Car Audio Central - Ultimate Car Audio Forum and Community

My first system was a pair of 10" pyle pounders, it was a preloaded enclosure, ran off of a kraco power booster. couldnt even afford an amp. had a kraco pullout cassette deck which was cool, cd players werent even out yet for cars. pair of jensen 6x9 and panasonic 6x9s in the hatch along with the subs in a 1980 mustang hatchback...by todays standards of crap it would suck...i eventually upgraded and got a pyramid amp for the subs, it wasnt even the gold series...eventually i even upgraded that to a legacy amp...point being it was fun, it was affordable. i think everyone has gotten too elitist about the equipment they run to have fun with it the way we used to. Now im not talking about purpose built systems, im talking about someone just having a good time with their car who has no intention on competing in any format. i recently installed a powerbass ps-wb12 dual 12" preloaded enclosure on a 250 cerwin vega 2 channel amp in a pt cruiser and it was plenty loud enough. even used the stock head unit. cost them 500 bucks plus tax out the door and installed..wire, loc and all. when did the fun go out of it? when did everyone all of a sudden have to have top of the line equipment and rip on anyone who doesnt?

How many times has someone posted on here about having a difficult time installing components or where to put the tweeter? how many times has that person compromised and spent money on a good comp set only to locate the speakers in a less than desireable location? a good coax could have been bought and installed in the stock location with less headache and possibly better results....theres nothing wrong with buying the best you can afford but i see all the time people who buy stuff used off the street that is beat up or half blown to hell and back and all because it says jl or kicker on it. some of the best sounding systems ive installed have been using mediocre of bottom shelf equipment and just installing it correctly. hell even bills first build on the buick that did a 150 used mediocre autotek subs. the mm15's are ok but not a monster by any stretch. hell ill sell ya a pair of them new for about 350....tim just installed some cozmik series 15s with a legacy amp in an s10 and he said it pounded hard. i think maybe i blame the internet, its created a lot of experts. everything has to be porteed, everything has to be top of the line and if its not you have people with no vested interest in your system telling you to scrap what youve got. i say bring back the fun, if this hobby is dying as ive heard so many times its because its not fun anymore.

I kinda feel the same way, I don't buy new stuff for my truck any more because its not fun replacing it... Its too hard to keep up with new industry standards and it gets frustrating... Part of it is because making beer is so fun for me... the other part is due to the fact that I barely drive my truck any more... Its tough...

i always recomend new because of the warranty but seriously you dont need a pair of l7s to be loud. usually a pair of kicker comps are all most people need. or even for half the money autoteks sm12d4 subs for about 100 a pair....you can get a pair of those subs and an autotek at1000 amp for about 250....and it will be plenty

I've heard some cheap subs that are decent for sure.

Massive TW, I really like. I'm sure the cheaper Massive subs would be decent.

The problem is, people buying anything and installing it wrong gives the hobby a bad rap.

For example, people buying Focal Polyglass components and running on head unit power (maybe even factory HU power)...

You could easily beat that with a set of halfway decent coaxials.

Different people have different levels and ideas of fun. I've stopped trying to convince people to buy components instead of coaxials. Because honestly, sometimes coaxials work better for someone who isn't willing to go the extra miles.

Terry you will love my new build then bro i to am getting pretty tired of it. I just ordered 20 Autotek AT12's and 5 Autotek SM1000.1's. im using all budget equipment right down to the coax's that will go in the doors and i gurantee you it will be loud. Best sounding Nope loudest Nope will i be happy damn right.

Wow, I am the minority here.

I am purpose building my car here, but I am not going the normal route with it. I plan on competing Consumer Q with the car, Which means no install, just pure 2 seat sound. I am going to build it for fun, and have fun doing it. I plan on running this car in competition, but it isn't being built just for competition.

It is to have fun with. Nothing is more fun that running top down through a sunny day and having your tunes with you. It is like riding a motorcycle with your ipod in your pocket.

The fact that I will compete with it is an added bonus. Too many are building cars that are to be stereo cars, not cars with stereo's.

Mine will be a car with a stereo. A damn good one, but a stereo at least.

OnYrMrk wrote:Wow, I am the minority here.
I am purpose building my car here, but I am not going the normal route with it. I plan on competing Consumer Q with the car, Which means no install, just pure 2 seat sound. I am going to build it for fun, and have fun doing it. I plan on running this car in competition, but it isn't being built just for competition.
It is to have fun with. Nothing is more fun that running top down through a sunny day and having your tunes with you. It is like riding a motorcycle with your ipod in your pocket.
The fact that I will compete with it is an added bonus. Too many are building cars that are to be stereo cars, not cars with stereo's.
Mine will be a car with a stereo. A damn good one, but a stereo at least.

Thats what my current stereo in the buick is.

Bwcad1 wrote:Thats what my current stereo in the buick is.

and it's what I hope to achieve as well. i've gone thru a lot of iterations of stuff and have taken my sweet time, but i'll eventually get there.

i haven't bought the most expensive stuff. i've tested out some different stuff, some of it pretty dang cheap. The stuff I chose for this iteration is reasonably priced as well - comparatively anyway. Not the lowest budget but maybe more in the bang-for-buck area. My amps and processor weren't exactly cheap, but I should be able to turn them around for not to much of a loss in the future.

if I wasn't having fun doing it, I wouldn't be doing it.

this is why I won't work on it in the middle of winter, it's not fun freezing my tail off to do it.

Alot of people do rag on others for not having top shelf stuff. I did do the install with 15's and the legacy amp, and it did pound...pretty hard. Best sound quality not even close..but the dude was tickled to death with it, he is having fun.

Has it become a job to us?? you know something we HAVE to do, and not enjoy?? I dont work on my stuff in the winter either. I have quit buying mainstream stuff, because I feel like you pay too much for the name. When as good or better equipment is out there for half the price.

My very first system was a pair of Jensen 6x9's as well, in boxes I got from crutchfield, put in the backseat or in the back dash, on a factory tape deck in a 84 olds. Absolutley loved it. I gave 70 bucks for the jensens and 40 bucks for the boxes.

Those were the dayz.

oh dang my post never made it.