Need a better stereo

[Anonymous_User]

First, stereo's are electrical, right? If not, move to proper forum.

Next, who's the car stereo guru's? I want to put a little system in the Turbo Z. Something I can enjoy driving to and from work.

What size are the stock speakers? What would be good replacements? Probably amplified.

I'll need some woof also. Nothing much. Maybe a pair of 10's.

Due to some hearing deficiency I like a lot of high's so some extra tweets up front.

Not too much power needed, but will need to power all of this.

And also a head unit. Something that will play MP3 files off of a burnt CD.

I don't need anything super fancy and I don't want to spend a lot of money. Let's look at it from a couple budgets. First, what can be done for around $500? Then, what could be done for about $1200?

Links please!

[Anonymous_User]

Doing some Ebay shopping, how about this:

1.) JVC KD-G220 Receiver, CD/MP3

2.) KENWOOD KFC-1380ie 5.25 2 WAY CAR SPEAKERS (2 pr)

3.) ROCKFORD FOSGATE P110S4 4 OHM 300 W 10" SUBWOOFER (2)

4.) KENWOOD KAC-7202 2 CHANNEL CAR AMPLIFIER 920 WATT MAX

5.) Kenwood KAC-8402 4 Channel Car Stereo Amp 720 Watts

By my calculations that comes to $527.82 off of Ebay. Everything listed as new except the 2-channel amp listed as Kenwood Refurbished.

Opinions?

[Mario]

http://www.turbo-mopar.com/forums/sh...ght=subliminal

[JDAWG]

crutchfield is selling alot of subs buy one get one free right now

[Subliminal]

Here's some things I'd recommend:

First, do an ebay search on cda-9813. It's an Alpine head unit which does MP3 (and does it VERY well). It also has great crossovers built in, so you can tune the whole system from the deck. And, almost most importantly, it features Alpine's old v-drive system which puts out about the most power from a head unit ever. Not most advertised power, but most actual power. Also could be substitued for cda-9815 or cda-9833, although those would probably be some more money.

For speakers, I'd recommend something like the Focal Access series. They're great...and they work very well on the v drive power...I should know, I have 3 sets of them and have installed them in various other people's cars too.

The best way to find out the size of your current speakers is to go to www.crutchfield.com and use their size finder thingy.

As to the subs, why a pair of tens? Why not just one 12? It'd sound just as good, and probaly take up less room. A nice 12 with a cube of space and maybe 3-400 watts would do you great. I'd recommend edesignaudio.com, since they have quality products and a good warranty (3 years is great). Something like the 13kv2 would do you right, I'm thinking. You could go super cheap and they have a 12 inch $25 sub which would sound great on about 200 watts, just not quite as loud, take a little more space (1.5 cubes) and then a smaller amp.

Anyway, to be continued.

[Anonymous_User]

Cool, that's the type of info I'm looking for. Someone with experience that can guide me towards decent stuff without spending a fortune.

Every time I go to a stereo store they want to sell me some competition stuff for thousands more than I want to spend.

Thanks and keep it coming!

[badfuzz89]

I work with a guy that does custom installs out of his house. Makes custom fiberglass enclosures and he's a pioneer vendor. No middle man, no overhead. I'm going to have him make me something to go in the back of the charger some day. Maybe in the spare tire hole. Let me know if your interested and I'll get his #.

[Whorse]

I have an Alpine CDA-9856 with the IPOD cable, and even though there's no remote for the stereo, it was the biggest improvement in sound I've made (aside from adding a subwoofer). If you want good sound, the best QUALITY head unit you can get is by far a worthwhile investment. Second I'd say the alpine Type S tweeters. They don't sound tinny at all, and even with my bass cranked, people in the car next to me can hear every note and all the vocals loud and clear.

A sub is a sub, and that's a completely different topic. If you like Metal, go with a nice 10 for the fast hits (they still hit the lows pretty good). If you like Rap and Hip Hop, try a 15 for the long booming low notes. If you like a mix, get a nice 12" sub like I have. More important than the sub and other speakers, however, is a quality amplifier. I spent double what I did on my sub on the amp, and it was worth it.

If you're in Canada (which you are), check out www.kaptionaudio.com. They make incredible speakers (they made my sub and amp) and are highly competitive with Alpine and Rockford Fosgate for quality for the money. My 12" sub cost less than an Alpine Type X (a lot less), is 600RMS, and sounds as good on all notes except the really low low hits.

[JDAWG]

pioneer ftl

[Whorse]

I had some less than desireable experiences with Pioneer. I think their big ticket stereo items are good, but their cheaper ones leave a bit to be desired. My 6x9s had some issues when underpowered or overpowered, that my infinity references have yet to have.

