Pinion the Audiophile

[Pinion]

So here I am. I have my tax money in my hand. Plus I have some other money put back. That means I will have well over 1K to blow on my kids next month.
That also means that the 500-ish budget I allotted myself for car stereo stuff is in hand.

So I am torn as to what I want to do.
I am buying online for a couple of reasons, mostly because I can get killer prices online.

So right now I have 3 options.
The Oiron BP-HP12D2 loaded box. 12" sub that's wired for 1ohm and 1K watts peak.
and an Orion HCCA-D1200 class D mono Amp.
That would be a good combination. can be had for 500. But the box is vented and I have vented (well, ported bandpass) box now. And I dont really care for the "loose" bass it provides. I'm not really into that kind of music so much. It would sound better than what I'm running right now either way.

Or I could go with:
Orion HP12D2 Subs x2 and build the box myself. and the same amp listed before. Run the system at 1ohm and have both subs in a nice sealed box. And if it's not loud enough, just put back a little more and get another of the same amp and wife everything in at 2ohms and it would beat the hell outta my trunk and be nice tight bass. Which is what I want. But if it's not loud enough like that, having a 2nd of the same amp wouldnt make it that much louder. And then I'd have bought an amp and have no further use for it.

Option 3: Which is what I am currently really leaning towards doing.
Orion HP12D2 subs x2. Build my own sealed box. and put an Orion HP-2800 stereo amp on the subs. It will pump about 400watts rms at 2ohms per side. If it's not loud enough, I can put some money back and re-amp up to about 2000watts at a later point. And the stereo amp, use on the 6x9's Ima be getting to replace the stock ones that I've damn near blown up because of the ported box in my truck moving too much air pressure.

I am sticking with Orion because everything else I've heard either sounds like complete crap or it just doesnt have the specs that I am looking for. The only other stuff I've heard that I really like is some nice JBL's but, I will not put a 13" woofer in my car. It's odd and to me it just aint right. Woofers should be in even inches only. (I'm funny like that).

The first system would be good. no, great. But it's pushing my budget to the very limit of what I am allowing myself to spend on bass. It's a vented box. And it's 1 damn 12" woofer. I have 1 now and it's just not doing it. Granted, it's just a Pioneer on a crappy amp. But I've had it on a big amp and it was loud and pretty clean. But I want really clean. And I just dont want another vented box. I've basically talked myself out of buying that set up.

The 2nd system is good. But I'm scared it wont be loud enough and I'll end up stuck with an amp I wont be able to use if it isnt loud enough. I wont be able to use that amp for anything other than a sub because it's a mono amp. It's made for subs and nothing else (more or less). I would be making my own box with this system though. That's a plus because I rent from a fiberglass expert and we can get stupid making a box.

The 3rd system. I like because it's the same killer subs that can be amped 9 ways to sunday. And again, making my own box. Huge plus. I do anything on the weekends anyway. And the amp, if it's not loud enough, could be put to use in just a short time powering other stuff in my system.

The money issue between the 3 really is a nonissue. the first one is right at 500 the last 2 are about 450 either way. Another plus to the 3rd set up is that I wont have to run new supply wires (power) if it's loud enough. It will run on the existing amp supply lines. The amp in the first 2 set ups will for sure make me have to upgrade. That's more money and more work. Mainly the money thing. Because I have to be careful buying audio stuff or I will blow every damn dime I have on it if I am not careful.

I'm just torn. Because they all 3 have pros and cons. I am really leaning to the last option. I put it together today. Drew up my box plans and amp plans. I have also designed my box to where if I do end up needing to re-amp using the last amp, it wont require tons of changes. Just a simple cut-out of fiberglass and new amp wires.

[svhorns]

what kind of thread is this.

[hunterbunter]

God seriously how long did it take you to type out all that :Censor:.

why cant you just ask the question and move on

[Slim-Rob]

Circuit City - 2 12" Kicker Comp VRs in a ported box= 199.99

^^^good price for good subs

[Pinion]

Circuit City - 2 12" Kicker Comp VRs in a ported box= 199.99

^^^good price for good subs

Dude. I wouldnt own a Kicker under circumstances. I have hated Kicker since the first time I ever heard them. They have got to be the single most overrated sub on the market.

