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YOUR RESEARCHBest Amp upgrade 99 996 "hifi" system?
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Install by a po)
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I'll snap a pic later today of my set up (installed by a PO).
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I replaced my factory Hifi amp with an Alpine PDX-V9 a couple years ago.
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This along with unknown condition is why I changed my speakers as well.
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I ran RCA cables from the head through the firewall plug to the amp and connect the amp output to the speaker wires that already exist in the car.
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Until I can afford the whole head unit upgrade, I'm looking to replace the amplifier for my "hifi" option (non Bose, Nov 1999 996) system. I have a janky Kenwood tuner in there now that does not put out that great, but can live with it for now. The Audio shop I dropped in at wanted more than a grand to do the Amp and said it will make a big difference, and to wait on speakers till I hear the result. So....
Wondering if I should just open the frunk and replace there amp DIY style? Is it a near plug and play? Thanks for your input and hope someone has been there ahead of me. What Amp? How easy?
I replaced my factory Hifi amp with an Alpine PDX-V9 a couple years ago. Pretty straightforward and the 5th channel allowed me to add a subwoofer. I used the the installation instructions from Rod at
www.CAI-store.com
.
For slightly less than $1K, I got the Alpine ILX-W650 (7" w/ CarPlay), MB Quart RA1-710.5 (5-Channel Amp), and iBEAM Back-Up Camera w/ installation @ BestBuy. The key is getting the "Best Buy Totaltech" membership, so all installation costs are waived. It also gives you extended warranty coverage.
I'll snap a pic later today of my set up (installed by a PO). I have two Rock Fosgate amps mounted in the frunk, the speakers are stock (doors may have been upgraded) and the head unit is stock (with Aux added), and the sound is great. It is by far the best car audio system I have ever had. It is even better than my 2014 Benz with the Hardon Kardon sound system. It even has surprisingly good base for a car with no sub.
Here is my amp set up. I included a pic of the part number even though these are older amps that aren't made anymore so you can check specs if you'd like. Better/bigger amps alone really can make a big difference, and personally I don't see a big need to upgrade the head unit unless you want the fancy touch screen/nav/backup camera/etc. Adding Aux/bluetooth to your stock head unit is quite cheap and easy these days. Please excuse the messy frunk and dirty car, it gets dirty so fast down here in LA. Like I said a PO installed them, so they have been there the entire time I have owned the car, but they don't really seem to limit usable frunk space by too much and I have never once wished they weren't there.
Mine had an Alpine BT148 head when I bought it, which was working well. The sound was actually nice as long as the car wasn't running. Couldn't hear it otherwise. I changed the amp and speakers. I wanted super clean sound I can hear at speed (for when I get tired of listening to the amazing engine). Regardless, the install was pretty easy. The amp did need a direct tap off the battery. I ran RCA cables from the head through the firewall plug to the amp and connect the amp output to the speaker wires that already exist in the car. The amp is mounted where the CD changer mounts to the left of the spare tire. Maybe you can find a smaller one that fits in the existing amp location. The problem you may run into is matching impedance and power for the existing speakers. It will be easy to overpower them. This along with unknown condition is why I changed my speakers as well. Agreed with comments about working with Rod at CAI-Store.com or Car Audio Innovations. Really good guy. Good luck!
Not cheap, but amazing results after learning how to tune a DSP with an external microphone. I've tuned it 3 times, each time I learn more about the process of tuning and each time it gets better. JL has a series of videos online to show the process. I've been following these. There are other methods out there. Maybe I'll try them at some point. The amp can store several configurations which can be switched from the dash in a moment, if you buy the extra dongle.
I have the JL VX600/6i amplifier, 2 front channels, 2 rear channels, 2 door channels, and sub-woofer pre-amp out to a Kenwood D5101 Sub amp.
Speakers are:
Focal ES100 and TKM tweeters in the corners, amp connects to the passive cross over
Focal ES130's in the doors
JL 8W3v3-4 Sub in a custom enclosure I made to fit where the right rear seat cushion sits
Again, not cheap, but you can hear fingers on guitar and bass strings, and breaths in microphones, tongues on saxophone reeds. And each instrument is in a different place across the dash with the singer in front. It's crazy good. (for my old damaged ears...)
No. I have the Audio Control SA-4100i microphone that plugs into an Iphone. Audio Controls has an app called Mobile Tools that includes the FFA, RTA, polarity check, and such. The mic calibration is passed to the app when it recognizes the microphone. It works quite well. That said, I've never used anything else so I have no reference point except that I was able to use both the JL Tun software and the Audio Control app pretty easily.
