# Sound System Advice Needed



## APCruze (Mar 7, 2013)

My suggestion is read The Car Audio SQ "How-To" Thread By XtremeRevolution and then get up with him. He seems to be a extremely knowledgeable guy about the audio engineering.


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## Shoelessjake (Sep 19, 2012)

Talk to xtremerevolution, he will tell you what you need, by looking at your plans I can tell you now that for what you are going to pay for a JL sub you can get a far better option for the money, so I'd suggest you wait to pull the trigger on a JL w3. Trust me, xtreme knows his stuff and he won't steer you wrong, start browsing some posts on here. 


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## EcoDave (Mar 7, 2013)

x3

XR is in the process of building me a custom box designed specifically for my needs
http://www.cruzetalk.com/forum/36-audio-electronics/12195-plans-replace-factory-audio.html 

I had no clue about what to do when I first bought my Cruze 2 weeks ago, but I'm learning as I go and XR is an awesome Guide.


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## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

Thanks for all the support guys. 

Seems you're focusing primarily on the bass part of your sound system. Do you have any plans for the front stage?

I can tell you off the bat that the JL W3 subs are overpriced and under-performing. They are a poor value, and you pay a very high amount just to have the JL Audio logo on the cone. I can recommend you a subwoofer that suits your needs better, but it depends on how serious you are about getting good sound that you'll be happy with. You could go the route I've seen hundreds of people take and keep selling and replacing their subs because they're not really ever truly happy with the results, or you could do it right the first time. 

If you want me to design a system for you, I'll need to know the following:

Your Budget. This includes wiring, amplifier, subwoofer box (let's face it, your JL Audio box will not be suitable for all subs), subwoofer(s), and any other accessories you may need. Factor in the money you'd get back from selling your current equipment. 

Your Music. What kind of music do you listen to? Is it primarily pre-1999, or post-1999? What genres do you listen to, and how often do you listen to some genres compared to others?

Your Constraints. Do you need as small a box as possible? Do you not mind how big it gets? Do you have any dimensional constraints such as maximum height? Are you planning on adding a rear strut tower bar at any point in the future?


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## a.kozak (Mar 28, 2013)

Thanks for all the replies everyone! My apologies for the late response had a busy day. 
I'll try my best to answer all your questions ExtremeRevolution. 
For now, yes my main focus is the bass part of the sound system but I definitely will be upgrading the front stage.
I'm mainly focusing on the bass part as I already have a few components. From the sounds of it though, sounds like I have a bad setup. 
In all honesty, do you think you could help steer me into a solution with the setup I already have if I don't go through a custom setup with you Exteme?
What subs would you recommend that are underrated but a lot better than the w3's that could be powered by my xd600/1 and work with the box I already have?
If I do choose to do your custom route, my budget would probably be around $1500max unless I get a decent amount back from what I sell. 
Then I would be willing to put more money into it. 
I mainly listen to Rap and Trance/House Music. Primarily most of my music is post-1999. 
Constraints wise, I'm not too concerned about how big the box will be but I definitely wouldn't want it too big as I would need some trunk space. 
No plans on adding a rear strut tower bar. 
Huge thanks for all the great info so far!


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## tecollins1 (Nov 6, 2011)

You can do ALOT with $1500. As long as you do the work yourself. 
I completed my entire system for $1200.


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## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

a.kozak said:


> Thanks for all the replies everyone! My apologies for the late response had a busy day.
> I'll try my best to answer all your questions ExtremeRevolution.
> For now, yes my main focus is the bass part of the sound system but I definitely will be upgrading the front stage.
> I'm mainly focusing on the bass part as I already have a few components. From the sounds of it though, sounds like I have a bad setup.
> ...


Like Terry said, you can do a lot with $1500. I don't charge for my designs or my advice. I do charge for my sub boxes, but that's because they take a lot of time to build and the materials aren't free. 

I could make some recommendations, but I'm not sure what you're looking to keep. I don't recommend you use that box no matter what you do, and the subs are overrated and overpriced. The only thing you have remaining is a prefabbed box and an amplifier. The box itself is not likely to work well with just any sub, as the box has to be designed around the sub with regard to internal volume. I couldn't recommend a sub for you to put in that box even if I wanted to because I don't know the internal volume.

