tut_tutZOOM

I'll probably take you up on that, Nuke. I'm actually considering the V-Power series by Alpine (did you consider them at all when you bought your V-12?) I really enjoy installing these kind of things myself, because I learn so much more along the way than if I paid someone to do it. Oh, and one more question while I'm thinking of it...I'm pretty sure the V-12 series does NOT have speaker-level input, so what kind of line-output converters did you use? I'm debating whether to get an amp with speaker-level input, or going with the LOC's...do you have an opinion on the pros or cons of either (I've seen what others have said by doing some searching...)

Thanks,
-Josh

DaleK

Any 'audiophile' LOC will do ya. I used ones by AudioLink (Power Link II), and they worked very well in my opinion. Also, I understand David Navone's stuff is very good as well. There is a link to AudioLink's page here:

MEISearch

I like the LOC's I got (2 two channel ones), as they are fairly small and have adjustable gains on them. You won't have any trouble getting a decent signal level out of your deck with a good LOC. The ones I got were small enough to tuck inside underneath the deck with zap straps (there is a big space at the bottom of the deck because the workings of the deck are single DIN size and the deck chassis is double DIN size).

Good luck!

Dale.

DaleK

Oh, and by the way Nuke - way to go!! I'm glad it all came together for you. I am one to not cut the wiring harness too, but it sounds like you did what I would have done if I decided not to wait for the harness adapters (so it must be good )

BTW - if you need a sub for your wife's car, do check out the woox like I used. I am pretty happy with it so far. It won't pound as much as the setup you did, but it definitely fills out the bottom end.

Dale.

neuromancer

I can't agree here at all.

I had a Jensen 4ch "400watt" amp running off my stock HU which I have since taken back and replaced with an Alpine HU. The HU sounds WAY better than the AMP did. At about the same volume the Alpine HU had a much more rich and clear sound. Now the AMP had more power for sure, but was nowhere near as clean.

However I am not running a sub or anything, only the stock speakers (for now).

I'm actually really amazed at how well the system sounds in my car, considering what the speakers are.

Jay

Big-N-Tasty

Who buys Jensen anyway?

Big-N-Tasty

But seriously, the quality of sound is dependent on far more than the amp, deck and speakers. You can have the best equipment money can buy, but if it isn't tuned properly, its still going to sound bad.

From what people have posted here, and my own experience, you can get great sound from the factory speakers and deck using the proper x-overs, line level converters, and just about any amp.

p.s. I couldn't find/wiat for the wiring harness either and cut all the factory wires. For anyone thinking of doing the same, invest in a pair of one handed wire strippers. They make the job go a lot faster.

System

Stock Deck
Stock Speakers
N-774V Line Level Converter ($60)
N-902 Auto Trigger Circuit ($33)
Sony XM-502 (50x2) Front and Rear
Kenwood KAC-729s
10" Infinity Kappa (Green)

douggie

Well, you're not doing an apples-to-apples comparison here. The signal sources are not the same. If you added your amp to your Alpine HU, then that will be a fair comparison. The stock HU may not have that "rich" sound to begin with (due to the lack of DSPs)

Amps can't do wonders, it just amplifies the signal source and drives the speakers. The BEST an amp can do is not to increase any distortion in the signal. It can't enchance the signal (unless there's some DSP circuit in it).