Budget car audio recommendations needed.

[hbuddy1]

I'm looking to change my head unit and my 4 speakers in my 96 civic.

My front speakers are 4" I believe and the back ones are 6"x9". I've also got two 10" subs, so I need a head unit that will be able to power the subs. I don't want to invest in an amp for a while if ever.

I was thinking of going pioneer for the HU and speakers. My budget is around 350-450$.

 

[StattlichPassat]

Blech. You can do a lot better than Pioneer. Get a Kenwood receiver- Alpine even makes a CD deck for $150 now. For your speakers, go JBL, and get a JBL amp as well... you think you can push 2 10" subs with a reciever? Heh.

 

[jamautosound]

If you're not going to purchase an amp, I would forget about the subs.

$450 is plenty of money (for a budget system) to get a Head unit ($200), 6x9's for $150, and according to Crutchfield 6 1/2's fit your front doors $100. Quality speaker will produce quality sound. Don't skimp on the speakers.

<---Will be working on his car stereo this weekend.

 

[hbuddy1]

Alright so I won't use the subs.

Can you guys tell me what spefic HU and speakers to get or have a web site with reviews of different HU and speakers?


Thanks.

 

[jamautosound]

Crutchfield is a good place to start. They have a "What fit's my car?" configurator that is pretty accurate. I saw an Alpine HU on the first page for $200. Good deal there.

Etronics is another good site.

JBL and Infinity would be my choice for speakers.
I just got my father-in-law this HU and it's very nice. Brushed aluminum look, not too flashy.

^
|___This combo above adds up to $455 without tax & shipping.

Marlin1975 is also selling a RFX9400 new in box HU in FS/FT forums. I'm getting a couple of these.

 

[Thegonagle]

Your front speakers are probably 6 ½ inchers. I haven't seen smaller speakers in the door of a Civic since the '87 model. Go for Infinity References or JBL GTOs if you're powering the speakers with the deck.

If you must try to run the subs without an amp (not recommended, BTW), forget about having rear speakers. I you want rear speakers and subs, you will need an amp. That's how it works.

The installation of the HU is not as straightforward on this car as most others, since the original deck has something to do with the control of the keyless entry and dome light, so it must be re-mounted up inside the dash somewhere. I recommend Crutchfield 100% for the HU in this case, since they will provide all accessories, wiring (including the special split wiring harness that allows you to keep the old and new radio hooked up simultaneously), instructions, and tech support free of any additional charge. Get your speakers elsewhere though. They're kind of pricey at Crutchfield.

An awesome and reasonably priced MP3-CD deck is the Blaupunkt MP3000. I have one and it's great. It's very fast to change MP3 tracks (under 1/4 second!), it reads ID3 tags on MP3s, and even plays WMA files, if you're into that sort of thing.

 

[jamautosound]

Originally posted by: Garfang
If you must try to run the subs without an amp (not recommended, BTW), forget about having rear speakers. I you want rear speakers and subs, you will need an amp. That's how it works.

I beg to differ. Why waste an entire stereo channel supplied by the head unit? Most are powered enough to run four speakers efficiently, just not the subwoofers (I agree).

Also, if you ever did get an amp, it would sound better if you had it running the subs and the front speakers (assuming a four-channel amp.).

 

[glen]

you think you can push 2 10" subs with a reciever? Heh.

Sure.
Remember, the larger the drivers, the LESS power you need.

 

[jamautosound]

Originally posted by: glen

you think you can push 2 10" subs with a reciever? Heh.

Sure.
Remember, the larger the drivers, the LESS power you need.

Did you forget the smiley? or am i missing something?

 

[glen]

I dunno if you are missing something or not.
When ever you talk to folks, they say, "...well those large drivers will need a large amplifier."

But, they are wrong.
Larger drivers are more efficent.

I suppose it seems like they are bigger and need more power, but they don't.
It is a huge audio myth and it won't go away.

 

[jamautosound]

Originally posted by: glen
I dunno if you are missing something or not.
When ever you talk to folks, they say, "...well those large drivers will need a large amplifier."

But, they are wrong.
Larger drivers are more efficent.

I suppose it seems like they are bigger and need more power, but they don't.
It is a huge audio myth and it won't go away.

Sensitivity - Averaged response from 300Hz to 3kHz for input signal of 2.83V.

Purpose: Expresses the output level of the loudspeaker with standard input voltage.

