Hey everyone, I've taken out my headliner, pillars, doorpanels etc to be re-upholstered, the interior of the car is basically naked. I've been planning on replacing my stock sound system for awhile now, and I think this is the best time to do it, because running new wires will be easy - plus if I need to make custom molds or tear up the rear deck, etc, I can re-upholster it after that.

So basically, I've been reading up on all the threads I could find on the type of speaker sizes I can run in the stock locations, and what brands are good. However, there's a huge problem, and that's the fact that I'm in NZ. There's quite a small market here and you can't get half as much of the stuff as you can in the USA. I know of this place that sells quite a huge variety of car audio equipment. They have a website, which is:

http://www.parallelimported.co.nz/search.php?main_category=Car%20Audio&mid=1&m2id=3&&category=Speakers

Can you guys help me out by going to that URL and telling me which brands (and which model) would be good? And for which part of the car, kickpanels, doorpanels (tweets?) or rears.

My objective is to have a system that plays clean sound, something that will reproduce classical music well. The current stock system sounds flat (I have the Nokia system without the 4" speakers in the doors or an amp). However I'd also like to have a well-rounded system, because I listen to other types of music pretty frequently as well. Just thought that if it'd be able to play classical music well, it'd be able to play the others well... or am I wrong there?

The only thing I won't be changing is my headunit. I have a Clarion DXZ735MP now, and my guess is that it's a good enough headunit for my purpose? Here are the specs: http://www.carreview.com/userControls/CRProduct/ProductSpecs.aspx?ProductID=164070

I have also considered running a sub in the trunk - either 10" or 12". But to let the bass waves get through, I'd need to either remove the rear speakers, or punch the ski hole (mine's sealed, and the rear seats don't have an armrest). Is removing the rear speakers a good thing to do? Because I'd rather punch the ski hole or not run a sub at all, if it'll sacrifice rear fill or whatever it's called.

Assuming I need to keep the rear speakers, what should I replace the stock 4" ones with? 5.25"? 6.5"? 6x9s? I have no problems with modifying the rear deck or making adapter plates, just adds to the fun.

What about an amp? I know I'll probably need one. So which one would be a good one from the site? Would I need to run a separate dedicated amp if I got the sub?

Will the stock wiring be sufficient for aftermarket speakers? Will I need to get sound insulation material (Dynamat)?

I know that was a whole LOT of reading, so if you've managed to get up to here, good stuff. :D

TIA!

Bump, can anyone help? 33 reads and not a single reply, surely someone can answer some of my questions.

as far as speakers go you have alpine, rockford fosgate, clif designs, kicker, & jbl to decide from for your front stage
I see everyone worldwide has given up on the fast & furious line by lightning, you should look into that if you arent sure what you want to do as far as bass, you get alot for a little and the enclosure can be removed quickly
you will need an amp for the front stage and I would suggest a four channel, you have several good companies to choose from there, take your time
oh yeah
since you have the interior basically gutted, lay down good wire!!!!!!!!!!
I cant stress this enough, the money you spend on good wiring now will keep you happy for the duration of the car
I would recommend which wiring to get but that site doesnt list it...........
glad you posted that link, I never saw those clif design amps before, they are nice

Ask Frodo? Gandolph?:D

:lol

What kind of music do you listen to?

Ask Frodo? Gandolph? :D

Thanks for the bump :stickoutt

What kind of music do you listen to?

In general, pop, rock, classical, though I pretty much listen to everything.

Here's some advice:

6.5" speakers sound better than 5.25" in terms of midbass and it's just what I personally recommend, sadly our cars only take 5.25". If you can find a way to mount 6.5", they would be great for front stage.

If you plan to mount bigger speakers on the rear deck (6.5" woofers or 6x9" what have you) be sure to deaden that rear deck. It's notorious for rattling. Rear fill isnt needed really. I recommend that you disconnect the rear speakers to allow more bass to get into the cabin if you go a subwoofer route.

Speakers: some of the high end names I constantly hear is: Rainbow, DLS, Focal. These should be some great all-around speakers, that is if you have some serious cash.

Subs: Eric77, should answer this question shortly. I'll give it 20 minutes, tops.

Amp: Again, if you have some serious cash, Zapco comes to mind.

I think you should decide on how much you would like to spend on your system first and then go from there. There's no point recommending components when they are way out of your price range. I'd recommend spending the most amount of money on the front splits and the amp.

The Clarion headunit will provide a good starting point for you system and should be more than ample for your first system. I'd recommend removing the rear speakers fully and putting a subwoofer in the back.

Also consider heading over to www.caraudioaustralia.com and having a look at the forums there. There's a wealth of information there. Also I there are a few NZ guys on there too. "Blackrazor" owns a shop in NZ (I think) and might be able to help you out.