Ok, well maybe RF is the most. But still, Kicker aint far behind them.

Plus I dont want a ported box. I dont like that sound. I want my bass tighter than that as most of what I listen to is rock-ish.


Hunterbunter: it took me about 5 mins to type that becaues I was also taking 5 pills and screwing around with the tv. I type abnormally fast. Had I just been typing and not doing anything else it would have took about 3 mins at most. And no, I cant just ask a question and move on. Because someone will eventually say something like: "Circuit City - 2 12" Kicker Comp VRs in a ported box= 199.99" . I included a lot of detail to prevent that kind of post. ok, not really. I promised mad_fan earlier I was going to whine about it later. :Music

[dragons08]

Get you some Mark Levinsion speakers.

[ktCarl]

Wow, 1,000 Watts for inside an automobile. :eek:

[rocketgrl94]

Wow, 1,000 Watts for inside an automobile. :eek:

he's going the mini Pimp My Ride way!:D

[Pinion]

Wow, 1,000 Watts for inside an automobile. :eek:


That's really not all that much. I mean, it is. But at the same time, it isnt. It all depends on what your end goal is. Mine is SQL and SPL both. More towards the SQL side though.
I could put something along the lines of:
http://images.sonicelectronix.com/images/227324/main/hccad5000_hcca124.jpg
in the car it the SPL would be great. smallish car. but I would have massive bass and nothing more.
Plus that setup runs $1200 and I'd have to build a box to hold it and blah blah blah.
That runs 2500watts rms. Just too much power for what I want to get at.

[RocklandDragon]

Does anybody know if Bowers and Wilkins make some car audio speakers. I love their home audio speakers. The DM600 series is pretty tight and relatively affordable.

http://assets.bowers-wilkins.com/med/Libraries/3/684Gallery04_l2_w817_h328.jpg?dm=0

One day I'll get my hands on the 800 series with Nautlius Technology. I heard these a few times in person and they are ridiculously sweet!!! (Never seen the Flagship Nautilus speaker in person, though. :( )

http://assets.bowers-wilkins.com/med/Libraries/3/800D_l2_w817_h328_1.jpg?dm=0

Flagship speaker...

http://assets.bowers-wilkins.com/med/Libraries/3/Nautilus_l2_w817_h328.jpg?dm=0

Cost more than a new car!!!

[rocketgrl94]

Does anybody know if Bowers and Wilkins make some car audio speakers. I love their home audio speakers. The DM600 series is pretty tight and relatively affordable.

http://assets.bowers-wilkins.com/med/Libraries/3/684Gallery04_l2_w817_h328.jpg?dm=0

One day I'll get my hands on the 800 series with Nautlius Technology. I heard these a few times in person and they are ridiculously sweet!!! (Never seen the Flagship Nautilus speaker in person, though. :( )

http://assets.bowers-wilkins.com/med/Libraries/3/800D_l2_w817_h328_1.jpg?dm=0

Flagship speaker...

http://assets.bowers-wilkins.com/med/Libraries/3/Nautilus_l2_w817_h328.jpg?dm=0

Cost more than a new car!!!

i saw and heard these speakers at Bjorns and they are Awesome!:notworthy but i dont think they make car speakers

[Pinion]

Not heard of mobile stuff from them. It's hard to tell though. There are some obscure brands out there in the mobile market. good SQL stuff most of the time from those companies. And very very pricey.

[RocklandDragon]

i saw and heard these speakers at Bjorns and they are Awesome!:notworthy but i dont think they make car speakers

I sure do wish B&W did though. Man, I would work two jobs to get them car speakers if they did.

:D

[Pinion]

I'm 90% sure I'll be going with the last set up I mentioned.
That will be:
http://images.sonicelectronix.com/images/72944/main/hp12d2.jpg
http://images.sonicelectronix.com/images/81488/main/hp12d2.jpg
running on this amp:
http://images.sonicelectronix.com/images//30357/main/hp2800.jpg

And if it's not loud enough I'll step up to a class D mono amp @2ohms and use that amp to power the 6x9's I'll be getting in the very near future for the back deck area.

