upgrading sound

polarity

Any upgrade the sub yet? I love the car, but I'm pretty disappointed with the sound system. I have the touring model, with GPS/Sport/Kick Plates/Rear mat/6speed. I like my music, and I like it to sound loud and clear, just curious what others are doing to get rid of the crappy sound system.

-polarity

chubbs

Although I haven't got a 370z yet, if/when I get one the crappy stock speakers will need to be replaced, if they're anything like the ones in my 350z - and I imagine they will be.

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2fast4thelaw

Changing the speakers made a huge difference. Make sure they are efficient like 92db or better.

you can add a real sub and amplifier really easy too from the stock system

polarity

So I went to the only local car audio place today (in Natitoches, LA or something similar lol) and the guy was nice enough, but refused to work on the car. He said it was to new for his guys to mess with and that I should go somewhere in Dallas, TX or another larger city that deals with "High End" stuff. Guess I'm stuck with the stock setup until I can make it out to Dallas. Ah well I'll be hitting up Mardi Gras this weekend, that should be fun =)

-polarity

TennesseeZ

As far as the sub goes you can look at the JL Audio 13" free air sub. That is what I plan to add to mine if I go with a new sub. I am replacing the highs with a JL VR comp. set so it should sound pretty nice. Good luck with getting someone good to work on it. That sucks that that one place won't. If you make it to TN I have a great place.

2fast4thelaw

You r better off anyway if they dont have the confidence to do an install on the 370 than they dont have experienced installers. You can d alot yourself with just a few hand tools. Car audio installs are not rocket science.

zero610

What size are the speakers on the non-bose system? Anyone know? Any info out there on how to actually get to the speakers? Surely someone out there has done a speaker replacement on this car already.

Chupacabra

^^^ I second that notion. i would love to replace those speakers, and add the amp i have laying around the house.

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takimbe

I believe they are 6.5s. I plan on replacing them with either some Infinity Reference 6022is (60/pair), or up the ante and go with the higher end Alpine Type-R SPR-17S's. either one will be a significant upgrade from the current 6.5s in the base model. Dont know if I will replace the sub and tweeters or not yet. I figure the 6.5s hooked up to the Kenwood DNX5120 nav unit i have on order should produce the kind of sound i desire. I will be hooking up my 80 gig ipod to them. what are your thoughts on this setup? Should i replace the sub or tweeters first? or start with the 6.5s?

Speakers are definitely the first order of business once i get the car in 2 months...

polarity

In the touring model with nav I'm not certain if it's what they used or how they used it, the biggest issue so far is the inability to control separate parts of the sound (don't know the terms) but it's basically, bass up, bass down.. Not sub up, bass on speakers up, sub down, speakers down. Which means you can get bass out of the sub, but then you also get distorted crap out of the speakers. I don't see any way to correct this, short of paying for another head unit (and I guess new nav aswell?).

I really need to get some face time with an audio shop who could tell me what type of products I should be looking at, without trying to make their entire yearly income off of me. If anyone here is in the business, help me out and point me in the direction of some products I should be looking at.

-polarity

FricFrac

Yes car audio installation isn't rocket science. Years ago one of my gf wanted a system for her new car so I somehow voluntered to do the install without knowing a thing about it (other than having done electronics forever). Turns out it was pretty easy and I started doing the odd one on the side until I was doing quite a few custom installs, fiberglass, etc. One of my philosophies of life is "if that idiot can do it I'm sure I can figure it out too". Works most of the time for me (although I haven't tried any open heart surgerys yet....)

That said I haven't been playing with much of that for the last 8 years or so and I'm thinking about getting some replacement stuff. I use to use a lot of MB Quart and JL Audio stuff - more interested in SQ than the SPL. What's a good price/performer (facts/emotional/fictional whatever now adays?

k.alexander

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polarity

While I agree, replacing parts on this car doesn't seem to be as simple as throwing in some wires and a new head unit. Since the nav/mp3 player/etc is all part of one unit, what can be replaced without removing other pieces? Also getting new pieces for the dash. Right now I'm trying to figure out what all pieces are connected so I can start looking at replacement parts.

I'm also interested in SQ, but I want it to be loud enough for me to enjoy it. I'm sure you could throw in an amp and replace the current sub, but the lack of ability to control it seperately from bass in the speakers would make it sound like a big rolling bucket of ***, and that my friends doesn't sound good.

-polarity

FricFrac

Integrated stuff is a pain in almost any application. Last I looked at integrated amps was in my tfriends '92 MR2 which weren't really modifiable - basically had to rip out the whole system. Can we easily add an amp an sub to the current system eg RCA input? Why can't you just adjust the gain on the amp to get the ballpark level of base you want?

2fast4thelaw

I have used all ranges of audio equipment and what I have found is this. There is low end, mid range, mid-to high end, uber high end equipment.

I find the best performance for the money is in the mid range gear. There is a huge difference between low end and mid-range gear. But the higher end you go, the less dramatic of an increase in quality is percieved and the costs of the equipment gets exponentially higher.

I usually find the best bang for the buck is choosing the lower level models of equipment from high-end audio manufactuers.

Lets take JL Audio for example. (some may feel JL Audio is not high-end but that is neither here nor there) I feel thier lower end subs like the W0 and W1 subs are the best sounding subs they make.

Now for main speakers, I feel Focal speakers are right up there with the best and the make uber high speakers costing thousands of dollars. I feel anything above thier Polyglas line (second from the bottom) is a waste of money for a car. They are very efficient, loud, clear, and have amazing definition.

Another big mistake and misconception I see is people using is too much amplification than necessary. Its really really hard on your car's electrical system running big amps. You can figure replacing a battery a year and maybe an alternator too. I have been there, I have done this several times and just doesent pay off.

In a small car like a Z there is no need for more than 250 watts for sub amp and driving (2) efficient 10" drivers. This will yield impressive results no matter who you are. 40 to 50 watts running door speakers is plenty of power as long as your speakers are efficient. Focal Polyglas speakers have the highest efficiency I have seen yet at 96db. Those speakers would be loud as hell on just deck power. There is usually a balance of power between sub and mains. I keep around this power ratio 25% mains 75% subs and it usually results in a very balanced system if you choose the appropriate gear.

High end wire and interconnects, capcitors are the biggest waste of money out there. Don't fall into that one either.

Spend the most money on deck that has the features and look you want.