20 replies to this topic

[A362 TTU]

So first i would like to say Hi seen as this is my first post.

My name is Jack and i live in Staffordshire.

The next thing i am going to say is going to make me being on this forum seem stupid - im 15 years old and wont be driving (or atleast learning) for another 14 months.

So you wonder why im here, i dont own a Mini and i cant drive.

Well the reason i have joined is that i love Classic Mini's and have wanted one since i was about 11. I am gradually starting to save now and hoping to get a job in a month after i finish my exams to raise the money.

I have started to plan what i want in a Mini and am looking at all the things i want to do to make it more fun (when/if i get one).

I am mega in to my Music, I like a wide variety, i dabble in Rap/Hip Hop and Jazzy music but the majority of the time i listen to Rock Music. When i get my Mini i will be wanting to get a good ICE pretty quick.

Remember i will be 17 so on a budget.

I have looked into it and found this head unit;
http://www.fusioncar...68-product.aspx

And these speakers;
http://www.fusioncar...69-product.aspx

What kind of loudness and quality would these deliver, i love loud and crisp - but i understand i wont get the best on a budget.

I also found these more expensive speakers, if you feel they would provide a leap in quality;
http://www.fusioncar...70-product.aspx

I know its really early to look into this but i want a Mini so bad im planning it now.

thanks..

[skaterava]

Nooo don't buy Fusions! Sound quality will be compromised. I have a friend who put an all fusion system (6x9's, subs) in his Peugeot 306 and he claims it's rubbish.

My system is pretty powerful and didn't cost me much at all.

a pair of 6x9 JBL speakers in the kickboard under the rear seats (should cost about £40 for the pair)
a pair of 8" JBL 200W subwoofers in the parcel shelf (which you can pick up for £35 each on ebay, brand new)
a 400W amp in the boot to power both subs, second hand it cost me £20.

So total cost for all speakers and the amp would be £130. Luckily i got my 6x9's second hand for £5

I usually listen to old school and underground hip hop, and this system thumps.

The bass is powerful, sound quality brilliant, and no cabin or boot space is compromised. As for head units, i can't speculate as mine was a gift from many years ago

Edited by skaterava, 20 May 2010 - 09:41 PM.

[minilester]

15?!?!?!.... live the dream boy! live the dream...

ok... so, super super tight budget hey?

here goes... u start with a sony head unit (very nice punchy amp inside) that has rca's or "sub out"..
... now speakers... erm... ok, i got it... FLi !!
yes you heard me! they make a range of budget speakers (well, pocket friendly anyway) and they do have some good sound. your gonna want either 4" for the dash or the 6.5" for the front doors... its either or! which ever way round your doing the front speakers... then...

i'd say some 6x9's for the rear shelf until you can get your self a sub... those speakers you can run off the head unit and should do you well...

then wen u upgrade a little.. u can buy a 10" FLi active sub... its about 250w rms (give or take) and you can then turn the bass down on the head unit and let the sub do all the work... then, and i cant stress this enuff, only then, can you save up about £500-£1000, rip out what it just taken you 12months to buy slowly and start all over again but with much higher quality hardware!

in all honesty, your gonna have to find your budget out... really research you hardware and buy it slowly over a period of time..

i myself have a sony head unit, kenwood 4" speakers in the dash 6x9's underr the rear seats and a jbl bass pro in the boot... its not the best set up... and i do mean its really not that great.. but it does work till i can find some more money (down the back of the sofa) and redo the whole lot again taking my time and upgrading the bits i need first (alternator!!!! earth strap.. all earth points... wiring....battery... )


so choose wisely and slowly, dont rush...

Lester

[skaterava]

I'll add that if you do decide to put a sub in the boot (or in the shelf), make sure to leave holes in the parcel shelf to allow the bass through to the cabin!

getting 4 6x9's and amping the ones on the parcel shelf is also a decent option if you're looking for a cheap but powerful system.

[minilester]

I'll add that if you do decide to put a sub in the boot (or in the shelf), make sure to leave holes in the parcel shelf to allow the bass through to the cabin!

getting 4 6x9's and amping the ones on the parcel shelf is also a decent option if you're looking for a cheap but powerful system.

good call!... its cheap and cheerfull..

a nice 3" bass port in the rear shelf makes a big difference to the bass...

remember, the is no ideal set up (despite what other people say) just experience of others and trial and error for what YOU like

[skaterava]

remember, the is no ideal set up (despite what other people say) just experience of others and trial and error for what YOU like

Bingo. I wanted good bass, but not enough to get evils from everyone on the high street, hence my setup

[samsfern]

im running two 6x9 jbls, two 10cm speakers/tweerters in the the airvent holes, and a 10" 600w sony sub in the rear parcel shelf, powered by an alpine 1200w amp. i have had to uprate my alternator and battery, it kept dying.....

