Hey guys,

I am a complete ‘rookie’ when it comes to this stereo stuff so I am kindly asking for your help.
I am finally about to upgrade all components in my 2003 Supercrew with the exception of the factory 6 CD in-dash HU. I will have installed 2-way components up front, coaxial in the rear, the JL Audio Stealthbox, and the JL Audio eSeries 6450 6-channel amp.
I have since visited 3 authorized JL Audio dealers to get quotes and to also compare SQ from the different speakers.
Each dealer agrees with the JL Audio eSeries amp and Stealbox but each of them are pushing different speakers.
One is pushing JL Audio VR series, the other Diamond S600, and the last is pushing the Focal Access.
I have listened to all and they all sound good to me?
Note: The Focal being the most expensive at $400 a pair.

I am now confused on which one I should go with?
Which one is going to give me more bang for my buck?
Which one am I going to be most happy with when it is all said and done?

One more question: in your opinion do you feel that this 1 JL Audio amp is enough to drive the 4 speakers and Stealthbox subwoofer, or should I go with a separate amp for the sub?
Just trying to save a little money.

Thanks in advance for any\all replies.

-James


https://www.f150online.com/galleries....cfm?gnum=2443

 

MrTude, $400 for Focal Access 2-way components, what is way out of line. You can find them on Ebay for $195.

 

GolfDude,

I too am sure I can find Focal, Diamond, or JL Audio speakers way cheaper on eBay or one of the other million online sources.
However, I personally would rather purchase high-end products from a reputable, local, authorized retailer so that in the event the product may fail I can simply drive my truck back over there and have them replace it under the factory warranty.
Unfortunately this may mean paying a lot more.


FYI: Most high-end mobile audio manufactures do NOT authorize any dealer to sell their mobile audio products via Internet or Mail Order.

Also, most high-end mobile audio products purchased from unauthorized online sources carry no warranty from the manufacture, regardless of any claims made by the seller, as they have no way of determining whether these products are used, refurbished, counterfeit, stolen or otherwise compromised.

 

Of the three, I think the Diamond's are the best. The problem is, they really like alot of power. I am not sure if 70 watts will do them justice. I have them in my Honda Pilot but, I have 150 watts to each side and they sound awesome. Any of the three speakers should do the job great. I would go with the best value for you.

I think the amp would be a great choice. 200 watts to the Stealthbox would be great. If you really wanted to do it up. You could bridge the amp to run 200 x 3 and run the front components and sub. Then, use your head unit to power the rear coaxials. Assuming your head unit can do that. Just a thought. The Hexes would love 200 watts.

 

They pretty much said it. If they all sound good to you, just take the cheapest ones if your trying to save money, or the JL's if you want an all JL system.

Dconder, looks like you got a pretty nice stereo there.

 

Thanks. Its coming along. The only thing now I do not really like is the musicmoose box. The sub sits right on the carpet. I had to put a grill on it and I wonder if that is somewhat hindering. I may have to try a different box setup.

 

Thanks Guys for all your responses\advice.
This past week I have been doing a lot of internet research and visiting different authorized dealers during my lunch breaks and damn all of their prices on 2-way components are double what I have been seeing them online for.
I now there is no factory warranty when you buy online but for the price the retailers want I can buy 2 sets online for about the same price.
I listened to a pair of Focal Polyglass 165 V2’s today and boy do they ROCK, a noticeable difference over the Focal Access. They went for $450 a pair!
I wish I could find out the retail\MSRP price of all these speakers so when I visit these dealers I'll know if they are charging me full retail or cutting me a deal?

 

Now your moaning about prices? Why are you so concerned with a warranty? As long as you take care of them you should have any problems. Their warranties are usually on 1 year anyways. Maybe the piece of mind may be worth it to you, but their only speakers. Come on. Maybe you should just go to Best Buy and get yourself some nifty pioneers. lol With the money that you'll save from not buying them from a "authorized" dealer, you can buy an intake for your truck. Don't be so warranty happy. My $.02.

 

Thanks guys for all your replies.

Well after doing lots of research and listening to many different sets of speakers I decided to go with the Focal Polyglass line, 165 V2’s up front and the 165 CV’s in the rear.
Just waiting for the JL Audio Stealthbox to come in to have it all installed\tuned, hopefully I can have the install performed this Friday.

My question now is: Where should I have the tweeters mounted? I was thinking flush mounted somewhere on the door but the rep told me it would be best to mount them on the pillar?
Let me know what you guys think and if any of you have pictures of your tweeters installed that would be great.

I will take some pix during & after the install and post them to my gallery for all to view.

