I'm ready to start over, my budget at the moment is arround 2 grand to get me started on a sq system for my acura tl.
I think I have an advantage in the my car is nearly silent at highway speeds, the factory insulation is pretty fantastic.
Current setup.
Sony xplode 650W 4 way amplifier to stock door pannel speakers for all 4 doors with 2 tweeters fireing sort of at the roof by my windsield. there is a sony passive crossover for the tweets and the front door speakers.
For the bass I have a sony xplode 1000W amp to 2 8 inch infinity reference subs in sepperate sealed enclosures.
I am very unhapy with the sound qualit of this set up. I bought the components when I was in highschool a few years ago with very little knowlege of any audio systems and have since blown 3 of the 6 new speakers Ive boungt. hence the stock speakers in my acura.
More to come very soon on plans.
I think I have an advantage in the my car is nearly silent at highway speeds, the factory insulation is pretty fantastic.
Current setup.
Sony xplode 650W 4 way amplifier to stock door pannel speakers for all 4 doors with 2 tweeters fireing sort of at the roof by my windsield. there is a sony passive crossover for the tweets and the front door speakers.
For the bass I have a sony xplode 1000W amp to 2 8 inch infinity reference subs in sepperate sealed enclosures.
I am very unhapy with the sound qualit of this set up. I bought the components when I was in highschool a few years ago with very little knowlege of any audio systems and have since blown 3 of the 6 new speakers Ive boungt. hence the stock speakers in my acura.
More to come very soon on plans.
Moved to the Car Audio forum since this is a car audio related thread.I wonder how that happened? hahaha 
Anyway. The plan for the future of this build so far is a 3 way system up front, I heard about kick speakers? 6 1/2 in speakers designed to emulate a kick drum, designed to play frequences from arround 80HZ to 1kHZ or something like that. I don't know if they are any different from a standard 6 1/2 inch speaker from a component system. can anyone fill me in on that? The door will be insulated with sound deadening and partialy filled with polyfill.
The midrange and tweets will then be built into my kick pannles hopefuly. If not then integrated into my dash at approximately knee height. That is unless there is a decent way to mount them on top of the dash, I can put them pretty far forward my my defrost vents. I wonder if that will destroy my sound quality.
My plan at the moment is to figure out my drive placement before I select my drivers. but in the interest of being able to get a good idea of placement im using 4.5 inch mids 1 inch tweets and 6.5 inch lower mids?.
for the bass I want to try out a single 15 inch woofer in an infinite baffle situation fireing forward from the front of my trunk. basicaly strait into my back seat =( I don't know if this is a remotely good idea or not though. I can also do a vented set up with the vent fireing up through the factory sub location on the rear deck lid and strait into my back window...
Anyway. The plan for the future of this build so far is a 3 way system up front, I heard about kick speakers? 6 1/2 in speakers designed to emulate a kick drum, designed to play frequences from arround 80HZ to 1kHZ or something like that. I don't know if they are any different from a standard 6 1/2 inch speaker from a component system. can anyone fill me in on that? The door will be insulated with sound deadening and partialy filled with polyfill.
The midrange and tweets will then be built into my kick pannles hopefuly. If not then integrated into my dash at approximately knee height. That is unless there is a decent way to mount them on top of the dash, I can put them pretty far forward my my defrost vents. I wonder if that will destroy my sound quality.
My plan at the moment is to figure out my drive placement before I select my drivers. but in the interest of being able to get a good idea of placement im using 4.5 inch mids 1 inch tweets and 6.5 inch lower mids?.
for the bass I want to try out a single 15 inch woofer in an infinite baffle situation fireing forward from the front of my trunk. basicaly strait into my back seat =( I don't know if this is a remotely good idea or not though. I can also do a vented set up with the vent fireing up through the factory sub location on the rear deck lid and strait into my back window...
Hey mate.. Hope you don't mind if I have a rant
Sounds like you have a decent budget.... There are a few good brands in that price range and while you could mix and match diy Drivers and make your own passive crossovers it will be a pain. You could go active using something like a MiniDSP + Amps for each driver. Although this is still reasonable complicated its also very flexible.
The easiest option.. Look at a three way set with crossovers from brands like Focal.
Car audio systems - Focal
Focal K2 Power 165 KRX3 6-3/4" 3-way component speaker system at Crutchfield.com
There gear is really well built and will exceed your expectations. Fitting it all in is another matter.