Are you going to be doing the work yourself? If so, I can design you a pretty awesome system, but you'd have to sell your amp and get a more powerful one to make this work. Let me know what you think of everything, and we can go from there. At this budget though, I'm leaning toward the same setup I designed for another member here, with an Incriminator Audio 15" sub and a 2100W Hifonics Brutus amp. He'll be heard from quite a distance once that thing goes in his car.


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## a.kozak (Mar 28, 2013)

Hey Xtreme! Thanks for all the info! 
After reading through your last post I think I'm going to go your route and try and sell all my old stuff.
I'd rather do it right this time rather than being disappointed later on down the road.
The setup you recommend sounds like a pretty awesome setup!
A buddy and I will be doing the work ourselves. Would you recommend any reputable places to order the sub and amp?
I'm located in British Columbia, Canada just a heads up. 
Regarding your box design, how big will it be roughly and how much will it cost? 
Thanks a lot for all the help Extreme I really appreciate it!


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## H3LLON3ARTH (Dec 16, 2011)

Yea its gpong to be epic when its in Thanks XR. I got mine at amazon for $238 shipped.

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## H3LLON3ARTH (Dec 16, 2011)

http://www.cruzetalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=12030

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## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

a.kozak said:


> Hey Xtreme! Thanks for all the info!
> After reading through your last post I think I'm going to go your route and try and sell all my old stuff.
> I'd rather do it right this time rather than being disappointed later on down the road.
> The setup you recommend sounds like a pretty awesome setup!
> ...


As was earlier noted, expect around $240 for the sub. Due to the complexity of the box, the cost will be $320 plus shipping. I looked up your location. Do you know anyone in Washington? I suspect it may be far cheaper to ship to Washington than a few miles across the border due to customs. You'll be looking at a 60 pound box and a 40 pound sub, but you'll be the loudest and tightest sounding Cruze in town; that much i can guarantee you. 

Out here, we order from sonicelectronix.com and onlinecarstereo.com. I'm not sure how expensive it would be for you, but here's the link:

Hifonics BRZ2100.1D Class D Amplifiers at Onlinecarstereo.com

Here's an idea. Would it be possible for you drive across the border into Washington, find a post office in a medium sized town in Washington and set up a P.O. box? If so, I can ship directly to that post office, and you can drive there and pick it up. It would allow you to buy a bunch of stuff for this project and have it shipped to that P.O. box (assuming the seller ships to P.O. boxes), for far less than what you'd pay for them up in Canada, and you'd save on extra shipping costs related to customs. 

We'll figure out a way.

Edit: I just found this:

http://shiptotheborder.com/
http://shiptotheborder.com/shipping-to-blaine-washington

That might be the ticket for you!


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## a.kozak (Mar 28, 2013)

Hey Xtreme! So far all the prices are looking really good to me!
Thanks a lot for all the links. I just took pictures of all my old equipment and will be posting them online asap. 
I actually know a place I've used several times now two minutes across the border so you can ship it to them.
You don't have any account with them you just supply the address they have and your name and you go pick up your item for a small fee.
I ordered my Type R's through sonicelectronix and shipped to the address without any problems not too long ago. 
How big roughly will the box be? Also, if I do sell my car I would love to keep the setup. 
Would there be a way to make it so that it won't only fit the Cruze but possibly other cars in the future? 
Looking really forward to this setup! I'm going to start ordering parts next week.


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## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

a.kozak said:


> Hey Xtreme! So far all the prices are looking really good to me!
> Thanks a lot for all the links. I just took pictures of all my old equipment and will be posting them online asap.
> I actually know a place I've used several times now two minutes across the border so you can ship it to them.
> You don't have any account with them you just supply the address they have and your name and you go pick up your item for a small fee.
> ...


I can make the box into any dimensions you want, within the depth and height constraints of the subwoofer itself. Realistically, you'll be looking at a height of no shorter than 16.5" inches with the 15" sub. Width and depth are negotiable. The trunk of the Cruze will go 18" high if you want the box below the beam directly behind the seats. Here's what I mean. Here's a compact box I build that's a hair over 18" tall:










.23 cubic feet for ports, .22 cubic feet for sub, and 3.65 cubic feet for box volume, and we're at 4.1 total cubic feet. 

