[marzterra]

So I have had the X for about a month now, and I must admit the stock unit is crap... I have already started buying parts but I want opinions on some things.. here we go

For the Head Unit Alpine 9883 with the full speed ipod cable

I got the Scosche (sp) dash and wire kits-heard they were the best to use...

now here is where i need help with the decisions
the fronts take 6x9 but most compoents come with adaptors to fit 6.5...
do I do 6x9 up front and 6.5 in the rear or do i do 6.5 all around with a set of compoent up front...

with that in mind here are my options on speakers so far
6x9-front Alpine SPR-69C

6.5-rear Alpine SPR-17C

Or

6.5 Front Alpine SPR-17S

6.5-rear Alpine SPR-17C

As for a SUB I am looking at 2 options, I dont want to loose any room but i still want a lil boom, so here are my under seat options, I did consider buyin the RF sub from courtsey parts but then i would need and amp and so on ....let me know what you think I am leaning towards the kenwood.

KENWOOD KSC-SW1 DUAL 6.5" ENCLOSED POWERED SUBWOOFER SYSTEM

or
CLARION SRV-303

 

[S_e_X-Terra]

I did 6X9 Type S up front and 6.5 Type R in the back. Im am runing them off the deck right now (pioneer AVIC-N3) but am going to upgrade to an amp soon enough. I didnt see anyreason to change out the tweeters because when I get an amp the speakers will be PLENTY loud!

I am also running a 10" Type R sub. With an Alpine Amp pumping the power.

I think the system I have now is unbeliveable!!!

So you are on the right track with what you want to get.

IN my opinion Alpine makes the best speakers for the price... and Pioneer makes the best decks (I also like Eclipse)

 

[willgr1]

i put that 6.5" in my rears, and to be honest, i wished i when with the polks instead. They just didn't have the highs i wanted, ended up putting tweeters in the rear for the effect i wanted.

i would have to recommend you look at the polks some people have been putting in. I have them up front and witht the built in dual tweeters and carbon fiber cones, you can't go wrong. plus, since apline's HUs don't have the tuning ability a lot of other headunits have you'd be better off starting with some speakers that sound great coming out of the box.

just my .02

 

[ridge runner x]

As far as the way a speaker sounds-you will have to make up your own mind, because opinions will vary widely! i.e. I hate the new digital age (pro tools, or any other modern digitized sound or program), there for I lean toward a warmer sounding speaker!

Type of primary music listened to also makes a difference in selection...

The rear speakers also will not play as much a role as the front will (the rear is only filler sound. You can ask any audio pro!!!)

you are on the right track as frar as components up[ front, and you will only need mediokre coaxials in the rear!

If you can afford it, look into the OZ Audio cs 180 6.5" components. $300 shipped on ebay, IMO the best components in their price range! The ONLY components EVER to get a perfect score in clarity on a competition circuit!!! And, (my favorite part) the more you power em-the better they sound! Up to their rms rating of course ( Ive powered them to 400 watts per side and they handled it with out sweating a bit...

Sorry for being long winded, but door speakers are the main component to great sound! good luck...

 

[its_woo]

The rear speakers also will not play as much a role as the front will (the rear is only filler sound. You can ask any audio pro!!!)

Absolutly. Despite the way people usually design thier stereos (bigg ass speakers in the back, and a set of tweeters up front) the fronts are critical in placing the sound stage in front of you. The rears merely keep it all from echoing.

Also, the best install up front will be a doubnle din unit. That way, you dont risk having a cheesey space in the dash front the adapter kit.

 

[willgr1]

The rear speakers also will not play as much a role as the front will (the rear is only filler sound. You can ask any audio pro!!!)

Absolutly. Despite the way people usually design thier stereos (bigg *** speakers in the back, and a set of tweeters up front) the fronts are critical in placing the sound stage in front of you. The rears merely keep it all from echoing.

unless you're someone like me who drives highways a lot and has to turn to look back when changing lanes.....i like what i hear in the rear to sound just as good as the front.

