Diablo sound system, need advice

Am re-doing the sound system in the Diablo.. any advice on best components to use?

 

Currently:

-Alpine CVA 1003 headunit (keeping)

-Alpine CHA-S634 changer

-crap 5.25" door speakers (thinking about replacing with Boston SX50 series)

-Kicker comp 8" sub (thinking about a JL Audio, but dont know what will fit yet)

-Sony Xplode POS amp (not sure what to replace with yet....)

-Factory wiring (prolly needs to be updated)

Personally I would use some Kicker or Alpine for the door 5.25" speakers.

 

For the sub I would definatly ditch the Kicker comp, I dont know much about JL Audio but may I suggest a Kicker Solo Baric (square ones) if they would fit. With the Solo Barics it makes an 8" sound like a 10" a 10" sound like a 12 and so on, since it has more surface area.

 

Definatly get rid of the Xplode amp they suck. Amp is pretty much up too you. Just find out what everything you will be powering and go from there. Ive had no problems with Rockford or Kicker amps. Just stick with a name brand and you should be fine. I acctually have a Kicker 400.2 (200X2 RMS) for sale if you would be interested.

 

What gauge wire is in there now? I would guess it would be fine if you already had an amp in there. It doesnt sound like you'll be using huge power so you should probaly be fine with 8 gauge. I used 8 gauge for my last setup (2 Alpine Type Rs, 400.2 amp, and 1 fared Capaciter) with no trouble. If you would redo the wireing use Monster cable its probaly the best on the market right now.

 

Hope this helps you out a little bit.

Thanks for the reply, yeah, a couple others mentioned Alpines for the 5.25s too..

 

The kicker 200x2 would probably be overkill for the 5.25s I would think..

1997 diablo roadster

 

Alpine IVA-D310 AV head unit with 7" flip-out screen and Ipod add-on

Alpine CHA-5634 6-disc/MP3 changer

Morel speakers and sub

(retained stock Alpine amp)

 

Just finished installation of all of the above and picking up car tomorrow. Will update from there as to how everything sounds.

Cool, Thanks man !

FOCAL, ask any stereo guy.. I swear by mine. :heart:

depends if you just want the mainstream names, or if your willing to go proper high end stuff.

 

for the Doors I would go Focal, Polk or MB Quart (MB Quart being my personal preference).

 

as for the amp, are you running a 2 or 4 channel? (ie, are you running the fronts off a head unit or the amp?).

 

I would go a soundstream amp personally, or an Xtant, or if you do wanna go with the mainstream stuff, the Kickers are fine.

 

Sub, i would go a Precision Power, of JL, or the Kicker Solo Baric's if you again want to keep things relatively consistent.

 

The JL's have a very different sound to most sub's allot warmer, a nice match to a MB quart which is an extremely crisp sound.

 

Stereo's are very personal, and everyone has their taste.

 

why arnt you changing the head unit? I hate Alpine Head Units, mine got thrown in the bin when i got it with my car.

dont put a sound system in, when u have a full 12 cylinder band playing behind u

 

i have never used one in any diablo i have had :supz:

agreed. v-12 sound is better. The entertainment unit is just for the wife to have something to do while you are enjoying the car... :mrgreen:

WIFE????????????/

 

i dont even take my girl freind in the diablo, it makes me feel like im cheating on the diablo :mrgreen:

 

no i like to take it one girl at a time :mrgreen:

If you aren't working with too limited of a budget I'd recommend some of the following companies.

 

Speakers : Focal, Rainbow, Arc Audio, or MB Quart (Note: You will need to get a high quality amp to run these speakers)

 

Sub : JL Audio, Precision Power, Eclipse

 

Amp : JL Audio, Arc Audio, and Phoenix Gold

 

I can say from personal experience that JL's make some bad ass subwoofers AND amps. My past setups were:

 

1) 2 x JL Audio 12" W3 - JL Audio 500/1 Amp

2) 2 x JL Audio 12" W6 (This was fcuking LOUD) - JL Audio 1000/1 Amp

3) 1 x JL Audio 13.5" W7 (Put my setup above to SHAME) - JL Audio 1000/1 Amp

 

Eclipse is also a great company to look at when searching for subs. They make very nice subs, both aesthetically and for use.

 

BTW, if you are going to upgrade to any "decent" speakers you might as well get a seperate amp for it. The head unit doesn't really supply it enough power. I believe your's is probably pushing out 23 Watts RMS. And speakers you are looking at will most likely need 75 Watts RMS at the min. Don't chance blowing out good speakers cause of shitty supply of power. Hell you might even want to get a capacitor.

 

Hope this wasn't too long of a post and helps you out.

 

-Peter

I'll start off piece by piece for my recommendations. For the door speakers, Alpine sounds OK in my opinion, but Eclipse Point Source sounds better, and Canton speakers sound better yet. Canton is made by the same comany that once made MB Quart(now made by Maxxsonics). MB Quart has lost some of their quality. I have Kicker KS in my Stealth and MR2, I had 4 RS series in my Escalade, and now I have 3 RS in each front door in my Hummer(overkill, yes). The Kicker speakers sound nice overall.

 

If you want a smaller woofer, the Kicker Comp VRs are OK, but I think the Aluma Pro are a little better sounding, and require less box volume(and yes, this DOES matter). I have 4 15" Kicker Comp VR in my Hummer, had 6 15" Kicker L7 in my Escalade, and I liked them. Good quality overall, but I was never a fan of them until recent years, when they started getting better.

