Speaker Install

[Trentin24]

I am looking to upgrade my sound system and went to a speaker shop and they tried selling me some Hertz High Energy speakers for both the front and rear. I already have a subwoofer, and having it all powered by a phoenix gold Ti series amplifier.
I have never heard of Hertz speakers before, they told me they were a European manufacturer and don't advertise their product. I can't seem to find any place to buy them online. I am just looking for suggestions on what to get. The sub I have is a Rockford Fosgate P3D2-10 and it has more than enough bass for me.
Any suggestions on a speaker and amp setup? Also what adapters I would need to do the install myself? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[Snoman]

I have not personally experienced Hertz, but I understand they are on par with Focal (heard and liked) and other bleeding edge high end. Shocked they suggested paring a PG-TI amp to them instead of Mosconi, but PG has come quite a long way recently and it should drive the Hertz just fine.

My personal rule of thumb is that if the shop does not have it in stock for me to listen to then I am definitely not putting it in my car or taking it home. Washington has a ton of high end shops around to test listen about any manufacture, I would shop around and get multiple opinions.

You can go retail for "free install", but you will pay....retail. At this level (and above) of audio, you really need to be careful about doing self installs and buying off the internet as these speaker models are highly targeted for being scammed. You may pay a bit more, but you will have essentially guaranteed a working top end system that is tuned properly. I would also make sure you have the vehicle sound deadened with Dynamat Extreme + Dynaliner or similar for added sound quality.

These are the top 11 installers in Washington;

INSTALLER SHOP CITY STATE
Devera, Sonny Benchmark Motoring Bellevue WA
Schuh, Jamie Spokane Audio Video Experts Greenacres WA
Gray, Gary Discount Car Stereo Kent WA
Silvey, CJ Foss Audio and Tint Kent WA
Hadley, Chris Best Buy Olympia WA
McIntyre, Steve Soundstage Car Audio Olympia WA
Bailey, Charles C & C Stereos Seattle WA
Clarke, Dutton Stereo Warehouse Seattle WA
Harper, Jeff Aspensound North Division Spokane WA
Hogan, Jess Inception Audio Tacoma WA
Hall, Justin Streamline Audio LLC Vancouver WA

Pick one or two and discuss options with them, do not talk to sales staff....ever.


If you choose to do a self install to save money and not necessarily go 'bleeding edge' then you can step into the likes of Rockford Fosgate P2 series, Precision Power 6.5 components, JL Audio C5 and if lucky enough to find them, Infinity Kappa .11 series. Besides the price of your "voice speakers", your looking using stock wiring or re-wiring the entire car. I suggest the latter and using Knukonceptz twisted 16 AWG throughout. As far as adapters, you'll need the front door adaptors ($20 amazon?) and the rear 6x9 plates ($20-ish) you can buy or build yourself. Your 4 channel amp will require either a T-harnes ($70) or FARK ($130) depending on which direction you choose with original wiring. Then of course, appropriate RCA's, amp power wiring kits (or build your own), custom sub box etc.

The benefit of going retail/professional is a swipe of the credit card and no hassle, but will cost you double compared to DIY. I highly recommend talking to one of the professional installers above before making your decision. I just finished my stage I audio, it took me 60 hours and my car was in pieces for 30 days between evenings and weekends. There are a ton of threads here regarding each segment of a DIY install, but it is not to be taken lightly and you should really have a basic understanding of electronics before taking on a complete system and tuning, especially if replacing the head unit. Do not get discouraged, a DIY is not hard but does require patience and a few specialty tools (T50 to remove seats for example).

[Trentin24]

Originally Posted by Snoman

I have not personally experienced Hertz, but I understand they are on par with Focal (heard and liked) and other bleeding edge high end. Shocked they suggested paring a PG-TI amp to them instead of Mosconi, but PG has come quite a long way recently and it should drive the Hertz just fine.

My personal rule of thumb is that if the shop does not have it in stock for me to listen to then I am definitely not putting it in my car or taking it home. Washington has a ton of high end shops around to test listen about any manufacture, I would shop around and get multiple opinions.

