The other thing about taking it to a shop, is in my experience they will never take the same time that you would to make everything absolutely perfect. Yes, the wires will be routed sensibly, and hidden but they won't necessarily be immaculately zip tied/techflex wrapped, etc because they probably didn't gut the entire interior to run them.

I remember a buddy of mine went to a shop to install his new Sti stereo, and he had all the components already including 100ft of new speaker wiring. Well they 'used' the new wire - up to the footwells, then cut the factory wiring and soldered the new wire there. The must have thought it was too hard to go into the door grommets :icon14: They also said his tweeters couldn't be used (they were too big to the stock locations) so they didn't install them. Uhhh... it's called a dremel, fiberglass....talent?

Of course there are some amazing shops out there that can and will do beautiful installs and flawless custom work. However - $$$$$$$$$$. You get what you pay for though. (Most of the time, sometimes you get ripped off when you spend a lot of money, but you'll never pay a shop $200 and get beautiful custom work.) If you do opt for a full custom install though, you'll be out your car several days anyways.

You can always post here any questions about removing/reinstalling pieces, you will get more than the help you need to do it :tup:

thank man! i think you have boosted my confidence! and yes i agree.. i am anal about every little thing.... Also the OCD doesnt help..

Have at it ! ! Pics along the way would be cool as well.

All the talk about the Hertz HSK's here makes me ask if anyone has had any experience with their ESK 165.5's? I heard them at my local audio shop and they sounded terrific. They were about $300 and I couldn't hear enough difference between them and the HSK's (... perhaps an indication of either my aging ears or the shop's audio setup) to justify the additional cost.

But I seldom hear mention of them, which is why I'm asking. Once you get to their lower, Energy lineup, is there a drop in quality that makes them a poor choice?

I listened to the ESK's in the store too and liked them also. With the HSK's you are getting an extended frequency response, higher power handling and higher sensitivity. But they have a very similar sound I thought. So if you liked the sound, but wanted to get more SPL out of them, the HSK's would be a logical choice over the ESK. You could also cross them over slightly lower. If SPL wasn't what you are after, I'm sure the ESK would be a great choice.


I didn't look at any reviews for the ESK series, as I decided on the HSK after hearing them. However it's worth looking into, though I doubt you would find any 'quality' issues in the lower series, aside from the weird cases that can happen with any product.
Bottom line, YOU liked what you heard, so it can't be a bad choice for you.

Get what your ears like and go for it. You will be a lot happier with your system with no regrets.

That's how I wound up at Freeman's, listening to the ESK's. The first shop I went to made all kinds of suggestions, but said that they didn't have any wired up to listen to because they would sound different in my car anyway. :icon14:

Thanks for the input. I'm taking my time narrowing down HU, speakers, sub(s), amps, camera, tablet mount, etc. and have seen a lot of good info and advice here.

im glad this thread has been a big help to not only me but other people in the community. after all i wanted this thread to help out other as well.

will do =) nothing will be really happening untill the spring when i take my Z out of hibernation.

Well I finally ended with this setup..
H/U (New)
Kenwood Excelon DDX491HD DVD receiver at Crutchfield.com

Components (Already installed)....will be upgrading next.
Custom Sounds Car Stereo Store - Custom Sounds

3-1/2's (New)
TR350-CXi - Car Audio - Evolution® - TR - Coaxial Systems - JL Audio

Amplifier (Already installed)
Alpine MRV-F300 - Custom Sounds

Subwoofer (New)
CP108LG-W3v3 - Car Audio - Subwoofer Systems - MicroSub

The 3-1/2's needed some fab work to get them to fit. They are a little deep. My H/U is currently pushing these.

The front channels from my amp are pushing my front 6-1/2 components and the rear channels are bridged pushing my microsub.

My thoughts and views on this?

Excellent surround sound quality with highs, mids are still a little muddy, and the lows sound very good too. I have now realized that my components are the weakest link and upgrading these will probably make it right for me. The micro sub box is low profile and fits between the rear wheel bays and under the strut tower. It hits pretty clean and hard but remember if you go this route it's an 8" and not two 10's and will not rattle your windows out. Good,deep clean bass for the size though. Its also Velcro'd in too.

Honestly I think my first step should have been sound proofing first then audio shopping next and will be doing this in the spring and I suggest to all members to go this route.

i think everyone should sound proof there Z. very noisy in the car with out it.. i have it through out my entire truck and doors and its quiet but not too quiet were i cant hear my exhaust ;)

Agreed. I bought 60 SQFt of Dynamat, and 45SQFT of MLV/CCF. 12SQFT of Thinsulate Acoustic.

No, I don't anticipate using it all, just would hate to be short! :ugh2:

i agree better safe than sorry.

Hello all, I have been following this thread for some time. In June of last year we had a garage fire that was started by a 2001 Explorer. Long story short it took out my wifes Lexus and my 2012 Altima. All is better than new now. But.. in the search for a new car for my wife I found a Black 2013 370Z with 3k miles for $28000. I put this in it right away (Kenwood Excelon DDX8901HD) But now it's income tax time I'm ready for some speakers and a amp. I am hearing great things about the Hertz line but didn't see them at Crutchfield where I normally buy my stuff. Wondering how the Hertz and Focal line would compare. I'm able to spend up to $500 or so on the speakers. Also these will be my first components. I am able to do all the work myself (retired postal electronic tech) Not afraid to tear it apart. Sorry so long.

I had Focal 165KF's in my first 370Z and have Hertz XL's in my second. The mids are a bit different but the most noticeable difference is in the tweeters. My experience is that Focals have a sharper sound to them whereas Hertz are somewhat less aggressive.

I like to listen to my music fairly loud and depending on the type of music I was listening to the Focals pronounced crispness had a tendency to start bothering my ears after awhile. I don't really have this issue with my Hertz tweeters.

Don't get me wrong I enjoyed my Focals a great deal and had I been able to get them out of my wrecked Z before the insurance company took possession I would have in a heartbeat. To give it perspective, if the worst decision you ever have to make is whether to get Focal or Hertz components you live a charmed life. ;)

Welcome to the forums BTW!