 

Amplifier, many brands are good, Alpine, Eclipse, Kicker, etc... basically you just need to find an amp that matches your need. And MrE is correct, you will most likely want a second amplifier for your speakers, because the factory deck doesnt have much pre-amp power.

 

And the factory should be sufficient if its better than 10 gauge. Rewiring on a Diablo isnt going to be a fun task. But, if you are that concerned about making it better, by all means, do it. You are going to want 8 gauge for the speakers minimum, and 4 gauge for the subwoofer. Stinger makes a "twisted pair" style wire, and it seems to be high quality, as well as being very flexible, and its also my personal preference.

 

Any questions just PM me. I was a professional installer, but Im too busy with custom painting to do much mobile audio/video install stuff these days.

Just don't forget a equalizer. 10 band Alpine works great and can be put facing forward so you can adjust the controls while driving and it is still hidden from view.

I should say installed under the leading edge of the front seat facing forward.

Im my Arnage, I have the Alipine high line speakers, I forget the name all around. They sound very very good.

Im running a Mac 1000 for the subs.Mac 4 x 100 for the mids/highs.Mac door seperates and Jl 6w0 x 4 for the subs.(Everything else was too deep to fit)

It also has a Phoenix Gold processor.Sounds great and under 10 grand for all with installation.

 

Joe

Im my Arnage, I have the Alipine high line speakers, I forget the name all around. They sound very very good.

 

F#1

 

With a list price just south of $3000, they better sound very, very good. A car audio magazine reviewed them and gave them higher marks than some worthy competitors.

 

Rumor is that they are Scanspeak designed speakers....

 

Interesting note though is that installation is HUGE. I have heard an F#1 system with some pricey equipment that sounded very average, and that was because the installation was poor. Didn't get a chance to hear it retuned....

 

Allan, what else do you have in the Arnage sound wise?

I'll start off piece by piece for my recommendations. For the door speakers, Alpine sounds OK in my opinion, but Eclipse Point Source sounds better, and Canton speakers sound better yet. Canton is made by the same comany that once made MB Quart(now made by Maxxsonics). MB Quart has lost some of their quality. I have Kicker KS in my Stealth and MR2, I had 4 RS series in my Escalade, and now I have 3 RS in each front door in my Hummer(overkill, yes). The Kicker speakers sound nice overall.

 

If you want a smaller woofer, the Kicker Comp VRs are OK, but I think the Aluma Pro are a little better sounding, and require less box volume(and yes, this DOES matter). I have 4 15" Kicker Comp VR in my Hummer, had 6 15" Kicker L7 in my Escalade, and I liked them. Good quality overall, but I was never a fan of them until recent years, when they started getting better.

 

Amplifier, many brands are good, Alpine, Eclipse, Kicker, etc... basically you just need to find an amp that matches your need. And MrE is correct, you will most likely want a second amplifier for your speakers, because the factory deck doesnt have much pre-amp power.

 

And the factory should be sufficient if its better than 10 gauge. Rewiring on a Diablo isnt going to be a fun task. But, if you are that concerned about making it better, by all means, do it. You are going to want 8 gauge for the speakers minimum, and 4 gauge for the subwoofer. Stinger makes a "twisted pair" style wire, and it seems to be high quality, as well as being very flexible, and its also my personal preference.

 

Any questions just PM me. I was a professional installer, but Im too busy with custom painting to do much mobile audio/video install stuff these days.

 

While we're on the subject of name dropping high end speakers, allow me to add DLS, Morel, and Dyaudio. These three are a force in the high end community. The Iridium 6.2, Elate 6, and System 240 would be the models for you respectively if you can coax a 6.5" woofer in the door (although interestingly I believe Dyna puts out a 5.25" comp set).

 

From what I've heard, the DLS and Morel are similar.....warm sounding high end, while Focal/MB Quart is bright sounding high end. Dynaudio from many accounts is ultra warm, laid back to the tune of being too relaxed. Depending on your musical preferences and own listening preferences, one set will emerge a winner for you. Problem is, you'd be lucky to even hear these sets on a sound board, let alone a CAR which is where you need to hear them. I've had the privilege of driving quite a few $100,000 cars, but haven't had good listening time with $1000 speakers in a well designed system, lol. The subjectivity of high end audio is way crazier than that of enthusiast cars, IMHO.

 

Adding dedicated amplifiers are a must with high end speakers, and a luxury on low end stuff. I can't go without, but I won't speak for the average consumer....

 

You know, CIAO BABY had a sick system in his 6.0 VT when he had it, JL subs behind the seats, and MAC amps.

 

Speak up playa!

 

ps - I like driftracer's addiction to the 15" subwoofer. I see we have a lot in common

Im with 3rdandlong, Morel and Dynaudio are also very nice sounding, but I havent heard DLS, so Im not sure. An equalizer may not be necessary, because most high-end decks have a built in EQ to play with, which is good enough for the average car owner. I dont even have one in the hummer! Unless you are going for serious sound quality, and you have the ear for it, skip the aftermarket EQ, it will be a waste of money.

 

Yes, 3rdandlong, I like my 15's :twisted: Gotta have them big enough to hit the low frequencies!