H-Accord-22

i want to do a full sound system set up on my accord, and i'm pretty lame at these, can any of you please help me list the combinations of which i should use: speakers + subs + amps + DVD/CD/MP3 or whatever, the coil types, box type, mounting, etc. my budget is $3000-4000

i'll be looking for speakers, but don't know wat sizes/dimensions that 94 accord has, as front and rear speakers.

here is what i plan 2 go for, not complete, so I need more advice of what i should get to go with these or may be any others so that it would make my system sound good. NOT for SHOW, just good/perfect enough to listen to.

Subs : 2 of the Kicker S12L74
Amp 4 Sub : Kenwood eXcelon KAC-X520 or Kicker KX800.2
DVD/CD : Kenwood KVT-911DVD w/ touchscreen , I want to mount 2 screens to the seat for rear views, may be hook it up with PSX 2 or just to the DVD in front
Equalizer : Pioneer DEQ9200
Speakers : Infinity / Kenwood, but idon't know what size, thinking of Infinity 6953i/rears and Infinity Kappa 42.3I /Fronts
Amp 4 spkr : Kenwood KAC849
Crossover: what should i use to make the system better? thinking of Kenwood KEC202 2/3 way electronic crossover ( YES I"M a KENWOOD FAN, )
Tweeters, what they do anyways, help please??
what else do i need, i think i forgot something, oh yea, the installation kit and what u call it, the one that generate the power (cylinder shape) so that u don't drain the battery power and stuff. sorry, i'm so lame at these, and i need a lot of help.

thanks

AcsRcool

Front: 6.5" infinite kappa 3 ways, perhaps component systems if you feel adventurous enough to drill holes the the tweeters

Rear: 6x9 kappa 3 ways, you'll hafta make the speaker plates yourself, or cut holes in the ones already mounted in the rear deck. Stock size is 6.5, but you can fit a 6x9 with a properly cut plate.

Both sets of kappas come with crossovers which you will have to mount somewhere. You'll also want to amplify these. Go with someone reputable like kenwood or alpine. Its really personal preference. For your speakers, you won't need anything with a built in crossover if you get the kappas. They are rated at around 110 RMS so find an amp that cna deliver that kind of power.

For your subs, I would recommend any of the big brands, kenwood, infinite, clarion, JL, etc. Smaller subs are gonna give you tighter more defined base and larger subs are going to give you a deeper rumble. I would recommend you save a pile of money and make your own box. Go to home cheapo and get some MDF and liquid nails. The box dimension constraints will come with the directions for whatever subwoofer you buy. Its really easy to build your own bro, don't be afraid of doing it.

You will also need an amplifier for your subwoofers. Same principles apply in choosing it, stick to brand name with good warranty and find something that will provide the juice your subs need. I'd also recommend some really heavy gauge wiring for this. If you go too small, the amp will starve and your subs will bottom out even if they can really go lower. Check the specifications of your amps to figure out what gauge you need.

Also, make sure you get some decent shielded RCAs. You don't want there to be interference. You'll also need some speaker wire, 16 gauge works well. The only other thing i wanted to mention was that you shouldnt run your RCAS and speaker wire on the same side of the car as your power, you'll get crazy interference that way.

I'm probably forgetting a pile of stuff, but im sure everyone else will fill it in. I have about 1000 in my system and its basically what ive described to you. It's sufficiently badass that I couldn't see spending more. Maybe you could put the last 2000 toward a turbo kit =)

H-Accord-22

thanks, AcsRcool.

AcsRcool

no problem man.

I like your speaker choices thus far. Im sportin 6953i's in my rear deck as well.

For your question about tweeters, they cover the high end of the frequency range.

As for the big cylindrical thing, I imagine you are talking about a capacitor. A capacitor doesnt generate power really, its an energy storage element. You can use one as sort of a poor mans bandpass. Also, you can use one as a voltage regulator, i.e. it resists sudden changes in voltage. If you are talking about coils, those are just inductors. An inductor is also an energery storage element. The difference is that while the capacitor resists sudden changes in voltage, the inductor resists sudden changes in current.

