Seeking recommendations for components to use with Pioneer AVIC-N1

[stevenlee]

I've decided to replace the stock radio with the Pioneer AVIC-N1.

I would greatly like to hear recommendations for hardware, installation, etc. to replace the OEM equipment.

I don't need to have the best killer system...just want something that will be a good decent, balanced system and not leave me wishing I did something else.

Some of my most basic questions are: Does the AVIC-N1 have enough power or should I use an amp? Should I use the "toolbox" sub enclosure? Should I use tweeders? How do I wire the center speaker? What components do you recommend?

Thanks in advance for any comments/advice you can offer.

Aloha,
Steve

 

[Malibu Rapper]

You have a LOT of options.

First, you can elect to keep your factory speakers. You can wire in in some RCA leads via Metra harness 70-1720 and 71-1720 and plug it into the RCA outs on the AVIC N1. Or you can buy the $29 harness from SOS. This would be the easiest option. Sound quality wise it would be about the same as OEM except you have a more hi-fi deck.

Second, you can go all out and replace all of the factory speakers. Don't worry about keeping that center speaker, it's worthless. Add a sub and a 3 or 4 channel amp to power the sub and front speakers.

If you are going to replace the speakers, I would definitely recommend a set of components or a really good set of coaxials. Randomharmony uses an excellent set of Eclipse components in his car. These are an excellent value, I've heard them and they are damn good. I was recently impressed by a set of Directed SX series components. That's another good bang for the buck. The entire JL Audio line is impressive as well. If you want to go high end, the sky is the limit. Whether you get the Directed, Eclipse, MB Quart, whatever, it will sound oodles better than stock because stock sucks.

Definitely replace the subwoofer. My toolbox rocks with the JL 10W3V2. The 10W1V2 kicks serious butt, too and I can't believe the pricetag on it.

The AVIC N1 is fine if you just want to power a mediocre set of coaxials in the doors. I wouldn't recommend that path. You have a lot of choices to make. It all depends how far you want to go and how much money you want to spend. If you don't want to buy amps, stick with the stock speakers/amps and go the wire harness route.

My advice, set a budget. Define a point of diminishing returns on all of the equipment and spend your money wisely. Put the extra time and money into quality of work. The audio project on our cars is something that can get out of hand very quickly and can become an obsession.

 

[Veleno]

Hi Steve,

Aren't you having an FX500 being built for you? If that's the case, I'd go all out and get the best gear. You should see D'ecosse's setup, it's awesome. He spent some big bucks but the sound quality is unmatched. There are other members rides in this section that have nice setups as well, and it didn't cost too much so be sure to do a search. Like mentioned above you have a lot of options.

 

[stevenlee]

Hi Richard,

Yes I do have a FX 500 custom twin turbo set up. I understand that my car was the last one FX did. It was in their shop for 9 months. I finally picked it up in March and have been doing a lot of work on it. Now that the mechanicals are just about done, I'm looking for suggesstions for components to install with my AVIC-N1 navigation system. I want to keep the weight down and am just looking for a good decent sound that I won't outgrow.

I have decided to go with an amp and all new speakers. I must now decide where to place the amp...behind the driver's seat or in the trunk.

Does having an amp in the driver's compartment increase the cabin temps?

Any suggesstions on where to install the amp?

 

[D'Ecosse]

Hi Steven
Where are you - I'm going to be in Kuaui in 2 weeks but won't make it to Oahu unfortunately - it would have been nice to hook up.
Having the amp behind the drivers seat will not seriously impact the interior temp - it comes down to aesthetics as to where you put everything.
Glad you made that decision to go with the amp - it will allow you to run a much better grade of speakers and of course a sub.

 

[stevenlee]

D'Ecosse,

I'm on Oahu. I think you will need to stop over on Oahu so we can get together. It would be great to meet you. I'll give you a ride in twin turbo........I'll take you out to dinner..........I'll give you candy! I could even hire you as a consultant and you could write off the trip.

I'm looking for specific suggesstions for audio components and now for a reverse camera to fit the rear keyhole.