What it tells you: How much power will be needed to drive the speaker to achieve any given listening level. A sensitivity of 92dB and above is relatively high, so the speakers will require less power for any given listening level, while a sensitivity of 85dB and below is low, which means the speaker will require more amplifier power for the same listening level as the more sensitive speaker. Sensitivity does not correlate with speaker quality and should only be used to determine how much amplifier power one will need to drive a speaker to sufficiently loud levels.

This is what I've always understood as far as the power needed issue.
I'd really like to read some info re: the audio myth you're talking about. (and no, I'm not being sarcastic.)

<--- Been out of the car stereo scene for more than four years.
Computers finished. Time to start a new hobby.

 

[glen]

What it tells you: How much power will be needed to drive the speaker to achieve any given listening level. A sensitivity of 92dB and above is relatively high, so the speakers will require less power for any given listening level, while a sensitivity of 85dB and below is low, which means the speaker will require more amplifier power for the same listening level as the more sensitive speaker. Sensitivity does not correlate with speaker quality and should only be used to determine how much amplifier power one will need to drive a speaker to sufficiently loud levels.

Ok, sure this is a good example.
Your 15" driver will have the 92db, which means 92 decibles at 1 meter away from the driver being driven with 1 watt of power.
Your 8" driver will have the 85db, which means 85 decibles at 1 meter away from the driver being driven with 1 watt of power.

make sense?

 

[jamautosound]

I have usually noticed that the larger 12", 15" & 18" subs had a lower Spl rating than the 10" & 8" friends. The Spl rating is a tool that helps measure "power needed". So the same could be said for mid's and tweet's, higher spl, less power needed.

I guess I was assuming you meant something like, I should disconnect my 100w per channel amp powering my two 12" subs and connect them to the head unit instead.

 

[glen]

I have usually noticed that the larger 12", 15" & 18" subs had a lower Spl rating than the 10" & 8" friends.

Check again.
Let me see if I can find a link with examples.

 

[glen]

adire audio
compare the 10/12/15

Gamma 10a Efficiency: 97 dB SPL @ 1W, 1m
Gamma 12a Efficiency: 98 dB SPL @ 1W, 1m
Gamma 15a Efficiency: 100 dB SPL @ 1W, 1m

 

[jamautosound]

You sir, are correct!

<--me loves to learn.


I plead innocent tho'. I never actually compared the SPL ratings of different size drivers. If I was looking for a 10" sub, I would compare all the specs (Spl, Vas, Xmax, Power and Frequency range) with other subs of that particular size.


Well, I think I've done enough here at work. I'm going home!

Good chatting with you Glen, take it easy.

 

[glen]

You are welcome.
I have Tom Nousaine on my AOL buddy list so it helps when I need quick answers or explainations.
And, he should get all the credit.

 

[hbuddy1]

Hey, thanks for the replies.

I was looking at the JVC SX980 HU. I'm considering it because it is able to play MP3's. I'm also considering the Alpine CMD-7874 HU. I like the JVC one over the Alpine because it has MP3 capability. But you guys seem to say that Alpine is the way to go.

I would like your opinions on both HU's please.


Thanks.

 

[Thegonagle]

Originally posted by: jamautosound

Originally posted by: Garfang
If you must try to run the subs without an amp (not recommended, BTW), forget about having rear speakers. I you want rear speakers and subs, you will need an amp. That's how it works.

I beg to differ. Why waste an entire stereo channel supplied by the head unit? Most are powered enough to run four speakers efficiently, just not the subwoofers (I agree).

Also, if you ever did get an amp, it would sound better if you had it running the subs and the front speakers (assuming a four-channel amp.).

Ah, but you did not entirely understand me, I gather. I meant that if he hooks up the subs directly to the HU's amp, he can't also hook up the rear speakers.

IMHO, you don't need rear speakers anyway. IMHO, a 4 channel amp running a sub (or two, since he already has them), and a pair of nice speakers up front will sound best for the least money.

Young man (yeah you, hbuddy1),

Do you listen to downloaded crap-ass 128K MP3s, or good stuff that you've ripped from your own CDs?

The only weakness I've found (aside from the too-bright display at night) with the Blaupunkt MP3000 is that crappy MP3s aren't smoothed out very well on it. It, like me, mostly likes LAME-encoded MP3s. You can hear flaws in the MP3 if the file has any problems, as are common in downloaded MP3s. These flaws manifest themselves as little sripps and pops. But hell, you get what you pay for, right?

I really do love my Blaupunkt MP3000. One thing that helps it stand out is the FM tuner. This tuner is nice. It's very sensitive. I hit the seek button and I'm able to listen to stations from out of town that I didn't even know existed. That means it has a great tuner for road tripping!