Placement.... Although I have heard decent systems with the drivers at different locations the best I have heard/built have had all the drivers producing 80hz to 20khz as close to each other as possible. Tweeters seperated by 2 or 3 feet will grow tiring and most dash mount installs are very hard to do well for many reasons.
Most installs in lower door compartments have responded well to angling the drivers upwards and back. Somewhere between the rear view mirror and your head, but not at your head. The different distances between the drivers side speaker and the passenger side when angled directly at your head is very noticeable.
I find the ready made fiberglass door pods very easy to use. They usually only have space for a single mid and tweeter but can be had for 30 to 50 dollars. In which case a custom 3 way mount could be built or the woofer could be mounted flat on the door/kick panel. Since the woofer is most often only producing frequencies below 200 or 300 hz direction issues are much less of an issue.
Depending on the car, most kick panels (next to your pedals) are very space limited behind and leave inadequate volume for the woofers to produce any bass. Door mount of all three drivers is usually easier.
Even if you do mount this level of quality driver flat on the panels it will still sound fantastic, but consider attaching a ply wood baffle behind the door skin if possible. Any sort of solid reinforcement for attaching the drivers will drastically improve the bass and SQ.
Sub wise..... I have a few cheap test boxes of various volumes.. Mount the sub and test location. Eg build a.box that fits in your boot multiple ways and have a listen.. You will be surprised. Building an infinite test baffle should be a good tester also.
'Kick speaker' sounds like slang and may have no actual reference. I have never heard of one. But hey....
Hope some of this helps/inspires
Dean
Sounds like you have a decent budget.... There are a few good brands in that price range and while you could mix and match diy Drivers and make your own passive crossovers it will be a pain. You could go active using something like a MiniDSP + Amps for each driver. Although this is still reasonable complicated its also very flexible.
The easiest option.. Look at a three way set with crossovers from brands like Focal.
Car audio systems - Focal
Focal K2 Power 165 KRX3 6-3/4" 3-way component speaker system at Crutchfield.com
There gear is really well built and will exceed your expectations. Fitting it all in is another matter.
Placement.... Although I have heard decent systems with the drivers at different locations the best I have heard/built have had all the drivers producing 80hz to 20khz as close to each other as possible. Tweeters seperated by 2 or 3 feet will grow tiring and most dash mount installs are very hard to do well for many reasons.
Most installs in lower door compartments have responded well to angling the drivers upwards and back. Somewhere between the rear view mirror and your head, but not at your head. The different distances between the drivers side speaker and the passenger side when angled directly at your head is very noticeable.
I find the ready made fiberglass door pods very easy to use. They usually only have space for a single mid and tweeter but can be had for 30 to 50 dollars. In which case a custom 3 way mount could be built or the woofer could be mounted flat on the door/kick panel. Since the woofer is most often only producing frequencies below 200 or 300 hz direction issues are much less of an issue.
Depending on the car, most kick panels (next to your pedals) are very space limited behind and leave inadequate volume for the woofers to produce any bass. Door mount of all three drivers is usually easier.
Even if you do mount this level of quality driver flat on the panels it will still sound fantastic, but consider attaching a ply wood baffle behind the door skin if possible. Any sort of solid reinforcement for attaching the drivers will drastically improve the bass and SQ.
Sub wise..... I have a few cheap test boxes of various volumes.. Mount the sub and test location. Eg build a.box that fits in your boot multiple ways and have a listen.. You will be surprised. Building an infinite test baffle should be a good tester also.
'Kick speaker' sounds like slang and may have no actual reference. I have never heard of one. But hey....
Hope some of this helps/inspires
Dean
PS. Whatever you do. Buy the sub after you have finished the front setup.
Then you can match the sub to compliment the rest of your system, not the other way.
Different brand/quality/size subs often come mounted in prefab boxes in stores, you could drive in and try a heap till you find something you like.
Also. I only mentioned focal because I have always enjoyed the sound of there gear. You may like another brand but not many do three way sets. Might be time to visit your local car audio club meeting.
Dean.
Then you can match the sub to compliment the rest of your system, not the other way.
Different brand/quality/size subs often come mounted in prefab boxes in stores, you could drive in and try a heap till you find something you like.
Also. I only mentioned focal because I have always enjoyed the sound of there gear. You may like another brand but not many do three way sets. Might be time to visit your local car audio club meeting.
