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Audio Setup


ripped_fear

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So im looking for a nice simple and cheap-ish audio setup for the supra, I have bought 4 new pioneer speakers but they were bought on a whim and am considering not fitting them. The OEM wiring was not used on the old setup when I got the car but it was poorly fitted and a bit of a rats nest so the whole lot has been ripped out.

 

So this leads me to my quiestion with only a couple of hundred to play with can anyone recommend 4 speakers, a wiring kit and an amp that will all work in harmony with relative ease, I am not interested in stupid loud bass etc, just want somthing to be used on long drives. I basically need it to be as simple as possible as Im useless with audio. Ideally I want the amp under the passenger seat or small enough that it can go next to the spare wheel. What would be the best price given a small budget?

 

thanks in advance

 

Jake

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What headunit do you have?

 

On your budget, I would recommend a similar system to mine. 4x basic pioneer speakers running from the headunit, along with a used, decent brand amplified sub box and a suitable wiring kit. You should be able to do all this with £200, and it will sound good :)

 

Discounting the headunit, I think my system cost around £300, but that was with a brand new, very good amplified sub box.

 

The problem with amplifying the speakers is that you need to sound deaden the surrounding panels, run new wiring etc to get the most out of them, at which point the price of the system starts shooting up, along with the amount of time and effort involved.

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I have a basic alpine unit atm that I picked up cheap and fitted today but its not staying. But I need to keep it for now just to give me some music, but will replaced it later down the line.

 

Also dont need to include sub in this as I have my old sub and amp set up ready to fit, unless i could get an amp that could power it all,

I just need a decent speaker set up as the stock wiring looks shot.

 

These are the ones i bought in the sale for next to nothing but not sure if they are a great option I just bought them as I couldn't pass a bargain.

 

attachment.php?attachmentid=207698&stc=1&d=1451500969

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Not sure if it helps but Wiring kit wise I was very impressed with the knu conceptz kit I bought for my supra compared to others of a similar price, it was far superior. I personally have an edge amp I picked up for £40 and have to admit it provides good highs (not great at bass compared to others but see you have a sub Already) I have to say though that a decent head unit is what I found made all the difference as it allows for more accurate speaker tuning.

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Okay, well then maybe consider selling the front Pioneers, keep the rears and run them off the headunit. Use your budget to buy a nice set of Alpine speakers for the front, with a suitable amp. You will need to use some oxygen free speaker cable, and some sound deadening too though. Consider using a set in the stock speaker boxes, and using the sound deadening on the boxes. Your alternative is sound deadening the doors, which isn't a nice job to do properly. Also, either way you'll ideally be wanting to make your own speaker brackets, as buying some ready made ones is really going to eat into your limited budget.

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Not sure if it helps but Wiring kit wise I was very impressed with the knu conceptz kit I bought for my supra compared to others of a similar price, it was far superior. I personally have an edge amp I picked up for £40 and have to admit it provides good highs (not great at bass compared to others but see you have a sub Already) I have to say though that a decent head unit is what I found made all the difference as it allows for more accurate speaker tuning.

 

:thumbs: thanks will keep that kit in mind!

 

Okay, well then maybe consider selling the front Pioneers, keep the rears and run them off the headunit. Use your budget to buy a nice set of Alpine speakers for the front, with a suitable amp. You will need to use some oxygen free speaker cable, and some sound deadening too though. Consider using a set in the stock speaker boxes, and using the sound deadening on the boxes. Your alternative is sound deadening the doors, which isn't a nice job to do properly. Also, either way you'll ideally be wanting to make your own speaker brackets, as buying some ready made ones is really going to eat into your limited budget.

 

surely running them off the HU isnt an option, the wiring looks dead to me hence why I want it all running off its own little set up renewing it all. I have after market front speaker brakcets from the old setup that I can re-use and I dont have the rear stock speaker boxes. I was going to sound deaden behind the quarter trims too anyway so that all good :)

 

What alpine speakers and amp would your recommend to run all the speakers?

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Obviously I don't have the benefit of seeing the condition of the existing wiring :D

 

You'll need a 4 channel amp for the speakers, and personally I would choose a used branded amp over a new budget one like FLi, Edge etc. For your budget, something like Alpine, Kenwood, Pioneer, JBL etc will be fine. Brands like Focal and JL audio will have you going above your budget. Ie: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Kenwood-400-W-Amp-/321991884289?hash=item4af8363e01:g:mAAAAOSwa-dWqgf-

 

I would go for new speakers though, as they tend to have a much harder life than amps in my experience. Probably something like this: http://caraudiosecurity.com/spg-17cs-17cm-components

 

The next issue you may have depends on your existing subwoofer. If it's a 10" / 12" + woofer, you will be relying on the speakers for your mid-low range. This is where you start to get trim rattles in the doors and rear quarters, and like I said before, sorting these out becomes time consuming and expensive.