[pied]

I used to spend a ton of $$ on my car stuff, but listen mainy to talk radio, so it is pretty much irrelevant and kind of umb to spend any cash.

That being said, my current system is pretty bad. Stock system in my Fit. It does have a jack for my ipod which is good, but I am looking for some cheap options to upgrade my speakers. Do I really need to get a new head unit? How much better will I get if I simply replace the speakers?

For the record, back in the day, I had all Boston Acoustics including two BA 10" subs. Eclipse head unit and Phoenix Gold Amps. Was an awesome system for my car, but I am old now.

[dragons08]

http://www.klipsch.com/images/704/400x400.aspx

If you want ****** surround sound go with those babies.

Those are Klipsch.

http://www.klipsch.com/products/details/rf-83-home-theater-system.aspx

[rocketgrl94]

http://www.klipsch.com/images/704/400x400.aspx

If you want ****** surround sound go with those babies.

my brother has Klipsch they alright but i dont think they put out enough bass

[Pinion]

I used to spend a ton of $$ on my car stuff, but listen mainy to talk radio, so it is pretty much irrelevant and kind of umb to spend any cash.

That being said, my current system is pretty bad. Stock system in my Fit. It does have a jack for my ipod which is good, but I am looking for some cheap options to upgrade my speakers. Do I really need to get a new head unit? How much better will I get if I simply replace the speakers?

For the record, back in the day, I had all Boston Acoustics including two BA 10" subs. Eclipse head unit and Phoenix Gold Amps. Was an awesome system for my car, but I am old now.


Nah, you could just go with some speaker upgrades more than likely. You could even go with a quality small wattage amp if you wanted, but more than likely wouldnt be necessary.

[RocklandDragon]

http://www.klipsch.com/images/704/400x400.aspx

If you want ****** surround sound go with those babies.

Those are Klipsch.

http://www.klipsch.com/products/details/rf-83-home-theater-system.aspx

Klipsch is some good speakers, man. :D :cool:

U.S.A. made, too!!!

[dragons08]

my brother has Klipsch they alright but i dont think they put out enough bass

Hm, you know you can adust the bass setting...

We got similar ones in our media room, and the bass you can feel all over the house if we're watching an action movie. Gotta crank that sucker wayyyyy down.

Like at night if I have friends over, mom makes me turn off sub because even if volume is real quiet you can still feel/hear that sucker pretty good.

[rocketgrl94]

Hm, you know you can adust the bass setting...

We got similar ones in our media room, and the bass you can feel all over the house if we're watching an action movie. Gotta crank that sucker wayyyyy down.

Like at night if I have friends over, mom makes me turn off sub because even if volume is real quiet you can still feel/hear that sucker pretty good.

yesssss did that :rolleyes:
i said they are alright....but i heard better speakers then those before

[Pinion]

I knew I should have stopped looking at stuff. Now I am rethinking the whole thing.
At least I've managed to narrow it down to the Orion system that was 3rd on my list or:
Hifonics: ZXI 6010 amp pushing 2 Hifonics B12D2 subs. And building my own box. Those are dual 2ohm VC subs and the amp is stable @ 2ohm for both sides. And I could potentially bridge that amp and subs allowing me to add a 3rd sub to push a 10" sub if I needed more "hit" or 15" sub mounted backwards to add more "flow". But that would take up my entired trunk, which I dont want to do. And, if for some reason this amp just wasnt loud enough, I could still use this amp for the soon to be bough 6x9's and re-amp the subs to a bigger amp.

I like both brands a lot and havent yet heard a system by either of these brands that didnt sound good. I wanted to get this done before my son comes, but I think I need to think on this some more.

[Pinion]

Wow, 1,000 Watts for inside an automobile. :eek:

http://www.hifonicsusa.com/images/amps/maxximus_LG.gif

I was just reading some stuff on a forum from a guy that has 4 of these amps running subs in an Excursion.

That's 10Kw each amp. :eek:

[rocketgrl94]

http://www.hifonicsusa.com/images/amps/maxximus_LG.gif

I was just reading some stuff on a forum from a guy that has 4 of these amps running subs in an Excursion.

