Is this the right way to go?

[dts_boy]

i have at the mo:
Alpine CDA-7893R
Alpine SPS-6929S 6x9s on an acoustic shelf
standard front speakers
having just bought an Alpine MRV-T420 power amp, i have been advised to use a sub with it rather than the 6x9s i was planning to power from them. they (a car audio shop) reccomend to use a sub with the amp, a 12" JL audio - didnt give a model number and then change the front speakers for some replacement ones that Alpine do for the car. would this be the best way to go, or are they just trying to make a sale, they said it would cost approx £450 to do ftted and would come with a fibre glass insert-type box thingy (its a technical description i know!) so i wouldn't lose boot space. whaddya reckon guys, should i or shouldn't i:confused:

[Mahtey]

Hey,

Couple of questions?

What car you drive? If it's small to medium sized forget running rears - they just drag your soundstage backwards.

Is boot space at a premium?

For front speakers I reccomend Focal (JM Lab) Access Components - about £150 - and far superior to pretty much anything Alpine can offer (full stop).

You amp puts out a healthy 340wrms bridged into 4 ohms - so either a 10 or 12 will run fine.....

Have you heard systems using 10" or 12" subs? Which did you prefer?

Either way I'd reccomend you use a JL Audio w3v2 either a 10" or 12" - just make it's a Dual 2 ohm voice coil model (coils wired in series to give a 4 ohm load) the 10" is £160, the 12" 180.

So those two item will cost you £330 (based on 12w3v2) leaving £120 for box and installation - which is reasonable providing it's a good quality box built to JL's specs.

So in a nutshell....

No you shouldn't go for their package because the Alpine components (for the front) aren't particularly special. Get some Focal Access - available at all Halfords branches.

Yes you should get new components and a sub - 6 x 9's are rubbish and good for nothing! Sell them on ebay!

Hope that helps,

Matthew

[dts_boy]

thnks for that, it is a small car, a Fiat Punto. boot space is a premiuim as the wife drives it during the week and will want to fill it full of shopping:laugh: have been told that a 12" would work better, personally prefer 10"s though, it seems to sound tighter - have to sya i have never heard them with the amp i have bought though so am expecting them to guide me with this

[Mahtey]

Hey,

If you prefer the 10" then go with the 10"!

There's a train of thought in the car audio world that 'all amps sound the same' - largely lead by a man named Richard Clark in the states who says he'll give you $10,000 if you can tell the difference between two amps in an A/B blind test!

In other words you're amp will push a 10" very nicely.

Punto? Definitely ditch the rears, I think you'll be able to fit a set of 6.5" comps in the front door.

Unless you're local dealer is a 'Top one' i'd take the advice they give you with a pinch of salt, many dealers equipment advice is purely 'mark-up' driven.

Cheers,

Matthew

[lynx]

Originally posted by Mahtey
There's a train of thought in the car audio world that 'all amps sound the same' - largely lead by a man named Richard Clark in the states who says he'll give you $10,000 if you can tell the difference between two amps in an A/B blind test!

Thought it was £5000 :grin:
. The remenants of the thread can be found here http://www.carsound.com/ubb/Archives/Archive-000001/HTML/20010126-1-000307.html
:)

[js]

Yeah I would go with a 10" sub in the boot.
New components for the front. Audition some at some car stereo stores and see what you like.

Speaker sizes for Punto are as follows (taken from CAD site):

1994-1999 Punto - Front - 8cm located in the top of the dash.

1999 onwards - Front - 17cm located in the front door.

Speakers to look at:
FOCAL
ROCKFORD FOSGATE
DIRECTED
PHOENIX GOLD

For more advice go to CAD (http://www.caraudiodirect.co.uk)

[TooManyHobbies]

Mahtey
Nice to hear some correct advice for a change rather than fill you car with as many speakers as possible!
I would agree with the sub also, have fitted lots of subs in various cars and situation and JL seem to musical and integrate with the system unlike a lot of other sub which tend to be one note wonders.