Aloha,
Steve

 

[D'Ecosse]

Right now have no plans to come over to Oahu - unless you send your private helicopter for us!

I have no idea of your budget, but the SEAS Lotus Reference (Silk tweets) are the speakers I have - I've had these for about a year now and cannot be more happy with them - simply awesome.
http://www.mobilesq.com/products/get_product.php?id=1
e-mail Leon at the contact address - tell him Ken with the NSX referred you.
Leon is a super guy, you'll get lots of advice from him as well as great product at a really good price! These are less than when he was just an enthusiast organizing group buys - now he is US importer for SEAS.
If the Reference are out of your overall budget, consider the Performance series.

Check out the Lotus 10" (250mm) sub too - looks like a nice piece of engineering although I haven't heard it personally - but I'm confident it is probably a fine sub, given quality of their components. Size looks like it will work in an SOS or Zetoolman box too.

http://www.seaslotus.com/ is the main Lotus site.

If you have "silly money" to spare, check out those Brax amps Leon has too on the mobilesq site!

There are quite a few cameras on E-Bay - just put "reverse camera" or "rear view camera" in the search field under consumer electronics - http://electronics.search.ebay.com/...Electronics_W0QQcatrefZC6QQfromZR4QQsacatZ293
or
http://search.ebay.com/rear-view-ca...tionZcompareQQcopagenumZ1QQcoentrypageZsearch

Note: The wider the angle, the more difficult it will be to put behind the lens without it interfering from a view perspective. If you surface mount like mine, there will be no issue. Just make sure it specifically states reverse image.

 

[jorligan]

Steven

I used an Xtant X604 amplifier and mounted it in the trunk where the tools were located. I'd send pictures but the car is getting some engine work :biggrin: The amplifier fits perfectly in the space. I also bought the SOS subwoofer for the passenger footwell and even though you lose a little foot room, there is still plenty to stretch out. If I remember correctly, we are about the same heighth and it was OK for me. I had the amplifiers in the car but it cut on leg room since I had am amplifier behind each seat. I use Infinity Perfect 6.1 speakers in the doors but will be changing to either Focal Utopia, Seas Lotus, or Dynaudio 3 way components. Are you going to be able to make it to XPO?

Tim

 

[stevenlee]

D'Ecosse,
I don't have a private helicopter but if I can find a good ramp to launch the twin turbo off the west end of Oahu, I might be able to get up enough speed to clear the channel and pick you up on Kauai.

Regarding cameras....What would be the best angle for the lense? Is 105 degrees too wide or not wide enough for visibility when reversing? Is there any problem with mounting on the outside of the keyhole? It seems that it would be beneficial to have a wider angle perspective and mount on the outside. Does the wider angle lense give too mush fisheye distortion?

Tim,
I'll see you at the EXPO.

 

[D'Ecosse]

The only time you get fishbowl distortion (at least 105 deg) is when the image is really close - say 1-3 feet. 105 is probably good - relatively wide view. The rearward perspective is going to look "normal" but it allows you to see stuff on either side of car even when close in back-up situations.
The issue with mounting outside is I had to enlarge the hole, which makes it a throw-away as far as returning to stock ever. Somehow I don't think your car is ever going there ever again! I used a dremel with a barrel sanding bit to make the hole bigger.

 

[stevenlee]

D'Ecosse,
Thanks for the info. I guess the 50 degree superwide cameras are too wide. I'll look for a 105 degree camera.

Steve

 

[ChrisK]

Steven,

I'm glad you got your FX500 car in town. I'd like to check it out one day. Ken, is great for audio information. His system looks great and I'm sure it sounds just as good. My opinion, if you are not going full blown hard core and just want something really good, I would just get a simple coax for the front speakers. The reason why I say that is the installation will be very simply, no need to worry about were to mount the extra tweeters and where to put the X-over box. Some of them are quite large. Coax speakers are often more efficient than components, so you wont need a much power as well. Get the SOS sub box and run your complete system off a 3 or 4 channel amp. If a 4 channel amp, bridge the 3/4 channels to run the sub. A system like this would be very easy to install and not break the bank either. If you ever whatch DVD movies it still would be a sufficient sounding system. You wont get the real 5.1 experience, but if you want to go down that road it gets a lot more complicated. My amp was behind the drivers seat and I noticed absolutely no difference in cabin temp.

