Complete Stereo Overhaul (1 Viewer)

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.

Joined
Jan 4, 2014
Threads
94
Messages
3,024
Location
Little Rock, Arkansas
Website
www.facebook.com
So the time has come for me to completely redo my sound system. A few of you may know I accidentally submerged my hundy about 8 months ago:bang: and that included both passenger and passenger-rear door speakers, the stock amp under the passenger seat, and the 6 disc changer. By some miracle I got everything dried out great and it all works but definitely shows its 15yr old age plus the added wear-and-tear of being underwater for a good 20 minutes. I am a ways out from doing this renovation - I'm looking at early May right now - but that will come sooner than expected so I have started to piece together the components I want (sourcing via Crutchfield). After doing a lot of research here is what I have put together as of now, I am still on the fence about a few items indicated by the "/".

- Kenwood DDX-371 Double-Din HU
- JL Audio CP110-W0v3 10" sub in a ported enclosure
- Kenwood KFC-1665S / Pioneer TS-G1644R 2-way door speakers for both front and rear.
- Sound Ordnance M-4075 4 channel amp running 75w RMS x 4 @ 4ohms (120w RMS x 4 @ 2ohms) to power the door speakers
- Kenwood Excelon X500-1 / Alpine MRV-M500 both are mono amps running 500w RMS x 1 @ 2 ohms to just power the sub alone

For those who ask why I went with the Sound Ordnance amp to power the door speakers, that is because I don't see any reason to go top dollar on an amp that only needs to power so little plus it has excellent reviews through Crutchfield. I am not looking for navigation in my HU but will probably install a license plate backup camera. My main concern is compatibility, I want to be 100% sure that everything will work together BEFORE I drop the money on this new system. I am open to any and all input/criticism/helpful tips from audiophiles or rookies like myself!

EDIT: For the door speakers I want to clarify that I would purchase a quantity of 4 of each brand, not have the Kenwoods in the front and Pioneers in the rear.
 
Last edited:
So two questions: 1) Are you doing the replacement in one fell swoop 2) Any sound deadening as well?

Shoot me a pm, you can call me and I'll walk you through what I thought were my challenges.

Things to consider: 1) I had to build a wiring harness for my sub and 2) I ended up ditching the installed sub idea and loading it in the back. The space for the replacement is poor. 3)You'll replace more wiring with 16 and 8 gauge wiring than you might expect.
 
Oh, and a few other comments: The sound improvement will be dramatic. That amp is plenty, no second thoughts there.
Make a plan to sound deaden and you'll be shocked how much it improves the noise. Particularly the back....

The one fell swoop approach is best....Once I removed carpet, I realized I needed to sound deaden and then I ended up tossing the back carpet as well.

Just a great area to get ROI on a modification..
 
@El Cid about how much did the whole sound-deadening process set you back? That is also on my list of future projects.

And yes I will be doing all of the installation at once by a trusted local shop.
 
Could just be me, but I've blown 3 w3v3's. I suggest doing a w3v3 instead of a w0v3, in fact, if you want a used setup I'm looking to get rid of mine cause I'm upgrading (PM if you want it 12" ported w/500W JL). I like all of what you've listed minus the amp. Not sure why you want to skimp on what you're powering your speakers with. Not in terms of power, but quality. Maybe it's a good sounding amp, but I would rather be safe than sorry IMHO.

And to throw out that possibility, if you don't want/need NAV why not consider a single DIN receiver and a CB setup to go in the dash? Food for thought. And pictures so you get an idea of what it looks like:
hPsVCtz.jpg


E: Just noticed why you went with double DIN, but I'll just leave this here for others.
 
@FlammableFishie I'm assuming you had a typo somewhere because you mentioned you have blown (3) W3v3's yet you recommend going with a W3v3?
 
I'm redoing my factory stereo too. Factory amp died.

I will post up my in a thread soon.

I had to modify my front speaker holders to accommodate my new speakers.

The rear door speakers were pretty easy though.
 
@El Cid about how much did the whole sound-deadening process set you back? That is also on my list of future projects.

And yes I will be doing all of the installation at once by a trusted local shop.

I just did the back, it was really just the cost of a few boxes of sound deadener and my own labor. Ballpark was a couple of hundred bucks. If you are moving carpet and plastic for the back, do it then, as it minimizes disruption and removal of the carpet. You could honestly do the deadening yourself and then take it to the installer, that's one way.

Nothing wrong with using pros to do the install, too. They will have the small bits and wires that don't make sense for you to purchase. I just like to make it easier for them by giving them a diagram. I think what was missed when I did mine was an acknowledgement that I needed to do the wires as well, so plan on a wiring upgrade as well.

I have replaced everything but the factory amp and it sounds outstanding...you will really enjoy the benefit...
 
So the time has come for me to completely redo my sound system. A few of you may know I accidentally submerged my hundy about 8 months ago:bang: and that included both passenger and passenger-rear door speakers, the stock amp under the passenger seat, and the 6 disc changer. By some miracle I got everything dried out great and it all works but definitely shows its 15yr old age plus the added wear-and-tear of being underwater for a good 20 minutes. I am a ways out from doing this renovation - I'm looking at early May right now - but that will come sooner than expected so I have started to piece together the components I want (sourcing via Crutchfield). After doing a lot of research here is what I have put together as of now, I am still on the fence about a few items indicated by the "/".

