how about a car audio thread?

chicodude · Sep 6, 2004

i would just get the head unit first, since you stock stuff is fine, then get the amp and some new speakers. make sure you have a guy that know what he's doing, cause badly installed audio is the worst :mumble:

COmtbiker12 · Sep 6, 2004

i agree with chico, and when you finally do get around to getting a sub, try to pay a bit more for a custom box or make one your own and be sure to make it ported for a better sound.

quadricolour · Sep 6, 2004

mtnbkr4235 said:
i agree with chico, and when you finally do get around to getting a sub, try to pay a bit more for a custom box or make one your own and be sure to make it ported for a better sound.

A sealed box built to the right dimensions with a good driver sounds way better than a ported box, unless you like boomy one note bass.

Brian HCM#1 · Sep 6, 2004

quadricolour said:
A sealed box built to the right dimensions with a good driver sounds way better than a ported box, unless you like boomy one note bass.

It really depends on the size of the cabinet and driver size if you should port it or not.

Brian HCM#1 · Sep 6, 2004

I remember the days when Alpine used to be one of the best on the market. I wouldn't touch that crap now.

COmtbiker12 · Sep 6, 2004

quadricolour said:
A sealed box built to the right dimensions with a good driver sounds way better than a ported box, unless you like boomy one note bass.

I suppose you're right. My only knowledge of them comes from my friends who listen to only rap, lol.

chicodude · Sep 7, 2004

I think clarion is good stuff, its the stereo i have in my car now.

I always thought alpine was good stuff, but shows how much i know.............

The Kadvang · Sep 7, 2004

I thought Alpine was still really good, but yeah, I have next to zero knowledege...

crono35 · Sep 7, 2004

save some money too and have a good security system put in. a $3k system does you no good if it's sitting in a thief's living room...

bibs · Sep 7, 2004

Heres my two cents, get a very nice head unit first, they have more power and a wider freq. range than factory decks. With just that alone you rfactory speakers will sound better. If you are going to buy speakers , spend money on the fronts the rear are just a fill and in that truck you will notice all the sound from the doors anyways. If you need any advice, shoot me a pm, I have worked in car audio (profeesionally) for 7 years.

( if oyu already knew this sorry

)

bibs · Sep 7, 2004

crono35 said:
save some money too and have a good security system put in. a $3k system does you no good if it's sitting in a thief's living room...

unfortuanaly, if a thief wants your ****, he will get it...alarms are a deterent...thats all....it sucks to say that..but I have seen enough to realize the sad truth

derekpearson · Sep 7, 2004

i recommend this

binary visions · Sep 7, 2004

I've had a Blaupunkt Alaska that has gone through three cars with me and never fails to impress me with how much better it makes the stock speakers sound on any car. Also, it went in my Tacoma, and my Tacoma went through a lot of abuse in the woods, and I could never get the damn thing to skip. Not ever. The only time I could get it to skip was when I slammed into a serious rut, big enough to bottom my suspension and bring the whole truck to a slamming stop.

So, two thumbs up for both the durability and sound quality out of this Blaupunkt. The layout is very clean, with plenty of options that are hidden away in the menus so there aren't six billion buttons. Some people like the cluttered interfaces because they give a lot of controls at your fingertips, I like a very clean interface with accessible menus if I want to change something that's not basic like volume or bass.

About a year ago I chucked a set of $60 Polk Audio speakers in the front of my Subaru and was pretty impressed with the sound quality for not much money.

Incubus · Sep 7, 2004

You can get some of this stuff used. [SPAM]For instance, I have a set of 5.25" JL audio component speakers (with x-overs) and a Orion 4*50 4 channel amp that's only been demoed that I'm trying to unload. $200 and you're well on your way to a decent system. The amp takes pre-out (RCA) or line-level inputs so you can use an aftermarket head unit or your existing one. One of the midrange speakers had an 1/8" tear in it that has been sealed with aquarium sealant. That size speaker doesn't move enough air for it to be an issue.

I planned on using both in my car, but I picked up a 3-way component set that's specific to my car and it'll take a bit more power so I'm getting rid of these.

PM me if you're interested.[/SPAM]

Incubus · Sep 7, 2004

Brian HCM#1 said:
I remember the days when Alpine used to be one of the best on the market. I wouldn't touch that crap now.

They still make a good head unit. They just look busy. Their amps and speakers are crap though.

jacksonpt · Sep 7, 2004

What year is your Taco? The stock gear in my 96 4Runner was decent, so replace stuff based on the type of music you listen to, and how loud you listen to it.

I'd add an amp/sub first as it will have the greatest impact on sound. You can then dial back the bass to the mains to reduce distortion. Even if you set the gain fairly low (this is what I did), it will noticably improve your sound, especially at high volume. If distortion isn't a problem for you now, and you don't feel you need/want a sub, then skip this. You're the only one that knows how you listen to music and what you like. But be aware that having a sub doesn't mean you HAVE to set it to rattle the filings out of your teeth.

