ICE Upgrade Time for my Esteem

[prince85]

Hey guys, well i am seeking help here from all the gurus and fellow members to improve the quality of music in the car.

Before i start, some details about the existing system in my 2006 Esteem Vxi.

Current Setup:
Head Unit - Pioneer P1Y (3 pairs of pre outs)
Fronts - Kicker 4" Components with a seperate crossover(35W Nominal Power and 70W Max)
Rears - JBL GTO 937

NOW HERE IS MY PLAN-

1. AMPLIFIER FOR THE 4 SPEAKERS
Now i am planning to amplify my existing 4 speakers in my car, soo wrt the above setup i have shortlisted 2 amplifiers i.e JBL GTO 75.4 (My Favourite among the 2) and the JBL CS 60.4.

Now why the 60.4 if my heart is all set on 75.4 u might think????? Thats because i am scared that the 75.4 will blow up my front 4" inch comps and secondly i have heard that the 75.4 is a power hog and i am also adding a sub amp soo i dont want my car battery to go flat all the time, i need help on these doubts as far as my speaker amplification is concerned coz here my primary concern is that i am not prepared to upgrade electricals(like alternator and battery) in my car or modify them at all. Can i still go in for the 75.4 amp???

2.SUBWOOFER-
This is the least problem area for me as i have more or less deceided to go in for the JBL GTO 1204BR (Bass Reflex Sub)

3. AMPLIFIER FOR THE SUBWOOFER-
Now my choice was the JBL GTO 301.1 till yesterday and i was all set to buy ir before my installer recommended the JBL GTO 601.1 saying that its a Class D amp whereas JBL GTO 301.1 is not. He said that Class D amps consume much less battery power compared to the normal amps. Soo now another doubt here is which amp do i go in for?? I know that the JBL GTO 301.1 is sufficient to drive the above mentioned sub perfectly but then my primary concern is electrical power consumption in the car. Soo the question here to all gurus is that was my installer right??? Does the 601.1 consume less power wrt to the 301.1. What do you guys suggest???
And whats this whole thing about CLASS D Amps???

4.WIRING-
By now you guys know how concerned i am about not paining the electricals in my car therefore i have decieded to spend a good amount on wiring and thats why after a lot of research and a detailed PM session with Gunbir,(THANK YOU GUNBIR) i have leaRnt that the wiring equipment makes a huge difference in the way that the entire system sounds and how efficiently it consumes power.
Soo i have deceided to go in for Audison Wiring, here are the details as follows about the same, PLEASE LET ME OF ANY CHANGES IF REQUIRED-
Power Kit FPK600 - (4 guage wiring kit)
RCA Interconnect FT2600 - (3 pairs)
2 NOS. Dist Block FDB54 - (One to distribute the power wires to the 2 amps and another to distribute the ground wire to the 2 amps)
Additional 8ga Power Cable MP8BL - (8 guage power cable from the distribution block to each of the 2 amps)
Additional 8ga Ground Cable MP8S - (8 guage ground cable from the distribution block to each of the 2 amps)
Speaker Cable FL214 20 mtrs -

5.DAMPING- I will buy the required quantity of NOISE KILL sheets which i will procur from B&T.

Now guys please help me out with the above setup and suggest if any changes are required and also do keep in mind that i want to go in for the best possible choice in the above mentioned amps both for my sub and for my speakers keeping in mind the stock electical capacity of the 2006 Esteem.

Regards


Prince

[esteem_lover]

Upgrade your front comps to 5.25, you will be amazed what that can do to your front stage. A small mod in the door pad is required, but it is worth it. I will try to post a pic of what i have in my car.

[Bass&Trouble]

Prince: Get the 75.4. Go easy on the gains and set the Xover properly and there's no problem running 4 inchers. I hugely favor the 75.4 over the 60.4 and clearly, for you, the difference in price is not an issue.

And like E_L suggests, pop in the comps in the doors if you can, even the existing ones. I'm sure they'll sound better.

[prince85]

Originally Posted by Bass&Trouble

Prince: Get the 75.4. Go easy on the gains and set the Xover properly and there's no problem running 4 inchers. I hugely favor the 75.4 over the 60.4 and clearly, for you, the difference in price is not an issue.
.

Thanks B&T, I would also love to go in for the 75.4, but what abt the power consumption woes that i have??? will the Esteem take the 75.4 and 601.1 without any mods to the electrical system????

B&T and EL, thanks for the advise to go in for bigger compos on the door but my dad is totally against cutting door pads and stuff therefore ill have to make do with the 4" front comps in the stock location

Cheers

[panky12345]

both 301.1 and 601.1 are class D mono amps, as regards power consumption and output, yes there are some good major differences. Use good quality cables and a cap, and dont use your ICE without the engine running and u'll be just fine.

