The wife hasn't been in my car for a while. We went out last night, I put on some Tool and cranked that ************ and she was like "can I have YOUR stereo stuff?" . Which of course, makes me say - hmmmmm......I get some new crap, she gets the old, and we're both happy!

Aight - here's what I'm looking for:

First off, I have decided to replace my Infinity front components - I want the same shizznit I had before, because I really liked them. The wife can have the old Infinity tweeters and the RF woofers from my car. Cost for the 605cs comp set: about $110.

Since the Infinity is a bit lacking in the bass, I would like to put some 6.5" midbass drivers in the rear doors. These need to be free-air, as I will not build enclosures for them - I just want to drop them in and get a little bottom out of 'em. I'm considering Kicker Resolution 6.5"s. I can get them for about $100. I'll also consider others, of course.

Next, I need a good 4 channel amp to run the front & rear. MUST have separate crossovers for front and rear, since I will do high-pass to the Infinitys and low-pass to the mid basses. Must do at least 75 watts x 4 @ 4 ohms, though 100 would be great. I'm thinking the Rockford Punch 700x (87.5 x 4 @ 4 ohms, plus the dual x-overs, etc.) or the Power 750 (100 x 4 @ 4 ohms, and all the same goodies as the Punch). Cost for either one is right around $300, give or take $20.

For the subs (I have two Infinity 100.3se's; 275 watts RMS each, DVC 4 ohm - just have to build the enclosure) I'm gonna go with either the JBL 600.1 or 1200.1 - since the subs can be wired to get me 4 ohms or 1 ohm to the amp, either one can give me a nice 600 watts clean power.

The other issue is that I would like to get the amps under the seats, and out of the hatch area.

So - here's what I need from my fellow audio freaks:

1) Midbass driver recommendations. Something that'll take about 75+ (100?) watts RMS or so, work free-air, and is a 6.5" driver.

2) 4-channel amp recommendations - around 75+ (100?) watts x 4 @ 4 ohms. Separate front/rear x-overs is a must.

3) Any install experience with under-seat mounting. I know at least a couple of you guys MUST have put one of the JBL BP's under a seat - how did that go? If the JBL will fit well, I'll have to check out the dimensions of the 4-channel to see if it, too, will fit - whichever 4-channel I decide to get.

Of course, budget is important also. The stuff I've got listed will run about $750+ total. I think that might be the limit - but I'm sure I can find a few more bucks - but ONLY if necessary - lower price is always better!

Now get to work, *******. Hehe. THANX!!!

~HH

 

Nice sounding (Pun intended) plan there Hihoslva! I still enjoy the pair of J's a lot these days, the JBL and JL audio amps. A 300/4 might push your budget, but it is one of the nicest most rock solid amps out today.
For the rear I have a notion for you- don't focus purely on speciality mid range speakers alone. The cost of another set of seperates might not be that out of hand for you budget, and if you were to get them from the same company as your front set, you will more than likely end up with a good tonal match. That is the hardest part of mixing speakers to me. You are right on to consider only mid bass for the rear area, the higher frequencies should sound like they are in front of you, not behind! How many concerts have you gone to with your back turned to the stage!
The process would be easy thanks to your desire to get an amp with crossover controls- install the mid-bass in the rear doors without the crossover or the tweeter, and use the amp to control the frequencys.
I have not hear the kickers, but I am amazed they claim frequencies that low with a 6&1/2 inch speaker. The frequency range is as big a function of the size of the cone as anything; it is one reason we are all seeing more 7 inch speakers now. Most 6.5 will get to the 50 to 60 hertz stage at the lowest without distortion. You might want to check out the distortion and frequency response curves in graph from for the kicker if you can!
The JBL should be a great amp for the subs! Underseat installs work OK, and many folks like them for not taking up space. The challange in the Protege is the rear floor vents- either figuring a way to clear them, or the just block them up, and amps are more susceptable to weather damage or cooling issues under the seats. Running cabling will be a snap, just go straight up the middle of the car thanks to the console. I would suggest running the RCA's through there, and then power down the drivers side and speaker cables up passenger side for a nice clean layout with seperation to avoid any possible conflicts. You are also right clearance is also an issue- measure will and avoid the cussing sessions!
Between the unistall, the install in your wifes car and then the install of new in yours, your have quite a project there!Let us know what directs you decide to go, and tell us all about each step of this ambitious plan!
Sounds like every everyone will come out ahead on this deal!
(Yes, another intended bad pun!!)

