I want to Put a system in my zr2 blazer. I'd like it to have nice crisp sound and decent bass with out breaking the bank. I'd like to keep all speakers looking stock, and have a sub or subs that don't take up a lot of room. I've seen some 8 or 10 in subs that are low profile and go under your rear seat, how are those? What kind of low budget deck can I get with an iPod hookup? Also how much would it cost to get something like that installed? Thanks

 

A person can get all that without spending a great deal of money, for sure. However, like anything else, the more you can budget the better off you'll be. My experience with those super slim under seat subs is that they're not worth messing with. EVERY design has it's pro's and con's and the con's associated with making a sub and enclosure that small and shallow aren't worth it just to have something hide under a seat like that.

A HU with iPod controls can be picked up for around $100. It varies but it's hard to find any HU anymore that doesn't have iPod capabilities. You can get a decent 4 channel amp, a decent set of components and a 10" sub that will do very well together, not be terribly expensive, and not take up a ton of room or need lots of special modifications to install/fit.

Here's what I would do if I were in your shoes:
This HU will be a nice one to start with. Kenwood KDC-348U

This set of 6.5" components will do quite well, install the tweeter in the dash 4x6 locations, the mid in the door and hide the crossovers wherever you find handy. Alpine SPS-610C

This Fi 10" X series sub is a beast of a little sub. They're custom built from scratch right here in the US with all US supplied parts. It will be one of the best subs you can buy for the money, period. Fi 10" X series subwoofer

This 4 channel amp will run everything with authority. Connect the 6.5" components to the first two channels and the subwoofer on the last two bridged. MB Quart FX4.100

Lastly you'll need a good amp wiring kit to power the amp with and wire everything to it. These guys have about the best amp kits and wire I've found anywhere. Knukonceptz KCA 4 gauge amp kit Knukonceptz 16 gauge speaker wire


Of course, any piece of equipment can be changed out for something else that you may prefer for whatever reason, though a setup like this will be budget and space friendly. It's also not a complicated setup either which helps with installation. As for the enclosure for the sub, a sealed will take up less space but a good ported enclosure will really make it come alive. If you decide to go sealed, almost any that's built half-way decent will work fine and many websites sell them like Sonicelectronix. However, if you do decide that you'd like to use a ported enclosure (I would) then I wouldn't suggest buying one from a site like that. They're not designed for any particular sub and they're not usually tuned to a very musical frequency. They're usually just BOOM boxes designed to play very loudly and not very musically. If you can build one yourself then I can help with the design for you and give you cut sheets to go by. If not then there are a few places you can order a custom built enclosure that is built specifically for the sub and designed to sound fantastic as well as pawn a sealed enclosure on output.

 

What do you think of this sub with the amp built in?

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B001J1...dir_mdp_mobile

How much do you think it would be to get this all installed

 

The listing may say MTX, but it sure as hell isn't real MTX equipment. Looks like some cheap knockoff brand and is priced as so.

I'm not saying that cheap stuff like this doesn't work, companies like Pyramid, Pyle, Boss, Power Acoustik and many others have stayed in business all these years because what they sell so cheap does work. However, it's how well it works and how long it lasts that makes them brands to pass up when looking to buy a system.

I linked you about $500 worth of equipment minus the enclosure, shipping and installation costs. That's a really a pretty darn good price for a complete setup using brands and products that are well known and made to perform and last. It will be hard to match the performance of the setup for any less IMHO. I have no idea what a shop will charge to install equipment you didn't purchase from them, they all charge different prices. It's not difficult to do an installation like this one though, and would be a good experience if you were willing to try it. Otherwise all you could really do is call around to the local shops and get some quotes. I can guarantee though that when you tell them what you want them to do and the equipment you end up buying that they'll try to convince you that everything you purchased is junk and that whatever they sell or recommend would be better, they all do.

 

You could run what I got. It was about $500 all together, and if you shop on like, amazon for the sub and amp it would be significantly cheaper. And I just dumped $130 on a new head unit, so it will be a bit more.

