First off, I am fairly new to car audio so I am welcome to all the help and knowledge I can get here. I have done some research but not enough to feel totally comfortable in making decisions. I am planning on getting rid of the whole stock set up (it has started to sound really bad recently and I figure it is time to upgrade). I am thinking of getting a new head unit and speakers (2 front 2 rear). I am hoping to get that stuff for around $200-300. I want something that is between mid and high end that will perform better than stock without being too expensive. I am also thinking of adding a sub and an amp for another $200 or so. I know its highly debated, but I am looking for suggestions on which equipment to get that will fit my price range. I would also like to skip installation costs and do it myself but I may need some help with that. I have an 05 extended cab and if I decide to get a sub, I am planning on putting it behind the driver's seat or taking out the jump seat. I am also looking for suggestions on sub placement and how to install both the sub and amp.
Thanks

 

I'll give you links to a place to just give you an idea of what to get. You can get these things for less on other websites if you look hard enough.

Single Din Headunit:
DEH-P3100UB - Pioneer MP3/WMA/AAC/CD Receiver w/iPod Control Capability

Double Din Headunit:
AVH-P3100DVD - Pioneer 5.8" Double-DIN DVD Multimedia AV Receiver

Door speakers:
RSD65cs - Phoenix Gold 6.5" Component Speaker System

Amp for door speakers:
ZX200.4 - Kicker 4 Ch 200 Watt ZX Series Amplifier

Wiring kit for amp:
SHK681 - Stinger HPM Series 8 gauge Complete Amplifier Wiring Kit

That's not including a sub. I can find you a decent sub and everything you'll need to install it if you'd like. Like I said, for all of these items listed above if you do a little bit of searching on ebay or something you can find them for a little bit cheaper and save yourself some money.

 

Thanks, thats a start. Being new to this whole thing, the amp wiring seems pretty intimidating. Is it hard to do? Also, if i were to get a sub, would I need a second amp?

 

The hardest part is taking the interior apart to run it.

 

Im pretty sure the door speakers are 6x8/5x7
so 6.5 round will require some modification to get them to fit (not sure how much) so before you buy anything the best thing you can do is take the paneling off and see what speakers you have and what modification it would require to fit a 6.5, if any.

another option if you do have the 6x8/5x7 setup, is you can get component speakers for them without modification
KICKER DS680.2 CAR AUDIO 5X7 6X8 COMPONENT SPEAKER SET
Ive seen 5x7 components for less, but not at the moment.

as for wiring them up, its pretty straight forward
the speaker line from the head unit would go into the input on the crossover, on the crossover it is marked input - woofer/low - tweeter/high, just run wires from each to their perspective counterparts.

there are several threads about making sub boxes or buying premade boxes, I'll let you search through them for yourself to find what you would like.

amp will depend on what sub setup you end up getting.

here is what I put together for my car, just waiting for it to arrive for installation:
2x QUANTUM Audio 5.25 360 watt
1 pair audiopipe 3 way passive crossovers
BOSE spare tire powered subwoofer
with wires, connectors and heat shrinking tubing for the connections Im less than $150.00,
add a good HU into that and your right around where you want to spend, and I guarantee you the system I just put together is going to sound very nice, it wont hit "hard" per-se, but it will give me a great range of sound and be nice and crisp no matter how loud I put it up to. :D

 

To make the 6.5's work you can buy adapters to make them fit a 6x8/5x7 opening. As for the amp wiring, it's not hard at all. Just time consuming. All you have to do is run the power wire on one side of the truck and the RCA's on the other side.

 

I will probably try and go with 6x8 speakers to make that part of the install easier. Will i need an amp to run the speakers w/out a sub?

 

not necessarily, but to get better sound an amp helps

another idea would be to put a component set together yourself, you might save a few bucks that you can use for a better quality speaker set or a higher rating amp/sub
if you use a crossover for a basic coaxial speaker, and add a tweeter at the same time, your coax 6x8 then turns into just a mid/bass and your highs will only come through the tweeter you added. not to mention its just a better signal to the speakers.