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Obviously I don't have the benefit of seeing the condition of the existing wiring :D

 

You'll need a 4 channel amp for the speakers, and personally I would choose a used branded amp over a new budget one like FLi, Edge etc. For your budget, something like Alpine, Kenwood, Pioneer, JBL etc will be fine. Brands like Focal and JL audio will have you going above your budget. Ie: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Kenwood-400-W-Amp-/321991884289?hash=item4af8363e01:g:mAAAAOSwa-dWqgf-

 

I would go for new speakers though, as they tend to have a much harder life than amps in my experience. Probably something like this: http://caraudiosecurity.com/spg-17cs-17cm-components

 

The next issue you may have depends on your existing subwoofer. If it's a 10" / 12" + woofer, you will be relying on the speakers for your mid-low range. This is where you start to get trim rattles in the doors and rear quarters, and like I said before, sorting these out becomes time consuming and expensive.

 

ok cheers so will any branded 4 channel amp be suitable then? those prices are reasonable for sure, is there any speakers that will be slightly cheaper but still ok meaning I could buy 4?

 

Them sub is a 12" slim line one I put in a custom box and was running of a sony 4 channel amp that was bridged IIRC

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Shameless plug, but I still have this for sale, and could probably substitute a much better Alpine 4 channel amp for a bit more, its just going to waste sitting in my spare room.

http://www.mkivsupra.net/vbb/showthread.php?328154-Alpine-CDA9853R-HU-Pioneer-300w-srereo-amp

 

Thats exactly the same headunit I have just fitted! :) Could be interested in the amp if its suitable to run 4 speakers?

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Just a word of warning with the vibe fast plug is that if the connections aren't 100% then the heat build up can melt the plastic although I think there could be a underlying flaw in some batchs, both mine and 3 others from the same box at halfords all melted and I would class as dangerous (separate builds with different power rates) yet a mate who ordered one online is still fine now

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Just a word of warning with the vibe fast plug is that if the connections aren't 100% then the heat build up can melt the plastic although I think there could be a underlying flaw in some batchs, both mine and 3 others from the same box at halfords all melted and I would class as dangerous (separate builds with different power rates) yet a mate who ordered one online is still fine now

 

I've got 3 of them in my install and never had an issue. I took a lot of precautions with them though. They're only meant for individual amps with a maximum of 8awg wire. If your amp needs more than 8awg then you're going to cause serious heat.

 

Additionally, ALWAYS solder the ends being screwed into the plug for a solid contact. Same goes for any end connectors etc. Soldering makes such a difference to the contact.

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Fronts: http://www.caraudiocentre.co.uk/product_m-alpine-spr-60c_p-27160.htm?gclid=Cj0KEQiAoby1BRDA-fPXtITt3f0BEiQAPCkqQTFIOR5OwMwosfhL7Q-Z6YpEZmMVm5HxOcaLNt1euOEaAiUZ8P8HAQ

Rears: http://www.caraudiocentre.co.uk/product_m-alpine-spr-60_p-27161.htm

Amp: http://www.caraudiocentre.co.uk/product_m-alpine-pmx-f640_p-23894.htm

 

I wouldn't recommend a wiring kit to be honest. I would buy the wire separately to suit your needs exactly. I would also recommend getting a vibe fastplug....

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/like/191522579288?adgroupid=13585920426&hlpht=true&hlpv=2&rlsatarget=pla-131843270226&adtype=pla&ff3=1&lpid=122&poi=&ul_noapp=true&limghlpsr=true&ff19=0&googleloc=1007341&device=c&chn=ps&campaignid=207297426&crdt=0&ff12=67&ff11=ICEP3.0.0-L&ff14=122&viphx=1&ops=true&ff13=80

 

Takes your budget up to £300 but it would be a VERY capable setup and one that will do you forever. I doubt you would even need the sub to be honest.

 

Thanks for the input that all looks great but going to be honest its a touch more than I really want to spend. Would dropping to a cheaper brand like Vibe be a bad shout? I used Pioneer everywhere in the old car apart from the sub. Th headunit I loved but the speakers were not great and they set me back serious money.

 

 

Just a word of warning with the vibe fast plug is that if the connections aren't 100% then the heat build up can melt the plastic although I think there could be a underlying flaw in some batchs, both mine and 3 others from the same box at halfords all melted and I would class as dangerous (separate builds with different power rates) yet a mate who ordered one online is still fine now

 

Thanks for the heads up, will air on the side of caution, but may be worth a try.

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Thanks for the input that all looks great but going to be honest its a touch more than I really want to spend. Would dropping to a cheaper brand like Vibe be a bad shout? I used Pioneer everywhere in the old car apart from the sub. Th headunit I loved but the speakers were not great and they set me back serious money.

 

I would honestly save up a bit more and do it once (right). There are LOADS of cheaper options but I don't think you can buy better speakers for your money and that amp is an absolute blinding deal considering what it cost when it was first released. Received positive review after positive review.

