QuestionQUESTION: someone recently gave me a 60 watt Dual XD1222 head unit to put in my 1981 el camino. i successfully installed it and everything and for now I'm just using some cheap walmart speakers. i was wondering what type of amp, speakers, subs and wires should i use. i was thinking about putting two 12's it. i wanted about a 50/50 good sound and decent not head thumping bass. in a decent price range. so can you help me out?
ANSWER: Hi David,
Probably the biggest limiting factor for the sound quality in your El Camino is the size of the factory speakers. According to my references, you have 3-1/2" speakers in the dash, and 4x6" speakers in the rear. Even very good after-market speakers in these sizes are going to be pretty limited when it comes to mid-bass production. In some cars, you could install larger speakers into the front doors, but the design of your door panel makes that difficult.
This is one vehicle that would benefit from a kick panel installation. The kick panel is the area next to the driver's and passenger's foot well--to the left of the driver's feet, and to the right of the passenger. A company called Q-logic makes a custom kick panel for your vehicle, in an assortment of factory-matched colors; they're called "Q-forms" and they're available through Crutchfield.com, as well as other online vendors. A pair of Q-forms would allow you to install a pair of 6-1/2" speakers up front, without having to do any cutting or permanently alter the vehicle interior. They're not especially cheap, however; a set of Q-forms runs for about $170-$180.
As for the subs, I'm not sure where you'll have space to put a pair of 12" speakers inside the cab. If you're not looking for extremely loud bass, you might consider stepping down to a single 10" or 12" sub. A dual sub system is usually overkill, if you're just looking for a decent low-end response in a small compartment.
A good starter system would be a single 4-ohm subwoofer, some decent 6-1/2" front speakers, and a 4-channel amp. You could use two amplifier channels to run the front speakers, and bridge the remaining two channels to drive the subwoofer. The rear speakers are less important, and could be run directly from the head unit.
As for the wire, the brand name isn't really that important; you don't need to pay extra for high end power and signal wiring. However, some of the cheapest amplifier kits come with undersized power wiring; they use a small amount of copper under an extra-thick jacket, so that the wire looks bigger than it really is. If you're buying online, check www.knukonceptz.com; their amplifier wiring kits are usually a good value. Otherwise, the Scosche wiring kits in Wal-mart aren't bad for the price.
Hope this helps!
Brian
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QUESTION: thanks brian that really helped i have a better idea on what i might do now. i looked at the Q-forms and i was wondering if the 5-1/4's were too small for what i wanted. so putting dual of any type of subs in there would be overkill?
ANSWER: David,
5-1/4" speakers would be an improvement on the factory speaker sizes; but 6-1/2" speakers would be better. You'll also have a much wider selection of speakers to choose from if you can make a 6-1/2" speaker fit. 6-1/2" is the most popular speaker size, which is why most of the Q-forms are designed for that size. Note that if you go with the kick panel pods, it won't be necessary to also install new dash speakers.
In my opinion, a dual subwoofer system is overkill for anyone who's just looking for a good, balanced low-end response inside a vehicle. If you're not trying to be heard inside the houses as you're driving by, a single subwoofer should give you all the bass you need--and it will cost less, and take up less space, as well. I can't imagine that you've got a lot of space to work with in the front of an El Camino.
Brian
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QUESTION: sorry to ask another question but where i was going to put the subs is in a spare tire space behind the seat. its long as the seat. im not sure of the exact measurement but its wide and long enough to completely conseal 2 regular tires. (not a donut tire) and the hight of it leaves about 1 or 2 inches of room with the tire in. with that said and now knowing i have a little bit more space to put things. is there any thing better or different you'd recomend? i also know its long enough to put a dual 12" or 10" box from best buy in it. not throwing away the idea of having only 1 sub.
AnswerHi David,
It's true that I'm not really familiar with the interior of an El Camino, and I didn't realize you had that much space to work with. However, I'd stand by my original recommendation: I don't think you need more than a single subwoofer. My general rule of thumb goes something like this: if you're just looking for powerful but balanced bass for normal music listening, and the subwoofer is located in the same compartment as the listener, then a single subwoofer should be ample. The nice thing about your extra space is that you don't have to compromise with a "truck" style sub box, or a shallow-mount subwoofer; you can pick a nice, high-output subwoofer like an Alpine Type-R, and put it in a box with all the air space it needs. I think even if you pick a 10" sub, in this case, you should be able to get as much interior bass as you're likely to want.
Hope this helps!
Brian