Dean.
focal components are also good speakers
i like focals they a bit to harsh on tweeters but they are good speakers. 1moreamp told me and i have now learned and believe, "you can make any speaker sound like each other, with an eq sound processor." invest in a good sound processor to get sq system.
i like focals they a bit to harsh on tweeters but they are good speakers. 1moreamp told me and i have now learned and believe, "you can make any speaker sound like each other, with an eq sound processor." invest in a good sound processor to get sq system.
LOOONG post
Thanks for the great info guys,
A few months back when I started dreamin up this project I purchased a pair of headphones, Beyerdynamic DTX 101 iE's they are very balanced and really gave me an idea of what I was missing in the 10 hours I spend listening to music in my car every week.
I am looking for a very balanced system, I listen to a wide variety of music ranging from classic rock, through modern rock (mostly), there is dubstep and house music in there sometimes as well.
anyways, I have done a bit of research into a "carputer" system to handle all of my crossovers and time alignment, along with anything else I might need, but as I got deeper and deeper into the idea I realized the amount of money I would be blowing on what I could accomplish with some crossovers and a good head unit.
also on the subject of a component set with its own passive crossovers, That is the route I took previously with a sony component system and I was extremely disappointed. I did not get nearly the amount of adjustment I was looking for.
To remedy this I have been doing a TON of research into ways to do an active crossover set up. I came upon a head unit with that capability, the Pioneer DEH-80PRS. So I am looking at that along with either a 6 channel amp, which appears to be what I need if I want active crossovers for each component. (if someone knows a better way PLEASE share) and then a separate amp for the sub woofer.
But now that I have been introduced to the miniDSP it looks that that might be a more affordable and possibly a better option, Im a little confused as to whether it is a stand alone component that just needs power or if it is intended to be part of a small computer system. I will definitely be doing more research into that. maybe save some $$ on a head unit?
For sub testing I have made quite a few boxes for my 12in infinity reference sub. pretty much every combination I tried sounded horrible in my car. The best was a sealed enclosure that was a little on the small side, it gave me good response but was very peaky and made any electronic or house music, or any rock with heavy bass guitar sound absolutely dreadful. I had 2 different ported boxes that I could tune to either too quiet to hear or make the entire car rattle, wayyy beyond the point of being reasonable. (I don't want a rattling car but this was loud enough to drown out music, and there really aren't any other rattles in my car besides what is caused by bass) there was a sweet spot but I had to adjust to pretty much every song, and that got old FAST.
Next were the 2 infinity 8 in subs in sealed enclosures built to manufacturer's specs that are completely inaudible in my trunk so they currently reside in the foot well of my back seat. they sound excellent for what they are, but I can't carry passengers and have decent music at the same time.
Its also worth mentioning that I already have a "Clarion EQS746 1/2 DIN Graphic Equalizer with Built-in Crossover" that made a pretty huge difference in the sq after I installed it. but it still doesn't have all the control I would like.(customizing crossover points and such)
New Speakers
I am not to particular here, I have heard a lot of good things about a lot of different brands. I am not remotely opposed to building my own component set from various companies to get the best bang for my buck. I don't particularly want to buy a pre-made component set that gives me crossovers I don't plan on using.
I wasn't to clear about my plan for my IB setup. (might try an aperiodic set up also? many more woofer choices is good but the main reason for IB is for trunk space and less weight) there is a sizable hole in the back seat when I put the armrest down, would it be reasonable to aim the sub through there? This isn't all that important at the moment because I am pretty far from purchasing a sub. I plan on getting the rest of the system together first.
There is plenty of room in my front foot wells to put the high mid-range and the tweeters so I will be building a custom box for them, Which means I need to get my @** into gear and find what I am going to do for those two speakers asap ideas anyone? also have some BXT II sound deadening in my cart just begging me to press the checkout button
Sort of related: has anyone read keep hope alive's build thread over at sound domain? its worth a read and was sort of the inspiration for my build. (my car essentially exactly the same.
http://forum.sounddomain.com/ubbthreads.php/ubb/showflat/Number/1369669/page/1/fpart/7
anyone still here? anyone read this whole thing? hahaha
Thanks for the great info guys,
A few months back when I started dreamin up this project I purchased a pair of headphones, Beyerdynamic DTX 101 iE's they are very balanced and really gave me an idea of what I was missing in the 10 hours I spend listening to music in my car every week.
