Has anyone added speakers to a 1 speaker car?

[Chris93Si]

Just curious if anyone has done this and if so how involved was it? I can live without AC but the speaker is killing me lolz. Thanks in advance.

[Snoman]

What is it you want to do exactly? You have a complete and fully capable stereo vehicle, the fact it's a Z/28 matters not in this regard. No one in the "Camaro audio" arena uses the center channel, it's the first thing we gut from the car.

[Chris93Si]

I would like to add more speakers, at least one in the other door, my car only has the one speaker in the driver's door.

[Snoman]

Originally Posted by Chris93Si

I would like to add more speakers, at least one in the other door, my car only has the one speaker in the driver's door.

The Z is not "pre-wired", meaning the installer is going to have to run wires. You can make any decision you want with the system, from a basic "2 speaker" set up to a full blown 4 channel with subs. If you do the latter, I highly recommend dynomat and someone that knows how to lay carpet down and build out the trunk properly. If you just want to add a single speaker and keep the stock radio, I *believe* you just need to wire it up and/or purchase a small 2-channel amp and the PAC GM41(?) module to connect the amp to. From there it can get wild;

Replacing the Head unit:

1st decision will be in what type of dash kit you want or like. You can go with Metra or Scosche and deal with their problems or you can obtain the new PAC kit which is nearly 100% plug-n-play. No matter what decision you make, cost on part is $300.

2nd - Head Unit: There are a ton, though expect to spend $500-700 from reputable manufactures for non-navigation and $1000 for Navi units. There is no "OEM Option", anyone telling you to "upgrade to a myLink" either has zero experience or is trying to sell you crap. In the grand scheme of things, it is complete junk.

3rd - Speakers

• You are deleting the center channel, your installer will simply disconnect it. Anyone telling you otherwise is trying to sell you something, it's 100% worthless and in fact will degrade the audio stage if left connected. I hear salesman and audio reps all the time talk about 5.1 this, concert hall that....it's a f'n car, not a movie theater and they are trying to up-sell you.

• Fronts: There are a ton of options, the highest quality hands down are the Infinity Kappa 60.11cs ($200 street), beyond this you are spending $400-600/pr for Focal, Morel, Hybrid, Hertz, Precision Power, Polk, or JL-C5s. If you don't choose the Kappas, I highly suggest listening to as many as you can drive around and listen to or spend several hours researching many different forums.

• Rears: I hear people say all the time they aren't worth it. The rear dash can be a pain to disassemble with the seat removal, just pick up a pair of Kappa 6x9's (~$135) and be done with it. Whatever choice you make is ultimately up to you, but if you go this route, make sure they are the same brand as your fronts. I always recommend a 4-channel system.

• Subs: There are a ton of options, I personally endorse the Polk Audio MM line, they offer the highest quality, performance and reliability of any sub within price points that cost even 4x higher. Expect to spend $100+ each

4th Amplifiers

• 2ch/4ch - For your "voice" speakers / non-subs, fronts and rears, I personally recommend the Alpine PDX series. Buy one amp to drive whatever you choice (2ch/4ch). Others enjoy JL audio and if you go this route, buy the XD or HD series. Rockford Fosgate make some decent voice amps, but only look at the Punch series.
• 5 channel - The single and only time I would recommend a 5 channel amp is when someone wants to take the highest quality, simplest solution to their wiring. Hands down, this is the Alpine PDX-V9. I don't know why, but Newegg has it for $433 right now (nearly 1/2 price)
• Dedicated sub amplifier: Rockford Fosgate Punch series offers the best quality for the money. There are better sub amps, but they come at a cost that I don't recommend for 90% of the public.

5th Wiring

• Every shop has "their own brand" though nothing beats KnuKonceptz for the money, no-body-anywhere.
• Build your own "amp kit", don't buy the prepackaged crap
• Distribution blocks and cable end connectors can be picked up by your local electronics hobby store or MCM Electronics.
• Battery - your stock battery is good to handle up to 1,500 quality rated amplifier wattage. If/when it goes out, you need to purchase a dedicated AGM battery
• MISC Links: Adapter to tap RCA's from Head Unit (non-BA systems): PAC AA-GM44
  4-Channel RCA's from HU to trunk: Karma SS 4ch-6M
  Amp installation Kit or DIY from KnuKonceptz
  100' spool speaker wire: Karma SS 16 AWG

6th Dynomat: This depends on what your goals are with the sound and how far you want to take your audio. If you are absolutely in love with your Z/28, keeping the car and want an audio system to match the vehicle then I cannot stress enough the importance of doing a full Dynomat install. You're gutting the interior of the car, installing on floor, door, rear pillars, back deck, trunk, rear wheel wells and back seats. 3 cases and possibly a 4th for good measure, they run $150/case at Amazon. If you are just throwing in two speakers in the doors, I'd still recommend buying a case and doing the doors and underneath the front/back seats. Expect an installer to bill you 30 hrs in labor for this alone, but whatever his calculations are, do not pay more than $1,500 for materials & labor.

