For the Stereo Buffs among You...

[GTSHolgi]

I am approaching my next project, I guess...

After I have completed improving my core sound system (installed Corsa catback) I am now looking at my backup system, the stereo

I will start with just replacing the front/door speakers of my '98 RT/10. I was searching quite some time for a decent speaker system, that fits without any or at least major modification. Here's what made it on my shortlist:

- Alpine SPX-17PRO (little modifications required)
- Kicker QS60.2 (drop in)

I have read many threads here but could not find any feedback on the performance of those 2 systems in the Viper.

Therefore, I'd like to broadcast my question if there is someone out here, who has either one installed and can share his/her experience?

Any feedback is very much appreciated

 

[evomind]

No, but I think the biggest bang for the buck would be to swap out the headunit. A 200 dollar head unit is way better than whats in there stock.

 

[Viper98912]

I put in the KS6.2 and they fit great in the factory door locations. Had to make a spacer to make the tweeter be flush instead of pushed in to the door. I may be changing the amp here in a few months for a little extra. HU is another basic Alpine.

 

[red heat]

i agree with evomind,
best thing you can do is replace the head unit. get one with a direct ipod plug in.
I also replaced the 6 inch subwoofer between the seats with a 6 " JL Audio sub. system sounds perfect.
the only minor issue is that when the stereo is really loud, the sub will cause a vibration within the car. haven't figured out how to cure this. if you make the glove compartment clip (that holds the small door) close a little tighter it helps a great deal. this can be done by very slightly bending it backwards.

 

[GTSHolgi]

Thanks so far for your tips. As for the head unit: that is also on my list but I prefer to start with the speakers. According to my own experience with former cars (and also with my home audio system) the (stock) speakers are usually the weakest element in the chain and you can gain a lot by replacing them with good to very good quality component systems. Having (very) good speakers is to my experience a prerequisite for also appreciating a better head unit as stockers usually do not allow to hear the full potential of a very good head unit.

Anyhow, not many people seem to have the QS system from Kickers. I would be really interested in getting some feedback on these as they are their top line product. In general, the real audiophiles do not give Kickers a good feedback as their products seem to be more for the SPL community and not so much for sound quality. That's just what I read e.g. in the DIYMOBILEAUDIO.COM forum.

@red hat: what exact type of JL woofer did you install and did you have to perform any modifications to make it fit? To my knowledge, the JL woofers are to deep for a Gen 2 RT/10 (between the seats)?!

 

[10PISTNZ]

I replaced the head unit with a Kenwood KDC- X997 unit in my RT/10. More for the MP3 and Bluetooth capabilities. Kept the OE Alpine amp in the trunk as it seemed to be fine.
I replaced the speakers with a Focal P 165 V 30 set. Great clear sound. Big improvement.
Also I packed the cavity behind the sub-woofer with sound deadening material. The type they back the carpets with.

 

[GTSHolgi]

I replaced the speakers with a Focal P 165 V 30 set. Great clear sound. Big improvement.

I have checked the dimensions of the woofer and it seems to be too big to fit the stock cut out. So I assume you had to enlarge the opening in the door?

 

[evomind]

Thanks so far for your tips. As for the head unit: that is also on my list but I prefer to start with the speakers. According to my own experience with former cars (and also with my home audio system) the (stock) speakers are usually the weakest element in the chain and you can gain a lot by replacing them with good to very good quality component systems. Having (very) good speakers is to my experience a prerequisite for also appreciating a better head unit as stockers usually do not allow to hear the full potential of a very good head unit.

Anyhow, not many people seem to have the QS system from Kickers. I would be really interested in getting some feedback on these as they are their top line product. In general, the real audiophiles do not give Kickers a good feedback as their products seem to be more for the SPL community and not so much for sound quality. That's just what I read e.g. in the DIYMOBILEAUDIO.COM forum.

@red hat: what exact type of JL woofer did you install and did you have to perform any modifications to make it fit? To my knowledge, the JL woofers are to deep for a Gen 2 RT/10 (between the seats)?!

Your speakers will only sound as good as your head unit allows. You can put 3k dollar speakers in it right now and with the stock HU your sound will only improve marginally. At this point the stock set up is so bad anything you do will be an improvement.

 

[Grisoman]

I mostly use my OEM Alpine unit for its clock function. Keeps real good time!

 

[GTSHolgi]

I mostly use my OEM Alpine unit for its clock function. Keeps real good time!

And how does your clock sound??

 

[VIPER PIT]

My back speakers are shot in the GTS. The foam is all but gone. I would like to replace all of the speakers without cutting or modifying even the doors. Any ideas?

 

[Viper98912]

Most 6.5's should fit in the back, and some 6.0's fit in the front.

 

[hiss highness]

stereo delete, then fill the doors with dynomat, side pipe are all the music u really need anyway, then put in a pocket where the stereo was, no more clutter and I can chuck my iphone in the pocket

 

[GTSHolgi]

Added another system to my shortlist:

- JL Audio C3-600 (no modifications should be required as it is a true 6.0" system)

Anyone who has this installed?

 

[GTSHolgi]

I guess it's time for an update

Over the past couple of months I was thinking about what to do and how to get a decent stereo sound in my Viper. I studied quite some threads on the subject here and by chance came finally up with my game plan.

The other day, I was looking for something in the basement and stumbled over an old head unit I had installed in a car I owned 10 or more years ago. So, the idea came up to install it in my Viper as opposed to buy a new head unit. I liked the idea to go "Old School" as this device was on the market when my Viper was built (1998). I also found the MD changer and the digital preamplifier I used together with the head unit those days.