I am looking for a very balanced system, I listen to a wide variety of music ranging from classic rock, through modern rock (mostly), there is dubstep and house music in there sometimes as well.
anyways, I have done a bit of research into a "carputer" system to handle all of my crossovers and time alignment, along with anything else I might need, but as I got deeper and deeper into the idea I realized the amount of money I would be blowing on what I could accomplish with some crossovers and a good head unit.
also on the subject of a component set with its own passive crossovers, That is the route I took previously with a sony component system and I was extremely disappointed. I did not get nearly the amount of adjustment I was looking for.
To remedy this I have been doing a TON of research into ways to do an active crossover set up. I came upon a head unit with that capability, the Pioneer DEH-80PRS. So I am looking at that along with either a 6 channel amp, which appears to be what I need if I want active crossovers for each component. (if someone knows a better way PLEASE share) and then a separate amp for the sub woofer.
But now that I have been introduced to the miniDSP it looks that that might be a more affordable and possibly a better option, Im a little confused as to whether it is a stand alone component that just needs power or if it is intended to be part of a small computer system. I will definitely be doing more research into that. maybe save some $$ on a head unit?
For sub testing I have made quite a few boxes for my 12in infinity reference sub. pretty much every combination I tried sounded horrible in my car. The best was a sealed enclosure that was a little on the small side, it gave me good response but was very peaky and made any electronic or house music, or any rock with heavy bass guitar sound absolutely dreadful. I had 2 different ported boxes that I could tune to either too quiet to hear or make the entire car rattle, wayyy beyond the point of being reasonable. (I don't want a rattling car but this was loud enough to drown out music, and there really aren't any other rattles in my car besides what is caused by bass) there was a sweet spot but I had to adjust to pretty much every song, and that got old FAST.
Next were the 2 infinity 8 in subs in sealed enclosures built to manufacturer's specs that are completely inaudible in my trunk so they currently reside in the foot well of my back seat. they sound excellent for what they are, but I can't carry passengers and have decent music at the same time.
Its also worth mentioning that I already have a "Clarion EQS746 1/2 DIN Graphic Equalizer with Built-in Crossover" that made a pretty huge difference in the sq after I installed it. but it still doesn't have all the control I would like.(customizing crossover points and such)
New Speakers
I am not to particular here, I have heard a lot of good things about a lot of different brands. I am not remotely opposed to building my own component set from various companies to get the best bang for my buck. I don't particularly want to buy a pre-made component set that gives me crossovers I don't plan on using.
I wasn't to clear about my plan for my IB setup. (might try an aperiodic set up also? many more woofer choices is good but the main reason for IB is for trunk space and less weight) there is a sizable hole in the back seat when I put the armrest down, would it be reasonable to aim the sub through there? This isn't all that important at the moment because I am pretty far from purchasing a sub. I plan on getting the rest of the system together first.
There is plenty of room in my front foot wells to put the high mid-range and the tweeters so I will be building a custom box for them, Which means I need to get my @** into gear and find what I am going to do for those two speakers asap ideas anyone?
also have some BXT II sound deadening in my cart just begging me to press the checkout button Sort of related: has anyone read keep hope alive's build thread over at sound domain? its worth a read and was sort of the inspiration for my build. (my car essentially exactly the same.
http://forum.sounddomain.com/ubbthreads.php/ubb/showflat/Number/1369669/page/1/fpart/7
anyone still here? anyone read this whole thing? hahaha
MiniDSP
Looks like ideally I need a signal processor that has 4 inputs? I think? right and left channel, and then the channels for a sub woofer. I will then need 8 outputs? 2 to the sub amp, and 3 for the right and 3 for the left channels of possibly a 6 channel amp. that is if there is one to be had that is decent quality that doesn't blow my entire budget.
This is my understanding at the moment, PLEASE correct me if I am wrong.
Looks like ideally I need a signal processor that has 4 inputs? I think? right and left channel, and then the channels for a sub woofer. I will then need 8 outputs? 2 to the sub amp, and 3 for the right and 3 for the left channels of possibly a 6 channel amp. that is if there is one to be had that is decent quality that doesn't blow my entire budget.
This is my understanding at the moment, PLEASE correct me if I am wrong.
Hey Brad.
My rec would be the MiniDSP 2x8. HU into that then all the xo's and eq handled by connecting you laptop by USB. The MiniDSP boards are all 12v stand alone. Just select the appropriate plugin (10 dollars). Also get the miniDC for power isolation and remote turn on. If you need digital in there is the miniDIGI And miniUSB.
I don't think you will need desperate sub in from your HU. Just set the main L/R outputs to full.