By the way, what did you think of my reverse camera set up? Did you notice anything you didn't like? In my case, the camera itself was not the clearest image during lower light conditions but was pretty good under good light. One of the problems with my set up was that it was one of those cameras that was augmented by infrared LEDs and the camera went into night mode under low light conditions which as you know from video cameras kinds of make the image greenish. Also, since the LED lights itself was burried bedhind the lens, it was a wasted feature in my application. The other problem was the auto iris would take a few seconds to adjust to the different lighting conditions. For example, if I was viewing it all the time and drove though a tunnel, it would take a few seconds to adjust, then when I came out of the tunnel, it would blow out the image since the iris was so wide open and take a few seconds to adjust again. As for a simple reverse camera though it did its job.

One more thing. I guess all the other guys with similar reverse cameras can chime in if they noticed the same thing. When mounted in the keyhole location, you can't see the rear bumper so I used to have a hard time judging depth. I never really knew how close I really was to an object or wall. What I had to learn to do was judge it by how large the object grew in the monitor as I got close. If I could do my set up again, I would try and angle the camera down a but to catch the edge of the bumper if possible, That way you know exactly how close your bumper really is to an object.

 

[D'Ecosse]

If tweeter mounting is a concern, then there are now many "convertible" series of speakers, which are true components but mount co-axially.
Among these are CDT and MBQuart and there are others.
Co-ax used to be a dirty word - you can still mount co-axially without having to go cheap & ineffective.

Edit for clarification: my preference for better fidelity would be not to utlize such mounting & I would still recommend mounting the tweets much higher - my comment above is strictly goverened by the qualifier "if tweeter mounting is a concern" - i.e. if you dont want to cut your door panels. There are other alternatives still however, with custom sail panels or "A" pillar panels good considerations.

p.s. I haven't really come across many C/O's that won't fit on my speaker mounting plates (not to say there aren't any out there!).
One consideration of the Lotus Reference however is there are two (separate) cross-overs for each component set (4 total - individual for each mid tweeter) so it may not be practical to fit these inside the door. The Lotus Performance has only a single C/O per side however.

 

[stevenlee]

ChrisK,
Thanks for the comments. I am leaning toward a 4 channel amp behind the driver's seat and high quality component speakers. I've overcome my reluctancy to cut the door panels for the tweeters considering the other radical mods to my car.

What was the angle of your camera? Most seam to be advertised as 120 degree. Iwas wondering if a superwide angle camera that includes the bumper would help in judging the relative position to any objects benind the car. What do you think?

Call me and let's get together.

D'Ecosse,
Thanks for your comments about the 4 crossovers. Where would they be mounted? I'm trying to minimize the clutter in my car and trying to select a quality speaker with a "clean" uncluttered installation.

Aloha,
Steve

 

[Malibu Rapper]

p.s. I haven't really come across any C/O's that won't fit on my speaker mounting plates (not to say there aren't any out there!).

There are a few, prova4re's comes to mind. Not your typical speaker set, though. I hate big crossover's personally.

 

[D'Ecosse]

It may be possible to mount the Reference C/O's like this - good thing about them is although they are a pair, they are quite compact

On the flip side, the mid drivers are pretty deep - I made a special thick mount for mine because teh mounting depth is 71.5mm with those huge magnets.

I'll get dimensions from Leon on the C/O's & see if they will fit as indicated.
(Of course they'd be on the reverse side of the plate as shown in the pic)

.

 

[ChrisK]

ChrisK,
Thanks for the comments. I am leaning toward a 4 channel amp behind the driver's seat and high quality component speakers. I've overcome my reluctancy to cut the door panels for the tweeters considering the other radical mods to my car.