7th Installation - DIY isn't 'difficult' by any means if you have any knowledge of electronics at all. If you want a turn key by a true professional with complete build out and trunk, then budget $5,000 and be happy when they quote you $3,500-$4,000.


Recap:

1. Dash Kit: $300
2. Navigation Head Unit: $700 (Note: DDMods sells $1,100 Nav units with free PAC dash kit)
3. Speakers: Fronts $200-600, Rears $150-400, Sub(s) $100-$300
4. Amplifiers: 4-channel $300-500, Sub $200-400
5. Wiring: Budget $250 and possibly an AGM Battery $250
6. Dynomat: $300-450 (2 or 3 cases?)

Sub-total $2,500 - $4,250


Installation: $1,500-$2,000

• 5 Hours labor: 1hr each for head unit, fronts, rears, 4-channel amp, sub-amp

• Dynomat: This is a pure Wild card and will depend on the ethics of your shop. Sound deadening work is the highest labor profit possible for an installer. The car will already be disassembled for stereo therefore, you can listen to whatever excuse and horse manure your salesman wants to pitch you, but at the end of the day, do not pay more than $11/sq ft (including material) for Dynomat and $9/sq ft for anything else.

• Don't forget, someone has to build your sub-woofer box, carpet and install it as well. Cost is $60, expect to pay $250 for build + installation

Retail total: $4,000 - $6,000

[Chris93Si]

Thanks for the info, very informative. I basically just want to add speakers to get to a more normal OEM level. Don't want anything crazy just don't want to go crazy driving to and from the track lolz.

[chimazo]

If you want to skip any wiring or changes to the car at all, you could always buy a bluetooth speaker, anywhere from cupholder size on up, and just use it with your phone. You'd be surprised at the sound from some of the better ones (although it won't be on par with a factory or aftermarket full system, obviously). Just an alternative...

[Mgizzle]

All you need is a $70 door harness and speakers. I have speakers and tweeters from my car for the doors, for rear speakers you would have to do a new body harness unless the connectirs are already there, PN confirmation would clear that up.

[ttdefell]

2x 6/9
2 door speakers
Phoenix gold amp
Followed your guidelines Snoman, plug and play!

[Snoman]

Originally Posted by ttdefell

2x 6/9
2 door speakers
Phoenix gold amp
Followed your guidelines Snoman, plug and play!

Always glad to help and it looks good, turn it up and enjoy

[fhpchris]

Originally Posted by Snoman

The Z is not "pre-wired", meaning the installer is going to have to run wires. You can make any decision you want with the system, from a basic "2 speaker" set up to a full blown 4 channel with subs. If you do the latter, I highly recommend dynomat and someone that knows how to lay carpet down and build out the trunk properly. If you just want to add a single speaker and keep the stock radio, I *believe* you just need to wire it up and/or purchase a small 2-channel amp and the PAC GM41(?) module to connect the amp to. From there it can get wild;

Replacing the Head unit:

1st decision will be in what type of dash kit you want or like. You can go with Metra or Scosche and deal with their problems or you can obtain the new PAC kit which is nearly 100% plug-n-play. No matter what decision you make, cost on part is $300.

2nd - Head Unit: There are a ton, though expect to spend $500-700 from reputable manufactures for non-navigation and $1000 for Navi units. There is no "OEM Option", anyone telling you to "upgrade to a myLink" either has zero experience or is trying to sell you crap. In the grand scheme of things, it is complete junk.

3rd - Speakers

• You are deleting the center channel, your installer will simply disconnect it. Anyone telling you otherwise is trying to sell you something, it's 100% worthless and in fact will degrade the audio stage if left connected. I hear salesman and audio reps all the time talk about 5.1 this, concert hall that....it's a f'n car, not a movie theater and they are trying to up-sell you.

• Fronts: There are a ton of options, the highest quality hands down are the Infinity Kappa 60.11cs ($200 street), beyond this you are spending $400-600/pr for Hertz, Precision Power, Polk, or JL-C5s. If you don't choose the Kappas, I highly suggest listening to as many as you can drive around and listen to or spend several hours researching many different forums.

• Rears: I hear people say all the time they aren't worth it. The rear dash can be a pain to disassemble with the seat removal, just pick up a pair of Kappa 6x9's (~$135) and be done with it. Whatever choice you make is ultimately up to you, but if you go this route, make sure they are the same brand as your fronts. I always recommend a 4-channel system.