I bought a 2000 dollar pioneer HU a few years ago and still regret it. Not enough flexibility and poor HiFi parts/specs. Wish I had bought an Eclipse HU or something like it. Because you won't need all the HU extra's (functions replaced by the MiniDSP) you can look for one with digital out or better D/A chips...
Dean
My rec would be the MiniDSP 2x8. HU into that then all the xo's and eq handled by connecting you laptop by USB. The MiniDSP boards are all 12v stand alone. Just select the appropriate plugin (10 dollars). Also get the miniDC for power isolation and remote turn on. If you need digital in there is the miniDIGI And miniUSB.
I don't think you will need desperate sub in from your HU. Just set the main L/R outputs to full.
I bought a 2000 dollar pioneer HU a few years ago and still regret it. Not enough flexibility and poor HiFi parts/specs. Wish I had bought an Eclipse HU or something like it. Because you won't need all the HU extra's (functions replaced by the MiniDSP) you can look for one with digital out or better D/A chips...
Dean
The sub....
You will need to make a decision to some degree between SPL & SQ.. Many car audio subs are designed for SPL. This means low efficiency and often one note bass caused by massively over damped suspension systems.. Grab a 90+dB efficient 15" pro audio woofer for £200 from someone like Eminence and see the difference. I am not trying to bash car audio brands but when you can hear proper bass note delineation you won't need as much outright SPL.
Remember to sound test various options with tracks from multiple genres of music.
I have replaced many customers high SPL subs because they got sick of poor note definition and happily gave up some SPL capability.
Dean.
You will need to make a decision to some degree between SPL & SQ.. Many car audio subs are designed for SPL. This means low efficiency and often one note bass caused by massively over damped suspension systems.. Grab a 90+dB efficient 15" pro audio woofer for £200 from someone like Eminence and see the difference. I am not trying to bash car audio brands but when you can hear proper bass note delineation you won't need as much outright SPL.
Remember to sound test various options with tracks from multiple genres of music.
I have replaced many customers high SPL subs because they got sick of poor note definition and happily gave up some SPL capability.
Dean.
You will need 7 or 8 amp channels depending on sub(s) used. 50 good watts per driver for the fronts will do it but 100 will allow plenty of headroom for peaks. Your amps will have a very easy life only driving a single driver of limited bandwidth.
More about the MiniDSP. While you can manually set xo and eq you can also use Room EQ Wizard (plus others) to take measurements in car and have it generate Biquad data for import into the MiniDSP. This opens up a massive amount of tuning options..
The mini also enables you to ( with correct plugin) sum outputs for mono sub setups. And adjust individual output levels on each channel so you can mix and match (within reason) different drivers....
Don't get me wrong about my sub comments earlier... When you have a decent front end you will quickly hear what you prefer....
More about the MiniDSP. While you can manually set xo and eq you can also use Room EQ Wizard (plus others) to take measurements in car and have it generate Biquad data for import into the MiniDSP. This opens up a massive amount of tuning options..
The mini also enables you to ( with correct plugin) sum outputs for mono sub setups. And adjust individual output levels on each channel so you can mix and match (within reason) different drivers....
Don't get me wrong about my sub comments earlier... When you have a decent front end you will quickly hear what you prefer....
So the miniDIGI is all optical inputs and outputs? I wasn't aware there is that much support for that technology in car audio. or is there?
anyways what your are saying with the miniDSP is that the only inputs I need to it are for a left and right channel. ALL filtering/splitting and eq of the signal will happen in the chip. that sounds excelent and exactly what I am looking for!
HU: you said that because all the signal processing will now be handled by the miniDSP I can get a reasonably priced head unit with a better D/A chip, digital analog converter? how do I determine weather or not a head unit has a better than average D/A chip? and will going to digital outputs really help alot? I don't have very long cable runs and I was under the impression that having a ballanced line level signal (I think this is what you mean by digital outputs) has an advantage in rejecting forein signals, however I don't believe that will be a problem in my ~~10 foot cable runs. correct me if I am wrong.
Sub, I am planning a single sub and the emphasis is definately on sq over spl.
Thanks so much for the help so far. I feel like I have been wollowing arround on the internet for months slowly learning only to find more and more that I have no idea about. I am now developing a clear plan and can hopefuly begin ordering components very soon. the anticipation is kiling me!
anyways what your are saying with the miniDSP is that the only inputs I need to it are for a left and right channel. ALL filtering/splitting and eq of the signal will happen in the chip. that sounds excelent and exactly what I am looking for!
