Adding sound to my car....

BigToque

Lifer
Oct 10, 1999
11,700
0
76
I just got and insured my car. Its an '85 Mazda 626. Right now, all it has is an AM/FM radio, and a few pretty crummy speakers.

What parts would I need to get to make it sound good? I know literally nothing about car audio (or normal audio).

Whats a tweeter? sub woofer?

I dont have a lot of $$$ to spend, so if there are certain things that an audiophille would get, that I dont specifically need to get it sounding nice, it would be nice to know about that cause I dont wanna get ripped off when I go to buy some stuff.

Any good websites that have info that I could learn about car audio?
 

GT1999

Diamond Member
Oct 10, 1999
5,261
1
71
Crutchfield

I would recommend calling them up though, because that way the sales rep can get an idea what you're looking for. They're great to work with, and will provide you with all the information and support you'll need.

Good luck.
 

RU482

Lifer
Apr 9, 2000
12,689
3
81
Ditto on that one.

They may cost more...but if you know nothing, then it's worth the knowledge they will share with you
 

Psychoholic

Elite Member
Oct 11, 1999
2,704
0
76
When I first saw this thread I was worried, worried that yet another person was going to install a "wet fart coffee can" on their exhaust.
 

Viperoni

Lifer
Jan 4, 2000
11,084
1
71
Thank god not :D

Anyways, get yoruself a nice high power headunit to power your speakers.
You don't wanna spend too much $$$, don't bother with amps (yet)
Just get some good quality Coaxials (speakers that have the tweeter in the middle of the speaker deal :) )

Basically:
Tweeter = tiny speaker that puts out high frequencies (cymbals, high hats)
midrange = mid sized speaker where voices come from
Subwoofer = Bass maker (creates lotsa boom :D )
Amp = boosts power going to speaker so sound is louder and cleaner
crossover = seperates frequencies going to the speakers (again for even cleaner sound)

Pioneer (and other) decks have built in crossovers, so you can make sure your sub will only get bass, your front speakers will get the voices...etc.

For a sub, you will definetely need an amp.
Decks can't put out enough power to drive subs.
Lotsa amps out there...make your choice based on what kinda subs you have.
Hope that helps :D
 

shabby

Diamond Member
Oct 9, 1999
5,782
45
91
Stefan first decide how much money you want to spend, then ask your self what you want, just a cd deck with 4 speakers or a cd deck with speakers/tweeters/sub driven off an amp. No one will suggest anything until you have an idea on how much you want to spend on your whole setup.
If you really do want a sub with an amp but dont want to spend a fortune on it, try looking for used equipment. Friend of mine got a 2x150 watt amp for 30 bucks from his friend, picked up a 10" $15 sub from a liquidation sale, built the speaker box and hooked it all up. For around 50 bucks , that sub shakes his whole cargo van :D



<< For a sub, you will definetely need an amp. >>



Not really true, although you will blow the deck eventually if you drive a sub off of it. But if you have a pioneer deck with the MOSFET chip, you can drive a sub(nothing big though) and it will thump good. Can you believe that a caraudio store actually said this? :)
 

Mucman

Diamond Member
Oct 10, 1999
7,246
1
0
Stefan, here is what I designed for friend of mine...

Kenwood KDC-2155 (CD player)
JBL DS65 6.5 co-ax spkrs
MTX RT2120 amp
MTX RT 1040 10&quot;
Stinger RCA's and wiring

came to ~$780cdn after taxes. You can get a lot better stuff for cheapers if you buy used! This was priced out at full cost because the guys previous deck and spkrs got ripped off an now he wants to put some of the insurance money into a new system. In order to use his insurance he has to buy it brand new and get it installed by somebody.

It's not the best system, but not bad for a first system.

hope that helps
 

shabby

Diamond Member
Oct 9, 1999
5,782
45
91
If you want an amp/sub, the BASIC setup will look like this

cd deck ~$200
front speakers ~$100
2 channel, bridgeable amp ~$200
10&quot; sub ~$100
box for the sub ~$80
battery wiring kit w/fuse ~$50
60 feet of 16 guage speaker wires ~$60

$790 cdn + tax for your basic, and i do mean basic, sub/amp setup.

If you just want a cd deck with 4 speakers running off of the deck, it'll be somewhat cheaper

cd deck ~$200
front speakers ~$100
rear speakers ~$150
70 feet of 16 guage speaker wires ~$70

So thats $520 cdn + tax for a basic setup.

If you want lots of bass, get the sub/amp setup. If you dont need all that bass, just get the basic speaker setup.
Just dont be surprised when you go to a caraudio store and they quote you $1000 bucks on a setup when you wanted to pay $600 tops for it :) I wanted to pay around $700 for my setup but ended up spending around $1200 bucks, was alot more than 700 bucks but well worth it imo.
 
Jun 18, 2000
11,174
752
126


<< Just dont be surprised when you go to a caraudio store and they quote you $1000 bucks on a setup when you wanted to pay $600 tops for it I wanted to pay around $700 for my setup but ended up spending around $1200 bucks, was alot more than 700 bucks but well worth it imo. >>

Hehe, I know what thats like... I 'bout pee'd my pants when they quoted my setup ($2,000 :eek:).

Sounds amazing though. :)
 

Doodoo

Golden Member
Feb 14, 2000
1,423
0
76
Lets see...400 bucks...

Mid to low end (Clarion or Pioneer) HU - $150
200-300 watt amp for subs (ESX, MTX, ARC Audio, etc)-$120
speakers for fronts - $50
12&quot; sub (IDQ, JL w3)- $125
8 guage wire and accesories - $20
MDF for sub box - $10

Thats like 470 or so bucks in US...though they can be in Can if the equipment is used. If you go to a shop...expect the price to be alot higher for the same equipment. Also save some money by installing it yourself...I don't trust my system to anyone else anyways...