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Car audio - my first time.

A

Agashka

Senior member
The situation is easy, I'm going to be attending college soon, and I've find myself with some extra income tax money that I would like to be spending on a car stereo system that could be upgraded someday to something better. I'm currently driving an old '95 Corolla that is still doing strong, reaching 200,000km soon. To put it on paper, I'm a not very knowledgeable about car stereos, all I know, is my car's speakers are busted and sounds very ugly and needs to be replaced. I know quite a few about home stereo witch should give me some advantage.

Okay, my budget for this is about $300CAD. For the head unit, I was thinking about the Pioneer DEH-2200UB as it seems quite good with nice features:

http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/PUSA/Products/CarAudioVideo/In-Dash/CD-Players/DEH-2200UB

It's currently on sale at FutureShop and I plan to be picking this thing by tomorrow for $130.

I've got quite few people recommending me to get an amp, but I really can't afford it right now. Since the head unit is able to push out 200w, it should be enough for now, right?

I've spotted those speakers, witch looks alright for my setup:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16882117263

I have no idea if I NEED 4-way speakers or not. By the "Speaker Gloassary"
http://www.crutchfield.com/S-NQkhB3z..._glossary.html
I would say they are better, but are they worth it?

RMS power is 50w, so my guess is I could put 4 of those in my car, but I need advices before doing so.
 
Well for headunits you need to know what you want to do with it. Do you need iPod control? Want it satellite ready? HD radio? Front usb ports? Want to hook up an amp and subs in the future? Bluetooth???

At Crutchfield they have little guides that ask you all the questions and helps you figure stuff out. They're good reads if you need some help picking out stuff.

http://www.crutchfield.com/learn/lea...d_players.html

http://www.crutchfield.com/learn/learningcenter/car/speakers.html

You can always add an amp later on.
 
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If you plan on running the speakers off the headunit, you might want to check the efficiency or sensitivity rating of the speakers (see the Crutchfield link for a definition). Most headunits will say "50W!!" in big letters, but are capable of only putting out 20W continuous per channel, if that.

Also, I wouldn't worry about getting 2-way vs. 3-way or whatever. Just look for something with good reviews. A good 2-way will be better than a crummy 3- or 4-way.
 
4-ways are overkill and more intended to provide better high's when you have a sub.

I'd suggest 2-ways for better bass, but 3-ways will have better mids. Can't go wrong either way.

Also don't get sucked into the name game. My $50 Sony 6x9's sounded amazing and if you're running a low end headunit, a lower end set of speakers will do just fine.

I don't really know what the best bang for the buck are these days, but you can generally expect to overpay at Futureshop, aka Best Buy.
 
For a total of $237 including wiring,

I have 62.5W RMS running to each corner of the car, 6.5" components up front. and 6x9 coaxials in the back. It screams, they hurt anywhere near max volume.

I did this through deal shopping, and buying some components used.

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Crunch-P50...ifier/13282449
+ ~$75 for a used head unit
+ ~$75 for some decent components (used is the only way that will happen)
+ ~$50 for wiring (www.knukonceptz.com)
~$250 for a pretty great front stage.

IF you aren't into loudness, and aren't huge on sound quality...then get a really nice head unit and just go with some 3 way coaxials for your doors and rear deck.
 
Those pioneers are overpriced IMO.

First off: Are you sure you need 6.5's? In all 4 locations?

Secondly: Component speakers all around would be nice, but probably push you out of your price range. It would be easier and cheaper to go with coaxials all around, but if you were to get an amp later on down the road, it'd just be that much nicer to push the components harder.
 
"Well for headunits you need to know what you want to do with it. Do you need iPod control? Want it satellite ready? HD radio? Front usb ports? Want to hook up an amp and subs in the future? Bluetooth???"
as long as it have a USB port for mem stick, aux in and radio I'm good. That pioneer deck even features iPod control witch can't be bad.

"Most headunits will say "50W!!" in big letters, but are capable of only putting out 20W continuous per channel, if that. "
I've noticed that. Witch is why I'm not entirely sure about that pioneer hea unit. RMS power on that should be good enough no?
"First off: Are you sure you need 6.5's? In all 4 locations?"
I'm not sure about what I need at all

so if everything goes accordingly I will be buying the pioneer deck tomorrow since it's on sale and it ends tomorrow. I just want to make sure it's good enough and I won't need an amp yet.
As for the speakers, I'm not too sure yet. I will probably be taking some 2-way or 3-way. I still need to check what size are in my car (door). (looked like 4-5" when I looked). If so, I was thinking maybe it would be better to put two 4-5" in the doors, and two bigger speakers in the back of the car. I'm probably gonna go with coaxial speakers since it's easyer and cheaper. I'm not looking to build something extremely loud, but I want something that sounds descent at a good quality. I will be checking those link when I get home (typing this from my phone)
 
"Well for headunits you need to know what you want to do with it. Do you need iPod control? Want it satellite ready? HD radio? Front usb ports? Want to hook up an amp and subs in the future? Bluetooth???"
as long as it have a USB port for mem stick, aux in and radio I'm good. That pioneer deck even features iPod control witch can't be bad.

