I completely disagree.
The stock speakers blow, and virtually any upgrade, especially a $100 upgrade, will sound substantially better.
I've still got the Polks mentioned in this thread from 2004, they sound a whole lot better than the stock junkers.
how about a car audio thread?
- Thread starter -dustin
- Start date
The stock speakers blow, and virtually any upgrade, especially a $100 upgrade, will sound substantially better.
I've still got the Polks mentioned in this thread from 2004, they sound a whole lot better than the stock junkers.
An additional upgrade that is well worth its money, both in audio quality and general sound quality of the car is installing some sort of sound deadening medium into the door panels, floor, and ceiling of the cab. You can go really overboard with it too, but a little bit will go a long way, and can be done very cheap.
id get a new deck now, then speakers, then amps and subi'm gonna start upgrading the stock system in my Tacoma, and am kinda wondering which direction i should take. i've got about $400 to spend right now, so should i:
- get a headunit now, and replace the speakers around X-Mas time, then go for an amp and sub.
- get speakers now, headunit around X-Mas, sub and amp last.
- something else?
my stock stuff is fine, it's just getting a little old, and i'm wanting a cleaner sound. i'm not after thumps, i want crisp, pure sound.
headunits i'm looking at are Pioneers, Sonys, and Alpines, in the $300 range. i had a Pioneer a while ago, back when 35W/channel was good. loved it. then got a Sony with Active Black Panel. loved it, too, but it got jacked.
don't know what to do with speakers. i'm lost in that area. i just know i want a set of components. someone want to toss up some ideas?
i have the 9887, love it. you can get it for under $300 off ebay
http://www.alpine-usa.com/US-en/products/product.php?model=CDA-9887
these are nice for the $ http://www.woofersetc.com/p6201/CTX65CS--Image-Dynamics-65"-Component-Speaker-System.htm
or some CDTs
couple Alpine amps and a RE sub, yould be good to go
times have changed, big time since then. now you can get 24 Bit DAC Alpines with 2 or 3 way 1st thru 4th order digital xovers, with 6 channels of delay, with peqs and geqs and Bluetooth and HD Radio for under $300. they dont sound like the F1s or McIntosh decks but theyre not 2-3gs either and they do still sound damn nice.
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How good is older equipment? I stll have a 10 year old Eclipse amp and sub in another vehicle that I was thinking about salvaging. Has there been enough advancement in the last decade to warrrant buying a new amp and sub?
So.... what speakers should I buy?
Maybe these?
Infinity Reference 6032si 6-1/2"
Maybe these?
Infinity Reference 6032si 6-1/2"
Yes. Infinity Reference are a HUGE upgrade over stock without killing the budget. I had those in my Toyota and they rocked.So.... what speakers should I buy?
Maybe these?
Infinity Reference 6032si 6-1/2"
i just snagged this last night for my beater subie. http://www.6ave.com/shop/product.aspx?ref=Froogle&sku=JENHD5313
i've gone for 3 years now with only aux input (external mp3 player, usually via my phone) because the stock antenna plug wasn't long enough and,frankly, i didn't care. i've got a 500w fosgate amp pushing a 10" sub (bought the pair for $35 from a friend) and generic box 6" speakers to replace the dry rotted stock hatchback 6x9's.
adding an inexpensive HD radio made a world of a difference. my old head unit hardly worked and i had to tap it with my fist to get all the speakers to work. the HD channels are super clear and loud and the face isn't too busy so i can find what i'm looking for while driving. i'm digging the SD card slot as i shouldn't have to hook up my phone to the aux port if all of my tunes are on the card in the head unit.
for $100...i'm not complaining
and i installed it in a record 1.5 hours you audiophiles would crack up if you saw my jerry rig job of additional speakers in the front. the door speaker wires quit working so i just installed an aftermarket speaker in paneling underneath the steering column...looks professional and sounds good too 
i've gone for 3 years now with only aux input (external mp3 player, usually via my phone) because the stock antenna plug wasn't long enough and,frankly, i didn't care. i've got a 500w fosgate amp pushing a 10" sub (bought the pair for $35 from a friend) and generic box 6" speakers to replace the dry rotted stock hatchback 6x9's.
