| nicksan |
Hi all,
When I got my pre-owned 2001 MDX Touring w/Navi earlier this year, one of the first things I noticed was the horrifying Bose Audio System. Being a part-time sound engineer with a home music studio with professional level gear, I was utterly disgusted by it.
Being new to car audio technology, i decided to read some of your threads and do some research.
I initially was going to with Infinity's since that's what I have in my other car and it's OK. But then I told myself this is a really nice SUV and this is my main vehicle, I want to put something better...
I narrowed it down to the following:
1) Fronts: Focal 165K or Diamond Audio Hex S600S.
2) Rears: Focal Access Coax or Diamond Audio M3 361i.
3) Sub: ??????
4) Amp: ?????? I would want a 5 channel amp but am I paying more than I should over a 2 amp setup?
I'm having a problem deciding on a Sub and Amp as you can see. First off, I would like to put the new sub in the same place as the factory sub. If the existing "deck of cards" sized amp can be replaced with something respectable, then I may go the 2 amp route.
Can you guys recommend anything? Something more than the 10" Polk, but nothing too crazy. Something that would blend in with the Focals or Diamond's. Most importanlty, something that would fit in the factory space!
Also, the amp. Of course I see a lot of the Sony X-Plod, MTX, etc...but I also see ones from Eclipse, PPI, etc...
What's a real good one?
I'm itching to upgrade the audio...really...please help me guys!!! |
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| sstclairs |
I love my Focals (165K front, 6.5 CA coaxial rear) but haven't heard the Diamonds. I am using a PPI 4 channel for the fronts and rears and am quite happy with it, using Xtant mono for the sub. Doing again I would use the PPI 5 channel, which will fit in the headrest storage space. I am mixed about my sub (which I think is the sub, not the amp), so I can't really recommend a/d/s (but I don't have anything to compare it to, as I have never had a subwoofer before). I think you will be happy with either speakers, will get a good amp (yes, I do think you need more than a 2 channel), hopefully someone else can help with the subwoofer.
Steve |
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| phins2rt |
nicksan,
You may want to check out the Memphis Belle 5 channel amp. I have heard they are very small and don't produce a lot of heat. You may want to check out caraudioforum.com for some advise from that forum as well. Good luck with the upgrade!:D |
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| nicksan |
Thanks guys.
I am pretty set on getting the Diamond Audio Hex speakers for the front and their Coax ones for the rear.
I've done lots of reading on the sub and so far I am just lost. I guess I'll need to get a "Free Air" model for direct replacement or get a custom made "box" to fit the factory location for the better models like the Boston Acoustics...
My main concern is that I want to keep the car looking like it does currenlty. So the Sub has to fit in the location the factory sub is in right now.
Ideally, I would like to get either a 5 channel or 4 channel + mono for amplification. I was indeed looking at PPI, as well as Eclipse units. I see that MTX is a very economical solution. I would like your honest opinion. Does it make THAT much of a difference???
I plan to put the amp in the headrest compartment but also would like access to the headrest themselves, leaving them in there...
Thanks! |
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| imraw |
Nicksan
I have replaced my speakers with the Diamond Audio speakers. I have the M6 seperates up front and the 361 coaxes in the rear. Diamond makes a 10 inch sub that will fit in the original space but I was not happy with the sound. I went with an M3 sub in a pre-made sub enclosure and am very happy with it. I am using a Memphis 2004 amp for the front and rear and an Xtant mono Dclass amp for the sub. I have intalled an Eclipse head unit. this system rocks now. I couldn't be happier. I contacted Exoticwooddash.com for a custom piece for the head unit. Looks very nice. Diamond Audio also makes an M6 set up with just a midrange driver for the rear speakers. You can use the built in rear cross-over on the M6 cross-over to run the rear speakers. I would just recommend a larger amp if you are going to do this. It attenuates the rear speakers 10db. It will save you some money on the amp that way. You can also get away with a 3 channel amp or a 4 channel with one channel bridged (sub) this way. If you have any questions you can email me. I will be glad to help. |
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| nicksan |
Randy,
Thanks for your input.
I decided to upgrade my Maxima first with Eclipses. I already had Infinity speakers and a MTX amp in there. All I needed was to replace the rear speakers(Inifinty's were torn!!!), add an amp (Eclipse 2 channel for sub) and a sub. (Eclise 6100 series 10" x 2 in vented enclosure)
The system sounds absolutely awesome. I don't like too much bass so this is great. I mean, I can still bass it out but I have the level so it blends in with the rest of the system I get a nice deep sound.
I think I will go with the Elipse Aluminum Sub and 5 channel amp to save the hassles of having 2 amps. I will still go with Diamond front and rears.
Gonna cost me some money but hearing what it did for my Maxima, how can I resist?!? |
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| jedge78 |
I think that you will be hard pressed to fit an Aluminum in the space where the factory sub is. Furthermore, if you are really considering the Memphis Belle, you will be giving the sub over 1000 watts which I dont think either the sub, nor the side panels can take for an extended period of time. If I were you, I wouldn't waste my time with 5 channel amps. Just get a class D mono for the sub and a class A-B for the mids and highs. For the sub, if you can fit it, I would suggest a JL 10W6v2 with 400 watts or so. And, with either the W6 or alum, I would heavily reinforce the panel that it is mounted to. For mids and highs.... check out the Boston Accoustic reference line and the JL XR line... both sound great. Focals sound good too... I used to have a set of K2's that I really enjoyed.
I hope it works out |
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