That's 10Kw each amp. :eek:

how can he sit in the damn truck!?..gotta have ear plugs in the glove compartment:D

[Pinion]

how can he sit in the damn truck!?..gotta have ear plugs in the glove compartment:D

His is a competition ride. It's tricked out inside and out. He goes around the country competing 7 months out of the year. And plays poker the rest of the time. He said the truck has less than 500 miles on it and is just over 2 years old. He trailers it everywhere. lol

[rocketgrl94]

His is a competition ride. It's tricked out inside and out. He goes around the country competing 7 months out of the year. And plays poker the rest of the time. He said the truck has less than 500 miles on it and is just over 2 years old. He trailers it everywhere. lol

does he have pics?

[Pinion]

does he have pics?

Not up yet. He had some stuff up at the forum of his old ride. but took them down since he got rid of that ride. Ima keep checking back to see the photos when he gets them posted.
Or he could be making the whole thing up. but I doubt it. Too many people over there to vouch for him.

[rocketgrl94]

Not up yet. He had some stuff up at the forum of his old ride. but took them down since he got rid of that ride. Ima keep checking back to see the photos when he gets them posted.
Or he could be making the whole thing up. but I doubt it. Too many people over there to vouch for him.

cool post em when u see him!....please:)

[dragonsdaddy]

So here I am. I have my tax money in my hand. Plus I have some other money put back. That means I will have well over 1K to blow on my kids next month.
That also means that the 500-ish budget I allotted myself for car stereo stuff is in hand.

So I am torn as to what I want to do.
I am buying online for a couple of reasons, mostly because I can get killer prices online.

So right now I have 3 options.
The Oiron BP-HP12D2 loaded box. 12" sub that's wired for 1ohm and 1K watts peak.
and an Orion HCCA-D1200 class D mono Amp.
That would be a good combination. can be had for 500. But the box is vented and I have vented (well, ported bandpass) box now. And I dont really care for the "loose" bass it provides. I'm not really into that kind of music so much. It would sound better than what I'm running right now either way.

Or I could go with:
Orion HP12D2 Subs x2 and build the box myself. and the same amp listed before. Run the system at 1ohm and have both subs in a nice sealed box. And if it's not loud enough, just put back a little more and get another of the same amp and wife everything in at 2ohms and it would beat the hell outta my trunk and be nice tight bass. Which is what I want. But if it's not loud enough like that, having a 2nd of the same amp wouldnt make it that much louder. And then I'd have bought an amp and have no further use for it.

Option 3: Which is what I am currently really leaning towards doing.
Orion HP12D2 subs x2. Build my own sealed box. and put an Orion HP-2800 stereo amp on the subs. It will pump about 400watts rms at 2ohms per side. If it's not loud enough, I can put some money back and re-amp up to about 2000watts at a later point. And the stereo amp, use on the 6x9's Ima be getting to replace the stock ones that I've damn near blown up because of the ported box in my truck moving too much air pressure.

I am sticking with Orion because everything else I've heard either sounds like complete crap or it just doesnt have the specs that I am looking for. The only other stuff I've heard that I really like is some nice JBL's but, I will not put a 13" woofer in my car. It's odd and to me it just aint right. Woofers should be in even inches only. (I'm funny like that).

The first system would be good. no, great. But it's pushing my budget to the very limit of what I am allowing myself to spend on bass. It's a vented box. And it's 1 damn 12" woofer. I have 1 now and it's just not doing it. Granted, it's just a Pioneer on a crappy amp. But I've had it on a big amp and it was loud and pretty clean. But I want really clean. And I just dont want another vented box. I've basically talked myself out of buying that set up.

The 2nd system is good. But I'm scared it wont be loud enough and I'll end up stuck with an amp I wont be able to use if it isnt loud enough. I wont be able to use that amp for anything other than a sub because it's a mono amp. It's made for subs and nothing else (more or less). I would be making my own box with this system though. That's a plus because I rent from a fiberglass expert and we can get stupid making a box.