With my current system I've got MB Quarts in the front, which were a drop in for the kick panels and required a little work to fit the tweeter in the stock spot. And I've got a Alpine Type-S 12" subwoofer in the back. It was powered off a Jaycar amp but I've since upgraded. I've recently got some new speakers and will be selling my MB Quarts. Give us a PM if you're interested.

Here's some advice:

6.5" speakers sound better than 5.25" in terms of midbass and it's just what I personally recommend, sadly our cars only take 5.25". If you can find a way to mount 6.5", they would be great for front stage.

If you plan to mount bigger speakers on the rear deck (6.5" woofers or 6x9" what have you) be sure to deaden that rear deck. It's notorious for rattling. Rear fill isnt needed really. I recommend that you disconnect the rear speakers to allow more bass to get into the cabin if you go a subwoofer route.

Speakers: some of the high end names I constantly hear is: Rainbow, DLS, Focal. These should be some great all-around speakers, that is if you have some serious cash.

Subs: Eric77, should answer this question shortly. I'll give it 20 minutes, tops.

Amp: Again, if you have some serious cash, Zapco comes to mind.

Thanks, I won't stress too much about rear fill then. Don't have serious cash, definitely not enough to buy Zapco. The 6.5" idea is good, I think some people are running 6.5"s in the front but it requires quite a bit of modification, I'll look into it. So it's midbass that I want based on my musical preferences?


I think you should decide on how much you would like to spend on your system first and then go from there. There's no point recommending components when they are way out of your price range. I'd recommend spending the most amount of money on the front splits and the amp.

The Clarion headunit will provide a good starting point for you system and should be more than ample for your first system. I'd recommend removing the rear speakers fully and putting a subwoofer in the back.

Also consider heading over to www.caraudioaustralia.com and having a look at the forums there. There's a wealth of information there. Also I there are a few NZ guys on there too. "Blackrazor" owns a shop in NZ (I think) and might be able to help you out.

With my current system I've got MB Quarts in the front, which were a drop in for the kick panels and required a little work to fit the tweeter in the stock spot. And I've got a Alpine Type-S 12" subwoofer in the back. It was powered off a Jaycar amp but I've since upgraded. I've recently got some new speakers and will be selling my MB Quarts. Give us a PM if you're interested.

Thanks man, you made a good point about the budget. I am on a pretty tight budget. I guess I won't be going anywhere near Zapco stuff, but I can manage Alpine, Rockford and Infinity stuff. The most expensive component would be the amp. Would it be possible to run new components up front without the amp, just with the headunit for the time being? Would I notice an improvement in SQ over the stock speakers? Or is that a bad idea?

And thanks for the offer, I'll consider it :)

Btw Graybishop, thanks for the advice - I'll be going to the audio shop preferably tomorrow to look at the equipment available, perhaps they have more stuff not listed on their site.

Btw, is the Alpine Type R range better than the Type S? (Going by Nissan Skyline ranking :p)

On wiring:

Be sure to run the power lines down one side of the car and the speaker lines down the other.

Also, look at the MBQuartz line. They have a set of 6 seperates that fit the factory placement.

Good luck!

i ran the focal polyglass 3 way setup in my e36 m3. it took a little bit of cutting the stock 5.25 spot to get the 6.5 speaker in but it fits along with the stock kick panel. on the door the tweeter fits fine, and the 4" mid takes some modification. i made a plate that mounts to the stock mounting location and the speaker mounts to that plate. so basically the door looks totally stock. if you like projects this was a fun one to do. the sound quality is pretty good in them, and will be better when i take the time to fine tune them. Also like everyone else said run good wires. good luck with your system. one last thing i got my speakers off of ebay for like $330-350 shipped new from a store.

Btw, is the Alpine Type R range better than the Type S? (Going by Nissan Skyline ranking :p)

I've heard them both next to one another and believe me, there's a significant difference between the two. I'll recommend the Typr R's over the Type S's anyday.

I have also considered running a sub in the trunk - either 10" or 12". But to let the bass waves get through, I'd need to either remove the rear speakers, or punch the ski hole (mine's sealed, and the rear seats don't have an armrest). Is removing the rear speakers a good thing to do? Because I'd rather punch the ski hole or not run a sub at all, if it'll sacrifice rear fill or whatever it's called.

To answer this question I think either way should be sufficient although I think punching the ski hole will provide more bass to get in. I did them both, punched the ski hole and took the rear speakers out and couldn't be happier. I currently have a little 10" Treo sub in a tiny little sealed box, and that thing is more than enough bass, believe me.