 

[alpine7513]

I just had Polk Momo 6 1/2 component system and the 5 1/4 coaxial installed yesterday with a Polk Momo C400.4 amp for the doors and a Polk momo c500.1 for the 10 inch T3 Audio sub in the back. The momos are crystal clear with every single type of music I ran thru them. My HU is a Panasonic CQ-C7205. I was going to go with Alpine, but my installer told me that since Best Buy has started stocking their HU's that Alpine dropped the cost to meet BB's pricing and now has it equipment not longer built in Japan, but in Mexico and Malaysia. He said that the recent HU were not up to the quality of previous years. I decided not to worry about Alpine after that.

M

This may be false, but I have known my installer for 10 years and I trust him.

 

[willgr1]

not sure if that is true or not, but best buy has started carrying them in more recent years (my first alpine hu was about 6 years ago and best buy did not carry them then). I have heard the quality of their hus has gone down, and they do seem considerabley cheaper then they once were.

i still laugh when i think of the guy at circuit city trying to convince me that kicker makes the best stero equipment, oh, good times :cheers:

 

[MachineHead]

The 6.5" SPR-17S supposedly don't fit in the stock openings. I don't know for sure.

I went with the 5-1/4" Alpine components for the front. They sound good to me, which is all that matters. I had infinity components in my last vehicle. I thought the tweeters were too bright and too harsh.

Be real careful with those subwoofer units that you're looking at, and make sure you listen to them before you buy anything. Under seat as you're planning is probably the best option, since they probably don't have enough power to be heard from a cargo area mounting.

 

[pluckyduck]

Here's what I did: I went with the Pioneer AVIC-D3 head unit. I installed a component set of Kickers up front with a 6.5" midrange and 1" tweeters in the stock locations. I put Kicker 6.5" midbass drivers in the back doors and I have a 12" JL Audio Stealthbox on the way. Everything above 1000hz comes from the front. I installed two amps in the storage compartment in the floor of the back. This was by far the easiest stereo install I have ever done and my first with a GPS antenna to deal with. The sound quality is excellent and I can't wait to get the sub installed.

 

[mfenske]

I've heard similar tales about Alpine ten years ago. I'd say if it meets your needs don't sweat it. People make the same claims about Rockford Fosgate. There are brands like PPI, Soundstream, Lanzar, and Orion that have been purchased by large companies mainly for the usage of their names. Just the nature of the industry I guess. I think one of the largest contributors to this type of thing is the decreasing empahasis on sound quality and the iPod is definitely not helping matters. I love the convenience of the Mp3 but they definitely don't sound great.
Personally, I'm in the process of replacing the audio system in my X too. I'm using my Eclipse 8454 deck and will be installing a Crossfire BMF1000d for my sub(s) and a Planet Audio ZR300.4 for my Boston Acoustics RC61 components. I may or may not fabricate some custom kickpanels for them. I haven't decided if I'm going to run either my Soundstream Reference SS12r subwoofer or the JL Audio 13W1v2 that I've got hanging around. I'd really like to offload them and fabricate a custom enclosure in the rear tire well passenger side cargo area. Best of luck in what is likely an un-ending upgrade.

 

[marzterra]

Thanks for the info...on the MP3 note I try my best to get the highes bitrate files as possilbe, i noticed when playing a song with a rate of 96 vs 240 something..that the higher the number the better it sounds..I have close to 50 gigs of mp3's with 240+ bit rate...

so i have made the decision to go with compoent up front..I am going to go with the type R alpine 6.5 and for the rear Ill go with a slightly cheaper type s 6.5...ill see how that sounds and then decide on a sub...I am looking for an underseat option as my only option i need the space in the back for the dogs/mt bikes....

 

[ridge runner x]

Thanks for the info...on the MP3 note I try my best to get the highes bitrate files as possilbe, i noticed when playing a song with a rate of 96 vs 240 something..that the higher the number the better it sounds..I have close to 50 gigs of mp3's with 240+ bit rate...

so i have made the decision to go with compoent up front..I am going to go with the type R alpine 6.5 and for the rear Ill go with a slightly cheaper type s 6.5...ill see how that sounds and then decide on a sub...I am looking for an underseat option as my only option i need the space in the back for the dogs/mt bikes....

For the HU, check out the swap meet section-dude has an Eclipse AVN5435 (the same as I have) and it is a real nice unit (though not as many audio options as a pioneer) also has 6 volt pre-outs which is grat for signal transfer to amps! Pretty good price he has on it as well...

 

[marzterra]

I already own the HU....oh well I got tomtom to help me navi