ICE time. Please help.

[ironman]

Hi guys,

It's come to the point now where I can no longer stand the shoddy sound quality coming out of my Scoobys sound system and am now forced to do something about it.

It already has a Kenwood headunit and am looking for inspiration on what to do. As you know it's a saloon so I am in a dilemma of whether to have the sub in the boot or in the cabin under the seats, it's not really going to be effective in the boot is it or am I being misguided?

I'd also like some recommendations for a decent pair of components and appropriate amp to drive the comps and corresponding subs, is it worth going for a dedicated mono for the subs or will a decent multi channel suffice?

I don't really have a budget as I want it to sound decent but also don't think it's necessary to go overboard as it is only a weekend car and would just appreciate some good quality coming out when I do get stuck in traffic and don't want to hear my Blitz Nur Spec

Thanks

 

[ironman]

I guess I don't mind spending a couple hundred of some decent speakers and then a couple hundred on a suitable matching amp.

Another question I have, do I need to replace my rear door speakers or am I ok to keep them standard? I don't ever carry passengers in the back...

 

[ironman]

Musical tastes will vary from hip hop/r&b/garage/dubstep/trance/funky house.

What sort of amp(s) do I require?

As for the sub, if I put it in the boot, will I benefit seeing as it's a saloon?

 

[ironman]

I've got 2x12s in mine. You definitely know they're there its very very hard to get any sort of decent bass from the front comps in the scooby. They only allow for shallow speakers, they're mounted too low down. Not the best car for ICE at all

Interesting, are they 6.5" speakers in the front? Guess i'll have to do some research as to what depth I have to work with.

I did an install in a mates Scooby. He had the double din Kenwood touch screen HU..(can't remember model though) I put some infinity 6" components in the front doors with an MDF mount and dynamat on the doors.

As he didn't want a massive sub due to weight, we put a little 8" sub in the boot to add some bottom end. The crossover settings on the HU are pretty good so i think it was set to cut at 100 for the fronts and 80 for the sub.

What year was this scooby?

A sub makes everything sound much more musical. It doesn't have to be loud and thumping.

As you're not going overboard, I would get a four channel amp, run the components passively from the front two channels, and bridge the rear two channels for a 8 or 10 inch sealed sub. Second hand is the way as usual...you will get so much more for your money.

As for speaker recommendations, look at Rainbow, Morel, DLS, Focal...ideally demo some at your local shop then buy online.

I certainly wouldn't bother with replacing your rear speakers, in fact I'd mute the existing ones through your head unit (just so you've got the option to add them back should you ever carry passengers that demanded it for some reason). Just use any money that you could have put towards rear fill for better front components.

Thanks for this post, is there any benefit from going for a mono amp for the sub and a seperate 2 channel for the components? Are there any forums/places you recommend for second hand?

 

[ironman]

Just an update, i've bought some:

Focal K2 Power 165 KP 6.5" front components for £240 second hand and a JBL GTO 5355 6 Channel Amp for £80 which I think is pretty reasonable, comes from a fellow scooby owner so has the adapter ready modified to fit to my doors.

I guess i've saved quite a bit of money there for some quality goods, so anyone recommend what specific subs to go for now? Seeing as it's a 6 channel I guess I can go for 2x 8"s or 2x 10"s?

 

[ironman]

Cheers sol, I would like it to sound quite tight and not farty so will the 12" be ok or am I better off with 2 x 10"? Really have no idea so will just do what you recommend is the best for me!

 

[ironman]

I think i'll just go for 1 quality sub then. I think i'll set a budget of £200, I obviously want quality as I can't stand distortion/bad sound. I've seen the RE subs are around the £300 mark brand new, what is the next best option? I guess I want the best for my price really. Also how do I determine what size sub enclosure is best, do I go for ported or sealed?

Edit: thanks iaind, i'll look into JL.

 

[ironman]

Just to let you know what i've ended up with:

Front: Focal K2 Power 165 KP 6.5" components
Rear: Rainbow CMX 265 5" components (seller chucked these in for only £60 more)
Amp: JBL GTO 5355 6 Channel
Sub: JL Audio 12W3v3 12"

With a box and tons of cabling that all adds up to £590 delivered which I don't think is too bad. I'm going to add an Alpine Double DIN touchscreen headunit too.

Does anyone recommend what sound insulation I should use?

ScoobyDoo, did you line the boot with insulation?

 

[ironman]

No I didn't, and thus it rattles the spoiler and reg plate like a mofo. However, to add to the sound, drop the centre arm rest hole thingy

I'll make sure I insulate the boot then

You say you have a 12W3v3, but what configuration are the voice coils? There are three versions: the 2, 4 and 8. You need to make sure the amp can operate properly with the impedance of the voice coils.

Glad you brought that up actually, was going to ask them on Monday which one I should go for before I order. What do I need to look for in the amps spec to determine which of the 2, 4 or 8 I go for?

Just found this if it helps:

Minimum Impedance Unbridged 2 ohms
Minimum Impedance Bridged 4 Ohms

Also just to correct myself, it's a 5 channel amp:

RMS Power (4 ohms) 55 watts x 4 channels + 225 watts x 1 channel
RMS Power (2 ohms) 75 watts x 4 channels + 360 watts x 1 channel

 

[ironman]

Ideally with a 5 channel amp you'd be running the fronts actively. However with a passive setup, bridge the two pairs of front channels and run them at 4 ohms and ~100W into your Focals. Run the Rainbows from the head unit.

The 5th (sub) channel would give 360 watts into a 12W3v3-2 (2ohm, single voice coil), which should be just about enough.

Check that the amp allows the 5th channel to run at 2 ohms whilst the other 4 are running at 4 ohms (it should do). If so, you definitely want a sub that will take advantage of the extra power your amp makes at 2 ohms.

Thanks for that really helpful. The spec for the focal comps say the max power is 160w. Would it make sense to bridge the two pairs of front channels at 2 ohms and 150w or am I talking rubbish?

 

[ironman]

The nominal power is 80w. Is that the ideal wattage that should be provided?

 

[ironman]

It's a 2004....he had to get shallow mount versions though.

Same style as mine then, didn't go for shallow mount, instead have got fixtures adjusted so they fit, good thing is that they have been fitted to a scoob previously so it will just go straight in.

 

[ironman]

An update, all the stuff has been ordered and delivered! Just in Singapore at the moment waiting to get back to get it all fitted One last thing I need to sort out is the sound deadening. Any recommendations on what I should go with for doors/boot, i'm sure there is a cost effective way of doing it rather than spending £1000 on some of that expensive stuff!

Cheers