Honestly, I've tried playing some rock on my system, (ex: Linkin Park Hybrid Theory and some Metallica) and a subwoofer isnt really needed. Most of the music comes from the front. So if you're focused on some quality listening to Rock, I suggest spending your money on the best components you can afford. The more I listen to Rock, the more I think about upgrading my fronts. Rap/Hip Hop I'm perfectly fine with my little 10" sub.

would someone who's punched the ski hole take a pic and post it so I can see what it looks like? I have a 94 so before I mod the rear seat I'd like to actually see the finished product
Yuen, glad I could help with the comments I made
few things to add
you can mess with Zapco, alot of people on many boards I've been on always preach the high end of a product line; in Zapco's defense their bottom line equipment outperforms alot of mainstream companies out there mainly because they aren't mass producing, Zapco's entry level equipment might be more than enough for you & your needs...........
MAKE SURE
you dont spend money and then try to power your front stage on a head unit
its a waste of time and sound quality

I'm a little biased but I don't think you can go wrong with any of the Zapco products. If you can find some available in NZ, you might want to consider looking at some used Zapco equipment. One of the Zapcos in my current install is 11 years old and still makes the 8w7 it drives, hit better than anything else that's ever powered it.

Subs: Eric77, should answer this question shortly. I'll give it 20 minutes, tops.
I would but all my favorites are small american based companies and shipping to NZ would be completely unpractical :(

I'm not running any sort of rear speakers, and they are a great way to port bass into the cabin. Just make sure you are running a quality component set up front with enough power. I'm using Focal Polykevlar 5.25"s and they sound great! Very smooth and warm tweeters, but as everyone was saying, lacking in midbass compared to 6.5"s.

heres some advice, completely sound deaden your car npw. I'm talking like 200 sq ft! You will love it regardless if what equipment you decide to put in. I dont know if you have typical sound deadener over there, but you could always go to a roofing home improvement store and get some 35-100mm tar/asphalt based roofing mat and just pile that stuff on all over. I just reread your post and discovered dynamat is available to you. That would work great but it would cost 100's to do what i am saying.
I looked through that website and the selection they have is fairly limited. It looks like alpine is readily available over there though. Try and find a 12" alpine type x and run that in a sealed box in you trunk. As for speakers, alpine type x's are nice, mb quart and diamond are also a couple of other fairly large speaker companies that you might have access to over there. Alpine, rockford, jbl, kicker, and soundstream all make quality amps. Go for whichever one suits your budget and other equipment best. I'd run a 500-1000w amp to the type x and then a 100w x 2 amp to the comps for up front. Speakers in the rear arent necessary and its really up to you whether or not you run any. If you do get rears though, I'd just run them off your h/u.

For some ideas on system components have a look at this page
http://www.fastfoursforumscarclub.com/temp/fhrxstudios/faq.asp#0

FHRX studios do mail order and would probably be able to sort you out if you wanted to mailorder some components. Also have a browse around their website www.fhrxstudios.com as there's a wealth of information there.

Thanks everyone :) Great tips in this thread, so basically I know I need to get a good component set running up front now powered off an amp, preferably 6.5". The car is pretty much totally taken apart now, but on the sound front, I've only opened up the kickpanels, I will remove the 5.25" stocker tomorrow and have a look at how I can cut it up to 6.5".

Sephiroth, could you post a picture of your punched ski hole? Btw I think I'll be following your setup, we listen to pretty much the same variety of music so I'm more confident now.

Eric77: Had a look at prices yesterday, that Dynamat stuff sure is expensive, I'll probably be putting off insulation or going for a cheaper alternative. I didn't know I could just run the rears off the HU and the components off the amp.. now that's a good idea!

And thanks Jesper for the local links :)

You can fit 6.5" in the front but you will need to cut the metal of the kick panel to get them to fit. Or you can cut your trim panel in front of the speaker and make a spacer for them.

The ski panel is easy to punch through. Basically do just that, punch it. There the metal has already been "perforated" so should be fairly easy to remove. While I it would probably help with allowing bass into the cabin I think removing the rear speakers would make a greater difference. This is because the ski panel is a relatively thin piece of metal and the bass will still have to travel through the 15cm or so of cushioning of the rear seats. Where as if you remove the rear speakers there's a direct port of entry for the bass.

What eric said..

I've got 110watts to my fronts w/ tweaters, rears, running off of my h/u, and 650 watts to my sub and I am REALLY happy with how it sounds.

I have Infinity speakers upfront/rear with a kicker 350.2 running at 110watts rms @4ohms. With an Infinity Referance 610a running to my 12" 4ohm DVC Kicker l7(wired for two ohms).

Since you have all the interior stripped out, get all the wiring installed nicely and mount the amps somewhere where they don't touch the cars chassis. Also take the extra time to find a really nice ground for each amp(seperately). By this I mean sand it nicely, and use a gold plated screw to tighten it down. Make sure to use HIGH END Twisted Pair RCA cables, nothing cheap, it's worth the money. Again before you put the interior back in start your car up after everything is wired and see if there is any alternator noise.. it's easier to fix when things are already apart :D. Be sure to use at least 16 gauage wire from your amp to your fronts :).