Hey Bubba,
I almost got the Reus system, but when I talked to them, they told me that Rap bass was not really possible with their system....if I wanted that kinda low end, it wasnt the right system for me. I put together my own system with Focal/Audison compnents and the AI Design sub....For the money there is nothing that can sound better for at least double what I paid...Its amazing to FEEL a kick drum in your chest, and its not at all localized....A passenger sat in my car and said...where is the sub? Right next to his foot...lol....I am a music producer and composer, its nice now to be able to use my car as judge on mixes and unfinished compositions...before I NEVER played music in my car, it was too painful with the stock audio....I would listen to gazillion dollar studio monitors all day and then get into a Porsche with the crappiest sound on the road...now I can actually take music home and listen on the way....My car is almost EXACTLY the response of my studio...thats an amazing feat for a car....

 

i am considering duplicating your setup. although there are at ten different decent five channel amps out there. not sure if it's worth spending the extra clams on the audison since it will be in a convertible environment.

JL, Boston Acoustic, Kicker, Hifonics, and Alpine all make decent stuff. I'm probably leaning towareds the JL amp. From what I read it tends to make very consistent power with varying voltages, as compared to others' claims that are only at 14v.

I've had some SPL type sytems before. Nothing too crazy. Lots of bass though. I used to really like my Hifonics amp. It was a 6 channel bridged to 5. I don't know if their current stuff is any good or not.

There aren't really too many choices for 3 way components as it seems the only is Focal. So I guess it will be focal 3 way up front and Focal 2 way components in the rear. I wish there was something a little less expensive as my ears are probalby not as discriminating as Newport's, and like i said this will be in a cab so I'm sure a ton of detail is thrown out the window. literally

do you think it's worth doing the 3 ways up front? i have had the boston pro series previously and liked them, but they're only 2 way. i imagine it would help with the bass response....

 

we definately need to find some time to meet up. i would love to finally here a reus stereo in person.

at one point i was speaking to Rick about it. we were discussing some sort of deal as he wanted to use my car as a demo vehicle from time to time in FL. apparently he really likes to use yellow cars. we discussed the bass thing and he was very honest so i decided to go that direction.

i do like the fact it's a stereo for life and that he'll tranfer it from car to car.

 

DD..I can say that at 100mph with the top down..I hear and feel everything as well.....It amazed me, but top down driving is not a sacrifice....but you are sharing it with the world at that point. 3 way Focals are nice, doe it make a huge difference? I would say its easier because you get a 3 way crossover....if you got 2 ways in the dash, and just a seperate mid bass driver for the door, you would need another crossover for the door speaker as well as it uses another 2 channels from your amp....The rear stocks are FINE....if you run enough power to them and roll off the low end, you get nice rear fill....The cool thing about the Audison amps is the crossovers and flexibility, and its CLEAN....all that way to max volume, no distortion...I almost went JL, but heard they have a closed sounding high end...I also wanted as much power as I could get to the fronts and rears as well, my first amp as 60x4 and for me it just wasnt enough, the new amp had just a biy more power and that helped alot. I was looking for ways to reduce the cost, but I decided to get the noce stuff and for me it was worth it....Its very tunable, flexible, adjustable, and sounds good on just about any stuff....be careful if you use an iPod....You can tell a HUGE difference from music you converted from cd's or bought on iTunes and msic you downloaded from "other sources"....lol....I have begun to replace all my "other source" material because the difference in sound quality is utterely amazing....

 

Deputy,
I guess I should have read your posts more carefully...

If you listen to mostly rap, you'll not be impressed by my car's audio in the least. In fact, my car makes less of an initial
impression than it did fresh from Reus' install (I'm sure Rick tunes his systems to appeal to a variety of taste). It now
sounds more musical, and less like a good stereo... more like tube gear. The top end is much more laid back, the mid-bass is tamed,
and the stage is WAY more forward. I don't listen to rap, but it seems most rap music is heavy in the 60hz-80hz range. Not technically sub-bass.
To me, the stock Reus setup has more than adequate output in this region. I'm looking for the less <40hz energy that reminds you a piano is a
percussion instrument... the wack in the chest a fast bow strike on the string of a double (upright) bass provides.
You're more than welcome to listen, but I doubt it's what you're looking for.

Good luck creating your system.

 

I was modeling my system off of Newport's. Luckily I went to Tweeter. A high end audio store, not sure if they are by you. However, they carried Audison gear for a year and did not sell the stuff very well. So I was in luck when I went in they had 3 Audison amps leftover. I was close to getting the JL audio one, then the sales guy "remembered" they still had some Audison's in the back. I got my LRX 300.4 for only $325 brand new in the box when original retail was 800 something, because they are trying to sell out their stock. I highly recommmend you check out Tweeter to see if they have any left, you have to ask, because they aren't really advertising them. I absolutly love how clean my setup sounds, I have the Focal 3 ways up front, stock rears, Alpine headunit, with the Audison amp driving the fronts, headunit driving the rears for fill, and I will be using the other 2 channels for the JL 8w3 sub I have. Just need to find someone local to make an enclosure modeled after the AI Design enclosure. Newport, do remember how the AI Design enclosure looks internally? Is it just an empty box, or do they have baffles and so forth inside?

 

Never looked inside...it comes built and wired with the sub and sealed up...just plug it in and go....Why not see if you can get the box from AI Design? Those guys are pretty good and the quality is excellent.