Tunes in the roadster...

[black roadster]

Well... I got the bug to go into Earmark Car Audio today.

I currently have a decent Sony head unit but my Blaupunkt seperates are blowing since they have just been running off the radio. (not enough power is what normally blows a speaker)

Goal is for enough power to hear on the freeway with the top down and not break the bank.

Naturally Earmark isn't cheap.

Anyone have recommendations on what to go with? Looking for some decent door speakers and an amp.

Also, anyone have any experience in installing an amp that can help me?

[channelmaniac]

Amps are cake to install... you have to decide WHERE to install them...

If you can install the amps under the rear deck in that wasted space, that would be your best bet... That way they are out of the way - just be careful where you put the self tapping screws!

Smaller amps can fit under the seats too.

Speakers in the headrests, doors, and some small 6 1/2" subs in the rear deck would be nice...

If you do headrest speakers, you'll want to put some small bypass caps on them to keep some of the real low and real punchy bass off of them.

My take on it is that the installation should show NO wires and should be invisible to thieves looking in windows.

Run the power wires and speaker wires down the channels under the inside edge of the carpeting under the doors and run the RCA audio cables under the center console (you'll need to make a small cut in the rear finish panel to bring them in under it) to keep them away from the power wires, brake light wires, etc...

I'd be happy to help if I could find the time. I have a large amount of crimp connectors and Molex connectors for my Spec project so don't go hog wild buying tons of connectors... You can get fuse blocks, connectors, wire, wire guides, etc... at Tanner's pretty reasonable. No need to spend the LARGE amount of extra money on gold plated everything. Those things are worth THAT much more money in my opinion.

Get heavy gauge power wire and thick speaker wire - don't skimp on those, but no need to put in Monster Cable or other pricey stuff. A good, flexible, heat & abrasion resistant 16 gauge wire will be more than enough for door speakers and short runs to rear deck speakers. 18 gauge works just fine for headrest speakers. Any thicker and it may show up all lumpy under the fabric. As for the amps, go for whatever gauge they use on the amp... or slightly bigger. Nothing smaller than that and no need for 4 gauge or something bigger...

RJ

[riverracer]

There is not enough room for the amp under the seats. Mine is behind the passenger seat. Good luck on trying to hear it on the freeway with the top down. Especially in traffic. Get some headphones

[juxt3r]

I've enjoyed Boston Acoustics components in three cars. Check on eBay for decent pricing. I know Earmark is a dealer (as is Tweeter), but the prices at both generally leave something to be desired.
Though discontinued, sets of RC61 components are excellent and show up from time to time. RC620s are a newer incarnation, though recently discontinued I believe.
Rave reviews and decent prices can also be found for Image Dynamics, Elemental Designs and CDT, among many others.

Reasonable and adequate amplifiers are very prolific these days. If you're just running components in the doors, you could check out a 2-channel MTX amp, as they provide pretty decent bang for the buck performance.
As with so many things, eBay is a great source for amps, too. You might consider reading forums on SoundDomain.com and other sites to get thoughts on what brands to check out or avoid.

Earmark does a great job on install and tuning, but if you're just wanting something straight forward, save the $$ and do it at home with friends.