FEATURES
Stay Within Your Means
By Rob Hephner
Posted on Thursday, Apr 8, 2004

System design is almost as much of an art form as installation. The latter requires good skill and the proper tools and training, and if the system is designed properly, installation becomes a lot easier. Picking the right components to work with one another ensures a proper performing system, and picking products that work well within a vehicle also makes things smooth. As with any system, you should always consult a mobile electronics retailer for the best fit and application, and here are a few examples of exactly that.

How many times have you sat looking at your own vehicle wondering exactly how many different ways you could design a system? Maybe you’re ready to redesign, or even start a new vehicle. We’re here with three installers who we challenged to design systems for two different vehicles within a set budget.

The first of these vehicles is the Dodge Neon and the second is the new Mazda 3. Both or these vehicles are pretty straight forward and are both vehicles that a first new car buyer might purchase. While you may not own either of these vehicles, you can certainly make any of these system designs work in any vehicle.

We here at CS&P figure that most of our readers would have no problem designing a basic system, but as you move into more involved designs, it might be helpful to see how others might approach them. We start with a $3000 system for the Dodge Neon — these type systems usually provide a good solid sound with decent power to all frequency ranges. Without to many frills, this is the price point for good sound.

For better than good sound, we move to the Mazda 3 and a $6000 price point. These systems usually include better components and some extra benefits in the form of either video or other media formats.

At the $12,000 price point, a person can expect a step into excellent sound with the addition of the best components and, usually, video. Keep in mind that all of the systems here will work very well but all systems have a better chance of meeting your personal expectations if a professional mobile electronics team is included in design and installation.


$3000
Vehicle: 2004 Dodge Neon
Total System Budget: $3000
System Designer: Dave Roark, Lotts’ Auto Stereo, Santa Cruz, CA. Tel: 831-423-1100.
Head Unit: Alpine CDA-7998 CD/MP3/TUNER/CHANGER CONTROLLER ($800) — this unit includes Alpine’s i -Personalize feature for the best use of product settings and benefits. It will be installed at the OEM location using the necessary dash kit and harness adapter.

Amplifier: Alpine MRV-F450 5-channel amp ($500) — Includes V12 design with the appropriate top-mounted controls. It will be installed on the back of the left rear seat, allowing fold down capabilities.

Front Speakers: Alpine SPX-177A 6.5-inch component two way ($400) — The SPX-177A components feature passive crossovers with numerous adjustments in order to ensure optimal sound staging and tonality. These will be installed at the OEM door locations, with tweeters flush mounted on door panels close to the mid-bass.

Rear Speakers: Alpine SPR-694A 6 x 9 coaxial ($200) — these speakers offer good construction and tonality for rear/ambient use. These will be installed at OEM locations under the package tray.

Subwoofer: Alpine SBR02CR 10-inch Subs [2] ($280 each) in a compound reflex enclosure — The pre-fabricated, computer-optimized enclosure will be installed in the trunk at the back of rear seats, firing towards the rear of car with quick disconnect hardware for easy removal.

Sound Damping: Dynamat ($150) as needed at the doors and trunk

Amp Power Kit: #4 (+/-) with 100-amp circuit breaker ($120)

Signal Cables: True balanced, twisted pair [3 pair] ($120)

Capacitor: 1-Farad with good tolerance ($140)

Shop Supplies, Speaker Wire, Hardware: as needed ($80)

Dash Kit/Harness Adapter: Using proper supplier ($30)


$6000
Vehicle: 2004 Mazda 3
Total System Budget: $6000
System Designer: Tony Ostrom, Assistant Director of Marketing, JL Audio Inc.
System Goals: The first step in designing a system is to define the goals we’re trying to achieve. In this case, we want the system to be quite loud and very clean across the entire audible frequency range (as it pertains to humans). No one section of the system (sub bass, mid range, etc.) should be "weaker" or "stronger" than any other section. The system should be linear at all volume levels. Also, we would like this system to recreate the musical soundstage accurately in the front of the vehicle.

