going into picking speaker equipment....a lot is how you want it to sound and what kind of music you listen to.

1. The 3.5" can be fine if match with a four channel amp that has a separate crossover for front and rears (most do). This way you can run "full" audio to rears and cut only mid and highs to the 3.5"

2. When looking at amp and speaker matches you always want to look at the RMS power not the peak, your sub/amp will very rarely hit peak power. You do not want an amp with a lower RMS because it is always going to be running hard and can get hot and wear out faster.

3. That sub is only 4 ohms, which is fine, but the lower the ohms you can get the more crisp and clean the bass hits will be (does not mean loud, means not splatty).

4. However it looks like your sub and amp do match up

5. I would be careful with that pre-made box (I know it is made low profile) but because of the slope of our back seat, most people here have to built a custom box with a slanted front.

6. As for what amp to buy for your fronts and rears you need a four channel that has the RMS support for your 6x9s, it will probably be a lot more then you need for the 3.5s but it will work. The best is to get all the speakers around the same RMS (be carefully to tone the fronts down on the amp to not blow the speakers)

7. Your main issue with the setup is that radio only as one set of pre-outs (rear/sub) so you really can only run the mono amp for the sub. The 6x9s and 3.5s would have to be hooked to the radios amp and you would not sounds as good.

If you hook a four channel up you would have to convert the speaker wire out of the radio to RCA plugs which I DO NOT recommend, the sound is not as good and then it is going through the stock amp and then the aftermarket amp and you can get feedback. You would be a lot better off if you get a radio with 2-sets of pre-outs (front, Rear/Sub) or even better 3-sets (front, rear, sub) because 2-sets usually only allow you to switch the rear set to sub which would not be the best set up for you as you would be okay running the sub and the a 2-channel for your rears and hooking 3.5s to the radio.

So I would look at getting a way better radio, It is always good to start with a good brain and branch of from there. Because the pre-out on that radio are also only 2V, and 4V is way better but you will pay for that. Kenwood KDC-355U would be an example with front, rear, and sub outputs.

Also if you plan on running two amps and sub in our trucks I would recommend getting a higher amp alternator if you still have the stock one. Also a capacitor will help with else headlight dim on bass hits.

Hope this helps. 

[nlauffer]

This was great help.  I guess in general I was thinking that if I spent a lot of money it would be way to extreme of a system for me, so I looked at getting mid priced name brand assuming they would work well.  I didn't think the head unit would have made that much difference. 

Can you recommend a 4 channel amp for my 6x9s and 3.5s?

I will look at switching head units.

And I will go back to the sub idea and try to find a 2 ohm and matching amp. 

[nlauffer]

Also, I am putting a new motor in and a stock vortec style serpentine setup with the 105 amp alternator.  I would think that would be fine.

[nlauffer]

I like this head unit -

Sony CDX-G500R

CEA-2006 Compliant            Yes 
 RMS Power Output             17 watts 
 Peak Output                      52 watts 
 RMS Power Bandwidth        20-20kHz 
 Preamp Outputs                 6-channel 
 Sub Preamp Outputs           Yes 
 Switchable Rear Preamp Outputs       No 
 Preamp Voltage                  5 volts 
 Display Color                     Variable 
 EQ Bands                            7 
 Wireless Remote                  Yes 
 AUX Input                          Front 
 USB Input                           Rear 
 Memory Card Slot
 USB memory 
  Satellite Radio Ready
iPod Compatibility              Full size

 Whatcha think? 

[nlauffer]

The 6x9s say 40W RMS  I guess that is per pair.  The 3.5s are 30W RMS  so how about this amp?

Clarion XC1410 - compact and I can tuck it away under my dash.

Highlights:
•4-channel car amplifier
•50 watts RMS x 4 at 4 ohms (75 watts RMS x 4 at 2 ohms)
•non-bridgeable, 2-ohm stable per channel
•CEA-2006 compliant
•Class D amp technology
•coated circuit board — suitable for marine applications (not waterproof)
•built-in ground loop isolation circuitry reduces input noise
•selectable high-pass filters (60 or 90 Hz, 12 dB/octave)
•preamp and speaker-level inputs
•10-gauge power and ground leads recommended — wiring and hardware not included with amplifier
•fuse rating: 20A x 1
•dimensions: 8-1/4"W x 1-9/16"H x 2-3/4"D
•warranty: 1 year
•Our 60-day money-back guarantee


Or is this the better choice for my system?

Alpine MRP-F300

•4-channel car amplifier
•50 watts RMS x 4 at 4 ohms (75 watts RMS x 4 at 2 ohms)
•150 watts RMS x 2 bridged output at 4 ohms (4-ohm stable in bridged mode)
•2-, 3-, or 4-channel output
•variable high-pass/low-pass filters (50-400 Hz, 12 dB/octave)
•selectable bass boost (12 dB at 50 Hz)
•subsonic filter (15 Hz, 18 dB/octave for channels 3 & 4)
•MOSFET power supply
•CEA-2006 compliant
•STAR Topology (minimizes internal noise and prevents ground interference)
•speaker- and preamp-level inputs
•gold-plated screw terminals
•fuse rating: 25A x 2
•8-gauge power and ground leads recommended — wiring and hardware not included with amplifier
•10-11/16"W x 2-7/16"H x 9-9/16"D

[454Man]

Check out sonicelectronix.com they have the best prices in subs. those pioneer subs suck and don't last. Id go precision power, earthquake, jl, or Rockford.... if you want to rock the block id go 2 earthquake 12s

[blazing816]

This was great help.  I guess in general I was thinking that if I spent a lot of money it would be way to extreme of a system for me, so I looked at getting mid priced name brand assuming they would work well.  I didn't think the head unit would have made that much difference. 