After that, replace the head unit. The stock head unit uses a separate amp, but I think the wiring is proprietary, so you can't simply swap out the amp. If you really want clean sound, add an amp as well. Even at lower volumes, a good amp will be noticably better than vitually any amp built into a deck.

Lastly, ditch the speakers. Everyone's ear is different, so everyone prefers a different speaker. I for one like focal and diamond stuff, but it's all about personal preference. Get what you think sounds good.

jacksonpt · Sep 7, 2004

quadricolour said:
A sealed box built to the right dimensions with a good driver sounds way better than a ported box, unless you like boomy one note bass.

Yep yep... be sure that the enclosure is built to the sub's specs. Good subs are "optimized" (not sure what the right word is) for a specific air volume. If you build your enclosure yourself, take the time to triple check your measurements and make sure you are measuring the INNER dimensions of the enclosure. This was the most tedious and time consuming part when I built my box.

Wumpus · Sep 7, 2004

Amp first, then speakers, then a non-powered headunit.

Why spend extra money getting amps built into the headunit if you are planning on purchasing an amp later?

freeridebiker21 · Sep 7, 2004

my bro went to a cricuit city and got an awsome set up for around 400$ he got an awia head unit, mtx speakers, and 1 10 inch sub with the box he put it in himself so it was a little cheaper but it is awsome and it is in your price range.

narlus · Sep 7, 2004

what kind of system could i expect if i was to sink about 1K into it?

ALEXIS_DH · Sep 7, 2004

i like music a lot.

but whenever i just drive, i just listen to whats on the the radio on the stock stereo on my yaris, and my 3rd gen rx7. my 69 camaro doesnt even has a working radio yet..

and whenever i want to drive by heart. i turn off everything, roll down the windows and like to listen to the engine, and the tires to get a better feel of the car..

i dont think a car is a place where you should make your music listening temple or something. not my thing.
plus it adds a lot of weight sometimes.

narlus · Sep 7, 2004

when you've got a couple of youngsters, yr time on the home stereo rapidly declines...the car is about the only place i can listen to stuff on a regular basis these days. can't let the thousands of cds go to waste.

GeoffW · Sep 7, 2004

I like my pioneer stuff, night and day better in past 4 years compared to the PX45 and prior series. I'd be all for a new headunit and shell out for speakers after that. A sub is fun, but you'll get sick of nothing but bass somedays, especially when you get that urge to crank it and hear mud coming from your stock speakers. While out of your price range, I've got one set of MB Quarts and another set of Boston Pro's that have each gone through a large number of vehicles. I feel that MB's can handle a little more low end, while the Bostons sound cleaner. I'd look into a set of lower end Boston's, their stuff is typically well built. Headunit, I don't think that the Taco's are Din and a half's, so I'm look to a lower end headunit in a Pioneer. Nothing glitzy, but still with a sub preout which a guy can control, a few different sound fields, and a surprising amount of power out of a headunit which I think is 50X4 right now.

Incubus · Sep 7, 2004

ALEXIS_DH said:
i like music a lot.

but whenever i just drive, i just listen to whats on the the radio on the stock stereo on my yaris, and my 3rd gen rx7. my 69 camaro doesnt even has a working radio yet..

and whenever i want to drive by heart. i turn off everything, roll down the windows and like to listen to the engine, and the tires to get a better feel of the car..

i dont think a car is a place where you should make your music listening temple or something. not my thing.
plus it adds a lot of weight sometimes.

Think about people who spend a lot of time in their car for work or stuck in traffic etc. It's no fun listening to the engine/tires when you're going for 0 MPH to 5 MPH back to 0 for 10 yards at time.

Unless you track your car or your system is so large that the speakers and amps weigh in at over 100lbs, you won't notice the extra weight.

On a side note: 69 camaro :drool:

ALEXIS_DH · Sep 7, 2004

Incubus said:
Think about people who spend a lot of time in their car for work or stuck in traffic etc. It's no fun listening to the engine/tires when you're going for 0 MPH to 5 MPH back to 0 for 10 yards at time.

Unless you track your car or your system is so large that the speakers and amps weigh in at over 100lbs, you won't notice the extra weight.

On a side note: 69 camaro

well yeah, after reading the argument of the kids and thinking US-ers drive a LOT! (i usually dont drive more than 10min for transportation) it makes sense.

the weight, yeah it can be bothersome, 100lbs is more than enough to be felt in gas mileage and driving. specially for me, when my daily driver weights like 2000 lbs and has a 1.3 engine and gas runs for 5 bucks a gal. i appreciate if i can get 4 extra mpg out of my yaris (echo in the US). thats enough to save me like 70 bucks a month in gas that i can use to drive the rx7 or the camaro.

and yeah, i love that camaro. i wanted one for 3 years until i got it 2 months ago. it still need work though and i cannot afford to drive it much (90 bucks of gas the last time i floored were gone in 1 afternoon!!!!!).

the 327 is the sweetest music when driving though.

narlus · Sep 17, 2004

so i checked out a couple of places today...alpine seemed to be the top pick for a head unit at both places. one place was pushing Kicker speakers, the other i think were either polk or boston acoustic.

i wasn't really planning on getting a sub, but it sounded so much better, and of course an amp for the head unit made things sound even better. but, that almost doubles my cost if i wanna go that route.

any suggestions?

