Noob...what kind of connectors are these?

[shibbYbiMMer]

Hey guys...
I bought an E30 over the summer. The previous owner upgraded the whole sound system at Tweeters. It has a Clarion HU, 4 MB Quart 90w 5.25", and all custom wiring. He also had an amp and subs in the trunk but pulled them before selling it to me. My question is, using the existing connectors in the trunk as shown in the pic, what would you recommend I buy for some nice bass? I don't know much about ICE, so I have no clue what kind of connectors these are. All I know is they say Monster Cable. If you could link me to a nice amp and subs that would work well, that'd be great.

Also....I crank my CD's a lot and at a volume of 25 (out of 35) they start sounding really crappy. I would need a 4 channel amp to power the 5.25's if I wanted to be able to crank them and still sound very nice, correct? What could you recommend for that as well?

Keep in mind I'm 16 and not exactly bathing in cash. Thanks guys!

[808BMW]

The 2 white plugs are your RCA's. They send the music signal to your amp. The blue wire is a remote turn on wire, it turns the amp on/off when you turn your car(or just stereo) on or off.

Yes, a 4 channel amp will make your mids sound better.

[shibbYbiMMer]

Ok thanks. So they would work with any amp?

Also...If I wanted a 4-channel for my mids, would I also need a regular amp for the subs? Or do they do both? Like I said....noob here lol.

[Jordan]

Ok thanks. So they would work with any amp?

Also...If I wanted a 4-channel for my mids, would I also need a regular amp for the subs? Or do they do both? Like I said....noob here lol.

Most companies offer a 5 channel amp (4 for interior speakers, 1 for sub) but I prefer 2 sperate amps.

Yes that is all the hookups you need to build a basic system.

[royalflush313]

I'm sure you have more questions. Read through the site below, very basic, and informative, it will help you out.

http://www.the12volt.com/index.asp

[DSchultz325e]

if you've got an ear for music, and bad sound reproduction bothers you, you should just slowly save until you get enough money for good equipment. you will be much happier in the end if you install quality components rather than just buy whatever is available. if the quarts aren't blown, they are excellent speakers and you will have saved a considerable amount of money from having those.

everyones opinion is going to vary about sub/amp setups. if you ask me i say jl audio, phoenix gold, mb quart, eclipse, focal, a/d/s, mmats, and pioneer premier are all good brands (you will only find them at actual car stereo shops, not best buy or retail chains)

[spencers]

Yeah, save for something similar to what Jordan has in his vehicle. JL Audio, MB Quart, and Alpine.

I regret not saving my money, because I didn't know any better. Which is unfortunately why I purchased Rockford Fosgate, Kicker, and Blaupunkt.

[KenC]

I regret not saving my money, because I didn't know any better. Which is unfortunately why I purchased Rockford Fosgate, Kicker, and Blaupunkt.

Which Rockford stuff do you have? Their old DSM amps are fucking awesome!

[shibbYbiMMer]

thanks for the posts guys! So basically, I should save and buy a good 4 channel amp to power my MB Quarts, a separate 1 channel (mono?) amp for the subs, and then whatever subs I end up getting, and maybe eventually a better head unit. Like you said, DSchultz, bad sound quality really bothers me so I should just wait and buy the real stuff instead.

in the meantime, could I just get the single channel amp and a sub? I'm really itchin to get me some bass 8) I found some MDF at Lowes for $22 and I'm pretty handy with the woodworking tools, so I was planning on making my own enclosure and putting two 12 inchers in it. Any opinions are very welcome, thanks!

[KenC]

2 12"s in an e30? Yikes. 1 10" will give you all the bass you'll ever need in these cars.

[Jordan]

1 10" will give you all the bass you'll ever need in these cars.

:zzz:

Depends entirely on what he goes with... 1 good 10 can easily out perform 2 entry level or shitty 12's.

Quality over quantity

[NC325iC]

I regret not saving my money, because I didn't know any better. Which is unfortunately why I purchased Rockford Fosgate, Kicker, and Blaupunkt.

kicker and blaupunkt might be bad
but fostgate makes some good stuff you just have to weed it out from some of the shittyness they have there too

[DSchultz325e]

1 10" will give you all the bass you'll ever need in these cars.

:zzz:

Depends entirely on what he goes with... 1 good 10 can easily out perform 2 entry level or shitty 12's.

Quality over quantity

i used to have 2 12w3s but i listen to rap music kthx. you can just get a sub amp but most likely you will drown out the rest of the frequencies unless you turn down the sub output. i didn't even throw my subs in until i had a good amp powering my mids (50x4 4ohm stereo rms)

[shibbYbiMMer]

alright, so I should go with one good 10"....makes sense. I thought there were certain frequencies that a 10 couldn't play compared to a 12, but ok, I'm learning.

Can anyone link me to some good subs and amps? I'd like to just get the sub and sub amp for now, hopefully before x-max, and then later on add the interior amp once I realize how much I really need it.