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2015 GT Audio System Build v.1

essque

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Welcome to the initial review of my GT system install. This subforum and its contributors have greatly influenced my choices. So I thank you all for the guidance, pics, detailed notes and food for thought. So with that said, lets go...

Equipment:
Zapco ST2000-XM II - Mono Amp
Zapco ST104D.BT - 4 Channel Amp
Sundown Audio X-8 V.2 8" subs
Sundown Audio SA-6.5 CS V.2 Component Set
SSA Evil 6.5" rear fill mids
Pioneer 4100NEX
Scosche Dash Kit
Audio Control DM-810 DSP
XS Power D4700
XS Power XP-750
KnuKonceptz Kolossal Wiring
Stinger Stealth Sound Deadening
Custom Birch Box

Intro: I simply don't feel right as a humanoid without having a healthy level of spl and deep bass in my daily driver. I think this system achieves that without chasing frivolous db numbers, flexing/rattling body panels or weighing the car down much. It gets loud and hits most every range of delicious bass notes exceptionally well. Noticeable, respectable bump outside the car. The trunk rattle is subdued and contained. Savagely scrumptious sound inside. Pretty damn loud but not hearing damage, hair trick insanity loud. It sounds rich and concise which is more than what I can say about my previous, more juvenile systems.

First things first, Sundown: I'm running their 6.5" component set and x8v2 subs wired to 1 ohm. Lightweight birch box built to spec and tanned pecan with water based urethane. I decided to try dual 8's because I wanted to see what they could do with 2000 watts. I figured if they can fill an entire home theatre or studio room with sound, they should be able to do the same in a coupe.

These bitches slap like ported 10's. Absurd accuracy and yes, they get low. Big bass songs like Big Krit's "My sub pt 3" and Juicy J's "Stop it" hit beautifully. The bass feign in me wants to switch to two x10's or a single bad ass 12" in a big box but the sq side of me is bathing in eargasmic waves of glorious musical reproduction. Old school sample based albums like Dr. Octagon and Deltron are given new life and the instrumental dark bass beats, dnb, downtempo and off the wall rap spectrum that I devour are triumphant to listen to anywhere above 50% of max volume. The box starts getting sassy and the subs reach their limits around 85-90%. Hope to maybe fix that with another 8" but I don't know if the amp is stable that low.

I chose Zapco amps because of their power, efficiency and small footprint plus they're US made. Check the size of the 4 channel, it fits in your palm! It also has bluetooth. Zapco has a phenomenal legacy that has kinda slid under the radar the past few years but from what I can tell, this is quality shit. Competitive prices too. The amps do not run hot and the power is definitely there with no strains or hiccups of any type so far.

The Sundown component set sounds surprisingly crisp and subtly bright with no problem going loud. Another set of tweets would help as would moar powah. The rear fill SSA's seem to combine quite well and add balance that was well worth the hassle and hundred bucks they cost. They actually seemed to be of almost comparable build quality to the Sundowns. You could probably run four of the SSA's and a decent set of tweeters for way less than $300 and be rockin. For my ears, I feel like I could add another component set and 4 channel amp but for now it's cool. I'm going back to CDT next time though.

Scosche dash kit: Very impressed with the looks and functionality of the Scosche unit but it died on me within 3 days. The radio works but no hvac. They were kind enough to send me a replacement which just arrived today. Awesome customer service. I don't anticipate any other problems but I'll report back soon. The A/C, heat and defroster worked better than stock. The finish and overall look is flawless for what it is.

4100NEX (ebay refurb): The pioneer double din is drop dead sexy and works as expected except it was a bitch to bypass the nanny settings and even after that, it still has a warning message every time the car is started. Wack af. If I want to watch pirated animated gypsy clown porn while driving, I'm fully aware of the risks but thanks for reminding me and making me touch the screen every single time I start the car. No really, great work. The wait time until bluetooth connects can be instantaneous or an excruciating 10-15 seconds or so. The functionality, settings and EQ has been solid and it's far from rough around the edges. DVD movies, sd card, android auto, bluetooth, etc. all work quite well. Start up is a little slow but it always is. Phone calls are more quiet than stock at low volumes and I have to turn it up to at least halfway to properly converse. Phone pairing was a breeze. I haven't had time to try screen mirroring yet or mixtrax. Should be fun.