 

Thanks Dave.

I think I do have a solid plan in place. I'd love to use mid-basses made by Infinity or something like that - for "tonal matching". The problem is, Infinity doesn't make a dedicated mid-bass driver. And using just the woofer from a component set is not a great option - Infinity makes high-sensitivity drivers, and in my experience (as well as a lot of what I've read) they really can't have that punchy mid-bass I need. Hell - if they did, I wouldn't be looking for mid-bass drivers in the first place!

The Kickers look good, are reasonably priced, and I have heard good things about them. I'm thinking that since they are, in fact, dedicated mid-basses, they will be able to play pretty low. I'm not expecting thunderous bass from 'em - just some good higher-bass fill.

The JL amps - yeah, guess I'd love to. But I have had good experience with Rockford so far (I've got two, and never had an issue with them), and for sure they are cheaper than JL. An added plus is the remote bass **** - since I already have one. I can still hook it up to the rear-only channel of a new 4-ch RF amp, and be able to boost/cut the midbasses. I like control.......

Anyway - y'all keep the suggestions coming. I've got some time on this I think - we're buying a house (just signed the contracts today!), and I can assume that none of this work is going to take place until we move in, prob about 3 months or so (can you say 2-car garage? ). I'm sick of working in the parking lot where I live.....

~HH

 

look at autotek amps and us acoustik amps at www.thezeb.com

rockford makes some 6.5 subs, but i'm not sure if they work in free air mode or not.

 

The "80% of drivers...." thing, u mean?

~HH

 

Oh - hehe. Yeah - Knight Rider P5. I think I'll call her.....P.R.I.T.T. Or maybe K.I.T.T.Z.D.A.?

Hehehe.

~HH

 

In doing some research and advice-gathering, I think I have my final choices pinned down - and it's gonna cost a lot less than I originally planned!

1) Infinity Reference 605cs component set - there was never a doubt in my mind, especially at $110. Loved them before, will love them again.

2) Peerless 6.5" midbass drivers from Madisound.com. These come highly recommended to me - one guy even said they'll produce the best kick-drum I've ever heard. Yay! Price - under $80 for the pair.

3) Lanzar Vibe 428. will do 125 watts RMS x 4 @ 4 ohms all day long. Plenty of oomph for my application. In the extensive reading I've done, Lanzar amps put out the power they claim to, and are generally considered to be a solid bargain. $130 at IkeSound.com!

4) Lanzar Vibe 238. Will put down 300 watts RMS x 2 @ 2 ohms (or 600 watts x 1 @ 4 ohms bridged). My Infinity subs are DVC 4 ohm models, so no impedance troubles, and they are rated for 275 watts each RMS. Should be just right, IMHO. $100 even at Ikesound.com

Total cost = well under $500, not including a couple of distro blocks and maybe a few feet of wire I'll need - Knukonceptz.com will take care of that cheap enough.

I am amazed at how well received the Lanzar amps are, considering the super bargain prices. The signal-to-noise ratio might not be quite as high as a $3000 McIntosh, but it'll fire my **** up for sure.

It's a shame that it's gonna take 3 months or so before I move into the new house we're buying. I don't want to do any work on my car here (new house has a big garage), especially since a fiberglass sub enclosure is high on my list, as is building a decent MDF box for my wife, so she can get some good bump with my old equipment. But good things come to those who wait, I suppose.

~HH