Infinity Kappa Speakers and Amps

[The WidowMaker]

the car is still a ways off, but im starting my search for the stereo system. the plan is to do all the fab work for installation this winter, so id like to know what im going to buy. i will end up holding off on the touch screen head unit since they seem to be changing really fast.

so heres the plan -

50.9cs 5.25" components up front with the mid in the cowl vent and the tweeter either close to that or in the custom dash. may go 6.5 if i can fit them.

60.9cs 6.5" comonents and a single 100.9w 10" sub in the rear deck

kappa 4 to power the components and a kappa 1 to power the sub. i looked into the 5, but it seems a little weak for all of it together. both will be mounted in the finished trunk.

so, ive read pretty good reviews on the kappa stuff here and elsewhere, but is there anything else thats better in the same price range? any issues with the infinity stuff? i dont know crap about stereos, and i got hosed the last time i put a system in the car (so much for hookups).

any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks, Tim

[makoshark]

What exactly is your budget? You can do better than Infinity`s with a slightly larger budget over the cost of the Infinity`s. I am an audiophile and have never been pleased with the sound that comes from those.

Also, it sounds like your spending some time to put together a well thought out system. I suggest reading up on imaging. Placing speakers in the rear deck is really not ideal. Also, I would forgo placing components in the rear. I would just build a nice front stage with a sub in the rear. I read a lot about those types of systems and heard everyone rave about them, but didn`t think it would really sound that great till I built one. The system I put together is amazing. I like a nice SQ system. I don`t care for how loud I can make it or how hard I can make it hit. I just like to be able to recreate the sound as the artist originally intended for it to sound. That`s the hard part in the constraints of an automobile, but with the right imaging and components it can be done.

[ProdigyCustoms]

The perfect 6 are pretty nice for the price.

[nekkidhillbilly]

im running kappas all around i love the sound from them.

[nekkidhillbilly]

i think i have less that 200 bucks in all 4 and i have 6.5 comps and 6.5 coax in the rear.

[The WidowMaker]

What exactly is your budget?

well, that really depends on a lot. i can pick up the system above for just under $1000, through a ton of online suppliers. if there were something better in that price range im all in. same stuff from crutchfield is close to $1700. i just need to do my research on these online guys before i buy.

Also, it sounds like your spending some time to put together a well thought out system. I suggest reading up on imaging. Placing speakers in the rear deck is really not ideal. Also, I would forgo placing components in the rear. I would just build a nice front stage with a sub in the rear.

any tips to start with? i really should tell you that although i would like a nice system, i probably have never heard a really good one. i have the bose system in my silverado and i love it. in fact, id say that its the best system ive ever heard. but i hear its pretty much crap if you know what youre listening to.

[makoshark]

I`ll give you the run down on the system I built. Now, keep in mind, I have not finished my 67 camaro, so I`m not at the install the sound system stage on my build. I had an 01 ws6 trans am that I installed a system and then later sold the car, but pulled the system waiting for my 67.

Here`s what I did:



I stumbled upon some speakers that I find produce an amazing sound for their price range. The company is called CDT. I have what is called upgraded 6.5 components. They are the HD62 upgraded. That means the 6.5 HD was upgraded to their M6 model, not to be confused with their M6+. I also bought their upstage 22 kit. That adds 2 more tweeters to the front stage at head level. What it does is lift the sound from the floor giving more headroom as well as more clarity. I have the Memphis Belle 1300 5 channel amp. This amp is a beast and a highly regarded amp. Way underrated from the factory. You can pick used one`s up on Ebay at a great price. Then I stumbled upon another amazing speaker company. This company is called FI Car Audio. They make subs. I purchased their 12" SQ 2 OHM dual voice coil sub. That gives me the option of running it 1 OHM or 4 OHM. The Memphis amp is 1 OHM stable so that gave me the ability to make 1100 watts to the sub. It`s best to over amp your speakers so you can turn down your gains and keep it out of the amp or speakers distortion level. I also used Stinger 14 ga twisted speaker wire for the components and 10 ga for the sub. A good set of RCA`s will make a difference as well, but you don`t have to spend a fortune there. I bet with a little shopping you could duplicate all that for just over $1000. Don`t skimp on the headunit as well. I have a Pioneer 980BT. It`s a very nice unit that Pioneer recently stopped producing, so you might could pick one up used for a great price. The Pioneer headunits are a bit tricky for those not familiar with installing them. If the headunit is not grounded from the ground lug on the rear of the deck to the body of the car, then alternator whine will be introduced into the system. You can`t get rid of it without having the deck serviced either. Seems there is a diode in the mix that gets popped if not grounded properly.