adding an inexpensive HD radio made a world of a difference. my old head unit hardly worked and i had to tap it with my fist to get all the speakers to work. the HD channels are super clear and loud and the face isn't too busy so i can find what i'm looking for while driving. i'm digging the SD card slot as i shouldn't have to hook up my phone to the aux port if all of my tunes are on the card in the head unit.
for $100...i'm not complaining
and i installed it in a record 1.5 hours you audiophiles would crack up if you saw my jerry rig job of additional speakers in the front. the door speaker wires quit working so i just installed an aftermarket speaker in paneling underneath the steering column...looks professional and sounds good too 
IH8rice or any other car audio monkies want to chime in on these sketched out ideas?
I'm not even sure if that last setup would work (2 way active front components, passive coaxials in the rear, sub), although post #13 here suggests it is possible… This **** is confusing.
I'm not even sure if that last setup would work (2 way active front components, passive coaxials in the rear, sub), although post #13 here suggests it is possible… This **** is confusing.
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I saw this thread come up from about 3 years ago. I had I funny quip as a retort. I then realized Toshi brought it back up. I then realized he's a doctor. I then realized he's much smarter than me. I then realized I've been drinking. I then realized I don't post much and I may be chastised. But regardless, here's my $0.02. Buy a new car with upgraded sound. I preface this by saying Toshi as well as the majority of RM is much smarter than me, and I've been drinking. Please continue with your day.
-Regards
-Regards
I dig it. I will say that we've bout vehicles solely on they're audio/bluetooth capabilities.I'm all about the necro- and obsessive-topic-updates-over-half-a-decade bumps.
That being said, I have nothing else to add. I will continue drinking garbage beer.
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I've never been in any quality built up vehicles, let alone enough of them to know if I like rear fill or not. My experience was just my ****ty WRX system build from 2005 (coax x 4 doors off of one amp, direct iPod input to said amp, iirc) + spending time in the local shop's speaker auditioning room back then.
Ok, half drunk review. I currently have a Toyota Venza with JBL door mounts throughout. Up to mid-range is really good, over that is hollow. Prior, I had a Nissan Titan that had factory Harmon Cardon with a sub under the driver seat. Best system I've had. Both were factory systems.
This doesn't add much. But I feel the need for punching chicklettes.
This doesn't add much. But I feel the need for punching chicklettes.
doesn't really matter whats in my cars, sports talk radio on AM all sounds the same on any system...
A car moving down the road with mechanical, wind, road, noise in a small enclosed metal box. Save your money...
I have a 05 Silverado, CD doesn't work, what deck can take music off my droid and use my steering wheel controls?
JD is on track here, imo.
My truck has the 'premium' bose system in it. Sitting in the driveway its fine though it has its limitations.
Once moving the diesel clatter, turbo whine, tire rumble and usually down windows all conspire to make the audio experience a **** show of ambient noise overlayed by music.
The benz has a great sounding factory HK system in it.
Being a wagon though, even with excellent sound deadening, road noise at hwy speeds again make me doubt that spending more would improve audio at tolerable volume levels.
Subarus are noisy, tinny vehicles (I've had 3) and would be the last brand I've invest heavily into audio in.
I'd also get the best factory head unit and build a system off that.
No need to attract attention at the trailhead or in the city with an aftermarket unit.
*Disclaimer: I've always felt that car audio and the high-volume, parking lot cock-fests that surround it, was the most retarded of all automotive modifications. IMO, the best factory systems are likely the most sensible choice as they've been optimized/integrated into the interior to a reasonable level of quality given the compromised environment.
they would all work and any of them of them would be fine to go with. when designing a system, i typically look at how much do you want to spend, how much work you want to do, where the speakers are located/vehicle type/how much space for equipment...IH8rice or any other car audio monkies want to chime in on these sketched out ideas?