[iTurbo]

I've used Pioneer and I like them a lot. I'm a little afraid to try anything else because I'm familiar with how they are setup and I've always been happy with them. I have a DEH-P8600MP in my Lancer, along with an iPod interface and XM tuner. I've only used the CD player once just to make sure it worked! I used all new Pioneer speakers in my Lancer and am very happy with the way it sounds. I never bothered to use the 3.5" dash speakers I bought though.

[88_pacifica]

pioneer ftl

^^^ Yep... I think that their quality has dropped off considerably.
I am surprised no one has asked you the following basic questions. What's your real budget? What TYPE of music you will be primarily listening to? It makes a BIG difference in whose product I'd choose for your system. Certain brands are known for their abilities to recreate certain music. Let me/us know what you listen to and it will REALLY help diagnose what you should get. Also do you want LOUD-LOUD, Ghetto style bump, or highend luxury car sound quality loud, average new car sound, or just a touch better than 80's factory? I think the headunit they've chosen is good and in good price range. Now, are you also a true audiophile? Does it have to sound "perfect"? Do you like gadgets and are you always adjusting the Bass, Treble, Fader, etc? Let us know and we'll let you know where and which direction to go...

[LynX853]

i LOVE both of my JVC head units, and they look and sound great!

[dds78910]

I have had alot of Pioneers and havent had any problems. I had a clarion once and liked it, but one day it stopped working with less than 2 years of use. I like the pioneer for a headunit, Kicker for subs and amps, and Boston accoustic or JL's for mids and highs! JL does make good subs too!

[20w/ashelby]

I would avoid Rockford or Audiobahn for subs. No one I know that has had them has been happy. Agreed on head unit and amp being very important. The sub is where you can go a little cheap. I love my Directed Audio sub but it wasn't cheap and needs quite a bit of air. I also like Polk or infinity for mids, and I don't have a lot of advice on tweeters. Type of music and how loud you want it to be are going to help a lot of people help you decide.

[Anonymous_User]

I am surprised no one has asked you the following basic questions. What's your real budget? What TYPE of music you will be primarily listening to? It makes a BIG difference in whose product I'd choose for your system. Certain brands are known for their abilities to recreate certain music. Let me/us know what you listen to and it will REALLY help diagnose what you should get. Also do you want LOUD-LOUD, Ghetto style bump, or highend luxury car sound quality loud, average new car sound, or just a touch better than 80's factory? I think the headunit they've chosen is good and in good price range. Now, are you also a true audiophile? Does it have to sound "perfect"? Do you like gadgets and are you always adjusting the Bass, Treble, Fader, etc? Let us know and we'll let you know where and which direction to go...

Budget: I'll say $500. Should be able to get a decent sound for that.

Type of music: Slipknot, Kid Rock, Toby Keith.

Loudness: Good quality I can hear and kinda feel with the windows down on the highway.

ALWAYS adjusting the bass, etc. Love the gadgets.

[ShelbyZD]

Pretty simple solution imo if you dont want to spend a lot of Coin.

Definatley need a new Headunit. Pioneer is one of the best.. Im currently using a Kenwood and it seems to be good. .. I'm sure they are a lot of other good brands too, seems like most brands have specific problems however. Like Whorse said though.. cheap receivers are generally just that.. junk. I'd look for something in the $200+ range. EQ's are very nice to have too. 3 band at least is a must.

If you have the stock in dash tweeters (not sure if the older Daytona's had em or not) get rid of them. Again, dont care to recommend brands. I put a pair of $20 Delco tweeters in my tona and they are excellent.

Front speakers are 6" and rears are 5x7". I'm still using the factory infinity in the front and after having one of the rear ones die on me I put in 2 $50 40watt Pioneer 2ways which really aren't amazing, but are just fine for me.

Sub is a MUST, but dont be too terribly worried on what you get. Dont get some no name brand junk though. I put a Jenson XS 120watt 12" Sub in my own homemade bandpass box and the sound is FAR louder than I care to turn it up even with the tiny 60" watt amp I have powering it. MAKE SURE you get a crossover on your sub amp or headunit.

My system may not sound like much, but it works as good as most people would care for it too. I rarely turn it up to full because its extremely hard on the ears and rattles the car all the peices.. lol

Anyways, you may have noticed I am not using an amp for the speakers. You don't really need one with a good headunit. Granted some people do, but if you want to save money I'd certainly try without it 1st and see what you think. You probably should get one if your speakers are over 60 watts rms. Wich reminds me.. look at the RMS wattage of the speakers.. peak doesn't especially mean a whole lot. Same with amps. You should at least match the wattage of the amp with the speakers you are using.. and preferrable a little more is good.

Also, good speaker wire is a must. 12" is the smallest you'd want to put on a sub (note 10",8" etc is thicker) and it wouldn't be a bad idea to upgrade the factory speaker wire with some 14 or 16 guage at the smallest. I however am still using the factory and It's really nothing to complain about since in not running much bass through it. I am however sure that thicker wire would = louder.