Budget Audio Upgrade - Parts List - Suggestions?

Thanks for the BOM! I'll look in to those parts.

That's good enough. Thanks for the info.

How is the enclosure secured? Does it just fit well enough to sit back there or did you have to secure it to any part of the cab?

To be honest, I have not had much of a look back there. I haven't had the truck that long and haven't had the chance to dig around behind the seats.

 

I made it fit pretty snug and after covering with carpet I had to shove it in there and it held tightly. I still used some bolts in the factory holes (from where you remove the cargo trays) one is behind the left sub and one behind the amp rack.

 

Order goes in tomorrow. Here is what I decided on:

Sony XMGS100 Monoblock amplifier
Rockford R150X2 2-Channel amplifier

$75 AudioControl LC2I 2 Channel Line Out Converter with AccuBASS and Subwoofer Control

AudioControl LC2I Line-Out Converter
Sony XSGS1621C 6.5" Component speakers
Rockford Punch P3SD2-10 10" Shallow Mount subwoofer
Raptor R2AK4 4ga amp install kit
Raptor R4DB3 distribution block (x2)

I'll be getting out for about $420 for all of that. I think that is pretty good.

I couldn't bring myself to do the LC7i and 5-channel amp. I see the benefit from the incremental bump in price, but I don't really have a need. I'll leave the rears hooked up as normal to give my daughter a little sound if she needs it. Otherwise, it'll just be the Sony components and the 10" sub doing all of the work.

I'll start getting some measurements for the box and build it myself. I'm just handy enough to get myself in trouble. I'll make a little rack for the amps, too.

I still need to get sound deadening. I'll shop around for that. Aside from that, the only other thing I need are speaker adapters. Anyone have any suggestions? I know there are options from Taco Tunes. Any others to look at?

I'll pick up some extra wiring for the amps, but the plan is to run a 4 ga from the battery to a distribution block, which will split to the LC2i and the off to the rear of the vehicle. From there, it will go to a second distribution block and connect to each of the two amps. 4 ga the whole way. Does this sound sufficient? Do I need any additional fuses besides the one in line after the battery connection?

Thanks for everyone's help so far and for any other questions that I have!

 

Since youre local and if u havent put in the order yet, i have an alpine 10 inch shallow mount I just took out of my truck, let me if interested, ill let it go for 40.

 

PM sent! I'll probably take you up on the offer. Did you upgrade to something larger?

 

I went to something that can run at 2 ohms. The alpine runs at 4 ohms. It still rattled my mirrors at 300watts though

 

Since you're gonna have a go at your own box, why not DIY the adapters too? All you need is a thicker cutting board and a jigsaw. Just trace out around your old OEM speakers & mark your holes for the template. Then cut your new speaker hole where it needs to be. This should be the cheapest solution...one board should do it if it's big enough. It'll be a lot more robust than those cheesy plastic things you can buy. And you won't need to seal this like you will an MDF adapter. Maybe pick up some butyl rope or speaker sealing foam to decouple it from other surfaces. Those are just good to have around anyway.

 

Cutting board as in a literal cutting board used to chop onions? Hadn't considered it, but I suppose I could DIY them. I'll give that a go.

 

Yes, thicker plastic cutting boards. I used one to go from 5x7 to a 6-hole 5.5



I use them for amp racks too under the seat so that the amp isn't sitting right on the carpet. They can also be swapped quickly and easily this way with different mounting holes on the board.



Or the boards can go under the carpet - players choice.

 

I like it. I'll go that route. Thanks for the info.

 

The speakers have come in and I picked up the sub today. Big thanks to @Silverspool for the great deal on the subwoofer! Also got to hear his system. If I can get halfway to that, I'll be happy. It may be modest relative to some of the bigger builds, but I thought it sounded great.

 

Thanks for the props, im pretty happy with how it ended up. Good luck on your build! Dont forget to stop by the DFW thread, youre welcome to ride along for a wheeling trip.

To add, what you heard was a total of 600 watts. Hope that gives you an idea on what to expect on your build.

 

Good deal. I'll be a bit under your power, but not terribly lacking. 330w RMS for the sub and 50w RMS for the door speakers.

I found that box you were talking about. If the one he is selling is the same as the one I found online, it should have about .6 ft^2 of air space on each side. Per Crutchfield, the ideal for that sub is 0.47 ft^2, so it'd work out great. I'd redo the one side to mount the amps and LOC. It has space for it in the middle of the box, but I'd like some semblance of symmetry.

 

Picked up a box, today. @Silverspool probably knows where I "stumbled" across this one.

I think it is supposed to have 0.65 cu. ft. of volume, which would be great for my sub. I'm still planning on doing just the one 10", so I'll either seal up the driver's side real good or, if there is enough usable volume between the passenger side and center section, I'll just remove the driver's side altogether and seal it back up. I need to take my own measurements and dust off the calculator to figure it all out for certain, though. The price was too good to pass up.

 

Speakers, amps, LOC, and amp install kit arrived today. I'll order some sound deadening soon and then check my inventory of RCA cables, speaker wire, and wire termination.



Can anyone confirm the male and female wiring harnesses I need so that I can add the LOC without hacking in to the factory wiring? That'd be a big help.

Hoping to tackle the project in the middle of May.

 

Some sweet hardware, its gonna sound great

 

Thanks! I'm looking forward to it. I think I'll get a really nice bump in the audio department.

 

I have 50 sq. ft. of Noico sound deadener, 37.5 sq. ft of Noice sound and heat insulating liner, a roller, speaker wire, and butt connectors on the way as well.

I know I don't have enough of the liner to cover everything, but I will get the front doors, the back wall, then see if there is anything left to put down on the floorboards. I should be able to go a long ways with the sound deadener, though.

How much effort to pull the rear seats out? If I could get the stuff applied on the back wall ahead of time, that'd save me some time when the full install begins.

Not too sure about pulling up the carpet. I hope I don't get in over my head.

 

I got the Metra male and female wiring harnesses to make my own split off to the LOC without cutting the factory wiring. I went ahead and picked up a SoundControl ACR-1 remote level control. I don't figure to need it much, but it might be nice to turn it down on occasion when my daughters are in the car.

Just posting here to keep a running list of parts. When I'm done I can provide a recap of all that went in to the system.

You said one board should be big enough...did you mean one board will make two front door adapters? Any idea what size board you used? I was trying to order online, so I'm having a tough time visualizing it. Otherwise I'll just get two in the 8" x 10" or 11" x 14" range.

 

11x14 sounds about right, but it's been a while. If it's reasonably flat it should be more than enough for 2 adapters. Yes, I buy boards big enough for 2 adapters...just cheaper that way and probably less waste. Also, no need to order unless you live in the boonies. Even Wallyworld sells 20 different boards. Grocery store sells 'em. So does Target, dollar store, etc. Just make sure they're thick enough so that they won't flex on you. That should be good enough reason to shop for these in person.