For those who are interested, here are the Details regarding the core of my new old system:

Head unit Sony CDX-C910 (was known to be an audiophile HU, no internal power amp, optical output)
Preamp Sony XDP-210 (digital x-over, time alignment, 21 band graphic eq)
MD Changer Sony MDX-65 (optical Output)

What I still needed were new speakers. I ended up buying a used (but as new) set of Alpines SPX-177R. The Alpines come with the advantage that the woofer fits quite well the stock opening in the doors. Only very little modifications need to be made. Also, the tweeter of this system is based on the Vifa XT19, which is quite a nice tweeter!

But what to do in the bass department? After having read many thread, I came to the conclusion that the only way to go is building a footwell subwoofer (as I have the Roadster). I was looking for the perfect woofer and after extensive research ended up buying a Wavecor SW223BD01 (8").

So, I started Installation and as of now have installed the head unit and the digital preamp and MD changer in the trunk (had to route new cables into the trunk, which really was a PITA). I also completed the built of the subwoofer, which I will have to install the next days. After that, I will tackle the doors and install the Alpine Systems.

As for the amp, I am currently using a Rainbow Beat 4 (4 channel amp) but may have to add a second one for the subwoofer to achieve best Performance.

Will keep you posted.

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[Viper98912]

Nice looking sub box; I like the grill tubes; I actually did that same exact design about 10 years ago on a car I had, although yours came out much nicer.

 

[GTSHolgi]

Thanks! Initially, I was looking for those tubes in a black finish but couldn't find them in the size needed. Then I thought, I paint them black by myself. But now, I am not sure anymore as it doesn't look that bad in silver/steel either

 

[GTSHolgi]

Today I installed the subwoofer. The difference in sound quality is amazing (what I expected though) as there is just too much low end missing with the stock system.

HOWEVER, when driving (without a top), the difference is all gone (more or less). I almost expected that too but I had a little bit of hope.... I am sure that with a top on it will be quite nice.

Nevertheless, it is well worth the effort

Now, I am curious what the difference will be when I replace the stock front speakers with my nice SPX set....

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[GTSHolgi]

A little bit of an update here....

First, I'd like to show my old school head unit installed, the Sony CDX-C910...(sorry for the bad picture, did it with my phone in the garage)

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Then I finished the installation of the Alpine SPX-177R in the driver's door. Although I thought, that this is easy going in terms of drop-in fit, I had to realize, that the depth of basket of the woofer is so high that it touches the door glass before it is fully seated

So I had to create a spacer ring 6mm thick. I was worried that the speaker would stick out too far creating problems closing the door but luckily it fits without issues. I used the grille that comes with the new set (however, I did not use the plastic trim ring where normally the grille is pushed into). The good thing here is that the diameter of the grille is just 165mm so that it perfectly fits into the opening of the door.

For the new tweeter I used the OEM bracket but also had to install some spacers (nuts) so that the tweeter would not stick out too much.

The crossover I installed in the common area of the door panel (like many of you).

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[GTSHolgi]

Finished the passenger door, too, and installed the panels. Here's what it looks on the driver's side:

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Luckily, the grilles don't touch the lower part of the dashboard (knee bolster?), there's not much room left, however

The sound is just great, when sitting in a parking lot . It's like day and night compared to the stock setup.

My trunk, however, looks still messy, so I will have to build some panels to install the different amps and the changer and to hide as many cables as possible....

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[KNG SNKE]

Is that a cd changer? Ipod it up

 

[DrumrBoy]

FWIW, mount as much as you can as forward as you can.....my amp is mounted right near the back bumper and I can definitely feel the difference in handling when its in the car. Weight forward is the objective!

 

[GTSHolgi]

Is that a cd changer? Ipod it up

Actually, it's a MD changer Since I decided to go Old School no Ipod, Navigation, USB etc. will be installed

 

[GTSHolgi]

Just a Little bit of an update here...

I am working on getting the mess in the trunk cleaned up. In addition, I was thinking about where to mount the 3 amps I have so that it looks nice and clean?

This is the plan:

Amp #1 (Rainbow Beat 4, 4 channels bridged into 2 channels for the component system) will be mounted in the stock location of OEM amp.

Amp #2 (Alpine MRV-T757, 2 channels bridged into 1 channel for the footwell subwoofer) will be mounted on the (new) backpanel of the trunk

Amp #3 (Sony XDP-210EQ, digital preamp) will be hidden on the backside of the new trunk backpanel

The backpanel as well as the new floor panels for the trunk are ready. It took quite many iterations but now they do fit very well. All the panels will be installed without any drilling or screwing just by kind of press-fit positioning (don't want to hurt the snake ).


As all of this is almost worthless without some pics, here you go

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[GTSHolgi]

Oops, double posting...

 

[GTSHolgi]

Did a test installation of the final setup today to verify, if everything fits and works as intended. Man, there's really a lot of wiring involved

The "clean-up" effect isn't really visible at the moment, but I am getting there... I think, once I have routed all cables properly and covered the panels with black fabric, it will look very clean.

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As for the sound (probably to some of you the most important aspect): adding more power by installing a second amp improves it another step. Clarity and crispness at higher volumes is very good. Many of you say that the acoustics of the Viper (especially the RT/10) are far from being perfect. While I basically agree to this statement, I have to say that with the right components and proper setup, you can overcome these obstacles clearly. However, I am only testing while sitting in the driveway and as mentioned earlier, when driving, the other noises are just killing the quality of the stereo system.

...But it is a lot of fun nevertheless

 

[jules223]

How did you install the crossover to the door?

 

[GTSHolgi]

I mounted it with just one screw as you can see from the picture (the one in the upper middle). In that area the door panel has s a thicker "lip". I very carefully selected one with the right length to not to "screw it up"...

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[GTSHolgi]

By the way, some pics of the finished trunk....

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[jules223]

Thank you so much.