Brian HCM#1 · Sep 17, 2004

the Inbred said:
please explain. an Alpine was tops on my list. i'm sort of turned off by gawdy displays (OEL, 64,000,000,000,000,000 colors, etc) 'cause i feel i might be paying for a display, rather than a good headunit. that's what i liked about the Alpine. but if their quality is not up there, i don't want to go that route.

what do you recommend? or like? is Clarion still quality stuff?

Alpine back in the day was sold only in specialty stores, they weren't mass produced as they are today. Now you can walk into a Good Guys, Circuit City etc, and they are all selling them. Its been a few years since I was really into car audio, I had a system worth over $5K back in 1989 then again this is when CD players were really just comming out and my head unit was $1200 and the lower end one at the time was atound $699 or so. As far as really good sounding players right now I still like Eclipse and Nakamichi. However if your just throwing in a player for tunes, I'm sure the Alpine will be fine.

narlus · Sep 18, 2004

does nak even make car audio?

well, i'm definitely not throwing 5K into a car stereo. i've got save up for my 1.5 million dollar house.

Brian HCM#1 · Sep 18, 2004

narlus said:
does nak even make car audio?

well, i'm definitely not throwing 5K into a car stereo. i've got save up for my 1.5 million dollar house.

Here

Oh and if you're saving for that 1.5 mil house, you won't even miss that 5K

SkaredShtles · Oct 11, 2009

Bumpity.

I'm looking for speakers for my ancient Subaru Outback...

So what's currently decent in the market you "autio"philes?

Oh - and unlike narlus I'm looking to "sink" no more than a about $150.

Edit: Here are my Crutchfield choices for front & rear:

Front: http://www.crutchfield.com/g_400/All-Car-Speakers.html?tp=105&l=C
Rear: http://www.crutchfield.com/g_400/All-Car-Speakers.html?tp=105&l=D

stevew · Oct 11, 2009

SkaredShtles said:
I'm looking to "sink" no more than a C-note.

at that price....let the fat lady continue serenading you.

a $100 dollar upgrade won't sound much better.

SkaredShtles · Oct 11, 2009

stevew said:
at that price....let the fat lady continue serenading you.

a $100 dollar upgrade won't sound much better.

Well - the right front is BLOWN and buzzes when there's any bass involved... so anything is going to improve things at this point.

Originally I was just going to replace fronts - so I figured $100 was a fair amount for just a pair of speakers... I may still go that route but if I can get front & rear I may do that...

kazlx · Oct 11, 2009

Rule number 1 is not to buy from Crutchfield. The are overpriced on everything, you will always pay retail and car audio stuff is easy to get at a discount, even without buying from a white van.

I like Focals and Diamond Audio. Really, for audio stuff, you should go to a local audio shop and pick out something you like. There are so many different factors to how speakers sound and listening to them makes it easier to find something you like, whether it's $100 or $1000 speakers. For amps, I like JL Audio, because they can be had cheap used on Craigslist and put out solid power.

Something like this...I have no idea about the retailer, just to show the speakers.

http://www.sonicelectronix.com/item_7756_Focal+165+CA1.html?utm_source=froogle&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=froogle

Also, as an FYI a majority of audio manufacturers do not authorize on-line sales and will not warranty items purchased on-line. It's worth finding a reputable shop local to you if you want to have stuff installed and installation is typically pretty inexpensive for simple replacements. It's also really easy to do yourself if you buy the right parts and is pretty much plug and play.

Leppah · Oct 11, 2009

Man, I used to be really in to car Audio. My best friend worked as an installer at Ultimate Electronics. He'd was always installing cool things for cheap into my ride at the time. I had an Alpine CD player, an Alpine Digital Signal processor, an Alpine V12 amp running all of the highs and lows, and a Rockford Fosgate Punch 200 Amp running the 15" rockford subwoofer. That sh!t was loud and clear as eff. I really miss that stuff. It's in my ex's car now and it's all about 10 years old.

jimmydean · Oct 11, 2009

Go to the swap meet (or flea market) and get you a nice set of Pyramid 6x9's. They are like $12 and they even come with 50' of 28awg "high grade" speaker wire. Just zip tie them in the back so the don't roll around.

stevew · Oct 11, 2009

SkaredShtles said:
Well - the right front is BLOWN and buzzes when there's any bass involved... so anything is going to improve things at this point.

the Dead sounds the same no matter what you are listening to them through so it doesn't make a difference you hippie.

how about a car audio thread?

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