Audio Control: Had to do it. I considered everything from the JBL MS8 to Audison, JL Audio, Hertz, Minidsp etc. but at the end of the day, I splurged for the DM-810 and stayed loyal to AudioControl. The accompanying software has an insane amount of customization possibilities that will take weeks if not months to fully comprehend. I feel this purchase was overkill for such a straightforward system although I have pristine sound and unlimited flexibility going forward which can't be discounted. I'm happy that I didn't allow this aspect to be a hinderence, weak point or stumbling block. The time alignment took a few hours and required laptop tuning, measuring tape and a conference call with AudioControl tech support. My installer said they were outstanding to work with.

Stinger Stealth Sound Deadener 36ft: Love this brand. Installed in the spare tire well, doors, decklid panel, license plate etc. and had less than a strip or two left. Seems a little bit lighter than comparable brands at a price that doesn't hurt.

XS Power: A must. I probably could have sneaked by with just swapping the stock battery for the D4700 or adding a second battery to the stocker because they are quite good but I wanted to ensure there would be no dimming, power surges/ failures or any other electrical gremlins that may appear when running 2,500 watts. The trunk battery is very light and comes with a nice mount. I like the added insurance and luckily, I haven't needed to worry about getting a custom alternator just yet. Having the reliable raw power, under the hood looks and support of XS Power is comforting in terms of switching from stock. A fine company indeed. I haven't seen so much as a flicker during extended listening sessions at relatively high volumes.

This concludes my initial review. So far this is the best SQ system I've had yet and overall the bump and listening experience is exquisite. Hope you enjoyed and check back for video and more experiments coming soon. Props to the OG install genius Glenn at Car Sound and Alarms in Madison Heights for the clean install and his wiring wizardry. I most certainly would have botched this install if I did it myself. Cheers.
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mumbles

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Nice choice of equipment... pics don't seem to be working?
 

mumbles

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Yes sir, those show up just fine! Good looking install!
 

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wjfawb0

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Looks good. I'm nearing the end of my stereo install in my 2015 GT with the base system. The first thing I'm going to do is play "I got 5 on it" on mine. It's not because I particularly like the song or rap in general. It's so I can take myself back to my high school days working in a dish room with a drug dealer. Strange, huh? The base system is horrible.
 
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essque

essque

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lol i like the remix with dru down, e40, digital underground, spice1 etc even more. Legendary track every time the weather breaks in Detroit you can hear someone bumpin it. I might switch to two 10's, havent decided yet. Hope to get the replacement dash kit installed this weekend.
 

SQ_S550

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nicely done, and great choice on equipment!
 

ahl395

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Awesome setup! Nice to see someone else with a large system in a S550. That is the next project for me.

How did the D4700 fit up front? Any modifications needed or did it fit right in? I have the same battery waiting to go in.
 

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essque

essque

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Appreciate it fellas! The d4700 was pretty much a direct fit and the battery cover fits over it so that's a good sign. I will take a few shots when I clean the engine bay. I actually had to call XSpower about the d4700 to double check because the last model they had listed was for a 2011 Mustang on their site and I couldn't find much online except for a few SEMA builds who had done the swap.
 

mumbles

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mumbles

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Appreciate it fellas! The d4700 was pretty much a direct fit and the battery cover fits over it so that's a good sign. I will take a few shots when I clean the engine bay. I actually had to call XSpower about the d4700 to double check because the last model they had listed was for a 2011 Mustang on their site and I couldn't find much online except for a few SEMA builds who had done the swap.
Good to know that it fits properly... I couldn't find much online either.
 
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essque

essque

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Just a quick update. I sold the Sundowns and bought IDMax v4d4 10's. After waiting for a week they hadn't arrived so when I contacted the shop, they apologized and offered me a free upgrade to 12's. I was like runnit!!! But bye bye to any notion of a vented box with subs of this size. So now I've got two of these bad boys going into a Zenclosures v2 rear firing sealed box which should be outstanding bc IDMax's are supposed to perform tremendously sealed. I'll post more after I get them installed.

 

SQ_S550

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Awesome equipment list, and nice looking install!
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