Stereo installed, THANKS G.A.S.!!

[valleymotorwerks]

My E30M3 project has been rolling along quite nicely. When it came time to set the stereo up I began reading all of Luke's threads and gathered information. What I ended up with was the following:

Kenwood KIV-BT901
JBL 5.25 components front and rear
Alpine MRX-V70 5 channel amp
Kicker 8" CompVR
G.A.S. sub box

I just completed all the wiring and drove around tonight enjoying the BEST sound system I've ever owned. All the ranting about how the sub box will sound better than this or that got me excited. And he's absolutely correct outside the car you don't hear much but get in and close the door... wow!

Tomorrow I'm going to clean up all the wiring and re-assemble my trunk. I'm a happy guy...

[R3Z3N]

^^ Nice you got the Kenwood 901. Just too bad that it doesn't have stereo BT support... I really do wish they had upgraded it this year.

Enjoying my kdc-x996 here...

[valleymotorwerks]

Agreed - streaming bluetooth would be nice.. the Sony HU I had in my Kodiak had it and cost 1/2 as much. I love the Pandora control and the screen is really nicely laid out. The #24 button color choice is almost a perfect match to the obc.

[valleymotorwerks]

With the seat in place it's obvious I need to tap the sub-out on my HU to get more boom. Right now I'm using the MRX-V70's speaker "line-in" for my sub signal so I can't really turn up the gain w/o a separate knob. I'd rather use the HU for that purpose and centralize my EQ related stuff. As soon as I locate anthracite carpet I'll run RCA's when the interior is ripped apart.. for now it still sounds realy good.

For those of you who like to argue, like me :) - :

Everything that Luke has posted in this forum that I've read is absolutely 100% true. (I even used crimp connectors) I stuck to most of it as best I could including using a low cost Kicker sub which I normally would not have done. I'm using the rears as fill but honestly I could just fade 100% to the front when I get the sub taken care of. The sub box is a PERFECT fitment so much so I had to remove the uber nice trunk carpet with the M logo on it :( as it is too thick.

[StereoInstaller1]

Wait...you are using speaker level to the bass amp?

WTF? You are losing a solid 40% of the bass clarity...get that fixed!

I bet if you shove hard enough you could get your non-stock carpet in too...how thick is it? We do build so precise that often you have to use your foot to shove the boxes in...all part of the plan! The ultra tight fit is one of the reasons that our boxes actually make your car quieter.

I am so glad to hear how impressed you are with it. You have been around car audio WAY more than the average dude, so having you say "this is the best I have ever heard" really says something...Thanks!

Luke

[valleymotorwerks]

Wait...you are using speaker level to the bass amp?

Yup there's a setting on the amp to choose either speaker level or sub input.

WTF? You are losing a solid 40% of the bass clarity...get that fixed!

40%??? oh snap I better wear ear plugs!!

I bet if you shove hard enough you could get your non-stock carpet in too...how thick is it? We do build so precise that often you have to use your foot to shove the boxes in...all part of the plan! The ultra tight fit is one of the reasons that our boxes actually make your car quieter.

It's fairly thick... I could probably leave out the OEM floor panel/carpet stuff too but I had both of them in there.

I am so glad to hear how impressed you are with it. You have been around car audio WAY more than the average dude, so having you say "this is the best I have ever heard" really says something...Thanks!

Thanks Luke... everyone that knows me understands how picky I am, you saw my exhaust thread right? :)

[German Audio Specialties]

Thanks Luke... everyone that knows me understands how picky I am, you saw my exhaust thread right? :)

Yes, I am massively jealous of that exhaust!

So, have you shown any of your local fans the setup yet? Do I need to make another batch of 10" boxes right now? We have just re-tooled the E30 12" too, so the disaster that the last run was cannot happen again.

[valleymotorwerks]

Yes, I am massively jealous of that exhaust!

So, have you shown any of your local fans the setup yet? Do I need to make another batch of 10" boxes right now? We have just re-tooled the E30 12" too, so the disaster that the last run was cannot happen again.

I'm jealous of it and it's mine.. :)

My setup is fugly untill I get an amp rack but quite frankly my amp is very compact so... I may not need one but I do like the cleaned up look.

FUGLY :)

[Jean]

Luke is the man, he made me one of the first custom E34 12" boxes :) Even with a cheap polk db sub (kicking myself for selling my IDQ v2 subs), it satisfies my basshead needs.

[vmwerks]

Luke is the man, he made me one of the first custom E34 12" boxes :) Even with a cheap polk db sub (kicking myself for selling my IDQ v2 subs), it satisfies my basshead needs.

Hey Jean... looks like I'll have my interior ripped out completely next week. I located a complete anthracite carpet. Now I can perform the EVO interior upgrade... I'll get my RCA's and seats installed...