My new system, need your input

[BigT44]

Hey guys, I own a 1995 Chevy K1500 Extended cab stepside pickup. I plan on installing the below equipment into my truck but would like all of your opinions on not only the equipment, but a lot of other things. So to start, below is the equipment I have picked out.

Sony DSX-S300BTX (Head Unit)
Sony XA-300 or XA-C40 (Unit needed to add multiple digital inputs to head unit)
JL Audio 12W3v3-4 (Subwoofer)
Chevy Custom 12 Enclosure (Subwoofer Enclosure)
Polyfill Enclosure Stuffing Fill (Fill for Subwoofer Enclosure)
Power Acoustik BAMF 1800/2 (Amp to run sub)
Absolute Kit1250 (Sub Cables)
Alpine SPR-17C 6.5 inch door pair (Front door speakers)
Alpine SPS-406 4x6 inch door pair (Rear wall speakers)
Power Acoustik OVN4-1200 (Amp for all 4 speakers)
Metra Electronics 70-1858 (Wire Harness)
Metra Electronics 99-3002 (Face Plate)

Goals for this project:
1. Forever get rid of the crappy stock radio and speakers.
2. Make an extremely clean, stealth, modern and tasteful upgrade to the audio without ruining the stock look
3. Avoid distortion in speaker quality and sound by being underpowered

Questions:
1. Do I need to upgrade my alternator?
2. Should I go ahead and plan on putting an inline fuse close to the battery?
3. Do I even need to power my door and back wall speakers with an amp? I am trying to avoid distortion and that "muddy" sound that comes from some car setups where the speakers are either crap or underpowered.
4. Besides from under the drivers seat, are there any other places you would recommend mounting the amp so that it safely secured and in an area where it would receive adequate cooling and not be in the way.
5. Should I rewire the entire truck with new speaker cable. That is, if I amp the door and back wall speakers, should I run new wire and if so what gauge do you recommend and how would you go about it.
6. Any tips or tricks you would recommend. Are there any components you would also swap out or update while pulling apart all this?
7. Is sound damping really necessary? I understand this might be done if you were trying to build an elite system to compete at shows with but for a young guy like myself to crank it up every once in a while do I really need to do it? Would a **** ton of components in my truck rattle all of a sudden causing me to regret not doing it?
8. Are there any components I am missing, or of the ones I have selected are there ones that are better for the buck? When picking this system out I was told the JL subs were clean, hit hard, and were the top end and if I were going to replace the door and wall speakers that Alpine was the way to go.

Anyways, sorry for the long message but I wanted to make sure that I am not missing out on any major things and would like to hear some of you pros out there. The only thing on the equipment list that I pretty much dead set on is the head unit which Sony just released. In my old truck I had good luck with their Explode head unit line and I really like the iPod tray instead of a CD player. Especially since my dash has a built in stock CD player below the HVAC controls that I plan on hooking up in case of the rare occurrence that I want to play a CD.

I hope to make this a build log soon so please give me your input before I buy all this.

Thanks,
T

 

[player1]

well im far from a pro but if it was my build then
#1 yes upgrade the alternator.
#2 definatly put a fuse at the battery. if you dont then if you get a power surge there goes your amp(s).
#3 seeing as how the head unit your using only puts out 17 watts rms, i would definatly put an amp on these.
#4 no idea since ive never owned an extended cab chev. sorry.
#5 the speaker wire can make all the dirrence, id look into some fat Monster Cable brand 12 or 14 gauge wire.
#6 you should swap out those front alpine mids for a component set up. what causes the "muddy" sound as you put it, is when the mids try to hit lows and distort. with a component system you get cross overs that stop those frequencies, leaving your sub to do that work.
#7 sound dampening isnt really needed unless your extremely picky about road noise.
#8 semms like a good list other than the mids. like i said run a component system for the front, i dont think anyone makes a component set for the 4x6 though.