• Subs: There are a ton of options, I personally endorse the Polk Audio MM line, they offer the highest quality, performance and reliability of any sub within price points that cost even 4x higher. Expect to spend $100+ each

4th Amplifiers

• 2ch/4ch - For your "voice" speakers / non-subs, fronts and rears, I personally recommend the Alpine PDX series. Buy one amp to drive whatever you choice (2ch/4ch). Others enjoy JL audio and if you go this route, buy the XD or HD series. Rockford Fosgate make some decent voice amps, but only look at the Punch series.
• 5 channel - The single and only time I would recommend a 5 channel amp is when someone wants to take the highest quality, simplest solution to their wiring. Hands down, this is the Alpine PDX-V9. I don't know why, but Newegg has it for $433 right now (nearly 1/2 price)
• Dedicated sub amplifier: Rockford Fosgate Punch series offers the best quality for the money. There are better sub amps, but they come at a cost that I don't recommend for 90% of the public.

5th Wiring

• Every shop has "their own brand" though nothing beats KnuKonceptz for the money, no-body-anywhere.
• Build your own "amp kit", don't buy the prepackaged crap
• Distribution blocks and cable end connectors can be picked up by your local electronics hobby store or MCM Electronics.
• Battery - your stock battery is good to handle up to 1,500 quality rated amplifier wattage. If/when it goes out, you need to purchase a dedicated AGM battery

6th Dynomat: This depends on what your goals are with the sound and how far you want to take your audio. If you are absolutely in love with your Z/28, keeping the car and want an audio system to match the vehicle then I cannot stress enough the importance of doing a full Dynomat install. You're gutting the interior of the car, installing on floor, door, rear pillars, back deck, trunk, rear wheel wells and back seats. 3 cases and possibly a 4th for good measure, they run $150/case at Amazon. If you are just throwing in two speakers in the doors, I'd still recommend buying a case and doing the doors and underneath the front/back seats. Expect an installer to bill you 30 hrs in labor for this alone, but whatever his calculations are, do not pay more than $1,500 for materials & labor.

7th Installation - DIY isn't 'difficult' by any means if you have any knowledge of electronics at all. If you want a turn key by a true professional with complete build out and trunk, then budget $5,000 and be happy when they quote you $3,500-$4,000.

I agree with much of what you said.

I think you can get away with:

1) one component set up front and nothing in the rear. Focal, Morel, Hybrid Audio, JL Components (200$) if you are on a budget.
2) Good Class AB amplifier for Mids/Highs. It is nice to have a 4 channel and run active, but if you are on a budget, I would be tempted to run a 5 channel like the JL HD 900/5 or JL XD v2 5 channel.
3) If you have the budget you can pick up a processor. I have seen many Bit Ones sell for 450-475ish. I guess this depends on how much $$ you spend on the head unit install.
4) depending on how loud you want to be, you could decide to just run a JL 12 TW3 or something small and light weight. It really boils down to what kind of music do you listen to, and do you want to be loud or sound clear.

[Snoman]

Originally Posted by fhpchris

I agree with much of what you said.

I think you can get away with:

1) one component set up front and nothing in the rear. Focal, Morel, Hybrid Audio, JL Components (200$) if you are on a budget.
2) Good Class AB amplifier for Mids/Highs. It is nice to have a 4 channel and run active, but if you are on a budget, I would be tempted to run a 5 channel like the JL HD 900/5 or JL XD v2 5 channel.
3) If you have the budget you can pick up a processor. I have seen many Bit Ones sell for 450-475ish. I guess this depends on how much $$ you spend on the head unit install.
4) depending on how loud you want to be, you could decide to just run a JL 12 TW3 or something small and light weight. It really boils down to what kind of music do you listen to, and do you want to be loud or sound clear.

1. All good brands, though as I previously stated; none of these (or anyone else for that matter) compare to the price and sound quality available from Kappas. Not even a discussion, it is physically impossible for them to produce a product anywhere close to this high of a quality at this low of a price point. You would have to spend $500 to match the quality and $1,000+ or more before it makes any sense.
2. No one offers a better solution or higher quality than the Alpine PDX price point and the PDX-V9 @ $400 though authorized dealers makes JL look like the GoldStar product that it is. I know several that weren't a fan of Alpine and since they knew the rest were pretty much junk, they've all gone to level II quality amps like Zappco or level III like Mosconi.
3. I didn't discuss active and DSP because it's beyond the comprehension of pretty much everyone except audiophiles willing to go into stage II or III.
4. Not many people are willing to spend $400 on a single sub, much less one that costs 3x it's competitors (RF-P2 / MM1240) that are offering far superior sound quality.

