I just bought a 2000 BMW 323i and want to drop a system in it. I'm a bit of an amateur audiophile and my biggest priority is sound quality. My music tastes are mostly acoustic (Dave Matthews, David Gray, Norah Jones), alternative (Linkin Park, Radiohead), world (AfroCelt Soundsystem, Morcheeba), and a bit of trance.
Here's the (a) setup I'm looking at:
Head Unit - EQ w/control for F/R/Sub - Amps - Components (F), 2-Way or Components for (R) fill - 10" sub.
All wiring will be replaced with aftermarket upraded wiring, distribution block, and cap for my sub.
Head Unit
I need a headdeck that has an input for my iPod (Eclipse w/aux in, Alpine w/iPod interface). I'm looking probably at Eclipse for the headdeck, but am open to an alternative. Possibly the Eclipse CD8053 or an equivalent Alpine deck.
EQ
My music tastes are mostly acoustic (Dave Matthews, David Gray, Norah Jones), alternative (Linkin Park, Radiohead), world (AfroCelt Soundsystem, Morcheeba), and a bit of trance.
Eclipse 2100 - 8 Band in-dash EQ w/Non-fade sub control
Speakers
I want 2-way components for the front and am thinking of either Eclipse (SC8264) or Infinity (Kappa Perfect 6.1). For the rear, I'd either duplicate the selection for the fronts, or use something like the Eclipse Point Source (SP8964). These would be primarily for rear fill.
Sub
Single 10" is probably ideal, as I'm not into tons of base, just want to fill out and complete the system. Again, considering the music choice, I want something that's tight and responsive. So, I'm considering either the Eclipse 10" (SW7504DVC) or the Infinity 10" (Kappa Perfect 10vQ or Kappa Perfect 10.1D).
Amps
Okay, this is where the biggest selection problem is. I'm looking at either Eclipse or Alphasonik. I'd prefer to have one amp to run my staging speakers (front/rear) and one for my sub. This way, if I have an issue w/the sub amp, I'm not w/o my whole system. This is more of a problem with the Eclipse amp setup than the Alphasonik amp setup.
Here's what I'm looking at.
Staging
Alphasonik (all w/.05% THD)
PMA4075A - 4/3/2 channel, 75Wx4 @ 4ohm, 75Wx2 + 230Wx1 @ 4ohm, 230Wx2 @ 4ohm $279
PMA4150A - 4/3/2 channel, 150Wx4 @ 4ohm $309
Eclipse (all w/.1%THD)
PA5532 - 5/4/3 channel, 50Wx4 + 200Wx1 @ 4ohm $499
Sub Amp (all w/.05% THD)
PMA2075A - 2/1 channel, 75Wx2 @ 4ohm, 230Wx1 @ 4ohm - $169
PMA2150A - 2/1 channel, 490Wx1 @ 4ohm - $209
PMA2300A - 2/1 channel, 300Wx2 @ 4ohm, 900Wx1 @ 4ohm - $269
PMA1000DA - 1 channel, 1000Wx1 @ 4ohm, includes remote volume - $439
So, thoughts? Also my budget isn't unlimited, I'd like to keep it w/in 2k-2.5k for installed system, which will include some custom work for flush mounting the box, possible false floor or similar for amps, distribution block, cap, etc.
What would you install from this list, or possible alternatives, and why?