Source Unit: In new Mazda vehicles, the source unit is cosmetically and structurally integrated with other dash-mounted components — this makes a radio swap extremely difficult. In this case, we may simply want to use the stock unit. However, before we make this decision, we need to make sure it will integrate nicely with the aftermarket components with which it will interact. Our main concern is getting signal into the amplifier(s). In this system, we’ll be using amplifiers from JL Audio’s "Slash" line. These amplifiers have the ability to accept speaker level signals directly from the on-board amplifier of an OEM source unit. We can now move forward knowing that the factory head unit will work just fine and we don’t have to pull our hair out trying to integrate an aftermarket piece.

Mids/Highs: The Mazda 3 gives us a pair of 5- x 7-inch locations in the front of the vehicle and another pair in the rear — four nice big locations for mid bass/mid range drivers...we’ll take ‘em. Respecting the budget and the goals of the system, a pair of JL Audio XR570-CSi components ($399.95) will work nicely up front while a pair of XR570-CXi coaxials ($299.95) can do their thing in the back. The components are used in the front where the ability to separately mount and aim the tweeter to improve imaging and staging can be taken advantage of. (NOTE: The best way to decide were to mount the component tweeters is to listen to them in several different locations. Install the mid bass / mid range drivers and begin placing the tweeters in various locations until the desired results are achieved. After you find the best location for the tweeters, securely mount them.)

Mids/Highs Amplifier: Now we can select the amplifier for the Evolution XR drivers that will fill our Mazda with spank’in mid bass, smooth mid range, and sweet highs. To achieve our goal of creating a soundstage in the front of the vehicle, we don’t want to give the front and rear sets the same amount of power — doing so has a tendency to pull the soundstage toward the middle of the vehicle. In order to keep it up front, we want to stagger the power from the front to the rear. The JL Audio 450/4 amplifier ($799.95) is perfect for this application — it supplies 150 watts to two channels and 75 watts to another two channels, and since all four of these speaker sets are rated to handle 150 watts continuously, it’s a perfect match. The 450/4 also offers an extraordinarily versatile filter network.

Subwoofers: We’ll need a serious subwoofer system to fill in the bottom end beneath the very capable XR systems we have in this vehicle. With that in mind, the JL Audio CVS212RG-W6v2 Enclosed Subwoofer System ($1099.95) is an excellent choice. This is a sealed system consisting of two JL Audio 12W6v2 subwoofers. The system is rated to continuously handle 800 watts and is wired to a 4-ohm load. It’s capable of intense, detailed output and should help us easily reach our system goals.

Subwoofer Amplifier: To power this enclosure, we’ll use another amplifier from JL Audio’s "Slash" line, the 1000/1 monoblock subwoofer amplifier ($1099.95). The 1000/1 will produce 1000 watts into the 4-ohm load presented by the subwoofer system.

Charging System: We’ve designed a system that asks our Mazda 3’s factory charging system to make 1450 watts of power above and beyond anything else it needs to do to make the car work as designed. We definitely need to take a look at the charging system to make sure this is a reasonable request. After a bit of research, we find that the factory alternator provides 90 amps of current. When we consider that most of this current is already spoken for by vehicle functions other than our audio system and the fact that 1450 watts is considerably more than the factory system manufactured, we have a dilemma. Our solution is to install a high output alternator ($500) to accommodate the needs of our aftermarket audio additions.

Connections: All of our connections will be from JL Audio’s Engineered Connection Systems line (4.5 ft. RCA: $44.95; 25 ft. Power ($4.99/ft.): $124.75; 25 ft. Ground (4.99/ft.): $124.75). 1/0 AWG wire is run from the battery to an ANL fuse block ($69.95; ANL Fuse $9.95) and then on to a distribution block ($34.95) near the amplifiers. From there, 4 AWG wire travels the short distance to each of the two amplifiers. The two 4 AWG ground wires, one from each amplifier, travel to a distribution block where they are combined into a single 1/0 AWG wire. This wire will travel back to the battery. (NOTE: Tests have shown that the average chassis has conductive properties similar to a 4 AWG wire. The system in our Mazda 3 requires a main power wire larger that 4 AWG. For best results, a ground wire of the same size should make the trip from the amplifiers (or distribution) to the battery. Connecting this wire to chassis near the amplifiers as an additional point of contact to ground is also a good idea. For a solid, reliable chassis ground, a JL Audio Master Ground Lug ($24.95) can be used.)