It all boils down to the sensitivity of your ears. I have highly sensitive hearing. I hear frequencies most can`t. I guess that`s why I have always been so picky about the quality of sound coming out of my car. With all that, the best sound is the rumble of the engine, but to me a nice hot rod is not complete with out the proper tunes.

[mc84_zz4]

The Infinity Kappa are all 2 ohm for starters, so your amp will produce more watts.
Also they are high sensitivity, so they will play louder with the same amount of power as another brand.
Usually 3 db more sound will take 2x the power, so an Infinity at 95db using 50w will sound as loud as another rated at 92 db using 100 w.

I have 6 Infininty Kappa (3.5, 6.5 and 6x9) and one 12" Kappa Perfect 12.1 sub, the specs are outrageous, and it performs incredibly well for a single 12".
I have an Infininty 6ch amp (5761), the precursor of the Kappa 5, which we also have, but have not installed the Kappa 5 yet. The Kappa 5 has the controls on the top panel, much easier to tweak.
The Kappa 5 puts down 75w RMS x 4 @ 2ohm + 300x1 w RMS @ 2 ohm, or 50w RMS x 4 @ 4ohm + 200x1 w RMS @ 4 ohm, If you pair it up to some 2 ohm speakers/sub your system can take advantage of the extra power.

You can get something like a JL setup (very nice), but you will spend a bit more budget, the JL subs need more power, they are on average 84-89 db sensitivity. So a JL sub @86 db sensitivity with 600 wats is similar to an Infinity sub @ 90 db and 300 watts.

10" subs
Infinity 100.9w = 89 db
http://www.crutchfield.com/s_1081009...arch=Kappa+sub
JL Audio 10WX-4 = 86 db
http://www.crutchfield.com/p_13610WX...-4.html?tp=111
JL Audio 10W3v3-2 = 85 db
http://www.crutchfield.com/s_13610W3...-2.html?tp=111

12" subs
JL Audio 12W3v3 = 87 db
Infinity 120.9w = 91 db


Many authorized Infinity vendors, such as Crutchfield, have a 3 yr warranty on the Kappa equipment.

[makoshark]

Infinity speakers sound like A$$, plain and simple, compared to anything of quality

[The WidowMaker]

i had looked into the cdt stuff, but there is just soooo much to choose from. their prices are also a little higher, although i did find the package below. i would do another set of components instead of the coaxial, and i would need another amp. but, it appears to be a pretty good deal.

Special Deal Sale Price: $799.00


Package Includes:
CDT award winning 180 watt HD-62ACTV cast 6.5” front component speakers:
CDT HD-65NX 6.5” slim rear coaxial speakers:
HD- 1000CF 10” carbon fiber subwoofer:
SQA-4075 High End 4 channel amplifier:

[makoshark]

I don`t know much about the amps they sell and have been told their coaxils are not that great sounding. The HD62 component kit sounds great and if upgraded to the M6 then it sounds even better. You can get better prices than what your seeing on their website. If you want, go to ls1tech.com and look up a post named KEEAUDIO. He`s a dealer for CDT and I have purchased through him in the past. If I were you I would jump on Ebay and pick up a used Memphis Belle 1300 made by Memphis Car Audio. I have that amp and it is phenomenal. I wouldn`t hesitate buying a clean one from a reputable seller on Ebay.

If you are looking for bass to fill the frequency spectrum but don`t want a huge bassy sound, then you might wanna look at the CDT M6+ 6.5 subwoofers. I have a pair and was blown away with the amount of bass those little things produce.

[The WidowMaker]

the prices i posted were from the kee audio site. i havent called him to see what he can do on a package that would actually work for me.

but, i still havent ruled out the kappa stuff. most seem happy with it. the only complaint i hear is that the tweeters are a little strong.

any other suggestions?

thanks

[makoshark]

It all boils down to individual tastes as well as the frequencies you can hear. I would suggest going to a local stereo shop and listening to the different brands they have. Keep in mind, the stereo shop isn`t a car, so they may sound differently in the confines of a car. Boston Acoustics are great speakers, but their lower end stuff are equal to Infinity`s. When you compare Infinity`s to other local electronic store speakers, then they are the cream of the crop. You can overcome that harsh tweeter sound by going with soft dome tweeters.