[minilester]

im running two 6x9 jbls, two 10cm speakers/tweerters in the the airvent holes, and a 10" 600w sony sub in the rear parcel shelf, powered by an alpine 1200w amp. i have had to uprate my alternator and battery, it kept dying.....

85 amp alt?
pug 306 oil burner batt?

erm... the whole thing cuts out?... u tried a capacitor? as close to the amp as possible mind... ebay does them for £25, 1.2 farad!

as im having the same prob and its my next step...


sorry just reread your post... scrap that.. lol

Edited by minilester, 21 May 2010 - 12:37 AM.

[samsfern]

75 amp alternator if i remember rightly, and yes pug disease-all battery
That soon sorted that
although battery goes flat quite quick if your just sitting there listening to tunes with the engine off, lol

Edited by samsernie, 21 May 2010 - 12:45 AM.

[minilester]

75 amp alternator if i remember rightly, and yes pug disease-all battery
That soon sorted that
although battery goes flat quite quick if your just sitting there listening to tunes with the engine off, lol

it would do you twit! lol..

[A362 TTU]

Great help guys thanks.

im looking to spend £2000 on the mini. and probably initially £300 on sound (right now i have £7 saved, its a start), so do you think this fusion head unit will be bad because i love the ipod intergration;
http://www.fusioncar...68-product.aspx

?

also that costs £80.

You guys know your stuff. so if i get that HU, then i have £220 left to spend on speakers + amp if needed. Sub would come after.

Im thinking 2x 6x9's under rear seats, 2x 6.5" in doors then two tweets in the dash - would that need an amp? and could i get that done on £220.

thanks.


UPDATE:

what about that setup including HU above. comes in at budget

http://www.raysmith....-peak-gt82.html

http://www.caraudion...roducts_id=2386

http://www.icebuyer....rs-p-19028.html

http://caraudiosecur...gleproduct.html

Is the AMP good enough to power all those? can you suggest something better? According to spec that amp would allow me to add more speakers in future.

Forgive me for being a complete noob

Edited by howgudami, 21 May 2010 - 07:04 AM.

[Mini Adam]

Great help guys thanks.

im looking to spend £2000 on the mini. and probably initially £300 on sound (right now i have £7 saved, its a start), so do you think this fusion head unit will be bad because i love the ipod intergration;
http://www.fusioncar...68-product.aspx

?

also that costs £80.

You guys know your stuff. so if i get that HU, then i have £220 left to spend on speakers + amp if needed. Sub would come after.

Im thinking 2x 6x9's under rear seats, 2x 6.5" in doors then two tweets in the dash - would that need an amp? and could i get that done on £220.

thanks.


UPDATE:

what about that setup including HU above. comes in at budget

http://www.raysmith....-peak-gt82.html

http://www.caraudion...roducts_id=2386

http://www.icebuyer....rs-p-19028.html

http://caraudiosecur...gleproduct.html

Is the AMP good enough to power all those? can you suggest something better? According to spec that amp would allow me to add more speakers in future.

Forgive me for being a complete noob

The fusion HU isn't the best of HU's about. You could get a much better one for the same price.
I'd suggest this one, it is a bit more expensive, but from a much better company, you'll be pleased you spent more money on it rather than skimping in your sound.

Head Unit

Having been involved in theatre tech for the last three years I know fair bit about sound, and I can tell you in the past I've purcahsed speakers (for theatre and live audio use not car use) from the the likes of KAM (equvilent of Fusion and Fli) and have done nothing but wished I spent twice as much on a good set of speakers.
If you can't afford an amp straight away with your budget personally I'd say don't buy one yet. For example the amp I've got (for home use, but an equvilient can be bought fro car audio) isn't from a top a company, it's mid range (Cerwin Vega) so nothing too amazing, and this alone cost me £300

Remember the HU has a built in amp, usually 50w x 4 so an amp is not a necessity straight from the off.
With your budget I'd invest in some top range speakers, then wait until I could afford an amp.
If you also want a SUB box, from previous experience (not in car audio so I may be wrong) i've always used a sepearate AMP.

