Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums Modifications Audio new to boards, owning a car, car audio

Hey... About a month and a half ago my older brother recently gave (gave!) me his 95 contour gl. Ive experienced some of the little problems problems with the car ive seen on these boards(fuel door jammed, hood didnt open, drivers door latch suddenly needed to be replaced, CEL light, turns to the right, deep rubbing noise when making left banks)... yet it is a very fun car to drive and it has grown on me.

I am just looking for overall advice on my car stereo and what improvements could be made with my limited budget. Here is what i have right now:
-Originally Factory "Premium Sound"
-Pioneer p2000 head unit - not using the "premium" amp
-Rear Speakers i replaced with infinity 5x7's
and front speakers are original premium

What my questions are:
-Should i switch the infinity and premium speakers from back to front(they were put in the back because one of the rear was blown and the other was mangled and i couldnt afford another 30 dollars to switch the location)

-I am planning on buying a sub(s) what brand and size do you reccomend, keep in mind i have at most 400 dollars to spend on them + amp + box + anyhting else you need. Circuit city has buy one PLK GNX104 sub for get a second free, is this a good sub, idea even?

By the way- Rock music sounds great in the setup i got now, but when i listen to rap or reggae loud the entire sound distorts, and i am looking for something to take the bass strain off the speakers so they can produce midrange and highs.


I hope my post makes sense. It is my first, i am 17 years old, and i am hoping for nobody to pick my post apart and say "i bet this is some 17 year old kid".

-Ben

Well, I would switch the infinity 5x7s to the front....you will probably notice a difference just from that. You really don't hear the rears as much as the fronts.

As for the sub, someone else will have to answer that b/c I haven't got one yet.

the Polk GNX deal might not be that bad but you have to remember that you'll need a dual box for that and if you dont build it yourself can be expensive...that being said

are you willing to shop online? if so let us know your spending cap and we can piece together a good system reccomendation for you.

Farzad

You'll have to excuse my fellow CEG'ers they are a little less than inviting sometimes. :p

Welcome to the CEG! I hope you find this website/forums as useful as we all have. They've got you on the right track, please give us a rough budget estimate and we can come up with all sorts of info for you.

BTW, you're off to a great start with your posting. Probably the best 'younger members' post I've ever seen. Some kids come on here asking vague misguided questions and when we try to help they get defensive and make smartass coments! Congrats for not being annoying right off the bat!

P.S.



Your 'i' should have been capitalized here. :rolleyes: HA!

SQ Plus im a younger member and I'd like to think my posts are somewhat helpful...=)

anyway your right I forgot to welcome you the board and I being 20 will most likely be one of the closer to your age members...besides us theres...old people..eeks

I'm a really old member....where's my prozac...i'm starting to get depressed....

Move the infinity's to the front door.

I'll be back with some subwoofer recommendations.

I'll be back with some subwoofer recommendations.[/QB][/QUOTE]


yes, BUT any person who can say

Quote:

I'll be back with some subwoofer recommendations.

is definetly not old in my book!

Thanks for the welcome.

I am going move the Infinity's to the front of the car, but will this void my 2 year warranty from circuit city?

Yes I am willing to shop online, and I have a budget of about 450 dollars for any improvements (The fruits of my career at McDonald's :D)

Is it safe to install the subwoofers myself with very little knowledge of electronics? My friend let his friend wire together his system and a week ago his interior was demolished in a dashboard fire that spread (supposedly from the wiring).

Here are a couple of options for you.

Option #1:

Amp: Lanzar 1200D (230.00 on ebay)
Sub: Blueprint 1203 (199.00)
Box: Aaron (APT CSVT) found a site with 30.00 boxes that used real MDF.

Strengths: The amp would allow you to connect up to 4 of these subs while you save up some more money. In the meantime, you'll have 400 solid watts going to your sub. The sub is an absolute monster. You could run over 1000 watts to it in the future if you decide to upgrade the amp.

Weaknesses: the subs, like most car subs, are somewhat ineffecient. 87dB. Kinda pricey subwoofers but not when you consider the quality or potential.

Option #2

Amp: Lanzar 1200D (i really like the value the amp provides)
Sub: Blueprint 1201

Strengths: Price to performance ratio very high.... It would be difficult to beat the performance offered by this combo.

Weaknesses: Low sensitivity. The 1203 will give you more output per watt and also has a higher power handling figure.


Option 3:

Amp: Lanzar again.
Subwoofer: Adire Audio Shiva.

Strengths: Excellent blend of SQ and SPL. Inexpensive for what you end up with. Better driver and performance than the 1201.

Weaknesses: The sub isn't "pretty"

My advice to you is to take your time! Don't just take what money you have now and try to get what you can afford. It's not about what you can afford, but how much you are willing to invest over time. The guys here will give you suggestions on different types of equipment they have had experience with, most of which cost way more than $450. If you settle for less now, you'll end up replacing it with the more expensive stuff later(I am convinced car audio is a drug!). If you're going to do it, do it right! Give up a Saturday or two or three, and work that O.T.! Plan your system out, then go and buy it. I think you would be much better off that way, but that's just me. I know a lot of people(I'm sure a few here also, me included!)who have went out and bought something like those damn RF subs @ Best Buy that are basic entry level subs, only to crave more bass, and go out and buy the more expensive subs that they should have bought in the first place. I Hope this helps.