75.4 is the way to go! SERIOUS POWERHOUSE!

[prince85]

Originally Posted by panky12345

both 301.1 and 601.1 are class D mono amps, !

I have my doubts on that Panky. Here is a link JBL Car Audio | GTO 301.1 | FXAudio which does not mention that the 301.1 is a Class D amp whereas in this link JBL Car Audio | GTO 601.1 | FXAudio its clearly mentioned that the 601.1 is a Class D amp.

I also checked Sound Domain but that too mentions only the 601.1 and 1201.1 as Class D amps

[Bass&Trouble]

Originally Posted by prince85

Thanks B&T, I would also love to go in for the 75.4, but what abt the power consumption woes that i have??? will the Esteem take the 75.4 and 601.1 without any mods to the electrical system????

Yeah sure. Just like panky mentioned, dont power up the system for too long when the engine isn't running and there wont be any problems.

[prince85]

Originally Posted by Bass&Trouble

Yeah sure. Just like panky mentioned, dont power up the system for too long when the engine isn't running and there wont be any problems.

But Panky also said that i need to add a cap which i would like to avoid. Can this system run efficiently even without a cap???

[panky12345]

Oh really! SAM would be the right person to comment. I only have a limited knowledge.

We have another Guru here....LBM bhai! kahan hai tu?

[panky12345]

you can do without a cap even, provided the cables are of a real good quality. contact LBM, he has some real good exposure with wires. (that too sourced cheap!)

[low_bass_makker]

Originally Posted by prince85

4.WIRING-
By now you guys know how concerned i am about not paining the electricals in my car therefore i have decieded to spend a good amount on wiring and thats why after a lot of research and a detailed PM session with Gunbir,(THANK YOU GUNBIR) i have leaRnt that the wiring equipment makes a huge difference in the way that the entire system sounds and how efficiently it consumes power.
Soo i have deceided to go in for Audison Wiring, here are the details as follows about the same, PLEASE LET ME OF ANY CHANGES IF REQUIRED-
Power Kit FPK600 - (4 guage wiring kit)
RCA Interconnect FT2600 - (3 pairs)
2 NOS. Dist Block FDB54 - (One to distribute the power wires to the 2 amps and another to distribute the ground wire to the 2 amps)
Additional 8ga Power Cable MP8BL - (8 guage power cable from the distribution block to each of the 2 amps)
Additional 8ga Ground Cable MP8S - (8 guage ground cable from the distribution block to each of the 2 amps)
Speaker Cable FL214 20 mtrs -

If I was you I would be using Finolex cable for power. as it is will be nearly 5-6 times or even more cheaper. Even I am using Finloex 0 Gauge for my Steg Amps.

For the RCA and speaker wire I would get hold of B&T as he can suggest something very good.

Originally Posted by panky12345

Oh really! SAM would be the right person to comment. I only have a limited knowledge.

We have another Guru here....LBM bhai! kahan hai tu?

Sir I am no GURU here. There are people here who are much more superior than me.

[Sam Kapasi]

The system will run fine without a cap. However at higher SPLs, the capacitor will lower the response time (transient time) for the juice to reach the monoblock. You may find an improvement in the quality of bass only. If you wish to drop this, you can.

The GTO301.1 is not a class D amplifier (murmurs round the classroom). However the current draw of the 601.1 is higher, much higher than the 301.1. However because the 601.1 is class D, it's current draw increase is not proportional to the power increase.

Prince your choice of wiring is very good. While none of it is wrong, some money can be saved (for example, you have only 2 amplifiers, you can ground each of them to the chassis, but you're using a ground distribution block). Still, the set of wires you're using are fail-safe, can't go wrong.

You can easily mount a 75.4 and a monoblock. Like b&t said, as long as the car is running, you should be safe. My word of caution is that the 601.1 is a mother, so you should have a rockstar subwoofer.

[Sam Kapasi]

Originally Posted by low_bass_makker

There are people here who are much more superior than me.

Oh there are people here with a lot more experience and knowledge than you LBM.
I don't think they are superior to you though. You are superlative

[Bass&Trouble]

Originally Posted by Sam Kapasi

Oh there are people here with a lot more experience and knowledge than you LBM.
I don't think they are superior to you though. You are superlative

Completely agree with that. Just like there is only one Sam, there is one and only one low_bass_makker. Very unique creatures, limited edition (limited to 1, of course), and not re-produced.

[Sam Kapasi]

Originally Posted by Bass&Trouble

Completely agree with that. Just like there is only one Sam, there is one and only one low_bass_makker. Very unique creatures, limited edition (limited to 1, of course), and not re-produced.

I can guarantee you that LBM is a result of reproduction. As am I.

Now we are dangerously OT, because any moment LBM will post a suitable reply, lol.
Let us moderate ourselves.