Finally ditched the SSS stereo in my X for a much better setup.
Eclipse CD7200mkII
Diamond Audio S600S 6 1/2" component set
Image Dynamics IDQ 12V2D2 Sub
Alpine PDX-5 (114 watts x 4 + 424 x 1 as per the birth certificate)
Odyssey 680 mini battery
Fatmat Rattle Trap vibration damper material
Holy crap this sounds so amazing. I don't understand why it sounds so good in this car. I have had much more elaborate setups in past cars and they paled in comparison.
My "best" setup was an Eclipse 5303R feeding a PPI PSC-221 phase shift controller feeding into an Audio Control EQL feeding a Audio Control 4XS feeding two seperate Tube Driver TD-750 (75x2) tube drivers, driving a pair of MB Quart "Q" series (The older circa '99 Q series, not the new fake ones) one amp for the mids, one for the tweeters. I had 2 10" Eclipse top of the line Aluminum subs pushed by a PPI PC4800 giving each sub 400 watts. This was all installed in a '87 300ZX Turbo.
My last Evo IX had an Eclipse CD8053 with balanced line adapter, Diamond Audio S600S comp set, single Eclipse Aluminum 10" sub, 1 TD-750 tube driver running the comp set, and a PPI DCX 500.1 on the sub.
My new setup makes the old ones sound like crap, pure crap.
I installed the Diamonds in the factory locations for mids and tweets and they are being actively driven from the front and rear channels of the Alpine.
Amp went under the driver seat replacing the stock amp.
I fabed a sub box and placed it in a similar fashion to the pics in this thread
here
Now I can fit golf clubs in the trunk with the factory woofer out of the way.
I have actually saved weight by removing the factory battery, sub, windshield washer bottle, and spare tire.
I used the vibration damper material sparingly since mass loading wouldn't really yield much more gains over just deadening certain panels with much less material. Front, rear doors and trunk were covered. I was surprised by the amount of factory sound damping used on the floor and firewall.
The sounds stage this setup can create is amazing, the separation is incredible, the sub sounds like its mounted on my hood. Ive never had such height from a sound stage before either.
The sub is the most musical and natural sounding sub Ive ever heard. Its not broken in yet but good god its clean and accurate. Ive heard about IDQ for years and never really gave em a chance. Wish I would have years ago.
Mini Review of the CD7200mkII
Best Eclipse unit I have owned. I have previously had the 5303R, 8052, and the 8053. All of these units were Eclipses top tier "dead heads". But the CD7200 kills em all in features and SQ. Plugging in a 16GB flash drive with all my favorite music and streaming via Bluetooth Pandora or Slacker from my Blackberry is so awesome. Granted the compressed music doesn't sounds as good as CD's but the sheer amount of music I have available is nuts. Hell I thought the Bluetooth phone feature would suck without an external mic but everyone tells me I sound like I am on my Jawbone. Bye bye Jawbone!
I feel a little awkward now, having gotten the Navigation system, since the resale on it is totally worthless. I know I'll eventually end up replacing it, but feels like a waste.
Pics please!!!
