Full System Build-Questions

[Screwthat]

Hey guys, new to the forums here and I have several questions that I would like some insight on.

I have a 2002 supercrew. I want to build a sound system that is accurate, loud and crisp. I like the tone/sound that the stock speakers have for the most part. I'm hoping that gives you guys grounds for comparison. What it lacks is any bass/mid bass.

I listen to mainly different forms of rock music ranging from metal/metal core (asking Alexandria, miss may I, I see stars) to alternative and punk (the red jumpsuit apparatus, yellowcard, Saosin, Silverstein)

What I want from my sound system is something that maintains factory like tone but adds more quality to the sound and also adds mid bass and some real bass as well. I want to be able to feel the kick drum and snares and hear the cymbals really well. Tight, punchy and accurate.

What I don't want is some super boomy muddy bass that has no definition.

My budget isn't really set as I am 18 and still living at home. But I cannot put down 2 grand on a set of components.

Any help is appreciated!

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[Screwthat]

Basically, to make the previous post easier to answer, I am looking for the most accurate, quality sound system I can get

What I need is-

-a set of 6.5" component speakers OR I can buy the woofers and tweeters separate. Wanting good accurate and maybe even the ability to feel the kick drum

-a set of 6x8 or 6x9 coax speakers to fit the rear doors. Doesn't have to be as high quality, just want it to fill any voids and give any passengers in back something.

-one or two good accurate, tight and punchy subs. Doesn't have to be real loud as I am not a bass head. Keep in mind that the shallower the better for my application

 

[trumpet 5,000+ posts]

The factory audio system in your vehicle is nothing special. I recommend you start with a new head unit, a 5-channel amplifier, an underseat subwoofer enclosure and 2 10" subwoofers. This should make the factory speakers sound a lot better, you'll be able to cut the bass out of them so they're not trying to play too much, and you'll have some low end bass that you've never had. If you need to break it down to make it more affordable, do the head unit, amplifier, then the subs, then the front speakers. I'm assuming your speakers are still in decent shape, but after 12 years they may need to get bumped up on the shopping list.

If you want specific part suggestions please pm me and I will help you with a quote.

 

[hispls 5,000+ posts]

-a set of 6x8 or 6x9 coax speakers to fit the rear doors. Doesn't have to be as high quality, just want it to fill any voids and give any passengers in back something.

Are you driving like a cop car with a plexiglass window between the front and rear of the cabin?

 

[Screwthat]

I currently have an aftermarket head unit and I have the wiring run to the front middle seat for the speakers. I cannot put a box under the seat because I won't be able to fold the seat down. The backs fold down instead of the bottom folding up. I have the dimensions for a box that goes behind the seats that I'm going to put two 10" subs in. If I can find shallow enough 12's I may look into those. Air space may be a small issue due to the location, but I plan to poly fill it and run the subs a little higher wattage. May run a two channel because I have one that I may be able to use and use a 4 channel for the speakers.

Can anyone list some good precise subs that will reproduce the double kick bass's lower frequencies without sounding boomy and muddy. And what about speakers for the front and the rear? Looking for as crisp and accurate of a sound as I can get without sounding shrill.

 

[trumpet 5,000+ posts]

I currently have an aftermarket head unit and I have the wiring run to the front middle seat for the speakers. I cannot put a box under the seat because I won't be able to fold the seat down. The backs fold down instead of the bottom folding up. I have the dimensions for a box that goes behind the seats that I'm going to put two 10" subs in. If I can find shallow enough 12's I may look into those. Air space may be a small issue due to the location, but I plan to poly fill it and run the subs a little higher wattage. May run a two channel because I have one that I may be able to use and use a 4 channel for the speakers.
Can anyone list some good precise subs that will reproduce the double kick bass's lower frequencies without sounding boomy and muddy. And what about speakers for the front and the rear? Looking for as crisp and accurate of a sound as I can get without sounding shrill.

What are your dimensions for the subwoofer box? The mounting depth and the internal volume must be taken into consideration. Another thought is to use a pair of 13.25" subs. I have those from Precision Power, and the mounting depth is only 2". They require 0.5-0.8 cu ft per sub.

 

[gstokes]

Here's the specs on my economy SQ build:

Kenwood KDC-X597 CD receiver with BT/Sirius/XM but the high point is the 4V preamp.