What was the angle of your camera? Most seam to be advertised as 120 degree. Iwas wondering if a superwide angle camera that includes the bumper would help in judging the relative position to any objects benind the car. What do you think?

Call me and let's get together.


Aloha,
Steve

Steven,

This is the camera I am using. http://cgi.ebay.com/Mini-Digital-Ca...800359044QQcategoryZ48605QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem It says it is a 72 degree lens which was wide enough for me to see the lanes on either side of the rear. . I don't think a super wide angle would help as I believe it still wouldn't catch the bumpers. The position of the lens in the key hole IMHO is just too high above the rear bumper for it to be within camera view. The problem I had to get used to was judging where the bumper really was because the camera lens is mounted about 3" or so behind the bumper. In teh begening I would get close to the object in the monitor, then go check it out in back only to realize I was about 1" away from actually hitting iy when I thought I had about 6" or so. Anyway, my car is going into the car show next weekend so after that we should be able to meet up. Shane from California (NSX Prime member) is supposed to be coming back into town that weekend as well so we are probably going to to something with him as well. Kevin and I both havve or cars in the show so no NSX's for us that weekend

 

[stevenlee]

Chris,

Many of the cameras on ebay have a set of angled mounting rings that allow the camera to be tilted down. Do you think this would be able to make the camera see the bumper?

Steve

 

[ChrisK]

Chris,

Many of the cameras on ebay have a set of angled mounting rings that allow the camera to be tilted down. Do you think this would be able to make the camera see the bumper?

Steve

It might. It sure is worth a try. I'm hoping someone else gives it a try and if it works out well maybe I'll swap mine to one of those. When I did mine there were very few color reverse image cameras out that didn't cost a grip load of money. It seems like there are a lot more choices nowdays.

 

[D'Ecosse]

Many of the cameras on ebay have a set of angled mounting rings that allow the camera to be tilted down. Do you think this would be able to make the camera see the bumper?

Not if you want to install it in the keyhole - you just can't make it angle without the view being obstructed by the rest of the red plastic lens, Besides they barely fit already, let alone try to mount it angled. Even mounting outside (like mine) you can't make this work. My original camera came with these - you just can't make those angle brackets work in this application.
If you are that concerned about the bumper proximity go with the plate mounted one by CrimeStopper.
Platecam They also have an audible back-up sensor system as installed on many new cars. They call it Backstoppper

 

[ChrisK]

Not if you want to install it in the keyhole - you just can't make it angle without the view being obstructed by the rest of the red plastic lens, Besides they barely fit already, let alone try to mount it angled. Even mounting outside (like mine) you can't make this work. My original camera came with these - you just can't make those angle brackets work in this application.
If you are that concerned about the bumper proximity go with the plate mounted one by CrimeStopper.
Platecam They also have an audible back-up sensor system as installed on many new cars. They call it Backstoppper

Ken, just wondering if you have the same issues I had or if you just got used to judging the distance. I got used to it, but when I first started the camera in key hole project I did it mostly because I wanted to try it, to see if I could do it myself, and for the novelty of it. Since I go to car shows it is worth a little something for me. Now though I'm thinking of trying a different set up where it's fuction is greater. Not that it had no function before as you could see anything that was behind you like a child or object so that was good.

 

[stevenlee]

Would a superwide camera as on the above referenced ebay site show the bumper from the keyhole? Would it be a problem if the camera angle is too wide?

There isn't much(any) room over the top of the license plate. It looks like the license plate cam would be level with or higher than the overhanging bumper.

 

[ChrisK]

Steven,

It is just too hard to tell what the wide angle will look like. Personally I don't think it will see the bumper as wide is left and right and not up and down. You need something with a lower field of view to see the bumper. If you can make it out to the car show at Blaisdell this weekend you can check out my set up. Just give me a call so you know if I'm there at the show or not. I don't know what times I'll be there. Or, we can try and meet up after that. The local NSX guys are planning a get together/cruise on the 9/4 so if you can make it then you can check out my camera set up at that time as well. Plus, we all want to check out your car anyway :biggrin: