Car/Mobile Audio - History and current set ups

[Toy Collector]

I'm back.


With that... so will be my Topics.

The Audio Hookup thread reminded me of a thread I always wanted to go over on here, before I was unceremoniously banned.

1. What is YOUR history with Car/Mobile Audio? Please post pics of past Audio systems, if you have them!

2. What is your current setup? Please post pics of current Audio systems, if you have them!

3. What is a Dream Setup, in your eyes?

4. What are your favorite brands, and why?

5. If you know a talented Audio Installer... let us know who they are and their locations (we need our recognition!).

 

[Toy Collector]

For me, it all started in 1991.

My brother brought home a Majestic Amplifier and two Rockford Fosgate Series 1, 12" subs. We built a basic enclosure to go in the back of his 1981 Toyota Pickup truck that had a carpet kit in it and a Shell. Just a basic box to sit in the middle, firing up into his camper shell.

Soon after that, he went and picked up a Rockford Punch 45 for the subs. Additional items were: Pioneer tape deck with 6 disc changer and a set of Boston Acoutics components for the doors. Damn, did it sound good!

Begin my Rockford Fosgate loyalty. It has yet to die.

We then moved onto the custom work; we built a 7th order enclosure with a cab blow through for those two 12" subs, with an Acrylic window facing the tailgate of the truck. Carpet kit was cut back the depth of the enclosure, recarpeted and the Sub box looked like it was meant to be part of the truck. The inside of the enclosure was painted Rockford colors (black enclosure with red baffles). It WAS CLEAN!

We sourced the Acrylic window from Scott at MGM Plastics (here on the board) back in 1991, hence the beginning of my relationship with Scott. He is one of the few people that saw this system complete, before the whole truck was stolen... I believe. My brother somehow got it back, along with the enclosure and we stuck (2) Punch 12 CLASSICS in it this time and he picked up a NEW Punch 40 amp, to power them. I believe he still has those subs, not too sure about the amp.

From there, I went on to build enclosures and do complete systems that as a high school kid... rivaled anything the Pro Installers were doing at the local shops. It's not often a Teenager finds his calling but as with a lot of things in life... I owed it all to my brother. I have taken my addiction much farther than him and can't thank him enough for the introduction.

 

[megadesertdiesel]

I love car audio and have been a RF fanboy for ever.

Mine started in 1991 also when i was 16 and got a car. POS two door 1974 Chevy Nova lowered with a straight 6. I grew up in south Phoenix on the Tempe border and cruised Mill Ave where i quickly found out car stereo was something that set your ride apart. One of my neighbors worked for Orion in Tempe testing equipment and sold us kids all the used test equipment.

I ended up with Fosgate Punch 75 amp and a pair of 15" Orion XTR subs. I ripped out the rear seat of my Nova and built a wall. I blew through a few set of subs, had some Kickers and some Rockford Fosgates. We had a great time cruising and getting "noise ordinance" tickets in Tempe.

10 years later i had a 1984 Cadillac Eldorado with four 12" chrome basket subs(don't remember what brand) with a Rockford Fosgate 500m amp and another 4 channel amp linked together on a floating rack in the trunk.

Ahh the good ol days. ill have to dig around and find some pictures.

Fast forward to today and i have a RF P3 15" sub and 750 watt amp in my Ram Megacab. ITs not enough so im going bigger with two RF T1 12's, Power 2500, Power 600 4 channel amp and RF component speakers.

I love the planning and building process just as much as the finish product.

 

[Toy Collector]

My current setups...

2016 Civic:

Alpine ILX-W650 Head Unit
Rockford 5 Channel amp
JL Audio C2 650 Coaxials, all doors.
JL Audio 10W0 (premade JL Enclosure)
Stinger Sound Deadening throughout

2014 4Runner:

(yet to be Installed, had a kid right after I bought all of the product)

Alpine ILX-W650 Head Unit
Zapco ST4X-SQ 4 channel amp
Zapco XM-500 Subwoofer amp
JL Audio C2 650 Components
JL Audio C2 650 Coaxials (2 pairs)
JL Audio 10W3 (premade JL Enclosure)
Stinger Sound Deadening

I used to be able to install a system of this size in 1-2 days... now I don't think I'll even get to it this year...