A JL Audio RCA to Speaker Wire Plug ($9.95) lets us obtain signal from a pair of factory speaker leads and send it into the 1000/1. The outputs of the 1000/1 allow us send signal to the 450/4. All the speaker wire and connectors we will need for each set of speakers comes from a kit from JL Audio. A 16 AWG speaker wire kit will be used for the front speakers and another will be used for the rear drivers ($79.90) while one 8 AWG subwoofer wire kit ($49.95) will be used for the Enclosed Subwoofer System.


$12,000
Vehicle: 2004 Dodge Neon
Total System Budget: $12,000
System Designer: Tony Ostrom, Assistant Director of Marketing, JL Audio Inc.
System Goals: The first step in designing any system is to define the goals we’re trying to achieve. We want the system to be capable of very high output levels while maintaining clarity and realism. The system should be linear at all volume levels.

Source Unit: For this system, we’ll employ an aftermarket head unit ($599.95). The Neon presents no serious issues when replacing the deck and it would be nice to have front, rear, and sub preamp outputs for a system of this magnitude.

Mids/Highs: Taking a look at the factory speaker scenario, we see that the Neon gives us a pair of 6 1/2-inch locations in the front of the vehicle and another pair in the rear. These will allow us to install four component sets in the interior of the Neon without disturbing its factory appearance. Because we’re designing this system to be very loud and, at the same time, to remain true to the program material without adding distortion, we turn to the ZR650-CSi 6 1/2-inch component set from JL Audio. One ZR650-CSi component set will be installed in the front of the Neon and another will be installed in the rear ($799.95). (NOTE: The best way to decide were to mount the component tweeters is to listen to them in several different locations. Install the mid bass/mid range drivers and begin placing the tweeters in various locations until the desired results are achieved. After you find the best location for the tweeters, securely mount them.)

Mids/Highs Amplifiers: Now we can select the amplifiers that will power the Evolution ZR. In order to achieve our goal of maximum output, we want to feed each of these component sets with a sufficient, but not excessive, amount of power. Each ZR component set is rated to handle 150 watts continuously. A JL Audio 300/2 amplifier, which is a member of JL Audio’s "Slash" amplifier line, would be ideal for each stereo set of components because it delivers 150 watts from each of its two channels when those channels are connected to loads of any impedance from 1.5 ohms to 4 ohms ($959.90). Each ZR component carries is a 4-ohm load.

Subwoofers: The Neon’s subwoofer system needs to be something very special. For our goals, and to blend harmoniously with the extremely capable front and rear systems we have, we turn to the W7 subwoofer line. Three 12W7 drivers ($2249.85) in a custom enclosure will give this system the low end it needs.

Subwoofer Amplifiers: To power this subwoofer system, we’ll use three separate amplifiers. This will allow us to dedicate a separate power supply to each subwoofer (one per amplifier) and also allow each amplifier to play into a 3-ohm load. This relatively high (at least when we are talking about Class D subwoofer amplifiers) impedance will allow the amplifiers to work with a higher damping factor than if we had connected then to a low impedance configuration. Each one of our three 12W7 drivers will be powered by its very own 500/1 "Slash" series amplifier ($1799.85). The 500/1 will provide 500 watts when connected to loads of any impedance from 1.5 ohms to 4 ohms.

Charging System: We’ve designed a system that asks our Neon’s factory charging system to make 2100 watts of power above and beyond anything else it needs to do to make the car work as designed. We definitely need to take a look at the charging system to make sure this is a reasonable request. After a bit of research, we find that the factory alternator provides 85 amps of current. When we consider that most of this current is already spoken for by vehicle functions other than our audio system, and the fact that 2100 watts is considerably more than the factory system manufactured, we have a dilemma. Our solution is to install a high output alternator to accommodate the needs of our aftermarket audio additions ($500).

