Noob needs help with a build

[I Know Little]

Hi, im almost 16 and about to get a job over the summer and i want to get a decent system, But thats just to put things in perspective. Im looking to buy a kicker L7 (http://www.sonicelec...-11VS12L72.html) I know their is alot of controversy between square subs and circular, but the only reason i want a square sub is to be different than all of the other people at my school. well that being said, i know i want that sub, but then their is the problem of a head unit, and speakers.

So, i would prefer kicker speakers or mids and highs (as you can see by the name and tittle im new, cut me some slack) but whatever is going to get me the most bang for my buck. I have a 2001 mercury sable, witch is another huge issue. If you didnt know this car has the controls for the Ac/Heating built into what houses the cd player. So, based on my knowledge i will need to just leave that there, and put a head unit in another space (it has a little slot underneath all of this) That being said, im not really sure what size speakers this car has, im pretty sure the back is 4x8 but not positive. and the doors i have no clue.

Now their is the issue of an amp, and im lost. im not sure if i should be running power from the amp to each one of the speakers i buy or if their is some sort of bridging device that will run from one channel of the amp and bridge off to each one of the speakers or what. again im clueless. anyway, their is this amp (http://www.sonicelec...ufacturer_id=51) witch to me looks kind of sketchy seeing as how its only $100, but thats why im asking. i dont really know the tell tail signs of a good/bad amp. But then again this good be a fantastic amp and i just dont know it, thats why im asking .

So, i think ive summed evereything up. I want a kicker L7, i dont know what speakers or what amp to get, and i dont really know anything. im really hopeing to get educated on the matter and hope to have a system going by next school year. Thanks for your time, i appreciate all responses.

Edited March 10, 2012 by I Know Little

[zack_e89]

I have a 2000 Mercury Sable and you need to purchase a new faceplate if you want to put a head unit in. I got mine from Metra for like 60 bucks. Also, my sable has four 6X8's, but yours might be different.

The rest of your post......You need to give us a bit more info. You say u want that kicker, but you gave no budget or anything for the rest of it.

[I Know Little]

Haha i figured. And on the price, i dont really know. i plan on saving for awhile, i just like to know that when i do have enough to get this thing im going to know exactly what im getting. So budget, keep it under 600 if possible, i would prefer having 4 speakers and a decent head unit. along with an amp that will max out my sub. like i said im clueless and dont really know if what im asking for is possible to make for under 600.

EDIT: well. lets just say my budget is $800. and i apologize for the lack of information. thats my bad. and on the speakers i should really go measure them, its the ones under the cargo tray that im worried about on the size.

Edited March 10, 2012 by I Know Little

[CleanSierra]

Build a little at a time is my suggestion. Start off with a head unit. Then move on to speakers, followed by an amp to run those. Then get your wiring and amp for subs. Lastly, get your subs and have someone locally build you a box specifically for those subs. The MOST important thing about this future system of yours, will lie in the box and its design, I promise. Get the best equipment you can with the budget you have to work with. This is your first system, it doesn't have to be the baddest around.

P.S. Welcome to the forum

Edited March 10, 2012 by CleanSierra

[zack_e89]

Build a little at a time is my suggestion. Start off with a head unit. Then move on to speakers, followed by an amp to run those. Then get your wiring and amp for subs. Lastly, get your subs and have someone locally build you a box specifically for those subs. The MOST important thing about this future system of yours, will lie in the box and its design, I promise. Get the best equipment you can with the budget you have to work with. This is your first system, it doesn't have to be the baddest around.

Very good advice.

Also, you can look up what type of stock speakers your sable has (may change if it's an LS or GS or whatever)

[01ExSport]

^ yep. Crutchfield or sonicelectronix has a vehicle selection page that tells you the stock sizes of your speakers.

[skaraudio]

There are plenty of good systems you can do on a budget - although I would recommend to stay away from that particular amplifier. HiFonics makes some pretty solid budget monoblock amplifiers. If you are to do this - I would not so much worry about "What other people don't have" and getting a square sub because of that reason, but instead focus on getting the best equipment you can for the price range you are in. There is no problem with asking questions here and being new to it, I can only recommend that you really spend your time researching products, etc - it will save you a lot of money in the long run . We've all been there!

[Omega5002]

Well, here's my advice ,and I hope the best for whatever budget you have.

- Do a lot of research, ask a lot of questions, and see if you can get demos on speakers

- Check craiglist or your local pawn shop to see if you can find an L7 for a good price since they are extremely common actually (well at least around my area anyways)

- Kicker makes 6x8 coaxials to replace the stock speakers

- Don't buy prefab boxes, have some one make the box for you, you'll thank yourself later

- Door speakers are usually 5.25 or 6.5, but look up the sizes or open up the door panels to see for yourself

- The headunit is usually an 80 watt rms 4 channel that will power your door speakers till you decide to get a multichannel amp, and make sure to look for one with a front, rear, and sub input, and the higher the input voltage, the better due to less distortion.

- Stay away from entry level Planet Audio or at least anything that only lists max power, if you wanna go budget but good, stick with either MB Quart or Hifonics

- Since you want to run an L7, which I'm assuming you'd want to run at least 750 watt rms, invest in doing the big 3 with 0 gauge so your voltage can be stable

- Stay away from capacitors, they do nothing good

- When installing a power cable, disconnect the negative from the battery so you don't shock yourself, and make sure you put in the fuse for safety so when something bad happens, your car won't go on fire, and the bigger the wire(the more copper it has), the better usually.

- Audiopipe, and Knu Concepts have good prices on wires.

- If you don't like the rattle on the car, don't use Peel and Seal, that's only for roofs, go with good brands like Audio Technix or Second Skin for example

That's all I have to say

[transeunte]

Build a little at a time is my suggestion. Start off with a head unit. Then move on to speakers, followed by an amp to run those. Then get your wiring and amp for subs. Lastly, get your subs and have someone locally build you a box specifically for those subs. The MOST important thing about this future system of yours, will lie in the box and its design, I promise. Get the best equipment you can with the budget you have to work with. This is your first system, it doesn't have to be the baddest around.

P.S. Welcome to the forum

Hey CleanSierra this is very good advice, congrats for throwing it so clear!

Dear "I Know Little", as I started to learn about car audio (when I was about your age, even though I could only afford a car at 19...) one of the most shocking news I had was:

Your system will sound as good as it's worst part

This is so true, and still I see people with crappy head units with 1000W subwoofers, people with crappy door insulation paying extra for Kevlar speakers, cars with terrible sound deadening with 3-Way Hi-Fi components... Little do they know how good their system could be if they paid more attention to detail and to match items accordingly.

Other than what's already been said, I suggest you to go see other systems, not on the web but personally. Some small changes in spec numbers can mean a huge difference on the outcome: Know exactly what you want before starting to source stuff to buy. Also if you're on a budget, don't be ashamed of buying only 2nd hand products, it's way more affordable. And read everything you can, knowledge really is power .