Bogandoof
I recently (as in yesterday) dropped a significant sum (to the tune of $600) on a car audio system, with an amp and 2 6x9s. I don't have anything from 20-50 Hz yet. I'll get another amp and a sub some other time. The interesting part, however, is the installation.
Installation is always fun. A head unit usually takes about an hour or so, and an amp with speakers will probably take the better part of the day. However, me and my dad didn't plan for the Commodore to be so... well manufactured. Every piece has some freaky extra bit required and there are screws hidden everywhere. First we tried to route the power for the amp through the left, and also opened the middle with the intention of routing the RCAs through the middle. However, it's pretty damn impossible to get the RCAs going under the carpet through the middle of the car, and the power cord wasn't long enough (the battery is on the right). So we had to open up the right as well. In the end we'd opened practically everything but the doors. The back seats were out (although that's no biggie), the entire left and right of the car was out, and we'd only just started.
I found stuff on the re-wiring on the internets, and got to the ol' soldering iron out for re-working the existing setup. Interestingly enough, the electrical side of things has been the easiest and most pleasant (and it's often the same part most audio people advise us of). The mechanical part has been quite another matter.
After spending a full day opening shit up and routing cables, we ended up having everything done except for actually fastening things to the car. We expected the rest to be relatively plug and play. The new system's bracket just plain old didn't fit into the VT. I'm thinking we have to go to Holden to buy a new bracket thingy and fit it all in that way. There appears to be a pre-cut grill thing for 6x9s in the Commodore, but as it turns out, it's not actually pre-cut, and it's also the wrong shape, which means it gets in the way rather than help out.
As for amp installation, I basically didn't want to drill holes into my boot without having everything working first. This means no amp, no 6x9s, and nowhere to mount the head unit (hence the picture). The good news is that everything appears to actually work, and there's only a couple of hours of actual work to get the bastard installed. I still get audio on the way to work tomorrow, and it also sounds a lot better, even without the 6x9s. The Pioneer has EQ options that are difficult to sneeze at. It really shits me that there's no standard bracketing / socketing within cars and audio.
Installation is always fun. A head unit usually takes about an hour or so, and an amp with speakers will probably take the better part of the day. However, me and my dad didn't plan for the Commodore to be so... well manufactured. Every piece has some freaky extra bit required and there are screws hidden everywhere. First we tried to route the power for the amp through the left, and also opened the middle with the intention of routing the RCAs through the middle. However, it's pretty damn impossible to get the RCAs going under the carpet through the middle of the car, and the power cord wasn't long enough (the battery is on the right). So we had to open up the right as well. In the end we'd opened practically everything but the doors. The back seats were out (although that's no biggie), the entire left and right of the car was out, and we'd only just started.
I found stuff on the re-wiring on the internets, and got to the ol' soldering iron out for re-working the existing setup. Interestingly enough, the electrical side of things has been the easiest and most pleasant (and it's often the same part most audio people advise us of). The mechanical part has been quite another matter.
After spending a full day opening shit up and routing cables, we ended up having everything done except for actually fastening things to the car. We expected the rest to be relatively plug and play. The new system's bracket just plain old didn't fit into the VT. I'm thinking we have to go to Holden to buy a new bracket thingy and fit it all in that way. There appears to be a pre-cut grill thing for 6x9s in the Commodore, but as it turns out, it's not actually pre-cut, and it's also the wrong shape, which means it gets in the way rather than help out.
As for amp installation, I basically didn't want to drill holes into my boot without having everything working first. This means no amp, no 6x9s, and nowhere to mount the head unit (hence the picture). The good news is that everything appears to actually work, and there's only a couple of hours of actual work to get the bastard installed. I still get audio on the way to work tomorrow, and it also sounds a lot better, even without the 6x9s. The Pioneer has EQ options that are difficult to sneeze at. It really shits me that there's no standard bracketing / socketing within cars and audio.