need car audio advice (LONG)
 

here's my system so far. going into my mazda 6..once i figgure out how i'm gonna bypass the stock intergrated stereo and where i'm gonna have the head unit put...here is what i have so far:

alpine cda 7894 head unit
alpine cha s634 mp3 6 disc changer
phoenix gold zx 450 amp
boston pro 6.5 component set
2 jl 12w6's dual voice coil 6 ohm first gen subs will be in a sealed enclosure

what are my best options so far?
get some rear speakers and use the phoenix amp for all four interior speakers. and buy another sub amp?
run the component set and the two subs off the same amp?

is this amp gonna put out enough to run the bostons and subs? here's the specs:


ZX450 SPECIFICATIONS:

Output Power:

4 ohm stereo @ 12/13.8 VDC
18/75 WRMS x 4

2 ohm stereo @ 13.8 VDC
150 WRMS x 4

4 ohm bridged @ 13.8 VDC
250 WRMS x 2

Crossover Frequencies
30Hz to 600Hz

Crossover Slopes
24dB per Octave


thanks in advance

option #1

run the fronts and subs with the PG amp and run the rears off the head unit

option #2

run the fronts and rears off the PG amp and buy a dedicated sub amp, class D mono block. The subs will need the extra power being in a sealed box.

I would go with option 2, amp the interiors with the PG amp and buy a new amp for the subs, you are gonna need more power to run those 12w6's. That PG amp will not give you half of the capability of those subs. And I assume that is a 4 channel amp, and why use a 4-channel amp on subs?

Where are you going to put the head unit?

deciding whether to put it in the center top portion of the dash. still have to see what is behind it in the space behind the dash. or maybe in the glove box. i may go with the glove box because i wanna put a screen for dvd/games this spring.

I would assume that behind the fancy panel in the new 6 is a fairly standard stereo system - it's just that the dash panel acts as the faceplate. My guess is that it is all one unit - and can be popped out of the car without much hassle.

What I would consider (if this were my car), is a re-fabrication of the existing panel. Pop the whole trim piece off, and remove the stereo. Then modify the existing trim piece to accept a standard DIN deck (or two DIN units stacked, or whatever you plan on installing). This should not be very hard to do with a little patience; you'd just need to use some plastic filler - like Bondo - to fill in any holes, and carefully cut out a new opening. Then add more bondo to the edges of the opening and sand until you get a nice smooth edge that looks like it was molded that way. Paint the piece with some stuff that matches the original color (I'd bet SEM has something that'll work) and you're all set.

I made that sound very easy, I know - and I realize that it will take a lot of work and patience to accomplish. But it certainly can be done.

Best of luck with your 6, too - looks like a schweet ride!

~HH

only problem i see with that is the heating/ac controls/time/temperature is all the same lcd. if u rip the equipment out the other stuff prolly will not light up.