MB Quart OA1100.5 Class SQ 5-channel, the 4-channel section is Class AB with a touch of Class D to keep the transistors awake and it when they say it rivals most Class AB amps they aren't kidding, the sound is warm and natural like a tube amp.

MTX TNA212D Dual 12" 400W RMS 2Ω Sealed & Loaded Enclosure.

2 pair Pioneer TSG-6844's 45W rms max.

In 4 ohm mode the Quart lays down 75 x 4 to the Pioneers and the 2 ohm subs get 500W rms but this is primarily SQ so the gains are reduced and the speakers will never see more than they can handle.

The rear channel is not hooked up yet but will soon drive another pair of cross-fired tweeters in addition to the front components that will act as imaging system to create soundstage, with just the pioneer door speakers and the Sub and it is off to a good start, Diamond Audio 6.5" mid bass drivers will soon replace the pioneer door speakers and the 12" sealed sub enclosure is going right between the front seats, my goal is to direct the subs to reflect off the windshield or the dash and sound as though they are in front of me instead of below and beside me, reversing polarity on selected drivers in addition to a Kicker Front Row 6-channel DSP (12 ZXDSP1) will make this job much easier and i doubt it will even pale in comparison to high dollar SQ setups but i will be happy with it and that's all that matters.

 

[Screwthat]

Okay so today I was digging around behind the rear seats and in the rear corners of the cab I found what seems to be 6x8 speaker openings. Would I benefit from utilizing these with a set of 6x9's for some mid bass thump, especially for times when I have the subs turned wayyy down or even off?

And for those who want to know, the plan is to make a custom sub box for behind the rear seats. I plan to sound deaden the entire rear cab wall. Then cut a piece of mdf that is 53.5" long by 12.5" tall. This then gives me a piece that fits behind the hump in the floor of the cab. I will then build two separate boxes off this piece of mdf on each side of the cab. It will be trapezoidal in shape. The bottom piece will be 8.5" by 16.75". One will be shaped accordingly to comply with the hump and the other to match for air space reasons. The top piece will be 4.5" wide by 16.75" long and the piece that goes against the seat, thus completing the trapezoidal box, will be in the neighborhood of 14" wide by 16.75" long. The remaining section of the back plate will be used as the amp deck. These numbers are not compensating for the inner dimensions. I will be using 3/4 inch mdf.

Another quick question, which orientation would sound better? Firing into the seat back or firing into the cab wall.

 

[gstokes]

I'm gathering that this enclosure will be sandwiched behind the rear bench seat and the trunk/cab separator but not actually in the trunk, correct ?

It has already been proven and well documented that subwoofer enclosures ALWAYS sound better when facing backwards but from what i am gathering your subwoofers enclosure should be firing through the back-seat and not firing at the trunk wall, my biggest reason to fire them at the seat is if they were turned around facing that steel wall at that close of a distance you would not be able to stop all the vibrations and rattles no matter the extent of damping, and on the other hand facing forward the sound will already be muddled from having to fire through all the foam in the seat-back, facing forward is still your best option..

 

[Screwthat]

That makes sense. My only question is how does firing at the back wall have any difference than firing down to the floor of the cab? Is it just metal thickness?

 

[trumpet 5,000+ posts]

Screwthat, I haven't seen every possible subwoofer enclosure behind a seat of a pickup truck, but I have yet to see one where the subs fire into the back wall. They face into the back seat, or they're placed near the floor to face across the space below the seat. You need to prevent the cone from slamming into the back seat, but there is little need to worry about the seat cushion affecting the sound negatively.

It has already been proven and well documented that subwoofer enclosures ALWAYS sound better when facing backwards

That's quite a statement to make considering it isn't true.

 

[trumpet 5,000+ posts]

Screwthat, I haven't seen every possible subwoofer enclosure behind a seat of a pickup truck, but I have yet to see one where the subs fire into the back wall. They face into the back seat, or they're placed near the floor to face across the space below the seat. You need to prevent the cone from slamming into the back seat, but there is little need to worry about the seat cushion affecting the sound negatively.

It has already been proven and well documented that subwoofer enclosures ALWAYS sound better when facing backwards

That's quite a statement to make considering it isn't true.