building son a system

olman · Post by **olman** » Thu Dec 02, 2004 7:03 pm

my son has a 98 c230 it has six stock speaker. was going to push them with an alpine 9830 was thinking of using a jL 250/1 or 500/1 amp and probley 1 or 2 12w3 by JL is this going to sound decent. I'm not looking for the loudest system but fairly loud and good sound.please help

lotas · Post by **lotas** » Thu Dec 02, 2004 10:50 pm

olman wrote:my son has a 98 c230 it has six stock speaker. was going to push them with an alpine 9830 was thinking of using a jL 250/1 or 500/1 amp and probley 1 or 2 12w3 by JL is this going to sound decent. I'm not looking for the loudest system but fairly loud and good sound.please help

first off as a teenager i just wanna say thats really cool what you're doing.
second of all, im not sure what alpine is but you wont go wrong with JL...their amps are awesome, but you might think about stepping the sub up...or getting him like a 12" XXX. Might want to look into Resonant Engineering (http://www.reaudio.com) thats who makes the XXX. also http://www.adireaudio.com their brahma is very similar but can perform the same with significantly less wattage. But if you want to stick with JL, thats a good brand to stick with and it should sound nice.

Scarrell · Post by **Scarrell** » Fri Dec 03, 2004 1:35 am

i am not sure if any HU will be able to power six speakers, id definately look into an XXX or a Brahma, and keep that JL 500/1 to power the XXX or Brahma. the Alpine 9830 is a great cd player. id also look into just getting a 4 channel amp and some good components, you can get a JL 300/4 to match the 500/1 and look into some Adire or Resonant Engineering components, other component brands to look at are: CDT, Focal, MB Quart, Rainbow, Infinity. there are plenty of other products out there. go to some shops and listen to some subs..etc.. yourself if you want.

olman · Post by **olman** » Fri Dec 03, 2004 6:22 am

Thanks for the replies Ive seen the Brahma mentioned alot in the forums but I have never seen one in any of the audio places around alabama. if i move up to the alpine 9833 that has 26 watt rms would this push the interior speakers without going to a second amp.

Jszar · Post by **Jszar** » Fri Dec 03, 2004 7:08 am

it can, and it should sound fine. the only thing is though, if you are limiting power to the speakers, you'll have to do the same to the sub, or it will be unbalanced.

olman · Post by **olman** » Fri Dec 03, 2004 7:20 am

Thanks Jszar well it sounds as though i should not go with the most powerful HU and amplify the sub as well as the interior speakers. Guess that means i either need a 4 channel amp or a 2 channel amplifier and a mono for the sub. I was trying to keep the cost around 1500.00. but I hate to spend that kind of money and limit the sound because i was trying to cut a corner. I'm learning alot about stereos but there are so many opinions when i go to the stereo shops its just really confusing. The only thing I been told consistanly was that in stock speakers were good and i sould keep them.

William from NOLA · Post by **William from NOLA** » Fri Dec 03, 2004 7:51 am

9 times out of 10, the car audio shops are just trying to sell you something they make the most money on. So, listen to what they have to say and then question it.

As for auditioning anything you can't seem to see locally, give the brand a call (such as Adire: http://www.adireaudio.com) and see who carries them in your area. -this is much easier than driving around taking guesses, but that is fun too :) .

If you don't want to go with an amp to power the mains, then go for that Alpine head unit with their V-drive amplifier. That one of the most powerful (and realiable) head unit amplifier out right now. The only thing is that you have to run another wire off the battery to power it.

The JL Audio 500/1 and an Adire Brahma will do good together, but you would need relatively larger box than you would if you had more power. Just remember that more power equals more money overall. It would also be a good idea to buy a new more powerful battery (such as an Optima Red or Yellow Top). This will make a big difference to the amplifier(s) and your electrical system.

Jszar · Post by **Jszar** » Fri Dec 03, 2004 8:51 am

if the stock speakers are new or in relativlely good condition, then they will last a while, but i would never put too much faith in anything that is OEM no matter who makes it.

you could also look at a good 5 or 6 channel amp, use 4 channels for the speakers, and use one or bridge 2 channels on a 6 channel amp for the sub. you can definetly do this for $1500, thats a very good budget to work with, just dont rush anything.

I'd look at something like a JL 500/1 with a RE SX or an Adire Brahma, or even a 12w6v2 or something that can handle that much power. figure $400 for the amp, and $300 for the sub. look at a jl 300/4 ($400) or a nackamichi pa1004($300), the nakamichi is cheaper and just as good but its 50x4wrms and the jl is 75x4wrms (probably to much power). i dont know whether you want to mix and match amps though. this leaves $400-$500 for the head unit you choose. this is very do-able.

Jszar · Post by **Jszar** » Fri Dec 03, 2004 8:53 am

also figure in cost a good wiring kit or two from knukonceptz.com

olman · Post by **olman** » Fri Dec 03, 2004 9:11 am

thanks for the help I will look a little more and check into the 6 channel amp. I had originally looked at the JL 12w6v2 sub but time I added the box everyone around here was close to 650.00. But I will check somemore. Will let you guys know what I end up with and how it sounds.