Midnight LJR Build

There's quite a bit of room under the steering column for a amp. A couple "L" brackets and a teflon cutting board make a good mount for it. I used plywood.
 
There's quite a bit of room under the steering column for a amp. A couple "L" brackets and a teflon cutting board make a good mount for it. I used plywood.

Hmmm I'll have to look at the space, not really sure I want to embark on that much wiring, hoping for a simple upgrade that is mostly plug and play. What other speaker would I be looking at?
 
Hmmm I'll have to look at the space, not really sure I want to embark on that much wiring, hoping for a simple upgrade that is mostly plug and play. What other speaker would I be looking at?
With a HU that outputs a high RMS there is no need to add an amp, for your specific needs it is not necessary. The Sony unit I linked is 45watts RMS per speaker - that is more than enough to drive the polks or better speakers.

For the subwoofer you are planning on putting into the center console, a small mono amp can be mounted under the dash like @bobthetj03 said, but I would first do speakers and see if the subwoofer is still wanted.

Whatvever HU you choose will be able to drive and tune the OEM center console subwoofer better than stock. Audio is my thing, so I experimented heavily with the OEM sub before upgrading.
 
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@toximus runs a different speaker config. Match the speaker with your amp. The Polks work great for lower power HU's with their higher impedance. There are better speakers obviously, but Polks are crisp, clear, and drive well with 20 watts RMS. You could consider a 5 channel amp and boost the power rating to run a better speaker. It's an option.

Yes I do. I had installed the commonly recommended Polk setup and was disappointed as soon as I connected it up. I don't know of a better setup for the money though so I'm not sure I'm of much help here...
 
Yes I do. I had installed the commonly recommended Polk setup and was disappointed as soon as I connected it up. I don't know of a better setup for the money though so I'm not sure I'm of much help here...
I think when you installed those I mentioned needing to tune them for better results, imagine how the CO first felt. Polk isn’t all that it’s made out to be, if we are being honest.
 
I have some Chinese amp under my seat. It’s been there for something around 4 years and hasn’t caused any problems but I know one day it will. It’s absolutely coated in dust and other garbage. I’m looking to remove it, but I think I’m going to replace the rest of my sound system when I do. I didn’t really notice the amp when it first got installed. Don’t think it makes too much of a difference. You can still piss off the neighborhood moms without one.

I think this also makes me the only 21 year old on earth actively wanting to remove an amp from my vehicle.
 
With a HU that outputs a high RMS there is no need to add an amp, for your specific needs it is not necessary. The Sony unit I linked is 45watts RMS per speaker - that is more than enough to drive the polks or better speakers.

For the subwoofer you are planning on putting into the center console, a small mono amp can be mounted under the dash like @bobthetj03 said, but I would first do speakers and see if the subwoofer is still wanted.

Whatvever HU you choose will be able to drive and tune the OEM center console subwoofer better than stock. Audio is my thing, so I experimented heavily with the OEM sub before upgrading.

A few downsides I see to the Sony are, it does not support wireless Car Play, and the screen is Bigger but does not appear to be HD.

What speakers do you recommend?
 
A few downsides I see to the Sony are, it does not support wireless Car Play, and the screen is Bigger but does not appear to be HD.

What speakers do you recommend?
Ah that makes sense, I keep my phone plugged in so it hasn’t bothered me - but wireless CarPlay is nice. Speaker choice depends on what you are going to use to drive them - do you want to run them off the HU or add amplifier? If just HU, you are using the Kenwood?
 
Ah that makes sense, I keep my phone plugged in so it hasn’t bothered me - but wireless CarPlay is nice. Speaker choice depends on what you are going to use to drive them - do you want to run them off the HU or add amplifier? If just HU, you are using the Kenwood?

Plan is to run the Kenwood with the Polk Speakers and the little amp under the center council to power the kicker sub.

Not for any other reason than many people seem happy with it. Except @toximus and it seems to be about as plug and play as you can get.
 
No big deal really. Just order a amp wiring kit when you purchase everything. You can run the power wire thru the main harness boot by the brake pedal area and just route it along the main harness at the firewall to the distribution panel positive stud. Put the fuse close to the positive end.
 
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Ok, here what I ordered, thanks for everyones input.

  • Kenwood Excelon DMX957XR (With XM radio Tuner, and HD Backup Camera)
  • Polk Audio DB522 Speakers x 4 (front and rear)
  • Select Increments Dash-Pods (for front)
  • Kicker CompRT 6.75" Subwoofer
  • Kicker PXA200 Amp (w/10ga Amp wiring kit)
  • Polyfil Stuffing (for rear sound bar speakers)

Will see what it sounds like, and adjust from there as long as it doesn't catch fire I should be good. :)
 
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