 

With everything you'll need to do a bit of work to get everything sounding PERFECT. You want to fit some sort of dynamatting to the door skin behind the speakers to help avoid vibration etc. Good speakers with decent bass will make the structure of the doors etc vibrate a lot more so it's good to have everything in place before you start. The difference in the audio sound quality is night and day when it's done (I've not done it yet and I notice the difference a mile compared to my previous installs. It's on the list though).

 

There are MUCH cheaper options than actual dynamat too so don't worry too much about costs :D

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I would honestly save up a bit more and do it once (right). There are LOADS of cheaper options but I don't think you can buy better speakers for your money and that amp is an absolute blinding deal considering what it cost when it was first released. Received positive review after positive review.

 

With everything you'll need to do a bit of work to get everything sounding PERFECT. You want to fit some sort of dynamatting to the door skin behind the speakers to help avoid vibration etc. Good speakers with decent bass will make the structure of the doors etc vibrate a lot more so it's good to have everything in place before you start. The difference in the audio sound quality is night and day when it's done (I've not done it yet and I notice the difference a mile compared to my previous installs. It's on the list though).

 

There are MUCH cheaper options than actual dynamat too so don't worry too much about costs :D

 

The amp at £100 is within budget fairly well, is there any alternative speakers that could get the job done at around another £100 with the wiring keeping it to around the £200 mark all in? I really dont use the sterio and never have it pounding out, I only want it for the longer drives as I havent had a sterio since I got the new car, and TBH havent missed it with the boost :p

 

What cheaper alternative to dynamat would you suggest? Guessing just doing the rear quarters and the doors wouldnt require to much either.

 

If i was comfortable with wiring I wouldnt mind so much but I just want to be able to plug and play fairly easy and not have to fanny around to much.

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Interesting, but it would be MUCH easier to fit a decent 4 channel amp and speakers into the stock door pods along with TB-Dev's port blockers.

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Fronts: http://www.caraudiocentre.co.uk/product_m-alpine-spr-60c_p-27160.htm?gclid=Cj0KEQiAoby1BRDA-fPXtITt3f0BEiQAPCkqQTFIOR5OwMwosfhL7Q-Z6YpEZmMVm5HxOcaLNt1euOEaAiUZ8P8HAQ

Rears: http://www.caraudiocentre.co.uk/product_m-alpine-spr-60_p-27161.htm

Amp: http://www.caraudiocentre.co.uk/product_m-alpine-pmx-f640_p-23894.htm

 

I wouldn't recommend a wiring kit to be honest. I would buy the wire separately to suit your needs exactly. I would also recommend getting a vibe fastplug....

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/like/191522579288?adgroupid=13585920426&hlpht=true&hlpv=2&rlsatarget=pla-131843270226&adtype=pla&ff3=1&lpid=122&poi=&ul_noapp=true&limghlpsr=true&ff19=0&googleloc=1007341&device=c&chn=ps&campaignid=207297426&crdt=0&ff12=67&ff11=ICEP3.0.0-L&ff14=122&viphx=1&ops=true&ff13=80

 

Takes your budget up to £300 but it would be a VERY capable setup and one that will do you forever. I doubt you would even need the sub to be honest.

 

Noted these down for myself, cheers Scott :)

 

Car PC has seen better days and has been superceeded by head units 10 times over now so I reckon it's time for an upgrade. Any head unit recommendations?

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Noted these down for myself, cheers Scott :)

 

Car PC has seen better days and has been superceeded by head units 10 times over now so I reckon it's time for an upgrade. Any head unit recommendations?

 

Any Appradio that takes your fancy. I absolutely love mine. If you want to use ARUnchained (access anything at all on the phone when connected) then you'll need an Android phone and an Appradio3 headunit.

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The bose stuff is amazing but maybe a bit to much effort to get wired in, in comparison to a amp and speakers.

 

Not really sure to be honest. They are the cheapest speakers I would recommend to anyone (they just happen to be really good value).

 

ok cheers mate, maybe I could buy the amp, wire it to my pioneer speakers for a couple of months then switch them out for the ones you linked. Space it out a bit. Where would you sugest to get the cables needed, I do have some used but VGC thick speaker wire but would like new for everything.

 

Sorry for the late reply, but unfortunately I am not really willing to split at this stage, the offer was for both.

 

No problem I would be the same but for obvious reasons it doesn't sound like its for me.

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I would get the RCA cables from wherever you buy the amp. I would factor in £30-£40 for them. This is a really important part of the setup regarding sound quality to your new speakers. Something along these lines is what I would look at.....

 

http://caraudiosecurity.com/rfit-20-20-feet-premium-dual-twist-signal-cable

http://caraudiosecurity.com/rfit-16-16-feet-premium-dual-twist-rca-signal-cable

http://caraudiosecurity.com/ft2-550-5-5m-rca

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