McIntosh audio in a 914, Sound quality in a fourteener?? Options

[Rod]

Ok a little thread about upgrading the Hifi in a 914....

I Finished the interior today (IMG:style_emoticons/default/piratenanner.gif) New carpet set went in which I ordered from appearance and performance, I also ordered some extra material so I could cover my sub box.

I'm running some pretty esoteric equipment in this 914, McIntosh MX406 & MPM4000 built int the dash (I deleted the glovebox and built an aluminium panel to hold the HU & meters. The amp is a Mcintosh MC4000M - The mother of all SQ car amps... The sub is a CDT 8" SQ sub, I managed to squeeze a 9 litre enclosure into the footwell. the sub faces up at the dash, rather than be kicked by the passengers..

I'm very impressed with the sub - it is in a TINY box, yet sounds like a much bigger enclosure, I'm chuffed.

Anyway some pics...

The car in question

(IMG:http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h106/rodericdavies/IMG_0436.jpg)

(IMG:http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h106/rodericdavies/IMG_3975.jpg)

(IMG:http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h106/rodericdavies/IMG_4271-1.jpg)

(IMG:http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h106/rodericdavies/IMG_3986.jpg)

The speakers are KEF Kar 160q's (They have the tweeter in the middle of the midrange cone)

Thanks A&P - very happy with your carpet set (IMG:style_emoticons/default/beer3.gif)

[orthobiz]

This might be the right thread to post in...

I'm looking for something far less ambitious and I have a set of Dahlquist ALS-3 car speakers which fit nicely into the 914 mounting position. But they like power...

So, what are new options for a head unit/separate amp combo?
Seems like everything I search for is integrated and has 30W x 4 channels built in.

And I can't find anything on the Mc MX406 from their website.

Any help appreciated, thanks.

Paul

[Mike Bellis]

This might be the right thread to post in...

I'm looking for something far less ambitious and I have a set of Dahlquist ALS-3 car speakers which fit nicely into the 914 mounting position. But they like power...

So, what are new options for a head unit/separate amp combo?
Seems like everything I search for is integrated and has 30W x 4 channels built in.

And I can't find anything on the Mc MX406 from their website.

Any help appreciated, thanks.

Paul

Are those vintage speakers? I've never heard of that brand of Car Audio. Perhaps it is a home hifi brand?

If they are vintage, that might not be worth installing. For vintage car audio, amplifiers are work keeping and restoring but speakers and head units are not. Speaker technology has improved over the years along with head unit features. Amplifiers on the other hand have gone down hill as manufacturers look for ways to reduce costs per watt.

Additionally if they fit in the stock 914 location, the audio quality will not be great. Not for any speaker that will fit in that spot.

If you just need sound in the car, they may be just fine. It all depends on your level of audiophile within.

[orthobiz]

Are those vintage speakers? I've never heard of that brand of Car Audio. Perhaps it is a home hifi brand?

If they are vintage, that might not be worth installing. For vintage car audio, amplifiers are work keeping and restoring but speakers and head units are not. Speaker technology has improved over the years along with head unit features. Amplifiers on the other hand have gone down hill as manufacturers look for ways to reduce costs per watt.

Additionally if they fit in the stock 914 location, the audio quality will not be great. Not for any speaker that will fit in that spot.

If you just need sound in the car, they may be just fine. It all depends on your level of audiophile within.

Dahlquist speakers are vintage, from the 70's, one of the early time alignment baffle-less speakers out there. Saul Marantz came out of retirement to be the president, and I used to work there when they were on Long Island so I'm partial to the memory of them.

The ALS-3 was a three-way box speaker of conventional design, without special time delay features, etc. But they are built like trucks, extremely heavy and durable with a high quality metal cabinet. I found a pair on eBay for 10 bucks in excellent shape (still in the original box!), they still normally go for much more. Because they were made for auto/marine installation they have pretty robust surrounds and don't disintegrate just because they are old. They are from Germany and sounded really good in my 1980's installation. And with a couple of flat pieces of steel they mount perfectly and easily in the normal speaker location, especially when they still have the U-shaped mounting bracket.

Everyone's advice has been good, thanks. I had hoped there'd be more options for a head unit; seems like bypassing the amplifier that's built in already is just a waste! And it seems like few companies are separating things like they used to.

Paul