Need Advice With My Stereo Install

Belosh · 10-16-2006, 03:48 PM

my car is at ABT getting upgraded as we speak. they are putting in 5.5 JL speakers in the rear at the armrest area and 6.5 alpine components in the front. alpine pdx amp under driver seat. avic z1 nav head unit. my questions are these:

1. should i let them disconnect the rear pillars and headliner if i dont plan on upgrading them? they are lower quality. i assume its better to have fewere speakers but all good quality versus more with some detracting.

2. taking out the back seat to get side panel off they scratched the side panel. they have ordered a new panel from toyota which will be there in 3 days. i need my car tomorrow, so i elected to have them complete the install and then i will return to have the new panel placed. is this a mistake as they will have to reopen and assemble the car 2 times.

3. because of the incident, they are not charging me for the increased cost of the jl 5 inch rear speakers over my original alpine 6.5s for the rear. i want the jl because they are better and they come with a more protective grill than the alpines that my son cant poke.

any thoughts?

socalboo · 10-16-2006, 04:40 PM

JMO

1. yes. 'true' stereo is left and right channel, coming at you front. the rear doors will give you any other fill you need. not a fan of the headliner NEXT speakers, don't think they provide too much, and will probably muck up the imaging on the fronts. you went with JL's...nice quality stuff. kind of like mixing Guiness and MeisetrBrau...don't do it.

2. Bummer. Good they are doing the right thing by replacing it for free and kicking up from Alpine to JLs. If it is a lot of work to get the panel in and out (dunno, never done it), anyway just to leave it out until they can get in there? Safety issue with your son?

3. good forward thought. An issue for me as well. My CDT subs will be behind some pretty thick metal grills to keep my girls' from poking through them. The rest are well hidden and snug behind factory grills.

You are thinking ahead. Being a responsible father and FJ owner. Pat yourself on the back, pop a cold one, and prepare to watch a Dora video on your new HU with your son (I'm guessing on age...).

Belosh · 10-16-2006, 05:51 PM

Quote:

socalboo previously said:

JMO

1. yes. 'true' stereo is left and right channel, coming at you front. the rear doors will give you any other fill you need. not a fan of the headliner NEXT speakers, don't think they provide too much, and will probably muck up the imaging on the fronts. you went with JL's...nice quality stuff. kind of like mixing Guiness and MeisetrBrau...don't do it.

2. Bummer. Good they are doing the right thing by replacing it for free and kicking up from Alpine to JLs. If it is a lot of work to get the panel in and out (dunno, never done it), anyway just to leave it out until they can get in there? Safety issue with your son?

3. good forward thought. An issue for me as well. My CDT subs will be behind some pretty thick metal grills to keep my girls' from poking through them. The rest are well hidden and snug behind factory grills.

You are thinking ahead. Being a responsible father and FJ owner. Pat yourself on the back, pop a cold one, and prepare to watch a Dora video on your new HU with your son (I'm guessing on age...).

funny you chose dora, we have like 20 of them on the dvr. he is obsessed with it. not sure about the guiness/meisterbrau thing. the alpines are component top of their line. listening to them against the comparable jl for the front was not that far off. the jl were a little cleaner, but not as full. so with top of the line component alpine in front, and middle of the range jl 5.25 in rear for filler i think will be more like a pony keg of killians irish red with and a pint of guiness in the rear.

as far as safety issue with the panel, it isnt a problem. they will reinstall the scratched panel and then cut the new panel for the speakers in 3or 4 days when it comes and then swap it out. per the installer, you really have to take the car apart to install the panel, so i just wondered if it was worth them taking it apart twice. its not my labor, so i dont care, just wondering if i should be woried about long term issues.

thanks for your comments and insight.

Kevin'sCorral · 10-16-2006, 06:02 PM

I believe his analogy was in reference to mixing the JL/Alpine speakers with the stock NXT and rear pillar speakers. So ya, just disconnect the stock stuff.

socalboo · 10-16-2006, 09:30 PM

Quote:

Kevin'sCorral previously said:

I believe his analogy was in reference to mixing the JL/Alpine speakers with the stock NXT and rear pillar speakers. So ya, just disconnect the stock stuff.

Yep, tried to be witty, ended up sounding $hiddy. Kevin got it right...the analogy was in reference to the jl/alpine vs. stock, not jl v. alpine. I have a lot of respect for alpine speaks these days - the alpine red and white sub series (forget models) are some of the best sounding subs for the dough, if the reds just wouldn't delam where the rubber meets the cone. I think the whites are among the best bang for the buck around.

Belosh · 10-17-2006, 12:08 AM

just reread your post, and i dont see why i thought you meant jl vs alpine. sorry. all i have to do now is pick it up tomorrow, and cut the parking brake wire and ground it and the special wire for my aviz z1. cant wait to listen to my new system. and its only been 12 hours and i miss my FJ...