[Mk2] [Turbo] Audio recommendations

[Harold]

Hello chaps,

I have decided that my current audio setup is pants and could be much improved on. The car used to have the premium sound option but a previous owner ripped it all out and now I just have a couple of uprated front speakers and tweeters. However the sound quality is pretty rubbish, very little bass so everything Is very tinny.

I think I'll be buying an Alpine Ida-x305s to replace my headunit.

Can anyone recommend a couple of front components that have good sound quality and a wide range, so that they can provide enough bass without needing a sub? And also of course an amp to run them.

I don't particularly want to sacrifice any room to install a sub so if a couple of components can give adequate results then I will be happy with that.

Budget wise is £2-300 enough to cover speakers & amp?

Thanks for any help.

[SonicSW20]

I have a set of Rainbow SLX265 Deluxes which I am very happy with - these would set you back ~£150, which Im currently running off of a Rainbow iPaul 300.4 and an Alpine X100, which is pretty much what you are thinking of getting, albeit a couple generations older.

The only thing that annoys me about the Alpine unit is the limited audio processing available without pending another £100 or so on an Imprint module - other manufacturers at least give a 5+ Band GEQ on their mid range stuff let alone premium stuff - all I have is bass and treble attenation / boost, and I can choose a preselected frequency and bandwidth for both.
The sound quality is still good though, and the Alpine iPod integration is the best around in my opinion, I just wish I didnt have to buy an imprint module to take more control over the sound!

I'll have a look and see whats around in your budget - my setup is over (I got a good deal on the amp at £180), but for that kind of monies you will have plenty of options.

Oh, and budget ~£20-£40 for some sound deadening for the soors - you can get a Silent Coat pack from ebay for a decent enough price: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Silent-Coat-M ... 51987997d3

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Silent-Coat-V ... 5199c5c7e8

Much cheaper than Dynamat and just as good. The Extra door kit should be enough, but you get more for your money with the 20 sheet pack, and you can always deaden elsewhere with the surplus if you wanted to.

Deadening is a really good thing to do - it will supress vibrations in the door, reducing rattles (which will be more prominent when running more power through the speakers - when they play ~the resonant frequency of the door, the whole thing will want to rattle). Also, deadening will help improve bass response from the speakers. Combine that with a nice solid mount - not a plastic adapter, you can make your own MDF speaker mounting ring for less than they cost anyway, and you will have a great base for your speakers.

With wiring, you'll need a phono (RCA) cable, some power cabling and some speaker cabling.

If you put the amp in the frunk, you only need a metre or so of power wire, just make sure your ground wire is shorter than your live wire. 8 Gauge will probably be sufficient, but because there is minimal price difference and no installation issues I would just use 4AWG for your power wiring - it will allow you to upgrade in the future if you wanted to without buying more wiring. I would also run new speaker cable instead of using the stock cabling - something like 12AWG will be more than enough.

[Harold]

Wow, thank you for your most comprehensive reply. You've answered a lot of questions. Someone has recommended that for £300 I buy 2x Focal access 165 a1 and a hertz he2 amp, and from what I have read focal seem to make some good stuff. When I do this I'll definitely be replacing the speaker wiring and sound deadening the doors, if I'm going to do something then it's worth doing properly. I probably will end up putting the amp in the frunk, let's face it, it's not the most usable of space and I rarely look under the bonnet anyway.

[Marf]

I have VIBE SEK50 components(5" 2 ways and tweeters) up front and a 12" JBL sub running off a 350w amp behind the passenger seat.

This to me is ideal, though I will be amping up the front speakers at some point.

[HighwayStar]

Hey Harold.
Can't help with your query I'm afraid but I can say the ida 305s is a brilliant head unit for i-pod control. Looks good in there too.. pic in my garage.

R.

[toyokid]

Hello Harold

A connection for hands free calling was important to me,
plus iphone and memory stick etc
plus joystick control for all of the above.

Hopefully it will arrive next week?

Stephen

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/360386382955? ... 1423.l2649