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Quicksilver
07-01-2003, 09:24 AM
Okay, so the title is pretty generic, but I'm just exstatic about the deals I got on my new system. Here's the quick breakdown for you.

Receiver: Sony MEX-1HD
Front Speakers: Boston Z components
Rear Speakers: Boston RS6 coaxials

I'd wanted the Sony or the Pioneer receiver with the intergrated hard drive since I first saw them. But at an initial pricing of $1500 for the Sony and $1300 for the Pioneer, I didnt' think it was going to happen. Even when the stereo stores told me they were discontinuing them, they were still asking $1000 for them. So by pure blind luck I went by Best Buy and they had their demo model for sale, but it didn't have the remote (no big deal for me), the manual (got it off Sony.com) and no trim plate (they found one in back for me). Once I saw the $450 price tag, I couldn't help but buy it.

So not that I'd made the biggest car stereo purchase I'd ever made, what would come next? Why the fact that Good Guys was getting rid of the Boston Acoustic line, of course! I went to three stores before I found one that even had any left. But they only had the Z series components (I would have preferred the cheaper Pro series) and the set of RS6s. The drawback was that they were the demo models, but they assured me that if they was ANY problem to bring them back for a full refund within 30 days. Price for the speakers on closeout: $400 for the Zs and $115 for the RS6s. I still can't believe that I dropped over $500 on speakers, but everyone I'd talked to said "You will NOT be disappointed in the Bostons. It's like night and day versus any other speakers (save a few high priced sets)."

Even though it cost me just over $1000 for my new system (including the few extra parts I needed), I'm sure I'll be very happy with it. Considering that if I'd bought all the parts new it would have cost me $2750, I think I got one hell of a deal! Now I just need to install them.....

Whaddya think? Good deal on a good system? :D

Team
07-01-2003, 10:43 AM
yeah it sounds like you got a good deal, now all you need is to get some pics up on here.


Adam

Steve02Si
07-01-2003, 10:58 AM
$1000 for your system, but what about power? I hope you're not running high end components on head unit power!

Quicksilver
07-01-2003, 12:15 PM
Originally posted by Steve02Si
$1000 for your system, but what about power? I hope you're not running high end components on head unit power!

The system is still not in and I still haven't had a chance to shop for the final parts to complete the system. I'm not into enormous bass or high power. I want a quality system that sounds good at low to medium levels with decent low end. I'm also looking to keep the weight down because I road race my car. So a sub is pretty much out of my needs.

What would you recommend? Should I get a 4x50w amp and run a channel to each speaker? Or could I get away with 2x50w and run the rears off the head unit? I'm open to anyone's suggestions on this. Give me a parts list of other recommended items to get. I've already got Dynamatt, the install kit and wiring harness.

I'm not too keen on tearing apart the car to install aftermarket speaker wire, but I may if people think it's a necessity. I've got a friend of mine that knows his stuff on car audio who will be helping me, so we can pretty much install anything really. Just don't tell me I need another $500 in secondary equipment for it to sound good. I was tapped out of cash for the head unit.

Any advise would be appreciated.

Steve02Si
07-01-2003, 12:20 PM
what's the RMS power of the front sep's? if they're as high end as you say, then you threw money away if you dont power them with AT LEAST what they're rated at. A sub isn't for bassheads, either. It's a necessary part of accurate musical reproduction. You can do a single 8" sealed enclosure that wont weigh much and will add the necessary low end that the system will otherwise lack.

Quicksilver
07-01-2003, 02:08 PM
Originally posted by Steve02Si
what's the RMS power of the front sep's? if they're as high end as you say, then you threw money away if you dont power them with AT LEAST what they're rated at. A sub isn't for bassheads, either. It's a necessary part of accurate musical reproduction. You can do a single 8" sealed enclosure that wont weigh much and will add the necessary low end that the system will otherwise lack.

The front comps are rated at 20-400 watts.
The rear coaxials are rated at 12-200 watts.
The head unit is 23 watts RMS (50 watts peak).

If I were to go with a 4 channel amp, 2 channels powering the fronts and bridge the other two channels for a single 10" sub (and power the rears with head unit), what kind of wattage would I want for a good sound? 50 per channel? 100 per channel? What's a quality brand of amp that won't cost me an arm and a leg? Same question for the sub.

Steve02Si
07-01-2003, 05:59 PM
I'd go with a JL 500/5 5 channel amp and an 8W7 sub. It's not the cheapest but you definitely get what you pay for. it's finish off your system nicely. if you're not willing to spend what a good amp's worth, get rid of your separates and find something with a lower power requirement.

Quicksilver
07-02-2003, 10:02 PM
Given what you're recommendations and some further research into some of the points you hit upon. I think I'm going to return the Bostons. For the price I paid, I can get a full Infinity setup (comps in front, coax in back, and Basslink sub). For me, that may be the best middleground. With the Basslink, it's got the built in amp, crossovers, etc. all in one unit that I can remove when road racing. And I know that the Infinitys are probably the most highly recommended for their market segment.

I just can't see dropping another $1000 or so just to get a killer sounding stereo. Something that's noticebly better than stock may just fit the bill (and pocketbook). Buying the Boston's was more of an impulse buy at the time. I knew I'd never be able to find them at that price again, so I had to get them. If nothing else, it gave me a chance to seriously think about it. They gave me a 30 day money back guarantee, so all should be good.

At least it was cool having top of the line Boston comps, even if they were never installed. :D