How much $$$ for a decent soundsystem?

P

pcarlson

New Member
Aug 16, 2006
48
0
0
#1
Hi guys,

I have decided that I'm going to put a sound system in my car pretty soon. I was hoping you guys could let me know how much this might run me (the cost in RED is what I've been quoted for Clarion products):

2x 4" speakers in the dash ($60)
2x 6"x9" speakers in the package tray ($120)
A decent amp ($275)
A decent CD player ($225)
Decent 10" sub + sealed box ($135)

So the total equipment cost I was quoted was $815, and this is for good quality stuff.

I was then quoted about $205 for the install... is this high, or about right?

To me it just seems that if I was going to spend $1000 on a system, I'd be expecting a lot more than 2 6x9's and 2 4" speakers. I haven't dealt with this before though, so that's why I'm trying to make sure I don't get ripped off :nice:

oh, btw... if it matters I have a '68 coupe.
 
#2
good wires and some dynomax should be on your list too.
i placed a head in the glove box and it only gets turned on when its parked:D
i cruise with the windows down and dont really need more noise coming from speakers, if your running a/c you may get some more use out of it than i do.
 
#4
For $1,000 pretty reasonable for the parts, if any thing on the low end. Good Speakers are the key to good sound along with the amp. The amp will allow the system to go louder while the headunit is tuned down to minimize distortion. Speakers can easily run into the high $100s and above a $1,000. Are you going to power ALL (5) the speakers off the amp? If you are, then you need to go to either a 2nd amp for the sub or a 5 channel amp.
 
#5
Thanks for the replies, guys.

I do plan to run all 5 speakers (2-6x9, 2-4", 1-10") off of the one amp... but the guy I spoke to at the car audio place knew this and suggested this set up. He said that half of the power would be going to the speakers and half to the amp. He showed me the exact same set up in a Chevelle and it sure sounded like more than enough sound.

Also, as far as kick panel speakers go.... that is a major thing I am debating. Is it better to put 2 speakers in the dash, or to put 2 in the kick panels???

To me, it seems like the kick panel speakers would result in a lot of the noise getting trapped under the dash.... whereas the dash speakers would result in the noise hitting the windshield and bouncing directly back at the driver/passenger seat. Does anyone agree on this?

But... I would be able to put 6.5" speakers in the kick panels versus 4" in the dash. Hmm... I have no clue :bang:
 
#7
I'll say save the installation cost and do it yourself, its a very simple and fun project. You need to run about what, 15 wires? that isnt worth to pay someone else to do it.

As for the front speakers, I think the best thing you can do is mount 6.5" speakers in the kickpanels, BUT angled them so the sound goes to the driver/passenger area. I have a couple of in-dash speakers and they sound decent (I thought the same about sound bouncing in the windshield) but not great. I guess the kickpanel option is better.

Where are you planning to put the headunit?
 
#8
You'll want to have your front speakers in either the kickpanels or the doors and you want them as large as possible. There's really no need for rear speakers in a car this small, especially since rear-seat passengers will be very occasional.

Dash speakers were for the past when stereo was still non-existent. With stereo, you'll want your front speakers as wide apart and as close to head level as possible. The closest you'll get in a Mustang is putting them in the kickpanels/doors and angling them up.

Here's a typical setup I would do for any car and this would work for your Mustang as well (prices are from Crutchfield):

CD headunit (Alpine 9873): $150
Front 6.5" coaxials (JBL Power P652): $150
10" subwoofer (JBL GTO1004D): $89.99
DIY box (MDF, screws, glue, terminal, labor): $100
4-channel amp (JBL GTO75.4II): $299.99

That totals right around $790. Add in some wiring and you'll be right around $800. You could try to save and use lesser components but your sound quality will go way down and you really won't be saving much.

You can find tons of sub box plans on the net. And thankfully, the easiest box to make (sealed) usually sounds the best. All you need to know is what size box works best with your sub and go ahead and make a box of that size with a cutout for the driver.

The install is a place where you can save since you're only really paying for labor. And installing in a Mustang is pretty easy. You should be able to build your sub box in one afternoon and do the install in one afternoon as well.
 
#9
It will cost you a little more, but if you want good sound I'd recommend component speakers in the front. I have infiniti 6.5" 2-way component speakers in mine and they sound great. The lows and mids come from the big part in the kick panels and I have the tweeters mounted in my dash pointed at my ears. It did involve drilling a hole (1 or 2 inches) in each side of the metal dash, but I think it was worth it for the sound.

As for amps, I'd go ahead and run 2 if you really want it to sound good. Get a decent 4 channel for the front speakers and a dedicated one with a low pass filter for the sub. They sell all-in-one amps with 4.1 sound (4 high plus 1 low), but all those that I have seen end up costing more than if you just got 2 amps. I can post some pics of my setup tomorrow.

Here are some speakers like mine:
http://www.crutchfield.com/S-bwUp6MnsDN1/cgi-bin/ProdView.asp?i=1086010CS
 
#10
if you were local to me , i could probably cut the cost of merchandise in half for the same stuff if not better.

