ICE Thinking about a "proper" install?

Thinking about a "Proper" install

It seems that at least once a week, someone comes into the ICE section asking on advice for what to do for a good setup. I hope this thread will perhaps clear up a few questions that a newbie to car audio may have.

I'm not an expert on car audio, I don't do it for a living, but I have been into it for a few years now and I hope what I've learnt can be passed on to others so they can get it right first time.

1. Head unit

This is (obviously) the source for your sounds, CD is the preffered media, closely followed by MP3 (done at a high bit rate). Choose a HU with at least one set of "preamp" outputs. This will enable you to connect your HU to an amplifier. You get what you pay for, there are plenty of reviews floating about on the internet and get yourself to a shop and have a listen. Only YOU can tell what sounds good to YOU.

Ignore the fact that it does 4 x 50 watts, you won't be needing the onboard amp, we're going for real power Some of the higher end HU's have a high voltage pre out, this can help reduce noise and keep your gains on the amp lower.

2. Speakers

Unless you're going for a cinema sound 5.1 install, then you only need speakers in the front. Having them in the back drags the "soundstage" to the rear of the car. When you go to see a band, you don't face away from them do you? Fit the biggest speakers you can (5.25" minimum) as they will be the source for midbass upwards. A system lacking in midbass is not good. Match the RMS power of the speaker to the RMS power of your amplifier.

6x9s on the parcel are fine for those after cheap easy bass and a bit of volume, but they don't really belong in a "proper" install. You'll get all the bass you need from the subwoofer.

Again, try and get a listen to some in a shop and scour the net for reviews.

3. Subwoofer

This is the good part of the install :slayer: . You might think you don't want a load of bass, or to appear like a chav booming down the street, but once you've had a sub, you'll never go back. It gives depth and feel to the music. What size sub depends on what you'd like. Generally, smaller subs (10" and less) are for sound quality, bigger (12" and above) are for boom. 95% of subs are designed to be used inside a box, the 2 most popular types are sealed and ported. Again, generally a sealed box is for SQ, ported for boom. The bigger the sub, the bigger the box needed, so take this into consideration. As with the speakers, match the RMS of the sub to the RMS of the amplifier.

4. Amplifier

The power to the system. The amp on a head unit can never match the power or sound quality of an amp. Depending on how loud you want your system, will depend on how many amps you'll need. A good starting point will be a decent 4 channel amp, 2 channels to drive the fronts and the other 2 "bridged" to power the sub. Bridging 2 channels of an amp usually creates a more powerful "mono" channel, perfect for sub duties. If you want serious bass, then a seperate amp will be needed to drive the subwoofers, so just a 2 channel amp will be needed for the front.

When looking at amps, ignore the peak power rating, that's useless. You need to check the RMS figure, this is the realistic power output. Sadly, a lot of manufacturers quote RMS at 14.4 volts, which is often unrealistic with all the other electrics on your car. Usually you will get anything from 12.5-13.8 volts when your car is running, if you stick the fan, lights, heated window etc on it could be even less! So if you're comparing amp specs, take this into account as some may quote at a different voltage. Better quality amps will come with a "birth sheet" which is the factory test sheet and shows you what your amp can really do. Finally, some amps are regulated to produce the same power between a certain voltage range (ie, 11.5-16), this is handy as you know what power you'll be getting regardless (to a point!) of what else is running (lights, etc) at the same time.

5. The other bits!

Don't forget to factor in cables, use the biggest cable you can for power and speakers. This will give less resistance, less voltage drop and more power! Also, use good quality RCA leads to send the signal from your HU to your amp(s).

Soundproofing. Dynamat type sound proofing will help stop panel vibration and thus increase your stereos volume. It's expensive, but it's a worthwhile investment. A layer or 2 in the boot and the same for the doors will be adequate for most installs.

Installation is also very important. There's a saying 10% equipment, 90% install. The sub enclosure needs to be well built, completely sealed (apart from where it doesn't need to be, e.g. ports) to get the most of it. Some prefabricated boxes really aren't up to the job, and they may not necessarily be of the correct volume for your sub. If you build your own, then you can decide on how thick you want to make the enclosure walls, bracing, shape etc. The speakers also need to be solidly mounted to cut down on unwanted resonance. This will give improved sound quality.
Make sure your amp/s are cooled sufficently. With a large percentage of amps DO NOT MOUNT THEM UPSIDE DOWN (e.g. on the underside of the parcel shelf). Amps produce heat, which it dissipates. Heat rises, so if it's upside down, the the heat would be radiated out, only for it to rise back into the amp, causing overheating and possibly destroying the amp. which is not good . Check your amps installation guide before fitting.

That's about it. A nice CD player, some speakers upfront, a sub in the boot, driven by a good quality amp will have you grinning like a Cheshire cat when you're driving along, whether you're listening to Enya or Anthrax.

My last tip will be to spend as much as you can, then a bit more. You can always take your audio with you to your next car, so it's an investment (that's what you can tell the mrs!). You get what you pay for, Mutant and SPLX can't compare to the likes of JL or Diamond Audio.

(if anyone has something to add, please chip in!)