I have been trying to buy a Toyota pickup for a while now, although I still haven't found "the one", I'm getting anxious and want to start collecting parts and whatnot. I figure a stereo system is a safe bet because even if I end up with a different car I know this system can still fit in my current car which lacks even a CD or tape player. My budget has limits but I can't stand buying things I know Im going to upgrade later if I can help it so I want quality stuff. What I've been thinking so far is:
1. Sony GT200 head unit
2. JL Audio 10" w1v2 sub in their sealed truck box
3. Alpine T220 140W RMS (bridged) amp (2005 model to save some $$$)
4. Infinity component set, not sure I'll spring for the perfects or not
5. another Alpine T220 50Wx2 RMS
6. and of course all the wires and fuses and such

My only concern is sound quality, I don't care how hard my subs hit or how loud my system can go because I dont listen to music at Xtreme volumes. Am I correct in thinking a reasonably low powered 10 inch sub will be good for low sound levels? I listen to the entire spectrum of rock, specifically progressive rock where its nice to be able to hear every last detail. I can also buy these components in stages, first just the HU, then the sub/amp, then the Infinity's and have them a while before I decide to amp them or not. I don't want to buy some POS then waste money buying something better.

Any suggestions on products or specifics on what kind of system works best at low volumes in a truck cab (probably extended cab)? I do plan on deadening up the truck with Peel-n-Seal if that makes a difference.

 

Trash the sony cd player - they are all garbage, we have about a 30% return rate on them and in my book that is unacceptable. Even Jensen's come back less than the sonys.

Id suggest a little more power for the sub, say around 400-500 watts rms. If it's too loud, just turn the gain down to match the sub with the rest of the system.

The infinity refrence components are very good speakers with excellent midbass response, proabably a little better than the kappa perfects. However the kappa perfects have a rediculously bright tweeter and are also slightly more detailed. (thank god for Lpad attentuation circuits on the passive crossovers to tame that tweeter down.)

For power you'll need about 20' of 4ga (min), an AGU fuse holder, 2 4awg ring terminals, 18awg primary wire for the REM. And just cut your ground from the extra power cable, but be sure to mark the ground wire as ground...hehe

RCA's will not need to be top shelf because you are powering a sub. You can also run the RCAs next to the power wire for the sub.

I would suggest a Pioneer dehp7700mp from last year - DAMN good decks that can be had for cheap. Either that or an alpine cda 9835

 

Understand that "good sound" at low volumes is more about equalization than power or utter gear quality. It's complicated because the required EQ curve is different at low volumes than high(er).

Ever seen a "LOUDNESS" button on a home receiver? That's a quick EQ compensation circuit that adds some boost down low (around 1khz) and up high (around 10khz) at lower volume levels then tapering off as you turn the volume up. It's based on the "Fletcher-Munson curves" which detail how the human ear changes sensitivity to frequency at various SPL (sound pressure levels). More info here:

http://www.webervst.com/fm.htm
http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu...nd/eqloud.html
http://www.allchurchsound.com/ACS/edart/fmelc.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Equal-loudness_contours

Anyway... my point is that what you'd really enjoy having is a good sounding programable _parametric_ EQ which you can use to tune your system to your truck _and_ your listening level.

 

x2

Hence why a more complex HU is needed as they have built in parametric eq's and crossovers. This is how i got my 6.5's to play down to 60hz with authority!

 

So EQing is the key huh?
The Pioneers were the other head units i was considering, so thats cool, although that particular one is a good bit pricier than i had planned for a HU. Are the lower end Pioneer's still good?
About the sub power, on the JL site it has the recommended power chart for subs and the 10w1v2 has a range from about 50W to 250W and 140watts is the sweet spot. It seems to me they would know a good amount of power for their driver, especially if it's in their box as well.

 

http://cgi.ebay.com/DENON-car-CD-Pla...QQcmdZViewItem

 

Oh yeah. I have never seen a mobile or home installation that couldn't have benefited from some EQ - and that includes some megabucks listening rooms I've been in.

Though, I'll back up a half step and say that you can get around a need for EQ by supplying a ton of power to the drivers. That way you're ONLY hearing the driver itself and not the room. There are problems with that though - you need TOP end drivers; you're going to be running at close-to-painful audio levels; you're going to create a small(er) sweet spot... There are a couple of more nasties, but those are the tops on my list.

Now, there's a downside to running EQ. If you run an _analog_ EQ, then you'll be in a realm of "phase distortion" (it's a side effect of how analog EQ works). But in a mobile install, there's so much reflection that it's not really an issue. If the EQ is applied on the digital side of things, the effect doesn't happen.

 

Only a couple hundred more than I had planned for my whole system..
but what the hell Ill get it!

On another note, are JVC players any good? The KD-HDR1 looks tempting because my favorite radio station is broadcasting HD now.

 

In my 'Runner, I got a Panasonic CD player and some Sony 12" (I think) Speakers. I also have the stock speakers both in the back and front, and I am completley happy with it, no subs or anything. The whole setup cost me around $300. I am not 100% sure on the models, so I will look tomorrow and get back, but it is cheap and it sounds very good. I have treble and bass all the way up, and it is the same quality as my computer (which has onboard sound) that has a logitech sound system on it with a 500 watt amp on it. That was a little bit more expensive however....

 

I had the JVD KD-LX50 Kameleon before they used the rotary volume knob. I got a few tickets when it would get stuck in the volume up position, which it did a lot more than in the down position.
Even after it was "fixed" it was still the same.