 

[TheSPAINishLover]

I've had too many rides to list but this was my all-time favorite build.

 

[Toy Collector]

I've had too many rides to list but this was my all-time favorite build.

Very, very nice! That enclosure is at least 80 hours of work! I have never owned ANY Kicker equipment in the past... just couldn't ever do it (from a quality standpoint). Then, I bought my Weekend Warrior HKD4005 5th wheel in 2022 and it's LOADED with Kicker equipment. Too much shit to replace and most of it is $$$$ gear.

Crusty said you were a Baller. This build confirms this... but also shows you still got one foot in the ghetto like a true Mini Pimp!

 

[zilla68]

Additional items wer

I've had too many rides to list but this was my all-time favorite build.

thats one bad ass set up man

 

[zilla68]

it was probably 1984, a guy i worked for owned some convenience stores. we went to the audio midwest so he could get a new home stereo. while there he says you should get a stereo for your truck. 1978 long bed chevy. I said man I can't afford that stuff (however deep down I wanted something so damn bad I'd sell my soul to the devil), and he said tell ya what I'll buy it, and take it out of your weekly check until its paid for. HELL YEAH, I'm down, I got a kenwood cassette deck, a small amp and some 6x9's in boxes behind the seat. Man I was the chit, ear bleeding sound, and that was the beginning of a long and painful journey in car audio. I was at a private high school (at risk kids catholic school), and my back sliding glass had a metal church sticker on it, I had long hair and the few nuns that were left hated me and that stereo lol. After it was stolen lol, I turned to alpine and the addiction grew even more. I was sacking groceries at skaggs, and davids mobile electronics had a 90 days same as cash, so I started buying, and buying and buying, every 90 days lol. That 78 chevy eventually had more stereo equipment that was worth 3 times what the truck was, and I'd spend evenings driving for hours, with the stereo up, 4 amps, 2 12" subs behind the seat, just pounding away. then when alpine came out with their first cd player I had to have it, under the dash, all that green and man this hobby is an obsession to say the least.
alpine alarm with a keypad mounted in the flip down ash tray, my truck was broken into over 15 times ( i think i lost 4 sets of kickers and norman lab boxes at least) to the point state farm (before jake was even born) dropped me. It got to the point i left the doors unlocked so they would quit breaking my windows out, just open the door and the alarm would go off and we had this damn piezo siren inside that would make your ears bleed, and they would leave lol.
that turned into an atv and sandrail obsession (for what I could afford), and I still have that obsession today, for sxs's trailers, trucks, I really think it helped create my hoarding obsession with vehicles and toys, and if I could find that old 78 I'd buy it back in a heart beat, god knows where it is, if its still alive even.

 

[LegitDuner]

The first thing I ever purchased on credit was a Denon head unit. It was the deadhead model that didn't have an internal amplifier, only pre-outs.

My first system was in a Honda Accord with a Denon deck, a little four-channel Hifonics Europa, MB Quart in the doors, and two Black Magic 10s in the back. I ran the battery out of that car every weekend... for years. It doesn't sound like much, but I loved that system. I had that little four channel bridged and running two ohms.. still have it..

After that deck, I switched over to alpines and been using them ever since..
I have a full Alpine system in my wife's Tahoe with the iva-w505, type x components,. PDX amps, Alpine imprint, type x sub, etc..I got to be honest, I don't like that system.. I think it just needed better amplifiers, but the wifey didn't want me effing with her car... I bought all that stuff from Wild Bill here from the board when he worked at Alpine.

In my "weekend truck" that I don't ever drive either, I have my Alpine deck, I don't remember what it model number it is, got it 2010 2012ish..
It's got Infinity perfect 6 separates in all four doors ran by 2 PPI art series and 12" infinity Perfect VQ's ran by a hifonics Zeus VII. I recently installed a JL audio sound processor (twk-88), did a rough tune with it, but haven't really messed with it since. There's a lot to tweak on that thing!

