Stereo & Electronics - Need help putting together my system (Circuit City employee)

I have put this aside for too long.... I'm looking for a whole system. Got an 02 Z28, M6 if it matters, and I work at Circuit City but not in the car audio sales or install departments. Honestly, I don't trust those guys all that much, at least at my store. Me on the other hand, I've hardwired a head unit into my old Integra and speakers before, so that must count for something, right? :lol: I have some sweet employee discounts on Polk, Kicker, Eclipse and Bazooka. I'd prefer to limit my purchases from those brands, but some things like a sub box I'm willing to get from other places.

I listen to mostly all sorts of rock... alternative, hard rock.... some punk, grunge and metal. I also listen to a little bit of hip-hop and rap, none of that mainstream stuff though. I want it to sound real good, at all sorts of volumes, hit hard for the hip-hop, yet sound clear for vocals, etc. I rarely, if ever crank it up to the point where it hurts my ears.

For my head unit, just want something that enhances the sound, and looks pretty nice. I also have an iPhone so if I could connect it to the head unit that would be nice, and a USB slot/input would be cool too. May get satellite radio in the future,but not a requirement. Preferably a 3-band EQ, costs < $200 not including various accessories for iPod inputs, etc. I read the FAQ and it said the Monsoon system is 2-ohms, supposedly most speakers are 4-ohms or something?

I honestly have no idea about amps and how much they cost and why the more expensive one is or isn't better, so bear with me.... I've read up on it but it was months ago and it kinda went over my head. From what I've learned all it does it make your music louder, and you need the amp's total power to match the total output of all your speakers combined, sub too? I'm probably content with a 10" sub, or maybe 2 in the back, with the box(es) being where the 12-disc changer goes. I need trunk space, theres not enough already as it is.

Setup will probably be a Sony or Pioneer HU, Polk speakers all around, [unknown] amp(s), and Kicker sub(s) in a stealth box, possibly on both sides. I'll also put a square of Dynamat around each speaker, plus the driver's door has a rattle so I'll put some there if I can find the rattle. Hows that sound? I found out we use 6.5 speakers all around from out store's part look-up, but don't our cars use 4" speakers in the rear deck? :confused: Or will 6.5s fit too?

What about a larger alternator too? Don't know how hard it is to install on an F-Body but I don't want my alternator to die on me. Just throwing out some ideas here.... let me know what you guys think. if any of my CCity brothers wanna chime in, I'll trust some random stranger over the internet more than those clowns back there at my store. :D

go with a pioneer hu and the kicker subs. the kicker compvr's are a great all around model. you will need an amp for your sub and prob your speakers if you want to hear your music clearly over your sub.

I would recommend going with the Polk stuff you can get (used to be a CC employee the discount is killer). Id recommend getting the polk momo speakers and the momo 4 channel amp, it would sound awesome. Sub setup I personally find kickers to be muddy and I went with polk subs as well.

I would recommend going with the Polk stuff you can get (used to be a CC employee the discount is killer). Id recommend getting the polk momo speakers and the momo 4 channel amp, it would sound awesome. Sub setup I personally find kickers to be muddy and I went with polk subs as well.

true on the muddy kickers. they are mostly for SPL output. i had two Cvx's in my car and with rap were loud as hell but rock was disappointing to say the least.

Maybe I got a bad batch but I would stay away from the polk momo subs....They didnt stand up near as good as other better priced subs I have had...Only sub I have had in my life that I had to have it repaired 2 times...Ya i abuse my subs a bit but not to the extent that its gonna be blown....ran diff subs on the same setup twice as long with no probs...i dunno about the momo speakers I have never had em and wont be buying them. I have heard they are pretty good though

i beat on the momos but wasnt pushin em to the max, then my buddy got em ran 1200 on em for over a year then sold em to some other kid and now some other kid has em still runnin strong

Mite be true. I just wont run em again....like I said maybe I got a dud or somethin

Got Eclipse subs? They've got some pretty nice ones. Though it depends what kind of box (and thus the size of the box) you'll use.

my only problem with the eclipse stuff is they dont have an amp strong enough for their own woofers. i also work at circuit city for the past 5 yrs. im about to order for my camaro and im going with a pioneer or alpine headunit, kicker rs components in the doors and sails, l7 8 in a box ill build for the side compartment and either the 700.5 or the 500.1 and 350.4

Kicker is a terrible choice unless you listen to rap and all you care about is SPL. They're distortion machines.

in a small sealed enclosure they're not bad. yes in a huge box all they do is hit deep but sloppy. in a small sealed box i have found them pretty damn accurate and good sounding{atleats the 8's and 10's}. i do agree on the distortion, but not in all cases.

dude you can't be raggin on the installers of circuit, it'll give all of us bad names. I work at CC as well and if you're not careful; i'm pretty sure its a terminable offense to slander the company's quality of work, at least as another associate...now i'm not trying to defend them (even if they aren't the most reliable) but just be careful how you say stuff like that on a public forum. we just had 2 associates fired because of this sort of thing. even if you don't trust them to perform your installs.