Connections: All of our connections will be from JL Audio’s Engineered Connection Systems line (4.5 ft. RCA [x2]: $89.90; 50 ft. Power ($4.99/ft.): $249.50; 50 ft. Ground ($4.99/ft.): $249.50). Two 1/0 AWG wires are run from the battery to two ANL fuse blocks (Fuse Block [2], $139.90; ANL Fuse [2], $19.90) and then on to two distribution blocks near the amplifiers (Distribution Block (2-way) $34.95; Distribution Block (4-way), $59.95). One 1/0 wire is split into two 4 AWG wires which travel the short distance to the pair of 300/2 amplifiers. The other 1/0 wire is split into three 4 AWG wires which travel the short distance to the three 500/1 amplifiers. The five ground wires are combined in the same way the power wires were distributed so that two 1/0 AWG wires can travel back to the battery. (NOTE: Tests have shown that the average chassis has conductive properties similar to a 4 AWG wire. The system in our Neon requires two main power wires larger that 4 AWG. For best results, a ground wire of the same size should make the trip from the amplifiers (or distribution) to the battery. Connecting these wires to chassis near the amplifiers as an additional point of contact to ground is also a good idea. For solid, reliable chassis grounds, JL Audio Master Ground Lugs ([x2] $49.90) can be used.)

An 18-foot, 4-channel interconnect connects our head unit’s front and rear outputs to the pair of 300/2’s. The head unit’s subwoofer output is connected to the first 500/1 by an 18-foot, 2-channel interconnect. The three 500/1’s are to be connected in a "master/slave/slave" configuration. In doing so, it’s necessary to connect the preamp output of the first 500/1 (the "master") to the input of the second and the preamp output of the second to the input of the third. We’ll need two 4.5-foot interconnects to complete this configuration. All processing on the "master" 500/1 will now effect the other two 500/1’s (the "slaves"). All processing on the "slave" amplifiers should be turned "off".

All the speaker wire and connectors we’ll need for each set of speakers comes from a kit from JL Audio. A 16 AWG speaker wire kit will be used for the front speakers and another will be used for the rear drivers ($79.90), while one 8 AWG subwoofer wire kit will be used for the subwoofer system ($49.95).

Vehicle: 2004 Mazda 3
Total System Budget: $12,000
System Designer: Rolling Thunder, San Rafael, CA. Tel: 415-456-1681. Web: www.rtaudio.com
System Goals: Being that the demographic for this system was given as male or female between the ages of 18 and 25, there are a few parameters that we could be fairly certain of. The program material would be broad, but would more than likely consist predominately of rap and hip hop. Performance requirements will need to be extreme in the sense of total system output and system reliability. And last, but not least, we’ll need to include a video source.

Head Unit: We decided that the best source that we could use for the budget given would be Alpine’s new IVA-D300 ($1600.99). The unit offers the user the ability to control the PXA-H701 5.1 decoder and DSP Processor ($550.99), and it’s capable of handling all of the current popular media. With the PulseTouch Display it’s not only a great looking piece of gear, but it’s also fairly safe to use.

Processing: From the IVA-D300, we’ll route the signal via an optical digital cable ($40.99) to the PXA-H701 Multimedia Manager. This unit provides 5.1 channel processing along with time alignment. A total of 165 bands of equalization are provided for fine tuning the system response, which should be considered a must in a system of this caliber.

Amplifiers: The PXA-H701 sends the decoded signal to a trio of Alpine V12 power amplifiers. An MRV-T420 ($400.99) is used to power the front left and right channels, which provides 110 watts per channel. We’ll be using the MRV-F340 ($430.99) in a bridged 3-channel configuration to drive the center channel and rear left and right. This setup gives the center channel 130 watts, while providing 55 watts for each rear speaker. For a powerful bottom end, an AccuClass-D MRD-M1001 ($950.99) will power our 3-ohm subwoofer with approximately 750 watts.

Speakers: For the speaker compliment, we’ve chosen some of the finest components from MB Quart and JL Audio. The front stage (left/center/right) will consist of MB Quart’s top-of-the-line QSD series. The QSD-216 ($1399) anchors the front left and right positions with clear, detailed sound, while a single channel from the QSD-210 set ($1199) is the perfect companion to provide the center channel information. A tonally matching set of MB Quart’s QSD-216 6.5-inch 2-way speakers is employed to provide rear fill/surround excitement. As both music and movies require a solid foundation of deep, articulate, and powerful bass, the JL Audio 12W7-3 ($749.99) is the subwoofer of choice.

Connections: Any system is only as good as it’s weakest link, therefore, we’ll use high quality Monster Cable (two-channel, three-meter interconnect, 500-watt Amp Kit, 60 feet of 12 GA speaker wire: $557.94) for all power and signal connections.