In my garage, I have anything from PPI to Rockford fosgate, soundstream, Orion, hifonics, more MB Quart q series speakers that I can shake a stick at, another four or five sets of Infinity perfects, along with a bunch of subs. I've always collected car audio shit my entire life.
One of the most beautiful amps that I own is a.couple MB Quart Q series made by Rockford fosgate from when they bought them out for a short time. I think they only made them for a couple years. Such a beautiful amp inside and out... (QAA-4250's)
My most prized amp is a Zed audio "The Deuce".. basically a modern-day version of the Zeus.. only because I'm a Zed audio nut I guess.. there's nothing real special about it other than it being a sound quality powerhouse..

I got similar stuff for home audio as well, Denon amps, kappa 6,7,8's, kappa ssw subs, etc..with many extras...
I need to clean out the garage to put shit in a storage container and I plan on laying everything out so I can take a picture of it all... Should be interesting cuz I honestly forger half the shit I have in there.

 

[Meter Tech]

Got into car audio back in the late 80's (high school) doing my own installs from a head unit and door speakers that just grew from there. Got a side job (Transonic in Walnut, CA.) on the weekends doing installs, Started competing (IASCA / Sound Quake Series) in the early 90's in my Nissan Hardbody Extended Cab Truck, ran all Alpine electronics (head unit / amps) Audio Control EQ and all Kenwood speakers....everybody hated on Kenwood but back in the day they made great stuff and I never placed lower than 3rd and took home a Best in Show with that system, qualified for the IASCA finals in Tempe, AZ that year as well.....never made it...Truck was involved in an accident and the system had to be removed 3-weeks prior to the finals...not a good day!
Got a sponsorship from MTX shortly thereafter and spent countless nights and weekends building that system only to have a couple jackasses break in and steal every damn bit of it....not a good day as well.
After that I got out of competition, got married, had kids etc....I've built and installed many systems over the years for personal use and friends...got into Glamis back in 1999 and since installed systems in RV's Trailers, Sand Rails, SXS for myself and friends as well.

I've always been a huge fan of custom car audio and the skill set it has brought me even in my career today, now at 55 my hearing isn't what it used to be, my last install in my Suspensions Unlimited (full JL Audio) I am told sounded great....but my ears are so bad I couldn't really enjoy it for what it took in hours to build and install...very depressing to say the least.....currently building a new rail....so far no intentions to build another system....I think my time has passed....but you never know!!!!

For me Car Audio was never about the money, any installer knows for the number of hours invested the pay was laughable....we did it because we enjoyed it!

Car audio didn't help my hearing issue but not the root cause, when I was 2 years old I got really sick and had a fever or over 107 not sure how many hours until my parents got me to an ER but I am told that is what damaged my hearing, the high fever burns the part of the brain that affects hearing later in life.....and well it's later in life for me....gotta go the phone is ringing....oh nevermind....it's always ringing in my head!!

 

[Dadscab]

I had a roommate that was an installer up her in vista/oceanside back in 88. My dad had a bitchin wood shop so let the box builds commence.. My favorite system that I had was in my S-10 extra cab. Had all zapco Z220, System 200 and a S80 along with a Zapco PX crossover. We put 4- 12" subs in a three chamber isoberic in the extra cab, 8- 6" mids and 6 tweeters. Used to compete in sound offs at truck shows. That thing would hit hard but sounded so clean.. Right now I just have a small box 10 that I built a box into the back seat of my jeep TJ with JL audio 6" separates in the sound bar and 5x7 in the dash.

 

[Rockwood]

Peak setup for me was in the early 2000s with a Kenwood something or other Double DIN setup (Minidisc AND MP3 CD capability), Kenwood Excelon something other other 200w monoblock powering 2 JL 10W3s in a sealed box, and matching Kenwood Excelon 150w 4 channel bi-amped (2ch for the highs, 2ch for the mids) powering Polk Momo components.

Rock the block and win audio competitions? Nope. But could play whatever I wanted at painful levels with the windows up. Worked for me until I got more into horsepower. That system went into a daily driver, while the car it was installed in got stupid fast (for the time).

 

[Toy Collector]

I had a roommate that was an installer up her in vista/oceanside back in 88. My dad had a bitchin wood shop so let the box builds commence.. My favorite system that I had was in my S-10 extra cab. Had all zapco Z220, System 200 and a S80 along with a Zapco PX crossover. We put 4- 12" subs in a three chamber isoberic in the extra cab, 8- 6" mids and 6 tweeters. Used to compete in sound offs at truck shows. That thing would hit hard but sounded so clean.. Right now I just have a small box 10 that I built a box into the back seat of my jeep TJ with JL audio 6" separates in the sound bar and 5x7 in the dash.