I have a Sony CDXGT565UP. AUX and USB input. Has pretty decent equalizer settings to play with. But it can get a bit confusing. It is Pandora ready for iPhone users. - $129.99

Alpine M-500 amp. 500W RMS at 2 ohms, 300W RMS at 4 ohm. Mono block amp. - $203.99

Alpine SWR-1243D Type R. Dual voice coil 4 Ohm. 1800W Peak power, 600W RMS.

And a decent size ported box will do. Something not too small. The box I have is from an MTX T45. It came with box and sub, and I destroyed that sub.

Also running 4 6.5" Polk audio speakers in all the doors (un-amplified)

I'll tell ya, I get the PERFECT sound I want. Good amount of bass, and I can still hear the music. I get some compliments.

But like I said, for the price I paid... It sounds amazing.

 

I recently purchased this head unit Sony DSX-S200X Digital media receiver at Crutchfield.com for 100 bucks on a cyber monday deal after a $20 dollar off coupon.

For the money it honestly can't be beaten, the tune tray works extremely well, and comes with the necessary adapter to connect an ipod/iphone inside the tray. I bought it primarily because of a secondary external USB port where you can hook up and control an iPod directly if using the stereo controls don't suit you. I wasn't sure how I would cope with using the stereo controls for the ipod but it works well and I don't really have any complaints other than I haven't figured out if there is a way to go directly back to a song listing for an album after a song has been selected. It has a 7 band customizable EQ and plenty of other audio options for controlling Subwoofers. I have run nothing but Sony decks with the OEL displays in all my cars and never been disappointed.
I second Flip's suggestion on getting an Alpine MRP-M500 amp. I've got a 7 year old MRP-M350 that has been wired at 2ohm for most of it's life and it is still going strong, not bad for an amp that my buddy gave me for FREE. If the amp ever does give out it will be replaced with another Alpine amp, they are good quality. Check out ebay, you can pick up a brand new in box M500 for 140 bucks with free shipping. As for choosing subs I would recommend checking out your local audio shop where you can test out subs, that's what I did and was able to make an informed decision on what I wanted, ended up buying some nice entry level S Series Memphis 10's for a good price, dropped them into my sealed MTX box and they ended up sounding much better than the previous MTX's that they replaced.

 

I got my sub and amp aready, i just need speakers and a deck...I am set on using the kenwood x595 deck but still kind of iffy on the speakers.

Heres what i have in my cart from amazon so far



Pioneer TS-A6964R A-Series 6"x9" 3-Way 400 Watts

Pioneer TS-A4674R A-Series 4"x6" 3-Way 200 Watts (Do these come in a pair or is it just ONE single speaker?)

Kenwood KFC-1690ie 6-3/4" 2-Way Speakers (Pair) (I think they just sold out of these)

Im not trying to get crazy sound out of my blazer just want better than stock. Trying to save as much as possible. Any suggestions or answers to my questions? I am ready to buy all this today

 

Under product description it says Speakers, so im assuming that they come with two. You really can't go wrong with pioneer, my buddy gave me some cheap wal-mart pioneer 10's. It was my first system and they were abused for 5 years before the foam surround gave out on one of them. That was before I knew how to properly tune subs so like an *** I had the gain and bass boost all the way up lol. Give them a try im sure you will be amazed in the sound difference.

 

i ran a kenwood head unit, $169....pioneer 4x6 and pioneer 6x9 from walmart, $110 for the set....kenwood 300 watt amp, $89....and a powerwedge sealed box with 3 10" JL w0 subs, $300.....and it sounded amazing and didnt break the bank. the box and subs isnt small so if ur looking for space saving those arent it, but they did sound amazing until they got jacked.....damn tweekers......!!!!

 

I went ahead and ordered it all, all I am missing are the 6 3/4 door speakers. I want pioneers but can't find any anywhere