Guys,

Trying to do a bit of reasearch for an audio upgrade. Im planning a whole new system - Head iunit, amp, single 10" sub, etc etc.. I dont know a whole lot about car audio so Id like some suggestions (f you dont mind taking the time).....Thx.

 

Make sure the head unit reads MP3/WMA files! I recently replaced my stereo with a unit that does and now I can burn a cd that has 19-20 complete cd's on it (in WMA format). It's better than having a cd changer!

 

I think most of your good head units anymore do read MP3/WMA , Anyway IMO i like pioneer stuff alot. I have had real good luck with it and it isn't to awfully expensive. I have ran sony and wasn't very impressed with it at all. I had sony explode 6x9's in my doors and the voice coils went out of them pretty quick.

The whole "having to match equipment is bull" if you ever hear that i would pay no attention. I have a couple of friends that do the DB drags and they have mixed products. It is just mainly how you hook it all up.

What kind of setup are you looking for? Pioneer makes good speakers and head units. I was not impressed with there amplifiers. For the money Jensen makes a pretty good amp. I have a ALPINE in my wifes car that is very impressive. She also has 2 Alpine 10"s that perform really well.

Anyway that is my .02$

 

Well, I already bought a Kenwood cd head unit (man their stuff has gotten a LOT better than it used to be), and a 10" JL Audio sub. (planning on doing the Stealth mount under the seat) Just need some suggestions for the rest. Amps, speakers etc???

 

Dr,
I have a reasonable amount of experience with car audio and am in the middle of upgrading my system right now (check my pics for the old system) It is very hard to list what sounds good because everyones ears are different. I will say in my honest opinion for power you need to go old-school. 98% of the new amps I have heard today are awfull sounding. I would recommend older Soundstream reference, Rockford, or PPI art series amps, they can be had on ebay for great deals today and kick but over the new stuff(dont be fooled by their low power ratings) for the speakers I feel you need to go with components for the front doors ( Infinity Kappa Perfects are cheap for their performance) Rear fill (doors) just need a good set of coax. The sub is all in the enclosure so depending on how you tune it will give you the sound you want. As for head units my personal favorite is the Eclipse since nobody makes a cleaner output signal with up to a true 8V (a amp can only reproduce the signal it gets so....) Alpine also make a good product but you have to look at it so you have to like it. If you have any other questions PM me and I will be happy to help with suggestions

 

Yea didnt meantion Kenwood but it also seems to be pretty good. I love JL subs just love umm. Like i said i think you would be fine with depending on price range or what kinda sound you want you go to big with the amp and it will blow the sub. I think a Jensen would pretty good i have one myself just laying around that i had hooked to a pioneer 12 that just rocked. It is only 350 watt and it did great. I think MTX amps are pretty good.

Pretty much evil most of the aftermarket is pretty good Infinity, Pioneer, Kenwood, MTX, Rockford Fogstate,JL, Kicker it is all pretty good stuff i have the most experience with Pioneer, JL, Jensen. Like i said i am not trying to sell jensen amps but they are dang good and pretty cheap.

 

I will have some questions for you in the near future...thanks.

 

...the biggest issue I had was trying to get speakers into the front door - there is NOT a bunch of room in there! If I recall correctly, a 3" depth is all you have to work with- unless you add a spacer and cut the door panel to allow protrusion, there aren't a lot of speakers that will drop in. Components may work better, especially if you have the A-Pillar tweeter set up; I went with Sony / Infinity - sure beats the crappy OEM "self-amplified" paper cone Infinity's !

 

Rauschbo,,

Did you go with 6.5's or 6X9's?

 

6 X 9's; The Infinity speakers are pretty solid, I've had great sound out of them for years (these were transplanted out of my '82 Jimmy 6.2L). Crutchfield is one source for getting speaker depth / mounting specs...

Options for deeper speakers would be to move them a bit aft or rotate them a bit (front door speakers); My door has a vertical support towards the front of the door - once you moved far enough aft, you have to contend with the window glass! Shimming the mount out just a skosh would work for many speakers, as long as you protect any tweeter protrusion your speakers may have....

6 X 9's are great, I have the 3-ways. A good set of 2-ways would work as you're going with amped sub(s) - if your head unit has high pass selection for the speakers, the sound separation and clarity is greatly increased as you're not overdriving the bass through the 2-ways.

Note on purchasing: Do it online! I have typically saved 50% + on every system I've purchased online (compared to locally); Just make sure the place is reputable, and make sure you understand the warranty - who covers the warranty, and for how long. I ONCE bought as system at a RIDICULOUSLY low price - turns out it was a no-return, no warranty item....

 

It's better to over power a sub or speakers than to under power them. Remember the crossover will rob some of the available power. Preout voltage is inportant for good sound, but it helps to pay attention to what resistance you're getting your preout voltage delivered to your amp.

Most any stereo shop will sell abs plastic speaker mount kits. Componet speaker sfor most apps. give the best sound stage. If you head unit has time alignment that is also another good feature.

 

Head units and subs

I have eclipse audio subs under the back seat, GOOD GOD! THEY ARE AWESOME, phoenix gold capacitors, and eclipse audio amps as well, Good speakers, just as good as JL audio, or so i think... I dont like for a head deck sony xpoldes, skip too easily and are too weeny to play cds at times, Pioneers and kenwoods i have had and they dont skip too often at all, and read just about any cd pretty well...

Tx

 

My system WAS in my Jeep, waiting for a new head unit to drop in the dodge...

I had an eclipse head unit. Expensive, great quality of sound and feed but I didnt like the lack of features and how much it skipped. I'm going Alpine next, I think.

My JL Audio Amp is mega-sweet. Beautiful sound and power and very tweakable.

I *had* a 5.25" / 1.25" components w/ crossovers from MB Quartz. They hit mids and highs beautifully. My roommate borrowed my Jeep one weekend, and like an idiot didnt hear the speakers clipping and blew a driver. The crossovers work fine still, as do the tweeters. I'll buy new drivers and keep running 'em.

In short, most will agree that JL Audio won't lead you wrong. Make sure you get a head unit that plays mp3s, it's a nice feature. Most come w/ a separate Amp-Out and 4 speaker outs. Your amp should be a 4 channel. 2 channels for speakers and bridge the other two for the amp. If you're gonna run 4 speakers you can run the other two off the head-unit.

HTH.

 

keep it coming guys...thanks.