Newbie audio question help please

[Ninja_v1.0]

TeamHT and others thank you for giving good information here!!!

Edited June 18, 2011 by sensai

[Monergist]

This maybe a stupid question but how would I find out what group I have and what can fit under my hood? Also what does the grouping mean? I have heard that Focal is expensive but I have never heard of Utopia Be how much would they cost?

I've also never heard of Selenium loudspeakers or Hybrid Audio how good are they speakers? What do you suggest? I've heard of Morel also they used to be at my local car audio shop but I haven't heard them in along time.

I've been reading around and I have read about Oxygen Audio how good are they and where can they be bought in the US?

"Group" is simply the size of the battery. Group 31 batteries are larger than Group 34's. The length of the battery is usually the deciding factor (in the cases I've seen), with Group 31 batteries measuring around 13 inches long and Group 34 batteries measuring around 10.5 inches long. You have to measure your current battery and battery compartment to see what you can fit. Most websites give the dimensions of their batteries.

Focal Utopia Be retail for $5000.

My friends have told me that Selenium speakers get loud and sound good. I've never heard Hybrid Audio, and I've never heard of Oxygen Audio. Maybe TeamHT or someone else can help you with that.

As for my suggestion, I'm like you in that, I prefer not to have the same thing as everyone else. But at the same time, you were running Hertz Dieci, which I believe is the lowest line of speakers they offer. I personally like the Hi-Energy and Mille series.

[CommonSyns]

Well it depends dealer to dealer on the cost of the amplifier. It will likely be 2500 plus.

The Arc Audio SE lineup is amazing. Some of the best sounding amplifiers I have ever heard. If I had the money I would personally go with all Arc Audio SE amplifiers or full Audison Lrx's.

None of the amplifiers mentioned earlier are comparable to the Arc Audio SE series. IIRC the amps are hand built and each component is top notch and hand picked. The SE 4000 does 4000 plus watts rms.

It's not even comparable to all these internet brands that are built by Korean and Chinese build houses.

Unfortunately when I was told about the amp it was for a system that I would of loved to have but I have since then thought against it because I am now getting another car and I don't think I can afford both. BUT the dealer who I went to was smart enough not to tell me how much it was or how much it cost though them until I was ready to buy from them. The system I wanted was dual Orion HCCA's 15.4's and that Arc Audio Amp. I just thought that that amp would be good for the setup I wanted currently now. Or is it to much for the HDC312-A Aluminum Coil Subwoofer? Keep in mind that its a dual setup. But damn I guess for that price the dealer did not want me to look else were to purchase it they'd be loosing business. The local dealer also sells Audison but I have never heard anything from Audison neither Amps or speakers and if they make subs I have not heard them ever. But the local dealer says that they are their best lineup along with HertZ.

They can handle it, there was a SVC model and a DVC model. The DVC model is the one I linked, and I ran four championships on two AQ2200s strapped, with my voltage never dropping below 14 volts. I took out the backseat of my silverado and did sub up port up, never metered, but it was one of my favorite setups. i was so happy with the output, response, and sound.

How would the pioneers sound compared to the HDC315-A Aluminum Coil Subwoofer and would they hit harder than the HDC315's? How would one sound compared to my current setup?

Well, that is nowhere near a fair comparison, and it's not even a comparison that can accurately be made.

Enclosure and install are everything, having better and bigger subs does not mean it will hit harder. You're comparing a $140 12" to a $330 15". If you are going to shell out the cash, then yes, the AQ's have a great price point, especially for their performance. But you provided a budget, then seemed daunted when a setup actually cost that much, and then it's right back to thinking big again. Maybe a better question would be, what is it YOU'RE looking for from your setup? And then to follow that up, who will be building/designing the enclosure and who will be installing it?

I should of realized that from the start I apologize for the unfair comparison.