In combination, these can be used as more complex band altering circuits, i.e. bandstop, bandpass, various resonant circuits. I haven't dealt with such setups specifically in relation to audio equipment, The wattage running through my system isnt great enough to make it a big concern for me. My experience with them is more practical, i.e. electrical engineering classes, etc. You'll want to get a more detailed explanation as to how they will apply to your system from someone who has used them.

As for an installation kit. I would recommend monster cable. If you have a Tweeter store nearby, I know they carry them or you can order them online. They have quality shielded RCAs and good power cable. Their kits cover pretty much everything, although I'm not sure what they have in the way of kits to cover your subs, front, and rear channels, and power for both amps. Maybe two kits?? or buy all the components seperately and use a huge power wire. You'll hafta ask someone who has done it all at once. I'm running two power wires because i added my second amplifer later. Good luck man.

H-Accord-22

oh geez, now i feel very stupid. i'm in engineering class, and yet, have no clues about these.........now i know, the caps and coils, hahah.........i see, it just that i never get the hand-on experience with these in real life such as the products, only deal with them in labs..........now i get ya. hm.........i guess EET class does come in handy after all.......thanks again man. I probably need the caps since some setting of the amps require 14.4 v at certain ohms, so i guess i'll be needing them, about the coil, i think it's better to have them too, since i don't want to fry my system.......

AcsRcool

where are you studying engineering? and what year are you in?

H-Accord-22

DeVry, this is my 4th term...........hm..we're heading to Off-Topic

SumAccordGuy94

The 94 accord has 6x9's in the rear, so no plate modification is nessecary. There are already tweeters in the accord, so you can put component tweeters in their location if cutting your car scares you. Infinity is a good choice for your highs... I'd also suggest Polk Audio or Boston Acoustics, and definatly go with seperates... you'll get much better sound quality. The Kenwood deck you chose is a great choice... just too expensive for me!! If you get Kenwood amps, go with the Excelon series... or better yet, get Alpine's or the new Boston amps that are comming out!! Dont get Kicker subs... they may be ok to beat the crap out of and play really loud, but their sound quality sucks... again, go with Infinity, Polk or Boston. I would definatly suggest a pre-fabbed box if you are not familiar with car audio, building a box takes a lot more than slapping a few sheets of MDF together.

Moster cable is a waste of money, their products are way over priced. Stinger is my choice, they have proved to me that they can make a damn good product, and still have a reasonable price. If you are running 2 amps, especially large ones, you'll need to get a lot of power to them. Depending on the amps, you may need 2 gauge cable to get power to them, then use a distribution block to 'branch' off near the amps. There are many types of capicitors, I think the one you are reffering to is a power storage cap for the power feed for the amps. These hold power so that when the amps get a musical peak, there is power on tap to feed their need. Caps will tighten bass response, as well as lessen the load on your electrical system.

I HIGHLY recomend you get a Crutchfield catalog, check their web site (www.crutchfield.com) or call one of their represenatives. Theres soooo much to know, I do car stereo instalations for a living (for now anyway) and Crutchfield is the BEST source for any kind of information, especially for someone that dosent know a thing about car or home audio/video. Their catalogs almost have more information in them than products. Take some time, read through the catalog, or even call them and tell them your exact situation, they are always more than happy to help you out... they have the proper training and knowledge to help anyone out.

H-Accord-22

wow, that's some detail explaination there............thanks a lot. oh yea, what are tweeters anyways?? from hearing both of u, i think i got the wrong idea of what tweeters mean.

so the idea is not to get Kicker's Sub, so what should i go with, some said MTX is good, JL?? (it's not JBL right??) Infinity???

AcsRcool

My kenwood 12's pump out some nice bass =)

SomeAccordGuy94, not all of the 94 accords have 6x9s. The LX has a plate that goes in the same spot that holds 6.5s. I guess the EX has them though. Where are the stock tweeter locations at? Did i get screwed again with the LX??

I dunno what the deal with the cables is, I get a good deal on monster cos my friend works at tweeter so i guess im somewhat biased =). If you can find the stingers at a better price, go with them.