So i finally sold alot of old guitar stuff to have enough money to buy my sound system. So this is the final buy list I have came up with,

Amp:
Mono amp
Ok this is the Amp iam planning on ordering:
Kenwood-Kac-8105D-1000-Watt-Class-Amplifier

Sub: Semi Open for recommendation
Dual Voice Coil 4 ohm that will be wired down to a 2 ohm is the current plan..
Now my concern is that I wanted to get a matching sub for my amp, and I was told from different people DIFFERENT things, some told me that if I got a Single Voice Coil 2ohm it would still work perfect and the amp would just read 2 ohm, BUT i have had other sources told me that i would actually need a Dual Voice Coil 4ohm and have it wired down to a 2 ohm for it to work at a 2 ohm on the amp. This if for a single mono amp and a single sub setup.
So..... here is what i was planning on getting a DVC sub just to be on the safe side...
Clarion WQ3010D

Box: Open for recommendation
not sure how this will look in my fit.. and I wasn't sure if it will be too big or too small... or how much space i would save... If someone knows of a better sub box that is a cleaner fit and a better space saver, I am open for recommendations.
Atrend E12S B

Headunit/Faceplate/wiring hardness/antenna adaptor:
Iam just ordering here because it seems to be around the same price to include all of the extra car installation stuff like the faceplate and ect. There was alot of mixed reviews for this headunit.. but it seems simple in installation as there is no blue tooth microphone to put anyway (its built in) and it has good reviews with blue tooth pairing of the phone.
Clarion VX401

Amplifier installation kit: Open for recommendation
I am totally open for recommendations on a better kit.. better quality pricing.. whatever.. iam not even sure if this will work with what i have and our honda fits.
Boss 8 gauge kit

Grommet: Open for recommendation
I am just getting this because I plan on drilling a hole thru the firewall, and not send it thru the factory grommet.
Grommet Assortment pack

Grill:
I was going to get this grill, wasn't sure how to put it on... does it just go over the sub? it says no screws or anything required.. how does it stay on? i just wanna protect my sub cuz i hall alot of stuff.
Scosche grill


Ok so am I missing anything? I was hoping this was all I needed for the installation ( i have basic tools at home) I just wanna make sure that I don't have to stop my installation and wait a few days for another item to come in for everything to work properly.

 

If you are dead set on that amp, then I would put a sub that will perform well with 500watts with it and that clarion sub imo is just not gonna cut it. I would look into this sub Sundown Audio SD-2 10" D4 500 Watt Dual 4 Ohm SD Series

I have done two installs with them and they are flat out amazing for the price. The Dual 4ohm sub is your best option, because if you want to expand later you can simply add another dual 4ohm sub and have either a 4ohm or 1ohm load, both common impedance ratings on class d amps, however not on that kenwood.

The box is fine, I prefer to build them custom but if you don't want to fuss with it I can understand.

As for the headunit, if you like it go for it. I personally won't touch much other than Alpine simply because they have never let me down and my CDA-9887 is a perfect example of that.

That amp kit is bleh, boss is basically flea market quality. I would go with a kit from RF/Kicker or if you are on a tight budget this soundstream is pretty decent price.
SOUNDSTREAM WK-8G 8-AWG GAUGE AMPLIFIER AMP INSTALL KIT | eBay

As for the grommet thing, you are going to risk more damage to your car drilling a hole in it than you would if you just took an exacto knife and cut a small slit in the grommet I used or the one on the opposite side of the fire wall. I have seen everything from drilled through brake lines to gas lines so just remember TRIPLE check where you are going to drill if you are dead set on doing it.

 

umm do you have any cheaper recommendations?

I like alpine too... my last head unit was an alpine, but cost wise and features i can't find anything that beats the clarion in features to cost. so iam kinda stuck on this head unit. my second choice is a pioneer but the bluetooth upgrade to the specific pioneer i want will end up costing me 600 dollars for the head unit and upgrade options. As for Kenwood and Alpine heads... the adapters for the ipods, and front USB only features is a huge negative for me... i was hoping to keep my ipod in the stock USB location above the glove compartment. after extensive research it seems like Clarion is the cleanest setup with the features that i wanted.. also with enough outputs for future upgrades such as speaker amplification.

the biggest thing i liked about the alpine was how easy it is to buy the headunit upgrade to amp up the regular speakers... but i don't think that is enough to turn me to alpine

as for the sub and amp... i don't know much about it.. so i feel kinda more comfortable going for the poser big name brands like Clarion and Kenwood, Alpine, ect ect i also didn't want to spend top dollar for my sub and amp... so I was kinda staying away from Lanzaar, Hi fonics, and ect ect.

either way i was planning on putting a grill to cover up the sub anyways so nobody would really know.. so i wouldnt care what brand i got.. but i figured the big mainstream brands would atleast last long...

as for the sound quality, i don't care as long as its aftermarket bass sounding, iam kinda trying to focus on how long the products will last. Clarion makes a bunch of OEM products according to wikipedia.. so i was hoping it would give a long life


how can you tel it won't cut it? they both at DVC 4 ohm and rated at 500 ohm, is there some spec iam missing?