I'm not even sure if that last setup would work (2 way active front components, passive coaxials in the rear, sub), although post #13 here suggests it is possible… This **** is confusing.
my truck's sound system is set up pretty similar to the last one on your list: eclipse pre-amp headunit w/ a larger eq/x-over, Focal front components bi-amped by a JL 300/4, rear Focal components on a JL 300/2 and two 13.5" JL subs running on two JL 500/1 amps.
if i was to do another setup, i would go the route of "option 2" on your list. the front sound stage is the most important imo (the rears could/would still add presence tho,) so having the 4 channel amp work those two speakers would sound great. if you wanted to geek out just a bit more, you could replace the rears with a coax and just run them off the headunit, not an external amp. a 5 channel amp would still be sufficient for this setup.
Thanks for the tips, all. I am cognizant that cars are suboptimal listening platforms.
IH8Rice: Preouts + deck power can be active simultaneously? I like this last idea, maybe even with the stock rear speakers. I'd probably screw around with limiting the frequencies going to the back +/- delaying it if the head unit can do that.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haas_effect
Unless radios have changed a lot since I last remember, then yes. Ths radio doesn't know if something is actually connected to the preouts. Some radios do have the option to shut the internal amp off to help with sound quality but only the higher ends units had this feature.
Time delay does help. It took me a bit to dial mine in but it cars with bad speaker placement, it'll help
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Fairly true.
Problem is, most automobile insulation/sound deadening from the factory is sub-par at best. Making a car quiet, and free from ambient road noise is the foundation of a good system.
I am running my front dash speakers off deck power with my rear speakers and door speakers tied off the front channel of my 4 channel amp with the sub ran bridged off the rear channel of the amp.
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I did put a high pass filter on the dash speakers to reduce the bass (4" don't have much bottom end).
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Cool. Good to know it can be done. Can't do time alignment on that non-channel, though. I think I'd stick with straight up option 2 (sans rear speakers) or option 3 (all singing and dancing 4 way active crossover).
With regard to stock stereos: Unless I lose all sense of modesty and actually spring for a luxury car with a truly high end system (e.g. Mark Levinson in Lexuses) then I don't think the factory upgraded stereos would be enough to satisfy my #firstworldproblemneeds wants.
We have the JBL system in the Prius, for instance, replete with A pillar mounted tweeters, and it lacks the oomph for big orchestral works like Alpine Symphony. (Sounds fine with the 6 dB-of-dynamic-range top 40 crap on the radio, on the other hand.)
With regard to stock stereos: Unless I lose all sense of modesty and actually spring for a luxury car with a truly high end system (e.g. Mark Levinson in Lexuses) then I don't think the factory upgraded stereos would be enough to satisfy my #firstworldproblem
We have the JBL system in the Prius, for instance, replete with A pillar mounted tweeters, and it lacks the oomph for big orchestral works like Alpine Symphony. (Sounds fine with the 6 dB-of-dynamic-range top 40 crap on the radio, on the other hand.)
One thing my system needs is an active crossover that I will add eventually and may add a separate bass amp. Currently I am using the built in (non adjustable) HP/LP amp settings, but need the ability to dial in the crossover points. The door speakers do have passive crossovers as well (6.5 + tweet separates).
Doors before:
Doors now (ignore tape on tweet):
Back before:
Back after (need to get a pic with the tool box in place)
The dash 4x6's were replaced with 4" round 2 ways, the rear 4x6's were replaced with 4x6 2 ways.
Old vs new:
This setup was done on the wicked cheap using sale pieces and a pawn shop amp for less than $250. The old ass Panasonic deck was already in the truck, but has RCA shielding issues and a crap receiver. It will be replaced eventually.
Doors before:
Doors now (ignore tape on tweet):
Back before:
Back after (need to get a pic with the tool box in place)
The dash 4x6's were replaced with 4" round 2 ways, the rear 4x6's were replaced with 4x6 2 ways.
Old vs new:
This setup was done on the wicked cheap using sale pieces and a pawn shop amp for less than $250. The old ass Panasonic deck was already in the truck, but has RCA shielding issues and a crap receiver. It will be replaced eventually.
Yeah active three way front, do it. I had active three way in my last car and it was horrible but that was because of bad speaker selection and buying overpriced American made ****! I am now running a passive three way front stage with a 4" mid at dash height on axis which means all of the vocals are up high which helped imaging greatly.
My previous car's big downfall was running a two inch mid which meant that a lot of important musical info went to the woofers in the door and it sounded crap and no time alignment would get a result I was happy with.