He's probably going to bridge the front channels into a 2 ohm load then run the sub off the rear channels.the labor seems a little high to me, even when i ran a shop, i dont think we would have charged that much.
 
#11
If you are on a buget you can use ethernet cable(cat 5) to wire your speaker system. It works extremely well and is dirt cheap. I suggest two amps basically one just for the sub. I know this increases the cost especially for the fat wire that goes to the battery but it makes tuning the system much easier and sounds much better. You do not need the rear 6x9s. Most audio enthusiasts don't put speakers in the rear. It actually distorts the overall sound. Get as large of a round speaker you can in the door or kick panel. Oblong speakers distort at higher volumes but are good for mid range generally. Tweeters would be a nice addition and you can practically mount them anywhere. I personally like JL subs but they get a bit expensive. The 10w3 is a good budget sub and doesn't require a lot of space and power. Polk makes some pretty good bang for the buck speakers. As for amps whatever fits your budget.
Kevin
 
#12
Sicarius428 said:
If you are on a buget you can use ethernet cable(cat 5) to wire your speaker system. It works extremely well and is dirt cheap. I suggest two amps basically one just for the sub. I know this increases the cost especially for the fat wire that goes to the battery but it makes tuning the system much easier and sounds much better. You do not need the rear 6x9s. Most audio enthusiasts don't put speakers in the rear. It actually distorts the overall sound.
Click to expand...
CAT 5 cable? never heard of that, dont think i'll try it either.

Runnning one amp doesnt make it any easier to "tune" a system, the front and rear have separate gains and x-overs.

You DO need rear fill IMO and i have never built a system with out some type of rear speakers.I have never heard of it distorting the sound and who measures that distortion:shrug:
 
#13
i have a pair of 6x9's in the package tray and a pair of 3.5's in the dash with a JVC cassette deck (45 watts) and it sounds ok but not quite as good as the FACTORY system in my 86 lincoln town car. the town car has the premium sound system with 3.5's in the dash, 4.25's in the doors and i think it has 5 inchers in the rear deck, for a factory system it sounds really good, i'm going to replace the factory deck with a cheapie cd unit and see how it dounds after that.

i previously ran a slightly different system in the stang, 3.5 pioneer's in the dash, blaupunkt 6x9's in the rear deck and a low powered alipne casette deck with a seperate amp for the 6x9's and that was teh best sounding system i've had in the car. unfortunately the alpine deck lost the right rear channel so i switched to the jvc unit and removed the amp and the speaker surrounds were crapped out from teh car sitting for so long and i replaced them with less expensive stuff but for what i've got in it now it sounds ok, probably right around $150 with the JVC deck being used when i got it.

i'm planning on something more like what's in the town car for the 69 cougar project, i'll probably use a 6" speaker in the rear deck, a small sub, some 4x6 components in the door or some 4.5" in the kick panels and some 3.5" in the dash through a couple of amps and a cd player in the dash. i think that will be an awesome sounding system and since the cougar is going to be a little more tame than the stang and have a quieter exhaust system it will work better than it would in the stang.
 
#16
Cat 5e can make great sound quality. If it can pass 1000mb it can pass audio. There is a bit of work involved but if you are trying to save a buck or two I would suggest giving it a try. There are plenty of DIY websites for this thing. I suggest two amps because I personally like one just driving the subs. For me it is a lot easier to tune and more reliable IMO. Depending on your setup and if you really get into it, one amp may not be enough for some later upgrades... at least not in your budget right now. I was just saying that the rears are not necessary. It will be much cleaner without the rears. A 6x9 will distort... I should have said at higher volumes... sooner than a round speaker will. If you do get rears, I suggest sticking with round speakers.
Kevin
 
#17
Sicarius428 said:
Cat 5e can make great sound quality. If it can pass 1000mb it can pass audio. There is a bit of work involved but if you are trying to save a buck or two I would suggest giving it a try. There are plenty of DIY websites for this thing. I suggest two amps because I personally like one just driving the subs. For me it is a lot easier to tune and more reliable IMO. Depending on your setup and if you really get into it, one amp may not be enough for some later upgrades... at least not in your budget right now. I was just saying that the rears are not necessary. It will be much cleaner without the rears. A 6x9 will distort... I should have said at higher volumes... sooner than a round speaker will. If you do get rears, I suggest sticking with round speakers.
Kevin
Click to expand...

I still don't get the CAT5 stuff.
- The conductors are very thin guage, not adequate for anything over 20Watts IMO.
- Why would you want a 6 conductor wire?
- It can't be that much cheaper than regular 14ga speaker wire.

I suppose it could work for RCA signals if you bought RCA adapters, but the adapters would cost you as much as the full cable.
 
#20
Cat5 is a cheap alternative to using monster or other name brand wires. There is some braiding involved but you use multiple strands to carry the power. It really is if you are on a budget and you have a spool sitting around the house, you can get away with saving a bit of money and get the same sound quality. Here a how to from a brief search. http://www.venhaus1.com/diycatfivecables.html
Kevin
 
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