Out of all the links you posted above I'd say the only ones worth looking at are the JBL speakers from icebuyer.
The 8" sub will require a box to work it's best, despite what some people might say.
The amp is 'good enough' in that the power is plently, but again, you're compromising you're sound quality by using a Fusion AMP
And 6 x 9s, I've never been keen on them, I'd personally buy a set of 6.5" speakers.

I realise so far I haven't really helped all that much
But let me give you a run down on what I think:
DO NOT spend £300 on ICE and expect to get great sound quality. It can be done, but it's not easy.
DO NOT spend £300 on everything you want compromising your sound quality.
I was in the sam situation as you at one point, when buying my DJ set up I coudn't decide if I buy everything I wanted or if i buy high quality items and only get a few bits and add later on. I had a budget of £900.
In the end it turned out okay, because my £1200 mixer got given to me which meant I had enough money to buy everything esle. So in the end I bought £400 speakers and a £300 plus around £150 on leads. I also wanted a second AMP, a SUB box, and an EQ. I now have the EQ but still waiting for a bass and second AMP.
What I'm trying to say is don't spend £300 on everything you want. Just spend it on the important stuff, and you'll end up with a much higher sound quality system

Personally I'd spend the £300 on just the head unit and speakers. I have already shown you a HU, these speakers would work well with them:

Front Speakers - you could also get a set of these for the parcel shelf

But if you want 6 x 9s for the parcel shelf: 6 x 9

This would come to a total of £250

You've come in at under your budget and already have a reasonably good system.

As for an amp, you will need a four channel amp that puts out around 75w per channel
Maybe this: Alpine Amp

I hope I've helped out a bit.
I haven't dealt with car audio as much as home audio so if anything I've said is completely wrong I'll happily stand corrected

Adam

[minilester]

... if your goin to spend 300 i'd wait til u have all 300 in your pocket 1st... then research research research!...

you want chav-pod control?... then u need to decide what brand you like, Alpine make very good high end head units, starting at around £100 you can have full chav-pod control and still quite a meaty amp within the head unit...

speakers?... its all a matter of taste... you like hip-hop i see.. jbl are designed around bass, so for the 6x9s in the back jbl are quite a good brand... for the 6.5s up front i'd say pioneer, they always sound clear to me...

but saying this... its gonna cost you £70 for a 75amp alternator and another £60 for a nice big battery, just to make sure it doesnt cut out wen you turn it up :s... lol

research everything my lad... put in the man hours... ask as many people as possible and see what brands keep poppin up... if you have freinds with installs listen to thiers and judge for yourself wether you like them or not...

take your time... rome wasnt built in a day!..(if i was the foreman it would of!!!!)

[Boomboy77]

If I were you I would be trawling through the ads on here or elsewhere to get some good second hand stuff.
I know I personally have a shed full of it and it hasnt been used for a couple of years now and i cant see it being fitted anytime soon!

If you went for good quality but secondhand you would get more for your money. BUT, avoid the chav-monsters as they would have ragged amps and speakers to within an inch of there lives, look for the everyday people and get stuff from them.

I would recommend 5.25" components up front, ditch the air vents, build in some pods for the 5.25" mid-bass driver, mount the tweeters on the pillars in the top corners and put a 10" sub in a box in the box.
If you are feeling really fruity with doing your first install, build yourself a falsefloor fo rthe rear of the car, make it one chamber and mount the 10" sub in that. Carpet the lot in the same colour as they carpet of the car and no one will be none the wiser its there.

Trust me, been there spent everything I earned on new stuff while some of my friends bought the same stuff second hand at half the price.................................

Oh, and if you really want a sweet crisp sounding system, DONT buy 6x9s!!! They just muddle sound and leave BIG holes in your car!

Edited by Boomboy77, 21 May 2010 - 12:02 PM.

[A362 TTU]

Head Unit



Front Speakers - you could also get a set of these for the parcel shelf

But if you want 6 x 9s for the parcel shelf: 6 x 9



Adam
[/quote]

Thanks for advice on the HU and the 6X9's. Would probably go for two sets of the first speakers then and the HU you suggested looks great.

i know this will sound strange but what kind of sound will i get compared to these home speakers on my budget;
http://store.cambrid.../B0036UU14G.htm

I ask this because i have these and want to gauge how £300 worth of ICE would sound compared to them.