You can go retail for "free install", but you will pay....retail. At this level (and above) of audio, you really need to be careful about doing self installs and buying off the internet as these speaker models are highly targeted for being scammed. You may pay a bit more, but you will have essentially guaranteed a working top end system that is tuned properly. I would also make sure you have the vehicle sound deadened with Dynamat Extreme + Dynaliner or similar for added sound quality.

These are the top 11 installers in Washington;

INSTALLER SHOP CITY STATE
Devera, Sonny Benchmark Motoring Bellevue WA
Schuh, Jamie Spokane Audio Video Experts Greenacres WA
Gray, Gary Discount Car Stereo Kent WA
Silvey, CJ Foss Audio and Tint Kent WA
Hadley, Chris Best Buy Olympia WA
McIntyre, Steve Soundstage Car Audio Olympia WA
Bailey, Charles C & C Stereos Seattle WA
Clarke, Dutton Stereo Warehouse Seattle WA
Harper, Jeff Aspensound North Division Spokane WA
Hogan, Jess Inception Audio Tacoma WA
Hall, Justin Streamline Audio LLC Vancouver WA

Pick one or two and discuss options with them, do not talk to sales staff....ever.


If you choose to do a self install to save money and not necessarily go 'bleeding edge' then you can step into the likes of Rockford Fosgate P2 series, Precision Power 6.5 components, JL Audio C5 and if lucky enough to find them, Infinity Kappa .11 series. Besides the price of your "voice speakers", your looking using stock wiring or re-wiring the entire car. I suggest the latter and using Knukonceptz twisted 16 AWG throughout. As far as adapters, you'll need the front door adaptors ($20 amazon?) and the rear 6x9 plates ($20-ish) you can buy or build yourself. Your 4 channel amp will require either a T-harnes ($70) or FARK ($130) depending on which direction you choose with original wiring. Then of course, appropriate RCA's, amp power wiring kits (or build your own), custom sub box etc.

The benefit of going retail/professional is a swipe of the credit card and no hassle, but will cost you double compared to DIY. I highly recommend talking to one of the professional installers above before making your decision. I just finished my stage I audio, it took me 60 hours and my car was in pieces for 30 days between evenings and weekends. There are a ton of threads here regarding each segment of a DIY install, but it is not to be taken lightly and you should really have a basic understanding of electronics for a complete system and tuning.

I am in Tri-Cities so none of those shops are near me.
I already have the FARK harness and been shopping online and reading reviews. I had a 2010 camaro that I put speakers in. The biggest pain was taking the rear panel off. I know nothing of tuning amps but I am now looking at the "Rockford Fosgate P1000X5" amplifier, "JBL GX600C" for the front and "JBL GX962" for the rear.
I just want something that can handle the higher frequencies without distorting, unlike our stock BA speakers. And also have more bass to them.

[Snoman]

Lemme see if I have someone closer, though sounds like your leaning towards DIY anyway. One of the best single amps on the market for this hands down is the Alpine-PDX-V9. Newegg seems to be having a fire sale, it's normally $500+ Amazon and over $800 retail w/tax. Amazing amp and fits in stock location. Pick up a pre-built box and decent speakers, you'll be fine with stock wiring at that power level. Win-Win

[Trentin24]

Originally Posted by Snoman

Lemme see if I have someone closer, though sounds like your leaning towards DIY anyway. One of the best single amps on the market for this hands down is the Alpine-PDX-V9. Newegg seems to be having a fire sale, it's normally $500+ Amazon and over $800 retail w/tax. Amazing amp and fits in stock location. Pick up a pre-built box and decent speakers, you'll be fine with stock wiring at that power level. Win-Win

Stock wiring with the Alpine amp?

[Snoman]

Your nearly dead middle between any of my listings unfortunately; Spokane, Boise, Portland or Seattle.

The stock wiring is 18 AWG and between your aftermarket speakers likely 2ohm and the fact the Alpine steps down amperage at 2 ohm, your not forced to run better wiring (16AWG). The real benefit to rewiring the speaker runs though, is you don't have to find custom molex speaker connections or cut the stock wiring to connect your after markets.