In my opinion if you are going to keep factory(ish) speaker locations time alignment and a good EQ are an absolute must if you want the vocals to come from centre of the windscreen. My current install was done on a crazy tight budget and the only item that wasn't secondhand was the HU and I am really happy with the results.
If you go to all this effort please don't skimp on deadening it makes a massive difference.
My previous car's big downfall was running a two inch mid which meant that a lot of important musical info went to the woofers in the door and it sounded crap and no time alignment would get a result I was happy with.
In my opinion if you are going to keep factory(ish) speaker locations time alignment and a good EQ are an absolute must if you want the vocals to come from centre of the windscreen. My current install was done on a crazy tight budget and the only item that wasn't secondhand was the HU and I am really happy with the results.
If you go to all this effort please don't skimp on deadening it makes a massive difference.
Usually people that assemble a system like Toshi would like to aren't really the type drive round windows down stereo up.
People who buy loud stereos are like people who buy good bikes and can't ride, it's just to show off to people in parking lots.
People who buy loud stereos are like people who buy good bikes and can't ride, it's just to show off to people in parking lots.
i would enjoy toshi blaring his classical music....
Pretty easy to put together budget systems that will kill most 'high end factory systems'. IMO most of them sound like poop. It's surprising, even to non-audio geeks what even an amp, a small sub and a decent set of speakers can do.
doubtful...especially if its a legitimate high end factory system.
That's the key word. Most systems aren't what they advertise.
seconded.
if i can fcuking hear your music with my and your windows up, i wish upon you a gruesome car-related death whereby your rice-rocket spontaneously combusts as you careen off a cliff or bridge.
Ok, I'll bite. Which systems pass muster, in your opinion?
The Mark Levinson Reference Sound system found in the LS and LX lines? The Bang & Olufsen Advanced Sound System found in the A8? The Bowers & Wilkens systems found in Maserati and Jaguar cars? Harmon & Kardon Logic 7 in the various Mercs and BMWs? Lexicon's Logic 7 system in the Equus?
Some of these systems look like they're after immersion and speaker count above all else, I suppose, but those are big names that wouldn't whore themselves out too easily I'd hope.
Personally..... There are an amazing amount of different ways to go to get the same result....
Check on my Mommy mobile<expedition> Walmart brand Dual head unit, pushing a 70 amp per channel on an eight speaker system, upgraded the speakers to infiniti's, and sony explode 10 in subin a sealed downshot box, carpeted to match the interior with an 800 watt blaupunkt amp....... Perfect clarity through out all volume ranges.
Now, I can remove my windows and yours should I desire to, but I listen at a normal level, I like my hearing, but I also spoil myself with music, I like clear and precise music. Now one of my favorite things is when the damn dumbass kids rolls up next to me in his honda bumping 5K watts into a 15 in brain exploding sub setup with stock everything else......... I look over and they think they kick ass...... then I roll up the volume on some slipknot, or hatebreed, or luke bryan something like that and just blow there **** system away.....
Check on my Mommy mobile<expedition> Walmart brand Dual head unit, pushing a 70 amp per channel on an eight speaker system, upgraded the speakers to infiniti's, and sony explode 10 in subin a sealed downshot box, carpeted to match the interior with an 800 watt blaupunkt amp....... Perfect clarity through out all volume ranges.
Now, I can remove my windows and yours should I desire to, but I listen at a normal level, I like my hearing, but I also spoil myself with music, I like clear and precise music. Now one of my favorite things is when the damn dumbass kids rolls up next to me in his honda bumping 5K watts into a 15 in brain exploding sub setup with stock everything else......... I look over and they think they kick ass...... then I roll up the volume on some slipknot, or hatebreed, or luke bryan something like that and just blow there **** system away.....
I'm not impressed with my buddies' brand new CLS550. I think most of the companies are getting wrapped up in speaker count instead of actual sound quality. Have you listened to any that knock your socks off? I don't think I have ever got in a brand new car and been surprised in a good way. I was actually disappointed in the CLS...
The new Chevrolet premium sound packages are good, and the one that will surprise you in the Kia premium sound system.