So, the Corvette is running nice and tight, and it is ready to be driven. Before I start taking her out, though,I want to get the stereo setup.

Here's what I have so far:

1. Nothing

I want to purchase this stereo, because it has the classy, retro look to match the car.

So, here is my question:

What else do I need?

The specs for that stereo indicate it has 200 Watts (4x50)out, via 4 Channel RCA Pre-outs. Now, I don't know anything about car audio, but in pro-audio, Pre-out means weak ass signal that needs an amp to be heard through the speakers. I assume this holds true for cars.

So, if I am understanding right, I need:

• The stereo unit
• An amp for each channel (or dual channel/quad channel amps to accommodate all four speakers)
• A pair of front speakers
• A pair of rear speakers
• Speaker wire with RCA plugs on each end (from the stereo to the amp) for each RCA out on the stereo
• Enough wire (of the right gauge) to get from the amp to the speakers

And, because it's no fun without it, here is the above, in MSPaint form:


Notes:
I'm not an "audiophile." Also, it's a coupe, and has a small interior. I don't have room for a big ****ing amp, a big ****ing speaker box, a ****ing Bazooka sub, or a lot of stupid speakers. Also, I'm not ghetto (Thrawn Numbarzz, lol) so I don't need people in the next county hearing what I am listening to (they don't want to hear my left-wing conservative red-neck christian choir music anyway).

Would something like this be acceptable? That amp is big, but it's thin, which is important.

[Addendum: Upon further investigation, I read that it has 4x50W outputs. That should mean I don't need amplifiers, correct? Though I also understand when manufactures claim "X watts", they usually mean "we got lucky this one time and managed to get X watts out of it as it was hit by lightning, but then it melted, so you'll probably only get 20watts"]

You should consider how loud the car is now when you're driving it before you put in a stereo.

No point in it if you can't hear it over the roar of your leaky exhaust (if you have leaky exhaust)

Depends on the sensitivity of the speakers you're putting in. Most modern speakers are pretty sensitive and don't need that much power to drive them. Even 20 watts into an average speaker is pretty loud.

Pretty loud for a normal car with sound insulation.

True, but if he's just drowning it out, all he'll be doing is damaging his hearing. 20 watts for speakers with a sensitivity of 88 db SPL at a distance of 3 feet will get you 104 db. Distance of 1 foot is 114. 50 watts gets you 108 and 118, respectively.

Remember that bels are a logarithmic scale, so every time you double your power you only get 3 db increase. So if 20 watts gets you 104, 40 gets you 107, 80 gets you 110, 160 gets you 113. 3 db is about the minimum audible difference you can discern under most situations (ie not a controlled listening test), it's about the minimum you'd want for an adjustment step.

I would skip the amp for now, you can always add it in later. I would put most of my money into the speakers, they are the single most important influence on sound anywhere in the signal chain. If it isn't loud enough or if it starts to clip or distort at high volume, add an amp later. Save the money, and the space, for things that are more important for that car.

If you even need an amp, you will probably only have to get one. Cool stereo by the way. Let's get some pics of the car!

I didn't fully read the post, just looked at the image (im at work..) but you should really hook the amp too the battery of the car (power) with a nice fat inline fuse.

You don't need an amp. You certainly don't need two amps to drive four speakers. I would go with the headunit and speakers and call it a day. If you are dissatisfied with the sound qualitly you could upgrade in stages later.

http://picasaweb.google.com/svaladez/C3Gallery

I can do that. The battery is actually located behind the driver's seat, in a special storage compartment within the cockpit, so it's super easy to get to. Any suggestions as to what amperage fuse?

I'd rather get everything done at once. Running the wires requires removing the carpet. I am going to replace the carpet in a few weeks anyway, so it's a perfect time to run new wiring. I'd rather not have to rip out my perfect new carpet to add more components.

Thanks for the help everyone. I guess my next question is:

Are there specific brands/models you would recommend to complete the setup?

You need to worry the most about speakers. I don't know much about car audio brands, but the typical big names are probably fine. You need to look at specific models and look up reviews for them. For that kind of stuff I usually go on Amazon, find everything in my price range and then look up reviews for specific models.

I can definitely understand that but it seemed that your purpose for asking had more to do with your confusion of needing one. It depends upon what your intent is. It seems to me that you're simply wanting some decent tunes in your car so, if I were you, I would keep it simple, and clean, and skip the amps.

What are the stock locations for your speakers? I ask because I know my '79 TA has one in the center dash and two on the rear deck. Just FYI, my stock factory system is an AM/FM/CB radio. Go figure, a black and gold T/A with a CB. Wonder where they got that idea!

When it comes to brands on a topic such as this, you're simply going to get so many opinions based on who knows what logic. For example, I recently replaced four speakers in my Jeep Grand Cherokee. I went with Infinity simply for the reason that the factory stereo is badged Infinity. Just wanted to stay consistent for some silly reason. Other times I've shopped by price-to-positive review ratio. If I were you, I would just check out reviews at a site like Crutchfield.

thought you didn't like music

You sir, have a very nice car. I always liked that body style. Almost bought a 1972 I think it was, the 'Crossfire-Injection' model. Something like that anyway. I'm not too familiar with corvettes prior to 2000.

Stock speaker locations are left and right kick panel -- under the dash, behind the front wheels but in front of the doors -- and left and right rear, under and behind the rear window. I was planning on putting in 5" or 6" rounds in the front, and 6"x9" 3-way in the rears. I will probably skip the amps. Save some money for my paint job next summer!