At 17" tall, the box would be 30.5" wide and 19.5" deep. This would fit through the trunk. You'd need two, maybe three people to get it in there as it will weigh a bit. 

At 16.5" tall, the box could be made to fit through the trunk pass-through with the seats down (you could do 17.5" if you took the seat-backs out first) and could be made up to 35" wide and would not be as deep. 

It depends on how heavily you want to plan around your next car. The dimensions are pretty flexible. The most important thing is that I need 4.1 cubic feet of internal volume not including box walls, and the baffle needs to be 2" thick.


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## a.kozak (Mar 28, 2013)

I think the best option for me would be a box at 17" tall as I want to put it through the trunk.
Also this setup will work well with the factory radio unit right? I don't want to change it due to warranty issues.
Is there anything else I will need to order for the setup? 
Roughly how long do you think it will take to build the box? 
I'm not in a rush for this setup as I'd like to take my time collecting all the parts needed.


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## EcoDave (Mar 7, 2013)

a.kozak said:


> I think the best option for me would be a box at 17" tall as I want to put it through the trunk.
> Also this setup will work well with the factory radio unit right? I don't want to change it due to warranty issues.
> Is there anything else I will need to order for the setup?
> Roughly how long do you think it will take to build the box?
> I'm not in a rush for this setup as I'd like to take my time collecting all the parts needed.


I am keeping my factory radio as well, we need the PAC AA GM44 Integration device

Installation Procedure


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## a.kozak (Mar 28, 2013)

Kk perfect! Thanks for the link! 
Going to start collecting parts soon. 
Keep you all posted!


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## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

a.kozak said:


> I think the best option for me would be a box at 17" tall as I want to put it through the trunk.
> Also this setup will work well with the factory radio unit right? I don't want to change it due to warranty issues.
> Is there anything else I will need to order for the setup?
> Roughly how long do you think it will take to build the box?
> I'm not in a rush for this setup as I'd like to take my time collecting all the parts needed.


This setup will work well with the factory radio. 

You need a good wiring kit, for starters. Shouldn't need a whole lot more than that though. 

How long it takes me to build the box depends on when I receive payments and what other orders I have in my queue at the time. Right now, I have two boxes and 3 sets of baffles waiting to be completed, but I'm expecting two orders for 15" boxes to be placed any day now. I'd say if you sent me payment today, you'd get the box in 2-3 months. It's all done by hand and I pay very close attention to detail, so that really is the best I can do.


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## brian v (Dec 25, 2011)

​good .


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## a.kozak (Mar 28, 2013)

Hey Xtreme sorry for the late reply.
My schedules picked up since Spring Break.
What payment method would you like to deal with and how much do you need from me to get started?
Thanks!


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## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

a.kozak said:


> Hey Xtreme sorry for the late reply.
> My schedules picked up since Spring Break.
> What payment method would you like to deal with and how much do you need from me to get started?
> Thanks!


I accept paypal, and if you cannot pay the full price at once, then I will need $125 for materials to get started.


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## a.kozak (Mar 28, 2013)

Is there any other way of payment method we could do?
I had a bad experience with PayPal and no longer use them.
If not, I can talk to a friend and let him send you cash from his account and ill just pay him.


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## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

a.kozak said:


> Is there any other way of payment method we could do?
> I had a bad experience with PayPal and no longer use them.
> If not, I can talk to a friend and let him send you cash from his account and ill just pay him.


That's tough since you're in canada. Do you have the ability to send a cashier's check or money order in the equivalent USD?

I don't like paypal much either, but it's simple, and I get paid using paypal gift so paypal doesn't get any money. People trust me to build their product and send it out, and I haven't had a problem in the year I've been doing this. 

You could send a regular check, but I'd have to wait for it to clear before starting, and I don't know how that would work as far as currency conversion is concerned. 

The easiest way by far would be to send a paypal gift payment. It's up to you though.


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