- Kenwood DDX-371 Double-Din HU
- JL Audio CP110-W0v3 10" sub in a ported enclosure
- Kenwood KFC-1665S / Pioneer TS-G1644R 2-way door speakers for both front and rear.
- Sound Ordnance M-4075 4 channel amp running 75w RMS x 4 @ 4ohms (120w RMS x 4 @ 2ohms) to power the door speakers
- Kenwood Excelon X500-1 / Alpine MRV-M500 both are mono amps running 500w RMS x 1 @ 2 ohms to just power the sub alone

For those who ask why I went with the Sound Ordnance amp to power the door speakers, that is because I don't see any reason to go top dollar on an amp that only needs to power so little plus it has excellent reviews through Crutchfield. I am not looking for navigation in my HU but will probably install a license plate backup camera. My main concern is compatibility, I want to be 100% sure that everything will work together BEFORE I drop the money on this new system. I am open to any and all input/criticism/helpful tips from audiophiles or rookies like myself!

EDIT: For the door speakers I want to clarify that I would purchase a quantity of 4 of each brand, not have the Kenwoods in the front and Pioneers in the rear.


Forger,

I'm in a similar place right now...planning what was supposed to be a simple repair for a blown front door speaker. It kind of mushroomed into a full-scale stereo upgrade from there! :)

I guess almost anything you swap out is going to sound a lot better than a 10-15 year old "stock" speaker. I'm spending time trying to research door speakers, but it's hard to choose. Ultimately, since I'm not going to be using a very large amp, I am focusing on speaker efficiency to get more sound from fewer watts. JL Audio is substantially more efficient than Focal or JBL or Alpine... 91dB vs 88dB. 3dB is pretty easy to hear...


-G
 
That's good to know, @GregLCA In that case I may go the JL route myself. My other concern at the moment is depth and any modifications that need to be performed to complete the installation. Because I am having a local shop do the install I would like it as close to 'idiot-proof' as I can get it, although they have done great work on my vehicles in the past. If there aren't any easy alternatives to wiring new speakers I might just do that portion myself. I do not plan on any sound deadening at the moment but maybe later on down the road.

Could I get some feedback on the pieces I am still indecisive about (door speakers & mono amp)? If anyone is running either of those or have found another good alternative please let me know.

I will keep everyone updated! Like I said I still have a few decisions to make before I purchase all the components but I am looking at early May as of now.
 
I will say that since the door panel design is so dumb (you have to pull the entire door panel to swap a speaker) it makes a lot of sense to do the dynamat in the doors while they are apart.

-G
 
@FlammableFishie I'm assuming you had a typo somewhere because you mentioned you have blown (3) W3v3's yet you recommend going with a W3v3?

Yeah, no typos in there. I'm just assuming since you were planning on a w0v3 that you aren't planning on pushing the sub too hard. But honestly I'd go one level above what you plan on so that you don't have to worry about blowing it. My next step would've been a w7 but I decided to stray from JL in favor of Fi. Haven't hooked up the new sub but I have high hopes.
 
Another thing that I'm seriously considering is hiding my subs in the lower tailgate area behind the factory carpet.

Something like the JL Audio 12TW3-D4 might work nicely..... it's got a 3.5" mounting depth which should allow it to fit in places that you'd normally not even consider.

I haven't pulled that area apart yet to measure exact clearances, but I've seen a few threads where guys have installed pre-fab tool lockers in those spots and the images seem to show a pretty generously sized air space in there. A little Dynamat and maybe a bit of extra steel bracing... along with some beefy speaker grilles to prevent accidental damage from cargo, and it might be a winner.



-G
 
I can tell you the Kenwood head unit works great. I really like it in my 100. I also have a back up camera attached and use it often.
 
My setup:
1)Pioneer AVH Head Unit(4300?)
2) Alpine (SPS 610)-speakers in the door
3) Two JL Audio subs-6w3v3-4

I think a complete tear out and removal is the best approach, because the rest is so outdated and obsolete.

I wouldn't recommend trying to retrofit subs into the stock space. The plastic enclosure is too limiting. I simply built a new harness using molex connectors and ran wires to subs which are now wedged behind the 3rd row seats.

Currently waiting to upgrade the rest of the wiring throughout the vehicle and add an Alpine 5 channel amp.
 
@El Cid Are you currently running all of those components on the stock wiring (other than the custom harness to the sub)? Are there any added advantages to running (2) amps - one for the speakers and one for the sub - verses a single 5 channel amp? The only reason I went the double amp route is because together they are about $150 cheaper than the 5-channel. But if the pros of running a single amp outweigh those of two separate amps then I will change it.
 
The wiring from the amp to the subs has been replaced w/16 gauge. I will replace the remaining when i toss my amp. But i gotta say, it''s pretty loud already..

I don't know of a downside to using two, if it sounds good, go with it.
 
Okay so I have changed a few of the components I intend on using. I plan on going with the JL Audio CS112RG-W3v3 after reading a few reviews and deciding I wanted a 12" sub in the back, along with the Alpine MRV-M500 mono amp to power it. After having an online chat with a Crutchfield advisor they pointed out that the Sound Ordnance amp I wanted for the door speakers supplied 75w RMS to each speaker, but the Kenwood speakers can only handle 35w RMS. I changed that amp to the Kicker DXA250.4 which matches up perfectly. I also plan on taking @El Cid advise and sound-deadening the doors and possibly the driver and passenger foot wells. What does everyone think about that setup? One question I forgot to ask Crutchfield was is a crossover unit required for the door speakers since the tweeter is built in? I want to go ahead and purchase the headunit, door speakers, and amp to power them this evening. After letting my funds recoup I will order the sub and mono amp next week.
 
Are you planning to use the Kenwood coaxials with the factory system tweeter?
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top Bottom