So, any specific brands to recommend? I know little about car audio. For pro-audio, I would go with JBL speakers. Do they make car speakers? Hmmmmmmm.




Thanks! It's a 1968, first year of the "Mako Shark" body style, also called "Stingray", though the Stingray name had been around since '63.

It's got a 327ci (5.4L) V8 and runs like a champ. Puts out 348hp. Runs smooth and tight. I scored bigtime on this car. Got it for around 8K, drove it home 115 miles that same day with no issues. Numbers match. Stock Heart Shifter and stock Muncie 4-speed transmission that shifts smooth. I'm really excited to have it!

Between 20-30 amps. With at least an 8 gauge wire.

Though, I ran a small 10" sub and amp off my car stereo once without problems. Untill it got stolen >:|

4speed? Maaaaan.

That's right, the Muncie M22 ROCK CRUSHER [/size]

Isn't that the goofy red headed step child top loader?

No, the Rock Crusher [/font] is a specific 4 speed Muncie Made from 66-75 that has straight cut gears. Instead of the standard helical gears, the Rock Crusher [/font] has straight gears which are made of some sort of magic indestructible steel. They're practically bulletproof, and have a very distinct "whirring" sound.

Yeah I know, people like to put them on jeeps.

Steven, that car is

I love it!



As far as speaker/brand suggestions.. I have been eyeballing two brands for quite some time now. The unfortunate part is that they are ungodly expensive. In my opinion they sound phenomenal though. I'm all about my bells and whistles. They are -- Focal and Hertz. Hertz is slightly cheaper then focal, but with either brand even their "crap" line is better then most speaker companies top lines. As for amps I've had my eye on a company called Audison. Being that there are far more pressing money issues in my life at the moment this is merely a pipe dream of mine, but if you've got the extra cash to do it right and want something REALLY nice, I'd recommend that setup.

Also I will +1 what emon said. If you just want some nice sound without a lot of driving force, forgo the amp for now. Also pioneer makes some great double-din receivers now if you are interested in that sort of thing. I believe you'll be able to find the AVH-P3200DVD for around $400 or less. For what you get, thats a steal compared to similar decks that reach the 1k mark. Heres a link:

http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/PUSA/Products/CarAudioVideo/In-Dash/DVD-Receivers/AVH-P3200DVD

I'm pretty sure he's not currently interested in hacking the dash up to fit a double din since he posted a link to a retro stereo. I, on the other hand, am all about hacking my '00 TA's dash up to squeeze one in but I plan on waiting a few years. I believe the feature list will be much better then on the top of the line models.

Thanks for the suggestions. I'm not going to chop up the dash to fit a double DIN. The one I linked fits perfectly into the stock dash. They sell special cut dash panels to fit a single DIN, but there is physically no room for a double DIN in the car, unless I mount it somewhere else (which is common for that car).

I'll look into Focal and Hertz. Any other suggestions, that might be less expensive? I still have to paint it, and would like to save some money for that. Like I mentioned, I'm not an "audiophile," and like saberopus alluded to, I'm not a huge music fan. I want to this right, though, and would like at least fair quality.

Major brands at best buy are generally fine. I've been happy with Sony, Pioneer, JBL, etc. Don't get the bottom-of-the-line ones. You can go into most stores and have a listen as well. I'm like you, not an audiophile, and I know it's hard not to get all worked up and want the good stuff, but really, resist the audiophile crap and buy something reasonably priced by a well-known brand and you'll be fine.

If you turn it up loud and start to hear distortion, turn it down or you may blow your speakers.

Hey that's right.

That's probably what I will do. I'll head to the local Buy More and pick up whatever seems reasonable.

Or perhaps Overstock.com, or other such bargain web retailers.

This is reasonable advise, but often times the audiophile companies have reasonably priced products that are FAR better than what's put out by mainstream competitors like Sony or JBL. I don't know about car audio, but headphones for example, Sennheiser has headphones at every price point, from $20 to $2000 that pretty much obliterate major name brands in price/value.

I've always been a fan of Pioneer car audio, and it's not off the scale when it comes to price... Not so much a fan of Sony or JBL.

Again, you're simply not going to get verifiably accurate info when it comes to brands. If I were you I would go to a site like crutchfield.com, narrow the search to the sizes you're interested in, and look at reviews for products that fit your ideal price range.

BTW, I looked up 68 Corvettes on their site and they show the stock speaker locations as one center dash and two kick panel. Maybe their info is slightly off or maybe yours was some sort of premium package or modified later.

... but Sennheiser IS a major brand. At least it is in pro audio.

Love my e945, e609, HD280's, PX-200's, MD421 (2x), as well as my wireless guitar system.

The headphones (HD280 and PX-200) are definitely very hard to beat for the price.

You know what I meant

The 68 and 69 don't have center-dash speakers, the 70-77s do. For the most part, little changed from 69-83, though the 68 has several major differences from the later models.

Yeah, I wouldn't know from personal experience. I just know that I've always like those body styles and it's no mistake that the 79 TA shares lines, though much less exagerated lines, of its contemporary Corvettes. Those were dark times for Corvette though. The TA was faster. Alas, those were also dark times for the TA as the Dodge Lil Red Express was even faster.

Yeah, '75 was the first year of the catalytic convertor and stiffer emissions standards. Corvettes sucked pretty hard after that, until the late 90's.

Trans Ams were hurting after 73. 79 was a brief relative high point until the late 80s.