"Most headunits will say "50W!!" in big letters, but are capable of only putting out 20W continuous per channel, if that. "
I've noticed that. Witch is why I'm not entirely sure about that pioneer hea unit. RMS power on that should be good enough no?
"First off: Are you sure you need 6.5's? In all 4 locations?"
I'm not sure about what I need at all

so if everything goes accordingly I will be buying the pioneer deck tomorrow since it's on sale and it ends tomorrow. I just want to make sure it's good enough and I won't need an amp yet.
As for the speakers, I'm not too sure yet. I will probably be taking some 2-way or 3-way. I still need to check what size are in my car (door). (looked like 4-5" when I looked). If so, I was thinking maybe it would be better to put two 4-5" in the doors, and two bigger speakers in the back of the car. I'm probably gonna go with coaxial speakers since it's easyer and cheaper. I'm not looking to build something extremely loud, but I want something that sounds descent at a good quality. I will be checking those link when I get home (typing this from my phone)
 
Pioneer TS-A series are crowd favorites...hunt down the best price. You really can't go wrong with them on a basic setup.
 
On the subject of rear speakers, I wouldn't bother. They'll generally only make things worse, and you can't afford them anyway.

Were I in your situation, I'd pick up a secondhand Pioneer headunit and put the rest of my money into these:
http://www.madisound.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=8768

Madisound is a big name in the high-end audio biz - they carry the same drivers used in $10,000 Von Schweikart and YG Acoustics speakers. Seas is one of the best in the business, having made hi-fi speakers since the early 60s, and the woofers, while generic, were designed by DIY speaker expert John "Zaph" Krutke. While $215 is a big lump of cash, you do get a nice combination of high fidelity and easy installation - those low-profile tweeters can go almost anywhere. You can expect good support, too - I've been to their brick-and-mortar store, and they're good people. Madisound used to sell car-sound kits from Vifa and Peerless; these turn up on eBay frequently and also represent an excellent value.

One option I've seen done is to mount small dashboard pods - effectively high-end computer speakers attached near the A-pillars. A set of good computer speakers - say, those overpriced Klipsches that keep burning out their subwoofer amplifier and ending up on eBay for nothing - might look crappy, but the sound will be pretty good and they're dirt cheap. Alternately, you could fabricate your own


If you need a subwoofer (which you probably do), I'd suggest asking yourself three things: How much room you have, what kind of music you listen to, and how much you want to pay. A vunderkind subwoofer like the JL 8W7 can make your head explode with perfect fidelity in a box the size of a muffin tin, but it costs a fortune; similarly, the Peerless SLS 8 I'm hoping to put in my car can't put out much deep bass, but it's cheap and sounds nice.

A good option overall is the Peerless XXLS 10", mostly because it's on sale. It's a bit long in the tooth and no longer compares too well to its' rivals from ScanSpeak, but in comparison to anything else you'll find for $110, it simply blows it out of the water.

http://www.madisound.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=45_338_340&products_id=1467
 
Well, Futureshop were sold out on the heat unit. So I googled a bit, looked around everywhere to learn more, and I've narrowed it down to this option:

Kenwood KDC-MP342
http://outlet.crutchfield.com/p_613MP342U/Kenwood-KDC-MP342U.html?cc=01

as for the speakers, those seems to be good:

http://www.crutchfield.com/p_113KFC1...3PS.html?tp=95
6.5"

http://www.crutchfield.com/p_113KFC1...3&tp=102&avf=N
4.0"

I'm just not 100% sure yet. All I know , is I probably am gonna be putting 4 speakers in.
Can anyone suggest me an alternative speaker setup for similar prices?:
http://www.crutchfield.com/g_51200/4...rs.html?tp=102
http://www.crutchfield.com/g_52000/6...html?o=p&tp=95
 
The pioneer TS-A series is one of the best for headunit only systems IMHO. Efficient and clear sounding with nice tight bass.
 