HU: you said that because all the signal processing will now be handled by the miniDSP I can get a reasonably priced head unit with a better D/A chip, digital analog converter? how do I determine weather or not a head unit has a better than average D/A chip? and will going to digital outputs really help alot? I don't have very long cable runs and I was under the impression that having a ballanced line level signal (I think this is what you mean by digital outputs) has an advantage in rejecting forein signals, however I don't believe that will be a problem in my ~~10 foot cable runs. correct me if I am wrong.
Sub, I am planning a single sub and the emphasis is definately on sq over spl.
Thanks so much for the help so far. I feel like I have been wollowing arround on the internet for months slowly learning only to find more and more that I have no idea about. I am now developing a clear plan and can hopefuly begin ordering components very soon. the anticipation is kiling me!
Amplifier
The only 6 channel amp I can find from a company I have ever heard of is JL audio's XD600/6. From the manufacturur's specs is appears to offer 100W RMS per channel at 2 ohm's with <1% THD. and 75W per channel at 4 ohm's. but no there is no THD listed @ 4 ohms. does this sound like a decent amp or should I be looking at less of a "high output" company? as in someone more concerned with high quality stuff than lots of products. I hear JL is lagely overpriced and more spl than sound quality.
If anyone has amp reccomendations I would be glad to hear them! preferably under $800 or so, but I am not opposed to used equipment, so if you know of a higher end amp that I might be able to get my hands on second hand please let me know.
The only 6 channel amp I can find from a company I have ever heard of is JL audio's XD600/6. From the manufacturur's specs is appears to offer 100W RMS per channel at 2 ohm's with <1% THD. and 75W per channel at 4 ohm's. but no there is no THD listed @ 4 ohms. does this sound like a decent amp or should I be looking at less of a "high output" company? as in someone more concerned with high quality stuff than lots of products. I hear JL is lagely overpriced and more spl than sound quality.
If anyone has amp reccomendations I would be glad to hear them! preferably under $800 or so, but I am not opposed to used equipment, so if you know of a higher end amp that I might be able to get my hands on second hand please let me know.
I have only seen super high end Sony gear from 10 years ago that had digital out but its been a while since I have read many spec sheets for car audio gear.
Basically the idea is to minimise the amount of times you convert from digital to anolouge and anolouge to digital.
The miniDIGI is a daughter board that plugs directly ontop of the MiniDSP to allow digital coaxial and optical connect ions. I only mentioned it in case you needed it but these modules can be easily added later if you like/need.
Balanced line level is not digital but does generally offer higher voltage and superior shielding/noise rejection. It can be added later also if required... Start with standard line level RCA.
HU. Second hand is always an option.. You will have to do some Google/forum searching and see what the lads are saying about various models....but think of it this way... Your HU has a CD reading mechanism, tuner, 4 amp channels.. Etc etc... All cramped into a tiny case rattling around inside a car. Not great. Eclipse released a model that used superior mechanical isolation, great D/A chip + CD mech with no onboard amps. Again hit the forums for other brands.. Its only one option, but with the mini your HU won't need many expensive extras.
Like everything, do some research and see what others are saying about build quality/reliability of amp. Secondhand is a great option... Brands that have been in business for years have to be doing something right.
I have read forums with MiniDSP/car audio setups which could have many handy tips.
Dean
Basically the idea is to minimise the amount of times you convert from digital to anolouge and anolouge to digital.
The miniDIGI is a daughter board that plugs directly ontop of the MiniDSP to allow digital coaxial and optical connect ions. I only mentioned it in case you needed it but these modules can be easily added later if you like/need.
Balanced line level is not digital but does generally offer higher voltage and superior shielding/noise rejection. It can be added later also if required... Start with standard line level RCA.
HU. Second hand is always an option.. You will have to do some Google/forum searching and see what the lads are saying about various models....but think of it this way... Your HU has a CD reading mechanism, tuner, 4 amp channels.. Etc etc... All cramped into a tiny case rattling around inside a car. Not great. Eclipse released a model that used superior mechanical isolation, great D/A chip + CD mech with no onboard amps. Again hit the forums for other brands.. Its only one option, but with the mini your HU won't need many expensive extras.
Like everything, do some research and see what others are saying about build quality/reliability of amp. Secondhand is a great option... Brands that have been in business for years have to be doing something right.
I have read forums with MiniDSP/car audio setups which could have many handy tips.
Dean
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