I installed at a circuit city for over a year, and IMO some stores have great installers and others Id avoid like the plague

so true pent. i get calls from other circuitcity's as far away as florida for problems they cant figure out{im in louisiana}. i look at it like i learned on my own to get where i am, so i take pride in myself. circuit just provides me a paycheck and a means for showing my talents without starving when slow times hit. other installers{who dont deserve the title} could care less about their quality.

You can put in just about anything OK and or better equipment and have a great system as the f body's are easy as it gets to get good sound in.
Pick any speaker 2way or step up to seperates in the front
Thats where you really go for quality in the front.
put in rears spkers They are really fill.
add any sub system with good power.
Get a head unit with the features and style you like look at crutchfield to see what head units you like and I can promise you will get feedback here if you pick a dud.
any amp configuration you like is great you need at least 5 good channels.
What I like: Head Units are too personal I have a sony with the TFT video screen
I have a 4 channel amp to run my front and rear channels
and a single amp running 2 10" Subs in a qforms prebuilt box
Iuse a cross over to manage the freqs to the amps (although the radio and the amps have cross-overs they really suck in most built in xovers)

I left out all the brand names as most of the stuff out therer is pretty good see what you can get support for in your area and again we will be happy to send ya the thumbs up or down on YOUR choices
Thats my best advice.
L

dude you can't be raggin on the installers of circuit, it'll give all of us bad names. I work at CC as well and if you're not careful; i'm pretty sure its a terminable offense to slander the company's quality of work, at least as another associate...now i'm not trying to defend them (even if they aren't the most reliable) but just be careful how you say stuff like that on a public forum. we just had 2 associates fired because of this sort of thing. even if you don't trust them to perform your installs.

I hope you are not serious. If you are, what they are doing is quite illegal. To the OP, DO NOT GET YOUR STUFF INSTALLED AT CC, BB, OR ANY OF THOSE STORES. Why? Because most (not all) of their installers are just getting into the biz, and getting paid low-dollar. Not many of them are MECP certified, or are knowlegeable about their field. They just get paid to put in replacement head units and speakers into minivans day in and day out.
What I would do is start reading. Go to: http://bcae1.com/ and start educating yourself. Start reading various forums, and finding how-to's. Then after a month of researching and educating yourself, buy some equipment and install it. Take your time, don't rush to get it all done at once. Read Chilton's or Haynes manuals to learn how the interior panels come apart so you don't end up breaking stuff. Treat this as a hobby and take it one step at a time. Since you have the sweet discount, you can take your time trying out different equipment, and building different enclosures for your car. Have fun! :)

It pisses me off when ppl say every circuit city or bestbuy sucks, they all dont. Some stores have great installers others have horriable

Well it's all about level of install as for as a head, 4 speakers and a sub correctly mounted it is done everyday pretty sucessfully.
Not everyone should do there own install as my 20+ years in the biz will tell you some folks need to turn it over to someone else.
As for doing it yourself this car might be one of the best there is for you work with, the pop out head install, and simple car to wire.
Now if you plan to buy quality equipment and keep a car for a long time develop a relationship with a local shop that does good work. This would be my choice if I didn't do my own.
I am sure you can get info from local folk, internet and so forth before you go make a deal.

I hope you are not serious. If you are, what they are doing is quite illegal.Unfortunately, it's not. Especially in states that have "at will" employment laws such as Florida - you can be terminated for any reason or even without a reason (as long as it doesn't involve discrimination of a protected group). The reason I say protected group is because some so-called discriminatory practices aren't that under the law. For example there are more and more companies that are firing smokers based on increased health care costs.

But courts have upheld that companies have the right to protect their image and "good name" by terminating employees who discredit them - even in their off time. They've even upheld terminations based on off work behavior (think "street racing") if it can be shown that it adversely affects the company's reputation.

Yeah i work at best buy and i know our car installers and they are nice guys and they know their stuff. its all different store to store though. at BB you have to be good to get the job. at least here in mich. you do

It pisses me off when ppl say every circuit city or bestbuy sucks, they all dont. Some stores have great installers others have horriable

And I believe that. But is it worth your time, money and frustration to find out that the BB/CC you went to had sucky installers? Not really, but with a little time and patience, (key word "patience") anyone can do it themselves.

And as far as being fired over internet comments- what the hell happened to the right to free speech? The real underlying concern here though is personal freedom. Should corporate entities have the power to control their employees' thoughts and expression off the job? i don't think so.

You are right I see where you are coming from I mean honestly before I installed at the CC I worked at and realized there were competent people there I would never take my car to a CC/BB

I still have questions about my system, if you want to skip my ranting about Circuit City then skip past that solid line below. Please mods keep this open, I don't intend to continue it on as a debate thread as I'm still researching.

