///MDex

Newly Installed Stereo Upgrade

I know that stereo work is very subjective, but this setup perfectly fit into my desired end results and budget. I do plan on upgrading later to an aftermarket head unit, and possibly a stronger amp.

I welcome any comments or suggestions you may have about the install; I might consider them down the road, but know that I am not going to be messing with the settings at all, and I consider this install damn near perfect.

Many thanks to Percy, Mean Gene, and all others who put their efforts into answering my stereo newbie questions.

I listen to a wide range of music, but enjoy pulling the deeper, tighter bass out of my music.

Here are my specs:

Mids and Highs
Bostons – 6.5 Pros http://www.bostonacoustics.com/Prod...D=4&SeriesID=20
Front and rear with the rears utilizing the axis mount as described in this thread:
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sho...threadid=27559
New baffles created for rears

Lows
JL Audio - 10W3 - D4 http://www.jlaudio.com/subwoofers/10w3.html
Enclosure built for install, mindful of my rear STB

Juice
Alpine V12 MRV-F357 http://www.alpine1.com/html/D2_n_1_n_n.html

I was as the shop for the first 1 hour or so, going over with the lead install tech on a few details and snapping some pics.

As a side note – I’d try to find the best shop out there, even if their components cost a bit more. This was my fist audio experience, and the guys at this shop were great. I had done my research, communicated often with the sales guy, and explained in detail what my expectations were and the end result I was trying to achieve. The guys were great, very professional, and appeared genuinely sincere when answering my questions. The lead installer did mention that it was nice working with someone who had done their research and homework, and that goes a long way.

Another cool thing was I had them re-cut the slits in my trunk liner for my Rear UGO STB since I got a little hasty at the end of my install. They did a great job as you will see below.

I was straight up with the guy and said, David, I’m Type A, so whatever you need to do, do it perfectly. I’d rather you call me every 5 minutes, than not at all and force something in there. He loved that and told me he was the same way.

They just about gutted the inside of the car – removed the back seat and rear deck; of course the door panels, and the glove compartment. It was kinda freaky seeing my car like that, but I knew it was in good hands.

They did a very clean and rock solid job mounting the amp and crossovers. See the pic with the custom cut and bent aluminum brackets.

One of my shining moments of pride was when I opened to hood to discuss the power cable options, and the guys were like ‘whoa, man, that looks great!’ talking about the engine bay in general and the intake and strut bar….

The Lexus in and of itself I think commands some respect and authoriTIE

When everything was almost done, we tuned it for about 45 min using shelf bought CDs, and my burned CDs.

I’ve never enjoyed music so much! The Bostons can really thump by themselves. And the JL 10W3 is solid.

Don’t ask me about any of my settings or anything – I don’t know ‘em The tech did everything himself during the process while I sat in the driver's seat and told him what I liked and what sounded good.

The system is great; I love it. Crisp highs, clear mids, and snappy and smooth lows; oh yeah, and loud, quality sound.

Enjoy the pics.

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amlin423

looks good..glad you liked it..how long did the install take and how much was the labor...just want to know how much you could've saved by doing the install yourself...JUSTKIDDING!

///MDex

I dropped it of Sat @ 10am, and left the shop last night at 1230am

No way in hell I could've done anything close to that....

amlin423

That's pretty quick..took me a total of like 60 hrs for my own install...
You'd actually be surprised if you tried it out yourself...i didn't think i could do it ...i didn't even know what a jigsaw was when I started building my system...oh well...I should post some pics in the gallery..it looks a lot better now ...

DaveGS4

iTrader: (2)

amlin,

Dexter and I went by the install shop a few times, and there were always at least two or three people working on the car at any one time, so I'd guess the elapsted time needs to be multiplied by at least two.

I can't wait to hear Dexter's sub, his box is a different size than mine. Very interested in how it sounds, especially since he has the same JL sub and amp I do.

Richie

Looks great and I bet it sounds awesome!!!!!!!
Congrats!!!!!!!!!

amlin423

Dex,
Just wondering...with your sub mounted like that...does your rear
deck panel rattle? Did they do any dynamatting?

DaveGS4
I know...it's great to have 3 people to work on a car...I did everything myself...most of the time with the wrong tools cuz I spend everything on my equipment...then i have a girlfriend who yells at me for spending so much time with my new girlfriend (my car stereo) so basically it's really only 1/2 of me doing my car and 1/2 of me fending off my girlfriend who's constantly beating me with a stick.