That's awesome. What was your roommates name? I'm in Vista and that's where all of this started... and I knew most of the guys doing work back then: Joel Salz at DOW, Mike and his crew at North County Mobile Electronics... Nathan Hall (Greengo's old roommate) from Al and Ed's but also shops before that, Dave Kittmer... all of 'em...

 

[Toy Collector]

My first Audio system was in my 1987 4Runner.

My Grandmother passed away in 1995 and left us some money, after never really spending any time with her for my 16 years on the planet, to that point. At the time, I was being raised by a Single Mom and my goal was to become a High End Custom Audio Installer as you COULD make good money back then, with just a HS degree.

We went to In and Out on Hacienda in Vista about a week after I got the 4runner from my Mom. I decided to walk over to DOW to look at a CD player and an hour later had a full system laid out and ready to pay for, to begin my (FINALLY) Demo truck to get me a job in an Install Bay! I went from a $300 budget to a $3,000 budget really quick.

Clarion DRX-9175 Head Unit
Clarion 18 Disc Changer
Rockford Fosgate Punch 240X4
Rockford Fosgate Punch 100X2
Boston Acoustics Pro 6.5's
Infinity Kappa 5 1/4's
(4) Rockford Fosgate Punch 10's

90% installed by me, with some help from my brother and my Dad (who was here for Xmas from his Custom Woodworking job in Florida at my Uncles shop).

Yes, the sound was AMAZING. A little lacking in power on the sub end of things but the plan was to get another Punch 100X2 for the 10's however; I moved on from the 4runner after someone from south of the border put sugar in my gas tank for simply talking to a female he liked. That's when I bought my Integra and stepped it up.

 

[SLIM]

Does anyone have an installer they recommend in San Diego ?
Current set up, Stock sound system 2019 GMC 2500, need amp and sub box installed.
Any recommendation's for set up and installer are appreciated.

 

[Toy Collector]

1998:

I bought my Integra and had serious plans for it (Show car, Import Tuner cover car, etc).

Alpine 3 disc in dash CD changer
-Later replaced with a 4 volt Alpine 7977
(3) PPI PC 2400 amps (S/N ratio of 115 dB, cleanest I had heard at that time)
Boston Pro 6.5's moved over from the 4runner
(4) JL Audio 10W3's

Fiberglass enclosure in the spare tire well.

Amp rack with capacitors and distribution blocks where the rear seat bottom would be.

This is the system that made my reputation stick. I brought it to Al and Ed's to have a high optioned alarm installed by Nathan Hall and it was at this point that I visibly saw (and heard from Greengo) that I created worry with the Pro's in the area. That car hit really hard, was super clean and got a shit ton of compliments. Still my favorite set up, by far.

I got into Glamis and this website in 2003, moved all of the gear back to another 4runner and it and all the gear was stolen in 2012, by Vista's well known 4runner stealing crew. I got the truck back, but not the PPI's. That was a hard hit. Truck was then sold to American Pitbull.

 

[zilla68]

1998:

I bought my Integra and had serious plans for it (Show car, Import Tuner cover car, etc).

Alpine 3 disc in dash CD changer
-Later replaced with a 4 volt Alpine 7977
(3) PPI PC 2400 amps (S/N ratio of 115 dB, cleanest I had heard at that time)
Boston Pro 6.5's moved over from the 4runner
(4) JL Audio 10W3's

Fiberglass enclosure in the spare tire well.

Amp rack with capacitors and distribution blocks where the rear seat bottom would be.

This is the system that made my reputation stick. I brought it to Al and Ed's to have a high optioned alarm installed by Nathan Hall and it was at this point that I visibly saw (and heard from Greengo) that I created worry with the Pro's in the area. That car hit really hard, was super clean and got a shit ton of compliments. Still my favorite set up, by far.

I got into Glamis and this website in 2003, moved all of the gear back to another 4runner and it and all the gear was stolen in 2012, by Vista's well known 4runner stealing crew. I got the truck back, but not the PPI's. That was a hard hit. Truck was then sold to American Pitbull.

any pics? love to see these