I didn't mean to stir up the pot with this thread, you can't just assume that all BB/CC installers are great or are terrible. Some take pride in their work and some could care less. That is more of a luck of the draw and if you don't know the installer personally then that is not for you to judge. I've heard 2 sides of the story really, I knew one installer well and he was cool (but he has quit since) and he installed the head unit on my brother's 4runner, did a very good job. I didn't know about it then but he used solder and shrink tubing, while I did some ghetto hard-wiring and electrical tape on my car, long time ago though. ON THE OTHER HAND, my coworker got his alarm installed by the former supervisor of installs, and an installer at a independent shop said it was a terrible install. Your mileage may vary.

For some background I generally find it hard to trust people, just a result of growing up around people who are liars, that don't keep to their word, etc. I applied to BB and CC as a car installer ONLY, but they needed a bi-lingual person on the sales floor so I took it. Ever since the sales managers only give a crap about how much $$$ I'm making them, not how much I'm learning about installing things.

Some of my CC folks may enjoy the place where you work at but I do not, AT ALL. Yeah there are plenty of worse places to work but the way I've been treated her has brought down my esteem to a low beyond what you know. Call me stupid, but my requests to transfer to the install bay have been shot down by 3 different store directors for the past year. For the amount of BS I put up with on a daily basis they would have to pay me twice what I'm getting now to keep me here. I'm quitting soon anyway, about 6 months overdue so I could care less what you tell your superiors. This is a terrible place to work as a salesperson and I wouldn't even recommend it to my worst enemy. I'm happy for you if you like it though, I only wish I could be as lucky. Installs on the other hand pay better and seem much better, thats just from what I've seen though.


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One thing just came to mind. How are the new Pioneers? Worst of luck, I had Polks in my old Integra for literally half a day before my stereo was stolen, so I don't know exactly how they sound. I had the cheapest Pioneers available with the cheapest Sony head-unit and factory amp in my car before I sold it and they sounded great together. I guess I'm not such an audiophile after all but I can and I DO appreciate and differentiate a good set of speakers from a crappy set.

Reason I ask is I was looking up Polk stuff (I don't exactly know what the Momos are, is it the model MMC6500/MMC650?) and found out they were bought out in 2006 and some people mentioned that their quality has gone down. However I always take things with a grain of salt, so I wanted to make sure. Anyone had older, pre-2006 Polks and upgraded to maybe a 2007/08 set and notice a difference in quality? Kicker components are an option too, its just that I've read a lot on forums about people trashing them nowadays because they're good at being loud, and thats about it.

And about mid bass? Are those essentially subs in the spot of a regular speaker? The Monsoon system sounds ok for a stock system, but I mainly like how it has bass coming from the front. Some of you guys put em in the sail panels.... care to clarify please?

My new setup... Pioneer DEHP6900UB head unit, Polk Momo Components in the door panels, Polk ???s in the sail panel, and just some 6.5 coaxials in the rears plus 1 stealth sub box in the trunk with an Eclipse sub powered by a Kicker amp mounted on the back of the trunk somehow.

Sorry guys I just have a lot of things on my mind, I appreciate all the feedback. I'm spending a bunch of money here (to me), and there are just too many options to decide.

Ok sorry I didnt mean to throw your topice off. IMO pioneer speakers are garbage. The polks are great speakers you wont be disapointed i Just installed a set of momos in an audi for a customer and they rock.

MMC6500 is the component with seperate tweeter. The MMC650 is the coaxial model, honestly mmc650 is basically the mmc6500 but the tweeter mounted in the woofer. If you dont wanna cut holes for tweeters go with the mmc650. For the sail panels toss a set of 6.5" coaxials in there, and dont put anything in the hatch

Im too lazy to go reread the whole thread put I hope you plan on amping the speakers

Not blaming you or anyone at all, it happens. I knew I would have touched a nerve or two.

Oops, forgot to add, yes, I'll probably add an amp too... as long as its say a Class B or something it should be good? If I get an amp I'll be able to get 4 ohm speakers, right? I just don't want distortion, and I know the watts for the amp = watts for all speakers. Same for the sub too.... good point about the rears though, probably can't hear much from back there anyway with the sail panels speakers right next to you.

I will probably just get 4 co-axials cause I'm lazy. :D Gotta buy tweeter pods and cut something and re-wire... nah

Pioneer's regular speakers are bad. Their Rev coaxes are decent. Their component systems are pretty good. Their subs also run the range.

Get the momo coaxials you will like them, most aftermarket speakers are 4 ohm which is what you want. Look for an amp thats 60-100watts rms @4ohms x4. The polk c400.4 is awesome if it fits in your budget, its around 200 through accomodations. Otherwise i can make some more suggestions.

I just installed some up-grades in my sons car about a week ago. I put in a Kenwood Excelon KDC-X591 Head unit(under $200). Alpine MRP-M450 sub amp(under $200, 400rms @2ohm) The kenwood head unit impressed me with the features it offers for the price ,and so did th Alpine amp. Their worth a look!