Peace,

 

The best thing to do with the tweets would be to try a few spots. Use some velcro or something and test a few places to see which one you like best. Just because it is suppose to be the best location, does not mean you will like it. And it is your ride so, what sounds good to you is the most important.

 

Okay Guys so I just picked up my truck from having my brand new mucho $$$ system installed.
Note: they had my truck all day to perform the install (9 hours).

The new system: Alpine 9847 H/U, JL Audio e6450 amp, JL Audio Stealthbox, Focal 165 V2 (up front), Focal 130CV (in the back), Rockford Fosgate 1 Farad Cap.

Here are my initial thoughts ~ please keep in mind this is the first time I have ever had an aftermarket stereo, speakers, and amp installed in any of the vehicles I have owned.
At the shop when the installer was going over everything for me it all sounded pretty tight but I was not completely blown away as I thought I would be considering all the thousand$ I paid for this killer system. It had a bit too much bass for my liking and I just heard too much rattling going on inside the cab with the heavy bass. They told me to bring the truck back at a later time and they would add Dynomat all around the inside of the console and that should fix the problem.
FYI: I completely lost all of my center console storage space due to the stealthbox, I might be lucky to fit my wallet in there now.
I after I had left the shop I drove around for an hour or so listening to all the different types of music I listen to from rap, hip-hop, metal, hair metal, and some classic rock. Again with the hip-hop and rap it is just way too much bass for me even with it turned down all the way (they mounted a remote bass control for me).
The biggest problem though is when the volume is cranked close to the maximum, which is at ‘35’ the amp or something shuts off for split seconds over and over, like the power is going off momentarily then back on again. If I turn the volume down problem goes away?
What would cause this to happen?
Oh, when the volume is turned all the way up to ‘35’ it’s not too loud, I had thought that having it cranked all the way up would be way too loud and uncomfortable sitting in the cab?
So I get home and start to put away all the empty boxes from the new equipment (I asked them to save them for me) I noticed that one pair of speakers is the Focal 130 CV’s and not the 165 CV’s that was on my original hand-written sales slip I had from last week when I put down my deposit. So I compare my original hand-written sales slip from last week and the one that he wrote up for the final sale today and sure enough he installed the 130 CV’s and not the 165 CV’s.
Nice switch-a-roo or innocent mistake?
Anyone know the difference between these 2 sets of speakers?
I will call Focal tomorrow when I am at work to find the MSRP on both and then I will call the shop to ask him about the speaker switch–up, the cutting off of the power when having the volume cranked up, and to schedule a date\time to bring my truck back.

Sorry for such the long post just but I kind of felt like venting a little. I am sure all of this will get worked out and they’ll fine tune my system to my preference and I will be quite pleased in the end.

 

Sucks that they switched your speakers. Although it could have been an easy mistake since thats what you had put in the rear.

Keep you bass boost down and turn your gains down (very simple to do, just turn the *** down till you get it where you like it) I bet once you get the gains turned down to a place you like the rattling wont be to bad. Unless you really want the Dynomat I wouldnt have them do it. Just another way for them to get more of your money when all you would need to do is turn down the gains so there isnt so much bass.

Does that amp have some kind of clipping protection. If the bass boost is up and the gains arent set properly, it could be clipping like crazy. The turning on and off could be it going in and out of protect mode.

 

Bartak1, thanks for your reply and your suggestions. Like I mentioned in my original post I am a complete rookie when it comes to this car audio stuff and that is why I paid good money to let the professionals do it.
When I take my truck back to them I will definitely have them fine tune my new system to my liking.
I have no idea if the amp has ‘clipping protection’, would you mind explaining to me what that is?

 

According to Focal's website, the 130V is a 5" speaker and the 165V is a 6". They put in an entirely different size. If your 2003 has the same size as my 2005, then they would have to cut the door panel a little to get the 6" to fit. Not a big deal for a good shop but, maybe they did not want to cut yours. I would still ask them about it. At least, they owe you some money back on it.

Properly set gains should be set with the radio at 3/4 volume. That means if your radio will go to 35, the gains should be adjusted with the radio at around 27. This is, in theory, about as far as you would turn up the radio. If you go beyond that, distortion could start being audible. The gains on the amp are not volume *****. They are to match the output of the radio with the input of the amp. Without proper high tech scopes, it is just a guess to set them perfectly. But again, a good shop should be able to set them with no problems. With your setup, you should be able to turn your radio to around 27 and have it plenty loud and clean. You have all the components in place for a great system. I think it just needs some tuning.

I would just keep taking it back until you are happy with it. We are talking alot of money.

 

I totally agree with both Bartak and dconder. You have a very nice system with very nice components in it. Just have it tuned properly and i'm sure you will be very happy with it.

Brandon