I am still new to car audio and I still ask questions so please go easy on me. The place I live is very ritzy and anyone with a nice car has subwoofers. And any big suv has dual or a single 15" sub in the trunk and it sounded real nice and it hit hard so I naturally assumed that the bigger the better and from here I find that to be different. I know that I compared a $140 12" sub to a $320 12" and I also compared it to my current setup the Spg 1000 watt rms sub in the custom H.O box but I did not get a comparison to my current setup. I just don't want to purchase a $140 sub break it in and have it not sound as good as the subwoofers mentioned. I'd would love to hear both the AQ sub and the Pioneer Champion subwoofer in person but there is no dealer for AQ atleast for around here and I know no one personally with the Pioneers to compare them. Both subs on 1000 watts RMS. If I could hear them then I could at least make a decision easier for me. But for now I rely on the people who have owned them to chime in and put their 2 cents in. Yes, I did provide a budget for my first post of $1500 but then I ran into the same problem as I did as when I first wanted to upgrade to my second system. Getting the subs are not a problem its getting an amp to power them. Any good amp that I need costs and exceeds my budget by just that much. That's why I asked to name a couple of amps and some cheap 1000 rms subs I asked about the Arc Audio Amp to see if it would work with the setup that pittross suggested for me.

What I'm really looking for is an upgrade from my current setup and to add another subwoofer to my trunk because I can never get enough bass NEVER lol but I do know when to turn it down for people I'm not an asshole at night nor do I blast my music at stoplights. One thing I want but cant be done with what I want to my knowledge is to do the hair trick that just amazes me to no end but I seriously doubt that can be done. I know this has been said before and I think most people hate this is that I want a SQL setup but from my time lurking here I have read that does not exactly exist. I can build an enclosure as I made the H.O box for my current setup. To be honest I just followed the manual that the subwoofer came in to build the H.O box I'm not sure if that counts as a custom box. Installing it should be easy right? I already have the wires run 0 gauge to the disputer box which feeds to 4 gauge wire one going to each amp for my current setup. I have a friend who did system installation for 4-5 years and he cleaned up what I did wrong so I trust him and I don't feel like spending more money for my local shop for an instal.

I have the DC 2K and I love this thing. I just added a XS Power D3400 in the back alond with 0 Gauge and the big 3. I dont have any problems running this thing. I also run the dc 175.4 as well as another 4 channel. I'd say go with Dc with amp and subs "level 4's in whatever size you want". Just my 2 cents. Customer service is outstanding and the product speaks for itself.

Will the DC 2K be able to power two subwoofers? Like the HDC312-A Aluminum Coil Subwoofer or the Pioneer Champions and the DC level 4?

This maybe a stupid question but how would I find out what group I have and what can fit under my hood? Also what does the grouping mean? I have heard that Focal is expensive but I have never heard of Utopia Be how much would they cost?

I've also never heard of Selenium loudspeakers or Hybrid Audio how good are they speakers? What do you suggest? I've heard of Morel also they used to be at my local car audio shop but I haven't heard them in along time.

I've been reading around and I have read about Oxygen Audio how good are they and where can they be bought in the US?

"Group" is simply the size of the battery. Group 31 batteries are larger than Group 34's. The length of the battery is usually the deciding factor (in the cases I've seen), with Group 31 batteries measuring around 13 inches long and Group 34 batteries measuring around 10.5 inches long. You have to measure your current battery and battery compartment to see what you can fit. Most websites give the dimensions of their batteries.

Focal Utopia Be retail for $5000.

My friends have told me that Selenium speakers get loud and sound good. I've never heard Hybrid Audio, and I've never heard of Oxygen Audio. Maybe TeamHT or someone else can help you with that.

As for my suggestion, I'm like you in that, I prefer not to have the same thing as everyone else. But at the same time, you were running Hertz Dieci, which I believe is the lowest line of speakers they offer. I personally like the Hi-Energy and Mille series.

So group is the size of the battery that makes more sense now. In the daylight (Its 2:53aM ATM) I will measure my battery and its compartment.

When searching for an AGM battery it came up as the brand Optima is this accurate? If so my buddy suggested to get a yellow top for my car but my other friend has a red top under his hood for his system dual Kicker L7's and he says it works out great for him. However, one has a system and one is just for his off road rig which I think he has a yellow top under the hood.

Oh SNAP! Focal Utopia Be retails for that much that equipment better be good for how much it costs. Lol

I will look in to Selenium loudspeakers. It looks like for me the only way to purchase their speakers is though the internet. I'd much rather hear them in person to make a fair judgement on how they sound. I don't know much about oxygen audio but I have read the few posts about them and its quality is supposed to be superior to other brands so I've read.

Yes, Hertz Dieci is the lowest line of speakers they offer but I did not have enough money for the higher upgraded versions of the speakers. I have heard the Mille and the Hi-Energy speakers and to be honest I was not really that impressed by them even when they were powered by an amp.

Edited June 19, 2011 by Soahctnelis