Agashka said:
Well, Futureshop were sold out on the heat unit. So I googled a bit, looked around everywhere to learn more, and I've narrowed it down to this option:

Kenwood KDC-MP342
http://outlet.crutchfield.com/p_613MP342U/Kenwood-KDC-MP342U.html?cc=01

as for the speakers, those seems to be good:

http://www.crutchfield.com/p_113KFC1...3PS.html?tp=95
6.5"

http://www.crutchfield.com/p_113KFC1...3&tp=102&avf=N
4.0"

I'm just not 100% sure yet. All I know , is I probably am gonna be putting 4 speakers in.
Can anyone suggest me an alternative speaker setup for similar prices?:
http://www.crutchfield.com/g_51200/4...rs.html?tp=102
http://www.crutchfield.com/g_52000/6...html?o=p&tp=95
Click to expand...

I just got a Kenwood headunit and it sounds great but that's cus it's coupled with an amp. The Kenwood unit I have is similar to that one just with HD radio and some other features. I didn't want any fancy display and it works great.
 
If you're really looking for something to upgrade, get a cheap head unit with pre-outs (ebay or craigslist for a used pioneer, kenwood or alpine) and a decent 2 or 4 channel amp. The amp is where the sound quality and volume come from, not the head unit. Yesterday's top of the line headunit is today's affordable headunit, but amps hold their value, an amp is an amp and manufacturers aren't adding bells and whistles to a piece of gear that lives in the trunk, but believe me, the amp makes a stereo system come to life. In 2-3 years when the next generation of media players come out you'll have a good system that you can drop a new headunit into without having to upgrade everything else at the same time.
 
I would buy a used Pioneer. I got my 5000UB for $66 plus $10 shipping on Ebay. This one is good with 4V RCA outs, 6 channels, and 22W RMS, which is the most powerful on any head unit I have seen. The newer Pioneer is lower power. If you are going to use the RCA, make sure you ground them. Pioneer has issues with the RCA. Pioneer use microfuse which can blow when pulling live RCA. But grounding the RCA solves the noise/alternator problem. I got a 5 channel amp and 10" dual voice coil sub, and alpines components. It vitally important that you buy component speakers if you want that really nice imaging with clean highs, preferably with a crossover or just a cap for the tweeters will do. No Pioneer speakers unless you just want sound. I got my whole setup for about $250, all used except for the amp and sub. Sub, I got clearance at Fry's for $20, amp I won for $30. I spent the most on my Alpines. Don't go cheap on speakers and head unit.
Always be safe and use 2 fuses, one in the hood, and one by the amp area. Better for safety and diagnosis when something has gone wrong. No JVC head units, unless you just want features and some sound.
 
I have heard quite a few cars on just coaxials that sounded nice without an amp...

Components are ideal, but just adding an amp to a decent set of coxials can do wonders for 90% of those out their.

Personally I have found most searching for SQ are better suited for SPL type installs.
 
Everyone seems to care more about SPL. It's cheaper to get loud than to get it loud and sound good.

And 99% of people want loud and don't care to differentiate between SPL and actual SQ.
 
So hard to recommend anything, as said before you really have to know what you want before you dive in, unless you can swing swapping more parts out later.

I went for an Alpine amp to drive Alpine coaxials in the rear, and components up front, with a killer JVC Arsenal series deck (I love their decks only) and paired it with my old sub and amp taken from my previous car. Sounds awesome and I was lucky enough to know people in the industry and I got a deal on everything except the amp (which was on sale anyways)
 
If you don't want an amp, go with the Pioneer older models, like the 5000UB, 4000UB, 5100UB. Those models has real 22rms amp built in and it sounds really good. All the other head units I know only got 20rms or less. The alpines only have 14rms.
I like the Alpines speakers. I would go components for better sound quality with cleaner highs at lower volume.
 
my friends shop only sells kenwood now, after supplying kenwood, jvc and alpine for years. the quality is there regardless of having an amp or not. i have an older kenwood in my truck with no amp, memphis component in the front and kicker component in the back. no subs (i really miss that part) so i dont have the deep bass, but with a good install youo can get some really good sound out of it. personally, i have an old alpine in my cadillac that sounds great, and my old impala had a high end jvc HU in it. but the kenwood has surpassed my expectations for the money i put into it, and its nice to be able to hook up and control my ipod through the HU instead of the ipod itself.

you have to realize you have a 300 dollar budget, that will get you either a great HU and meh speakers or really good speakers and a meh HU. personally id get the rood speakers and update the HU later on when you have another chunk of cash to spend.
 
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