 

alrighty iam going to order this probly tonight if iam not missing anything or making any huge mistakes

 

What you have to realize is about 95% of the major brands like RF, kicker etc are all using Korea for their production. Now some of them are using china, which is better I know that may not make sense but it is just what it is. In the case of Sundown, it's just a better product, like buying ceramic brake pads VS the autozone brand, they will both work but the ceramic will last longer and perform better.

If you have a total budget I can give you a run down of what I would do in your shoes, which my present you with some better options. Just keep in mind you will need to tell me what you expect from the system and what features you want.

 

i still have some of your recommendations like the MB Quart... but i was thinking perhaps a different model MB Quart
This one: MB Quart FX1.600 (fx1600) 600W RMS, 1-Channel Monoblock Formula

iam kinda scared to trust these brands, because they aren't mainstreamed advertised like alpine, clarion and kenwood is.... i mean if i was going to go for just numbers and price, wouldn't something like this Lanzer be better? The thing i like the most about the mainstream brands is that they have a high amount of reviews from almost every vendor with customer review options, so you kinda know they are being purchased often with satisfied customers.

either way... i was going to just mount the amp onto a subbox... but i don't think they make amps designed to be mounted directly on the submox..

the main reason i wanted it mounted on there, was so i could fold the seats down and still use that area as cargo.

also your old recommendation was this suub.. which is pretty cheap.. and i wouldn't mind using it http://www.sonicelectronix.com/item_...s-HFX12D4.html

either way i was going to put a sub in a sealed box i think. Iam all for your sundown... but iam i don't think i would like to spend that money on one. I would rather buy an alpine R series if i was to spend that much, or JL or something.




whatever i get.. i think i'll be impressed.. my standards are kinda low. Iam used to a 600watt bazooka amp teamed up with a MTX subwoofer that has like visual cracks all over the cone (but it still sounded normal to me..)

I listen to alot of Mash-up music. and i feel like the bass is what makes that kind of stuff good... I have little experience at this.. so iam not sure how a ported vs a sealed box would sound with that type of music... I just researched and read that a sealed box would be able to play more bass notes, so I figured i would get a sealed.. and my old bass box was sealed, so i figured i would go with sealed again.

 

First MB Quart has been in the audio scene for a LONG time, first owned by themselves based in Germany then sold to Rockford Fosgate and finally sold again to Maxxsonix (hifonics). So they are more mainstream than you realize, just your area apparently doesn't have a lot of brands. As for quality the MB Quart amps I would trust over the Lanzar but that is my personal opinion.

That HiFonics sub is well worth the try, again it's kinda of one of those hidden secret subs that for very little can be very nice. I would definitely recommend it over a clarion sub or kenwood sub.

Lastly, a sealed box will not play more bass notes persay, however a ported box will get louder. The sealed box has the ability to play low frequencies a bit more efficiently than a ported box because with a ported box you have a tuning frequency in which the sub will play below it but it will unload. Meaning it will play like it's free-air with no enclosure to support the suspension of the sub. Now MOST subs cannot handle unloading not for long, however a quality built sub will, case in point my Sundown SA 12s will unload and take it like a champ.

Overall I would say you have gotten caught up in the "if I haven't heard of it, it must be crap syndrome" which by all accounts you are not alone, there are tons who fall into this. But only by doing research or being heavily involved in the industry will you learn the difference between a brand that is pushed out in marketing like mad, AKA RF/Kicker and a brand like Sundown who doesn't need to be pushed that way to be a superior product.

I have recommended and installed a few systems for people with sundown products and everyone of them has not only been surprised at the quality and output, but none of them would consider a "mainstream" brand sub woofer over a sundown now.

 

ok.. i think i'll end up replacing the clarion with the hifonics sub... that hifonics is cheap enough for me to just replace it if it breaks. and for 40bux.... why the hell not haha

as for the amp.... is it a bad decision to go with the second one i mentioned?
MB Quart FX1.600

cuz if that is up in the air.. then i'll just go ahead and get the kenwood. cuz they are around the same price.. and i get the satsifcation of having a mainstream brand.. if you think its a hit or miss... then i'll go with a lanzer.

it seems like none of these choices are bad choices.. (except for the Lanzer... some reviews actually say it overheats) and SOME of the kenwood reviews say it overheats and shuts off too.....

I'll most likely order the hifonics sub.. because it seems so cheap that if i blew it up.. it wouldn't really matter.. my concern is getting a long lasting amp...

so iam down to that MB Quart thats 600watt and not the 400watt... and the Kenwood...
For a 400watt, is this clarion that bad? the price on it is simular to the MB Quarts, and it would be a match set if i ended up getting a clarion sub.. and i'll already have a clarion headunit.
Amp

 

The MB Quart is the best of what you have outlined for choices in amps imo.

 

ok changing one last thing.. iam going to get a 4 gauge amp wiring kit instead of an 8.. i figured because i was going to drill anyways that it doesn't matter what size i got, so i'll go ahead and get a thick one.

this is what i was planning on doing like a member here on fitfreak: circa40

 

i did it! we did it buddy! now where did you install the bass controller thingy on your car? i got the 600watt version of the MB Quartz

i ended up with clarion sub tho, i was advised highly against hifonic from several friends that will be helping me with the install.

i also ended up getting a 4 gauge as well, instead of an 8 gauge.

 

I keep my sub control unmounted because of when I compete if there is a tie breaker I may have to run my car from the outside, but anywhere you choose should be fine I would probably put it under the dash in the area just above the center console.