jpmotdyn

I have a few questions.

First, would it be a waste of time and money to run the following off a factory Pioneer deck?

Audio Control EQS - 6 band EQ/line driver
Phoenix Gold 500.4 amp to ft and rears
JL 3 way separates in frt (kick panels)6.5 in door , 4 and tweet in kick and maintain factory tweet in a arm
JL 6.5 co ax's in rear.

If i do that can i still use the factory amp with the factory sub?

Are kicks better than just door speakers?

Will i get any hiss or pop from using the oem deck?

Thanks

pcmw

JP,

Consult a shop to help you out. If you need help with finding one in Sac, let me know. I also have a great installer for you.

My opinion....

Running stuff of the factory deck is not an issue (as stated before)
Mixing the stock with the aftermarket speakers will not give you a good sound in the end. Reason: The factory speakers and sub have a different level of efficiency than the aftermarket brand. Trying to match this all up will give you a headache.
Also. You should replace the factory tweeter because the position is almost prime. Loading the new tweeter at your shoelaces will do nothing for proper 'staging'.
Lastly, I would get a JL or Kicker sub for the 10" stock and then bridge the two rear channels of that amp for power. I am not a fan of rear speakers because my ears face forward.

MW

jpmotdyn

So are you saying that it is not recommended or a waste of time and money? I guess you are not a huge fan of kick panels? Also why use no rear spkrs, what about the rear passengers? Who is the shop in Sac you know of?

sirsomo

In response to the first post:
Its not a waste of time to run aftermarket speakers off of the factory deck. Becuase you wont be able to use RCAs the quality will be little lower. My question is: if you are going to pay to get kicks custom made, why not buy an aftermarket head unit?

You could still use the factory sub, but again if you're upgrading might want to look at replacing the 10".

As far as the kicks, its all opinion. Mine is that if you have a processor or methods that can cause delay tweeters in the pillars are fine. They do tend to bring staging down, but they also have benefits. I personally like kick panels, but it sounds like you dont realize that they cost a fair amount. In this situation I would probably put the speakers in the doors and buy something else with the money saved.

If it were me I would buy a new head unit with a X over/EQ, and scrap the EQS. Then I would put 2 way components up front in the doors, and another set of cheaper components in the rear doors. The amp depends on whether you want more bass, if so Id buy a 10'' free-air and buy a 5 or 6 channel amp to run everything. You could probably get all that done for 1400-1800 installed. Good Luck.

pcmw

I am a fan of good sound, but kick panels got their name from somewhere. My shoes don't need good music.

I think a set of separates mounted in the door and rear speakers for 'fill' would be okay if you had to have them. However, you said that you only had a 4 channel, and I would rather get a better sub than have rear fill that you would probably tone down to a whisper.

MW

jpmotdyn

pcmw, So rear speakers are not necessary? I had them in my LS 400 but i never really heard them. i just wanted some type of rear fill.

jpmotdyn

Sirsomo,
I want to keep the dash looking stock by keeping the factory deck. I also thought the factory pioneer sub was a 7 or an eight? I know the cost of kick panels since i have had them in my previous cars. They sound good but my main concern is spending the money on the whole system off a factory deck.
the setup i wrote about was about 2200 installed. Thanks for your help.

sirsomo

First, have you bought anything yet? Whats your budget?

Secondly JPM, some SQ competitors use 5 speakers, 4 up front and a sub, and they win. So, for the front passengers, rear fill isnt always necessary, but anyone in the rear seat is going to get drowned out by bass.

As far as spending 2200 on a system that runs off the factory deck thats your decision. As previously stated, I would buy a deck and scrap the kicks and save a little $$$. It sounds like you really want them though. I guess you should go ahead using the factory deck and then decide whether or not you want to upgrade it later.

If you have the $$$ you can get an aftermarket head and replace the "face" with the factory one. You would have the internals and RCAs of the aftermarket, but it would still look like the Lexus unit. That would give you the best of both worlds.

Im pretty sure the fact. sub is a 10'', maybe you are measuring just the cone or something??

Also, you might want to PM "Mean Gene" he fabricated some kicks for his GS.

BabaBooey

Ask the shop if they would install equipment purchased somewhere else. If they don't, tell them that you're going to find a shop that will, and they'll probably change their mind. If you get everything online, you'll save money to put towards an aftermarket deck, and you can still get warranties with the amp and line driver since Sounddomain pricematches with other sites. Scrap the rearfill, and if you go with a three way setup up front, I'd recommend the CDT HD642 set. Yum.

jpmotdyn

Sirsomo

What do you mean by " get an aftermarket head and replace the "face" with the factory one. You would have the internals and RCAs of the aftermarket, but it would still look like the Lexus unit. That would give you the best of both worlds" Thanks

pcmw

For a bunch of cash, some shops will tear down the face plate from an aftermarket stereo and wire it up to the factory buttons. They will line up the lcd from the new unit into the old window and black out the rest of the area.

Downfall, this never looks great because of some color and functional issues like the volume ****, and you lose your factory stereo along with any warranty on the new one.

MW