At the end of the day, some local chap in a retail shop or a friend of a friend who sounded like they know something all influence personal buying preferences for most non-industry people. Most simply do not know there is better, it's not like aftermarket performance parts that could actually destroy your vehicle...the brands were discussing are all "good". If you are happy with your sound upgrades, I am more than ecstatic because you ripped out the OEM POS that manufactures put into vehicles.



I enjoy a good audio discussion as well as most (I've been doing it for over 30 years), though I'd welcome you to bring it to our audio forums as we've strayed from the thread topic.

[fhpchris]

Originally Posted by Snoman

1. All good brands, though as I previously stated; none of these (or anyone else for that matter) compare to the price and sound quality available from Kappas. Not even a discussion, it is physically impossible for them to produce a product anywhere close to this high of a quality at this low of a price point. You would have to spend $500 to match the quality and $1,000+ or more before it makes any sense.
2. No one offers a better solution or higher quality than the Alpine PDX price point and the PDX-V9 @ $400 though authorized dealers makes JL look like the GoldStar product that it is. I know several that weren't a fan of Alpine and since they knew the rest were pretty much junk, they've all gone to level II quality amps like Zappco or level III like Mosconi.
3. I didn't discuss active and DSP because it's beyond the comprehension of pretty much everyone except audiophiles willing to go into stage II or III.
4. Not many people are willing to spend $400 on a single sub, much less one that costs 3x it's competitors (RF-P2 / MM1240) that are offering far superior sound quality.

At the end of the day, some local chap in a retail shop or a friend of a friend who sounded like they know something all influence personal buying preferences for most non-industry people. Most simply do not know there is better, it's not like aftermarket performance parts that could actually destroy your vehicle...the brands were discussing are all "good". If you are happy with your sound upgrades, I am more than ecstatic because you ripped out the OEM POS that manufactures put into vehicles.



I enjoy a good audio discussion as well as most (I've been doing it for over 30 years), though I'd welcome you to bring it to our audio forums as we've strayed from the thread topic.

I guess we all have our own likes/dislikes. I am not going to say that JL Audio builds the only good stuff, but they do build good products and stand behind them if you have issues. The MSRP is usually high, but I have a local dealer that often runs great sales (or you can just buy something used off Ebay).

1) I have a set of the exact infinity Kappas you mention installed in a ZL1. It had some of the worst and harshest tweeters that I have ever seen. It also had extremely lack luster midbass. I would run far, far, far away from those.
I would not install those in my car if you paid me 200$ to install them and paid for the install. NO. I hated them so much that I gave a set of old Morels to my friend and paid for the install myself.

If a set of Focal Flax costs 200$ more than those, that is 200$ extremely well spent.

2) All the 5 channel Class D amps are a real budget option. I preferr JL because I have seen the HD on sale for 499$ and I like how they stand behind their products. Alpine will not do that if you do not buy through an Authorized Dealer. You can literally buy a JL 300/4 from 2004 off ebay and send it to JL to get fixed for 120$ if it is broken. I think the JL full-range Class-D amps sound the best from the ones that I have seen in person. I would really recommend a Class AB amp for the components though, but that is my own personal preference. I also have had better experiences with old-school amps (1996-2005) than newer ones due to just having better parts. (phoenix gold titanium/ZX, Soundstream, Eclipse high end, etc)

3) I get it that you do not like JL. I have seen the rockford competitor at the store and even they say it sounds, "like doo doo". Everyone on a budget usually just buys Alpine Type Rs for ~100$ I am putting a FI Audio sub in my car personally.... I just didn't want to spend the $$ on JL. Everyone usually considers the 10TW3 and 12TW3 to be the best options in slim subs period. the 10 is 229 and the 12 is 299 at my local JL Dealer... so it isnt crazy expensive. Many people also do W3s because they are less expensive than the TW3 and have only slightly larger space requirements. I have never seen a customer with W3s leave unhappy personally. I see tons of people try to put the rated 1000w on Alpine Type Rs and warranty the subs out 4,5,6 times.

The advice I would give someone is just go to a shop and listen to the speakers yourself. You will not see the infinity Kappas on demo because they sound like complete crap. If you listened to them side-by-side to the 100$ set of rockford components they would even sound bad. (for the record, I think the 100$ rockford components are not really that bad if you only have 100$). Go listen to many installed cars. I know the brands I listed were not cheap, but I guarantee if you listen to a car with Focal Flax you will be impressed and they are extremely affordable. I think the JL C2 650 is personally a good sounding set if you are on a budget.

Bottom line is go to every store and listen to these in person... go to a Focal/JL/Alpine dealer and just listen to the sound board and ask what the people that work there actually have installed in their cars.

[Snoman]

All good points, though that feedback on Kappas is an anomaly : )

A good independent installer is nearly impossible to find today and I agree, I don't consult to this level with 99% and tell them all the same thing; go listen to what your ears like and you can't go wrong.