The 3rd system. I like because it's the same killer subs that can be amped 9 ways to sunday. And again, making my own box. Huge plus. I do anything on the weekends anyway. And the amp, if it's not loud enough, could be put to use in just a short time powering other stuff in my system.

The money issue between the 3 really is a nonissue. the first one is right at 500 the last 2 are about 450 either way. Another plus to the 3rd set up is that I wont have to run new supply wires (power) if it's loud enough. It will run on the existing amp supply lines. The amp in the first 2 set ups will for sure make me have to upgrade. That's more money and more work. Mainly the money thing. Because I have to be careful buying audio stuff or I will blow every damn dime I have on it if I am not careful.

I'm just torn. Because they all 3 have pros and cons. I am really leaning to the last option. I put it together today. Drew up my box plans and amp plans. I have also designed my box to where if I do end up needing to re-amp using the last amp, it wont require tons of changes. Just a simple cut-out of fiberglass and new amp wires.

all this so the pawn shop owner can get busier? what sort of security system can you also afford?

[Pinion]

all this so the pawn shop owner can get busier? what sort of security system can you also afford?

I already have a sweet alarm on my car.

Do understand that I already have a decent set up currently. It's just not the SQL that I want. I'm upgrading rather than just building. Right now I have a Pioneer head unit, MTX cabin speakers and tweets. In the trunk I'm running a pioneer 12" 4ohm sub in a bandpass box with a 760max Pioneer amp.
My car has the Eclipse console instead of the stock Avenger console unit. plus I have the nitrous system and all that jazz.
I was going to get tires and wheels, but I cannot decide on wheels, so I'm putting that off a little longer.

But yeah, I already have my security system build. The amps will also tie in to that at well. Plus everything gets bolted down from the underside.

[Pinion]

ok. I have made my decision.

I am going with the Hifonics amp and subs. I like Hifonics stuff and Orion stuff. It all comes down to the questions I asked at each companies tech department and how they answered me.

Orion referred me to their installation manuals. Which were all fine and good, other then the part that stated to mount the subs facing up or down only. then turned around and instructed me to build a box with the sub facing forward. They did not have an answer for this, not even something generic to shut me up.

Hifonics, that facing down or up is better. But that if I build it to have them face down, I need to make sure I design my box accordingly so there would be air space between the sub face and the bottom of my trunk or whatever surface the box would be sitting.
They also answered my questions about running dual 2ohm VC subs and only using 1 of the VC's on each sub. and blah blah blah about that.

So Hifonics gets my money. And it ends up being a little bit cheaper since I was able to find a retailer online that will ship for free.


My email conversations with Orion reminded me of a few years back when I emailed Edelbrock to ask a simple question about the carb on my truck. That being WTF are the 2 adjustments screws for. 1 for hi end and the other for low end or 1 for left bank 1 for right bank. For 3 days we emailed back and forth on that matter because they refused to answer my question. They wanted me to check 900 things on my fuel system. I didnt need all that. I just need to know one or the other. I didnt need to check what the float was doing in the carb. I didnt need to check my fuel pressure at the pump and at the carb inlet. I didnt need to check the linkage and the choke. And yes, Edlebrock, I know my carb is set up for automatic operation, but I dont like that so I bypassed it and made it a manual choke because I'm old skool and I like it that way. Yes, I am aware that my carb is a little bit small for 460 cubes. I know that means I'll get crappy gas milage, Ima get that anyway. I just want to know what the damn adjustment screws are for.
Sadly, I never did get an answer from them. However, when I emailed Holley to inquire about a good carb for my engine that they make, they were able to tell me that the screws on my Edelbrock carb for left bank/right bank. And that should solve my problem. If it does not and it turns out that I need a new carb, they would suggest xxxxxx carb and that would work great for my engine. But try to adjust out my Ed according to the parameters they provided me with and that should solve my problems. Yes, mr.Pinion, we are aware that you havent spent one penny with Holley, but it's important to us to know that you can get support here if you need.
The next stuff I bought for Carb related stuff came from Holley.
So the subs and amp I buy will come from Hifonics because they will actually take the time to answer the question I asked. Not give me a ton of information and not answer my damn question.

Ok, I ranted enough for today. I think.