Hi,

I just got my empeg about a week ago. I thought I'd be able to wait a month or two before installing it in my car, but this thing is just too cool not to have it in my car too!

I want to install it myself in my Ford Focus. It is a lease, so I can't get too crazy with the install. The Focus has one of those radios that you can turn on even when the car is not running. I figure I will buy a dash kit from Crutchfield (because the slot is bigger than DIN).

I am going to probably buy a 25 watt RMS Rockford Fosgate from some online store (4 channel) for about $160. They have an amp install kit that has power cables, interlink cables and an inline fuse.

With what came in the empeg's box, the dash kit and the amp kit, will I be able to install this thing myself? Will I need special tools? Do I need one of those adaptors that plugs into the factory system (wiring harness) so I wont have to cut any factory wires?

Thanks guys! I am a home audio buff, but don't really know squat about car-fi.

12gig Mk. II BLUE
Detroit, MI USA
www.PfeifferBeer.com

If you buy the dash kit from Crutchfield, they will include the necessary wiring adapter.

Unfortunately, I don't think that they sell that stuff unless you have already bought the stereo from them. I'm pretty sure that stuff only comes with a stereo purchase.

But if you've never done a stereo installation in a car before, and you're going to be adding an amplifier, and your car is a lease that you want to leave undamaged... well, all those factors sound like they add up to "have a professional installer do it for you". Just make sure to tell them it's a lease.

___________
Tony Fabris

I am going to probably buy a 25 watt RMS Rockford Fosgate

25 watt? Probably you meant 250 watt?

Do not take this next statement as gospel truth, but recognize it for what it is: a possibly absurd prejudice on my part. But I would stay away from Rockford Fosgate.

I have no personal, first-hand experience with Rockford Fosgate, but the stereo shop I deal with (a Rockford Fosgate dealer, among other things) won't install Rockford Fosgate unless the client absolutely demands it, and then with only the factory warranty. (This shop normally gives an unconditional lifetime guarantee on any product they sell and do the installation for.) The shop considers the failure rate to be unacceptably high, and sound quality to be less than other brands. No complaints about SPL, though, and at the IASCA competitions I have been to, the Rockford Fosgate equipment seems to be quite popular with the "Rice Boy" crowd. (I think we've added a new phrase to the bbs jargon!)

Conversely, if you have had previous good experience with Rockford Fosgate, then your opinion is probably worth more than mine is on this matter.

tanstaafl.

"There Ain't No Such Thing As A Free Lunch"

Actually, it is a 25 watt RMS per channel amp. I hear that they rate their stuff conservatively, so it is probably a 30 watt or so amp. But, my factory head unit is only half of that and I plan on using the factory speakers. In my next car, which I plan to purchase, I could use the amp bridged to power two channels at 100 watts a peice (no idea how it goes from 25 watts to 100 ...)

I don't have any experience with Rockford Fosgate... any other suggestions?

BTW: I called Crutchfeild and you can get those dash kits from them for about $12. Wiring harness was another 8 bucks or so. But, if you buy a receiver from them, it is all free.

12gig Mk. II BLUE
Detroit, MI USA
www.PfeifferBeer.com

I called Crutchfeild and you can get those dash kits from them for about $12. Wiring harness was another 8 bucks or so. But, if you buy a receiver from them, it is all free.

That's great news! Glad I was wrong about that.

As far as the amp goes... As an alternative to RF... I've been really pleased with my Jensen XA series amps (I now have two, one to drive my sub and one to drive the other four speakers).

Just be extra careful when wiring the amp. Make sure to run your audio on the opposite side of the car as the power, and get all the proper connections and make 'em good and solid.

___________
Tony Fabris

Actually, it is a 25 watt RMS per channel amp.

Oh, sorry, I misread your post and thought you were talking 25 watts total. A 4-channel amp, 100 total watts, that's enough to do a decent job of driving your stock speakers.

Then when you build your new car system, you can bridge the Rockford Fosgate amp and use it for a pair of subwoofers and run 50 watts/channel stereo or 100 watts mono, or you could even wire the speakers up 2-ohm (either use 2-ohm speakers or wire 4-ohm speakers in parallel) and force the amp to deliver 100 watts per channel stereo. Whether the amplifier would stand up to this abuse is unknown -- I'm guessing it probably would be OK. R/F amps are popular among the SPL crowd (not the Sound Quality crowd, however) and have a reputation for understating their actual power capabilities.

With that amp running the subwoofers, then you would need a second amplifier for the mids and highs (everything that isn't a subwoofer) and I would recommend something in the range of 200-400 watts total. More wattage isn't just about making more noise. More power means faster transients, and allows you to operate your speakers optimally in terms of excursion and responsiveness. As long as your gain controls (on both the amplifier and the head unit) are not so high as to induce clipping (clipping is sending a square wave AC signal to your speakers instead of a nice smooth sine wave) a more powerful amplifier will not damage your speakers, it will just make them sound better.

I don't have any experience with Rockford Fosgate... any other suggestions?

Not really... what little expertise I have in car audio tends to be in the area of tuning and tweaking existing systems, and maybe a few ideas about basic system design. I kind of know how to listen and identify problem areas, and have some idea of what to do to fix them. As far as recommending Brand X over Brand Y, I am at the mercy of my stereo dealer's prejudices. (For what it is worth, I have a great deal of respect for his opinions!) If it is of any usefulness to you, he is currently favoring XTant amplifiers and subwoofers for sound quality, and MB-Quart speakers for mids and highs. (He says I won't like the MB-Quart subwoofers; they are too dark and atonal sounding for my tastes)

I guess if I had to give one paragraph worth of advice for building a car stereo it would be: Don't rush, think things through and don't do anything until you have thought of several different ways to do it, then pick the best way. Buy high quality components -- the extra $100 you spend now may pinch a bit, but a year from now you'll never miss it and you'll be glad you had the forethought to do it right the first time. Most important of all: You must have at least one subwoofer, my favorite being 10" because of the warmth and tonality it can add to the middle registers.

tanstaafl.

"There Ain't No Such Thing As A Free Lunch"

I'll also add:

I'm using a Phoenix Gold amp for my subs, and an Alpine V12 for everything else and I highly recommend them.

Calvin

I agree about the RF experience and to add, the quality has really gone down since they mass produced them as stereo BBS will bear out from users. I searched and searched info on them awhile back thinking of purchasing one, I didn't. Audio Review has reviews for just about every brand available as well. Go here
http://www.audioreview.com/reviews/

#695 Mk2 BLUE 12Gig

Ask and I may tell you

I'll agree to the Xtant stuff, I have a 403a in my jetta, and it's flawless.. personaly I use JL audio subs, and boston mains.

12gig red mk2 -- 080000125

How did you get on with your Ford Focus lease car install? I'm picking up a new Focus RS on Wednesday and was wondering if the install is a 5 minute job, or if it will be a couple of weeks before I get my empeg up and running in it. Also, did your Focus have a remote control on the steering column?

Thanks,
Derek

Blast from the bast! A two year old thread!

I sent you a PM before realizing your dug up this thread. You can paste the PM I sent you if you want - I'll give better info once I jog my brain - it's been a couple of years.