yacat: headunit decision

[Soybomb]

Okay so I've been thinking about redoing my car stereo for a while and I'm bored so I might start today and hit best buy and the local stereo shop.

What head units would you look at? I'm thinking of say eclipse, pioneer, and alpine. Is the eclipse going to be worth the price increase? Right now I have some infinity kappas in the car (no amp....*sniff* although I do plan on making that purchase two). I'm thinking I'd get by just as well with a decent pioneer really.

I'm anxious to replace the infinity's too, any favorite 6.5" speakers? Components be prefered. I love focals but they're quite expensive. I've heard that kicker makes some pretty good sounding ones but I haven't heard them yet.

Finally, educate me on subs. I currently am sub-less and want some bass, not earth rattling booms that can be felt two blocks away, just some kick to help the music out. I assume an amp and seperate sub usually are far better than the plug and play ones.

Currently I've got a sony headunit that is posessed and behaves oddly, 6x9 three way kappas in the back, and 2 way 6.5 coaxial pioneers in the front. I need an upgrade in a bad way!

 

[ThaGrandCow]

For subs that'll kick but not blow your eardrums, 2 8" subs in a box should be good with a decent amp (400-500 watts or so). 2 smaller subs are better than 1 bigger sub, so look for a pair instead of just 1 sub.

 

[Shawn]

Go with like a 10" Kicker or something. It's square instead of circle so you get 20% more surface area. It's pretty much like having a 12" in the space it takes for a 10". If you want to upgrade the speakers keep the Infinity's in the back but replace the Pioneer's with new Infinity's. Your speaker setup will probably be ok though. I'd go with a new Pioneer head unit. Best value for your money IMHO. I got the Pioneer DEH-750MP and it rocks.

 

[Saulbadguy]

All the nice head units, subs, and speakers wont make a difference if you dont have an amp (or a crappy amp). IMO the amp should be the first purchase in any system. Amp, I would go with PPI, Kicker, JL..etc. Don't buy anything at Best Buy, they carry nothing good. Trust me on this one. Some people will say rockford is good...no. Head units, you can go with whatever suits your preference. Eclipse is NICE..probably one of the most quality brands out there. They also have the ESN (eclipse security network) and a key disc. I used to have an eclipse, and when you first get one you insert a CD and if the radio is disconnected from the battery, you have to re-insert that very same cd to get the radio to work. Needless to say it was stolen..but the thiefs got a radio that didnt work! Eclipse tracks all of this, plus serial numbers, so it will eventually come up again, unless they throw it away. BTW..they also give you a free radio if yours gets stolen. Too good to be true? Nope. I got a free one within 2 weeks. Of course this is ONLY Valid if you go through an authorized Eclipse dealer. As far as speakers..Focals are AWESOME. If you can't afford them..i'd step "down" to MB Quarts. They are often called "baby focals'. If you can't afford those..JL is good. Kicker is alright. Subwoofer..I'd go with a 10 or a 12. 8's are too small, and can't reproduce lower frequencies as well. I currently have 1 12" in my car, and I like it. I agree with ilovem2 though..kicker makes some awesome subs. Don't go bigger than a 12, or smaller than a 10. anything else im missing?

PS I hope you have an alarm when you get all this stuff!