Can you recommend a 4 channel amp for my 6x9s and 3.5s?

I will look at switching head units.

And I will go back to the sub idea and try to find a 2 ohm and matching amp.

Keep in mind if your not wanting to turn the volume up that loud you can run that head unit with a sub amp and just plug the speakers into the head unit. It all depends on how far you want to take it and how much you want to spend. Also, having an amp gives you more adjustments then just a head unit.

Both those 4 channels should do you really good, right around the same RMS so they will pair good.

I could not find any information on that head unit, but it looks like it would work.

Check out sonicelectronix.com they have the best prices in subs. those pioneer subs suck and don't last. Id go precision power, earthquake, jl, or Rockford.... if you want to rock the block id go 2 earthquake 12s

I sub lasting or not depends on what amp is pushing it and how the person pushes amp and sub. Yes slim line subs will not hit as hard and loud (and without making a custom box that's about all you can run) however if you match the amp to it and do not crank the volume just because it is not hitting the way you want, it will do fine. I have had 2 slim line 10" scorche knock off brand subs (got for free from some guy) for almost 10 years now and they are still running fine, because I know that they are not going to rattle glass, just going to put a little bit of lower tones to it. I have a small little 2-channel amp running them and they sound fine. Now its nothing like the system I have in my car that could blow your ear drum if I would turn it up. But most of the time when a sub blows, or the sub fails, is because it was matched incorrectly with an amp - the person is pushing the amp to hard - and are listening at a volume that is too much for the sub. Also depends on how it is wired, if you do not have enough power going to it because of a too small power lead or not run straight to fuse link then battery that can run to pre-mature failure also.

So yes I somewhat agree that slimline speakers can ware easier, but if you know that going into it and do not push the sub and amp that hard, it will be fine, and he did state that he was not looking to wake the neighbors with the system.

And I see nothing wrong with the sub.....crutchfield sells it and it got all but 1 person gave it 5 out of 5, most called it amazing. So I think for the money and space and then way you said you will not be thumping crazy the sub will work fine for you.

[454Man]

This was great help.  I guess in general I was thinking that if I spent a lot of money it would be way to extreme of a system for me, so I looked at getting mid priced name brand assuming they would work well.  I didn't think the head unit would have made that much difference. 

Can you recommend a 4 channel amp for my 6x9s and 3.5s?

I will look at switching head units.

And I will go back to the sub idea and try to find a 2 ohm and matching amp.

Keep in mind if your not wanting to turn the volume up that loud you can run that head unit with a sub amp and just plug the speakers into the head unit. It all depends on how far you want to take it and how much you want to spend. Also, having an amp gives you more adjustments then just a head unit.

Both those 4 channels should do you really good, right around the same RMS so they will pair good.

I could not find any information on that head unit, but it looks like it would work.

Check out sonicelectronix.com they have the best prices in subs. those pioneer subs suck and don't last. Id go precision power, earthquake, jl, or Rockford.... if you want to rock the block id go 2 earthquake 12s

I sub lasting or not depends on what amp is pushing it and how the person pushes amp and sub. Yes slim line subs will not hit as hard and loud (and without making a custom box that's about all you can run) however if you match the amp to it and do not crank the volume just because it is not hitting the way you want, it will do fine. I have had 2 slim line 10" scorche knock off brand subs (got for free from some guy) for almost 10 years now and they are still running fine, because I know that they are not going to rattle glass, just going to put a little bit of lower tones to it. I have a small little 2-channel amp running them and they sound fine. Now its nothing like the system I have in my car that could blow your ear drum if I would turn it up. But most of the time when a sub blows, or the sub fails, is because it was matched incorrectly with an amp - the person is pushing the amp to hard - and are listening at a volume that is too much for the sub. Also depends on how it is wired, if you do not have enough power going to it because of a too small power lead or not run straight to fuse link then battery that can run to pre-mature failure also.

So yes I somewhat agree that slimline speakers can ware easier, but if you know that going into it and do not push the sub and amp that hard, it will be fine, and he did state that he was not looking to wake the neighbors with the system.

And I see nothing wrong with the sub.....crutchfield sells it and it got all but 1 person gave it 5 out of 5, most called it amazing. So I think for the money and space and then way you said you will not be thumping crazy the sub will work fine for you.

Dude said he wanted real bass.... Pioneer don't hit that hard as the real name brands I listed. Just being serious and not setting him up for disappointment. Pioneer is not the best of quality.

[nlauffer]

"I don't want a system that will vibrate the whole block when I pull up.  I want to be able to hear nice bass and clean sound."

I have used everything from cheap WalMart speakers to JL subs and no name to name brand amps.  When in high school I had a Mustang with a custom built box and a cheap sub and amp but well powered.  That setup rattled my spoiler loose until I finally had to use body weld to glue the screws in.  Upgraded non amped factory location speakers and a Pioneer head unit.  I loved it, but is way too much bass for this project.

I had a JL and crap amp in a generic truck box in my high school pickup, with cheapo head unit and crap speakers.  It sounded like crap, obviously.  But, the bass was just enough to know it was there and plenty to play loud if the right song was on.  Although, turn it up to loud and all that went away.

I want a system more like the Mustang, but with less bass.  Just a nice, clean bass, but doesn't rattle the windows.  My vents already leak I don't need them to loosen anymore. 

[nlauffer]

I do like the website you provided, 454Man.  It is easier to search for what I am wanting and explains everything better.

[454Man]

No prob.