 

[fletch]

Questions:
1. Do I need to upgrade my alternator?There is an easy alternator upgrade available for your truck I think it may be a sticky on this forum. I would recommend upgrading your alternator wire, and factory ground to the same size as your amplifier power wire. Also don't waste your money on a capacitor, add a second battery.
2. Should I go ahead and plan on putting an inline fuse close to the battery? An inline fuse no further than 18 inches from your battery.
3. Do I even need to power my door and back wall speakers with an amp? I am trying to avoid distortion and that "muddy" sound that comes from some car setups where the speakers are either crap or underpowered.Too much power is always better than not enough. In all my experience with car audio 4x6's are a waste of time. In my honest opinion you will be better off with a good set of components in the front stage and no rear speakers. besides the plastics in the ex. cab are nearly impossible to remove with out breaking them.
4. Besides from under the drivers seat, are there any other places you would recommend mounting the amp so that it safely secured and in an area where it would receive adequate cooling and not be in the way.Mount your amp on the back cab wall. Using a piece of 1/2in MDF big enough to cover the foot print of your amps apply silicone to the MDF and set it to the cab wall. allow time for the silicone to dry and cover with the factory carpet. Mount your amplifiers to the MDF using wood screws that are long enough to support the amps but are not too long as to penitrate the cab wall.
5. Should I rewire the entire truck with new speaker cable. That is, if I amp the door and back wall speakers, should I run new wire and if so what gauge do you recommend and how would you go about it. 16awg speaker wire will be fine, if you want to spend the extra money go with 12awg but you will see no increase in output or performance. Also do not mount your crossovers inside the door. Anywhere inside the cab of the truck will be fine, they can even be mounted by the amplifiers if desired. A trick if doing this is to run 16awg for the tweeter and 12awg for the mid, this will take the guess work out of which wire goes to what.
6. Any tips or tricks you would recommend. Are there any components you would also swap out or update while pulling apart all this? Test your RCA cables for continuity before installing, it really sucks when you find out they were bad out of the box.
7. Is sound damping really necessary? I understand this might be done if you were trying to build an elite system to compete at shows with but for a young guy like myself to crank it up every once in a while do I really need to do it? Would a **** ton of components in my truck rattle all of a sudden causing me to regret not doing it?Sound deadoners are worth their cost. If a quiet ride with the radio off is what you're after then invest in it. If you don't mind the road noise then don't worry about it.
8. Are there any components I am missing, or of the ones I have selected are there ones that are better for the buck? When picking this system out I was told the JL subs were clean, hit hard, and were the top end and if I were going to replace the door and wall speakers that Alpine was the way to go.With most things in life, you get what you pay for. JL audio and Alpine both make quality products.

 

[BigT44]

Would you guys recommend me going with a different size than the 4x6 speakers? If so, is there a size that I could fit into that hole without having to do too much modification? For example, could I just buy another set of 6.5" speakers and just drill in new holes for mounting in place of the 4x6's?

 

[custom rides]

been in the car audio biz for over 20 years,

Alt: no upgrade, you'll be fine. if your lights start to dim, then go with a capacitor.
fuse: honestly, thats just audio 101... ALWAYS FUSE!
power: go for it if you want, but do it on a seperate amp. don't ever power clean sounding speakers with a sub. you will never get the control needed.
mounting: under the seat is ok, basically anywhere that has good ventalation.
wire: yes, re wiring isn't that hard and it will ensure good connections.
Tips: work slow, tuck all wires, don't use tape to make connections, double check everything. I personally hate sony, but if its your thing then go for it.
sound dampening: not necessary, if it really bothers you, just tighten everything you can in the truck. if it still bothers you then go for it.
missing components: do your research. I have had luck with both alpine and JL. only thing id change to would be a pioneer head unit.


hope this helps, good luck.

 

[custom rides]

Would you guys recommend me going with a different size than the 4x6 speakers? If so, is there a size that I could fit into that hole without having to do too much modification? For example, could I just buy another set of 6.5" speakers and just drill in new holes for mounting in place of the 4x6's?

I would and am about to personally put some 6x9's in there. just cut the hole bigger with an air saw. you will get the sound you want and you will have a bigger selection of speakers out there.

 

[barebones 1500]

as far as the alternator goes, i would recommend a dual battery setup. i have used capacitors before and the only thing i liked about them is that the exact voltage is on the gauge.

 

[fletch]

been in the car audio biz for over 20 years

21 years old? lol!

 

[BigT44]

Ok so for the rear speakers, how much mounting depth do we have in a 1995? The 6x9's I have picked out are roughly 3" deep while the 4x6's I had picked out were 1.6". Do the plastic columns that cover the speakers sit off of the speakers? If so how much and would it make up for a possible lack in depth? Also, are there any tips on where to run a power cable for my two amps? I was told that it was best to avoid crossing the power and audio cables and to run power cables down one side of the car and the audio down the other. Was thinking of installing both amps under the two front bucket seats. Any input?

 

[barebones 1500]

separating the power and audio cables is what you should do. as far as running the the power, drill a hole in the fire wall and run the power cables into the kick panel and under the sill plate. same with the audio cables but on the opposite side.