It`s all going to boil down even more to how deep are you willing to dig into your pocket and what your actual expectations and goals are for the system. You can build a decently sounding system out of the Infinity stuff, but if you ever hear a higher end system, then nothing will ever sound all that great unless your willing to step up to the plate.

[The WidowMaker]

what about the alpine spx-17 ref? about the same as the kappas?

[makoshark]

I`m not familiar with those. I do know that Alpine`s Type R stuff sounds pretty decent. However, I wouldn`t rate them much better sounding than Infinity`s

[mc84_zz4]

The Alpine SPX are their high-end, and around $400/pr, their SPX PRO is another step up and around $700/pr.
A different animal than the Type R speaker line, which is similar to the Infinity Kappa.
The Kappa all have a -3db switch either on the tweeter pod or the crossover.
If you get the Kappas give them a week or 2 to break them in, you will notice they get smoother IMO.

As far as speakers, I would rather spend the extra $300-500 on an active EQ or a sound processor, that way you can tune your system to your taste, adjusting for your car environment, and speaker placement.
I have an EQ setup to re-shape the sound, as well as control the sub crossover and gain, to me it is the key piece to a system sounding good.
With a good amp and speakers you can tell the difference in the sound engineering of your CDs, some are OK, and a few are fantastic. I find myself tweaking on each CD if I play it loud.

I give the Infinity amps : mine has performed flawlessly, in the trunk in 120*+ degree heat of South Texas.
The Kappa 5 amp is a perfect match for your 4 speakers and sub(s), specially if you get the 2 ohm Kappas.
If you add up the bill from your first equipment list, changing only the amp, it's around $1200 at Crutchfield pricing for spkrs & amp. (all with a 3 yr warranty).
I would also change the rear speakers to the 6x9 version(same price), versus the 6.5, you have a ton of space on that back deck.

Give Crutchfield a call, they can help you tailor a system to your budget, even if at the end you decide to wait, the information you get will help you chose. 1-800-555-8305

[The WidowMaker]

there are just too many damn choices. i can get the kappas for pretty cheap, or i can get the kappa perfects and alpine spx for about $100 more. if i spend $200 over the cheaper kappas, i can get some focal vr's.

will the kappa 5 really run everything i want? my less than 1k price was for the cheaper kappas and 2 amps. i am willing to spend a little more, i just dont know if i will ever be able to tell the difference.

Tim

[mc84_zz4]

Almost everybody I know that has a good ear will tell you to spend the most you can in the speakers.
If you have some discretionary budget, go for the Focals, at least the front speakers, that is the most important area where you set the sound stage.
If you get the Focals, it seems they are rated 4 ohm and 75 w RMS, so match up an amp to give it 90% of the RMS or closer if possible.

The Kappa 5 will work great with Kappa 2 ohm speakers, bumping up to 75 w RMS at 2 ohms.
For the Focals you want a different amp that can produce the 75 w RMS at 4 ohms, and then get some rear speakers with similar specs. Also note the Focals are high sensitivity too, a good thing in my book!

So assuming you like Focal, here's another recipe:
Focal 130 VR in front ($350)
Focal 165 VR in rear - OR - Focal 690CA1 (i know it's a 2-way, but the soundstage is in front) ($350/250)
Focal Solid 4 amp (75 RMS x4) ($400)
Focal Solid 4 amp bridged to power the sub (200 RMs x2 @ 4ohm) ($400)

So roughtly $1,500 at Crutchfield prices and you need a sub.

[makoshark]

Just go to a stereo shop or where ever that sells car audio and find what fits your budget that fits your listening preference. Processors and what not are only going to complicate the system and add to the expense. They can really wake up a system, but with anything, you can`t polish a turd. I`m not really familiar with Alpine`s, but have heard many different speakers and all brands have cheaper speakers that really aren`t up to snuff to my listening tastes. After having several SQ systems and competing with them, doing well in the competitions, the cheaper line stuff just can`t do what I like. However, it all boils down to what you like and can afford. Don`t skimp on the head unit though. That is the heart of the system. A cheap head unit will make the best speakers not sound so great. You don`t have to go out and find the nicest quality amp. Just make sure you buy one that produces more power than you really need.

[The WidowMaker]

i plan to hit some shops in the next couple weeks. i also plan to do some reading in the next few days on imaging.

oh, and the plan is to spend some money on a good head unit. the plan is dvd/nav unit and they all seem to be close to 1k. i figure if im going to take the family on drives, nav may not be all that bad. ive never used it before, and im still in the flip/no internet phone age so i really need something to help me find my way.