 

ok, any tips for picking out a headunit? they all look so similiar and idk what will fit my use best. i want something with an ipod line in and enough power to run speakers w/out an amp if possible.

So,
would a headunit like this: CDA105 - Alpine CD/MP3/WMA/AAC Receiver and iPod Controller
power speakers like these: TS-A6882R - Pioneer A-Series 6"x8" 4-Way Coaxial Speakers

or am i misunderstanding the power specs?

 

Ok, I used to work at best buy in car audio department. I think I can offer a little help.
As far as replacing speakers go, probably what is sounding bad, not the actual head unit. But, if you replace the speakers, your factory headunit will not push out enough power to each speaker, and they will sound like crap. An aftermarket headunit will push out enough power to new speakers, w/o the aid of an amp. A 4-channel amp will make your new aftermarket speakers sound terrific tho.
AND, if you get component speakers with the seperate tweeters, I recommend you use an amp, or you are wasting your money getting those.
To push a sub, you will most definitely need an amp. But, for a first-timer, and it still sounds good, Best buy sells units that are already in a box, with an amp, and sub combo (usually 1 10inch sub, Infinity brand)
Took hook up an amp, you will run a fused power wire to the battery, ground it out on the body of the truck, you can run a wire to a toggle switch, or to the stereo (depends if you want to be able to turn it off easily, without having to search thru the radio menu), Also, need to run audio cables to the back of the stereo, and speaker wires from amp to sub (for 4 channel it's a little more complicated)
Keep in mind when picking out a head-unit, the audio outputs (red and white) on the back of the stereo if you are looking to run an amp, or 2... you want enough to do that. 2 for a 4 channel amp, and 1 for a mono or 2 channel amp.
Some aftermarket headunits have an aux input, like a headphone jack, and some have USB input on the front. Some say I-pod ready... that means you have to buy a seperate item usually about 40-50 bucks, but... they are sweet, and will also charge your ipod.
Hope this helps.

 

KnuKonceptz Blue/Silver KLM 4 Gauge Amp Install Kit - eBay (item 380209425826 end time Mar-04-10 19:00:31 PST)

better than stinger and cheaper price

 

can anyone suggest a 10" sub and an amp? I am hoping to spend around $200 for a good sub and amp set up and any suggestion would be great.

 

Kicker Cvr and an 800 watt amp just read reviews on amps

 

what sort of music to you listen to the most would you say?

 

For the most part, rap, hip hop, and rock but it can vary a lot.

 

ok so this is what I'm thinking,
Sub:
Amazon.com: Kicker CompVR 07CVR104 10" subwoofer with dual 4-ohm voice coils: Electronics

amp:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...TH9SN&v=glance
or
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...LUZUB&v=glance

which amp would be better for the kicker sub?

 

well for that sub Id say the 8104D due to the fact that it is a DVC sub so you will be running a 2 Ohm load (if you wire it in series).
The KAC-7204 amp wont run bridged at 2 ohm. it will run in stereo but will not put out the recommended power for the sub.
The 8104 should be perfect because its slightly more then what the sub calls for.
which is good because there are many variables that can prevent the amp from producing the full rated power anyways.

I recently bought the 8104D a 10" KFC-W2511 and a Scosche 10" sealed box, to replace my rattling basslinkII.
I was getting annoyed with the rattle and it was under $190 shipped from amazon so I dove In. Its works very well for the money.
good cheap temporary sub\box combo until I build one and get a more costly sub.
in hind sight though i wish i would have bought a ported box which I found later over at soniceletronicx for just as good of price and better quality.

a ported\vented box will allow the sub to hit lower and louder. at the cost a little bit of accuracy. which i don't mind even when listening to rock.

But I like the 8104D for the price and I have nothing bad to say about it.
Its not the most "built" amp, but its decent cheap power.
I did see a eclipse amp on sonicelectronix for $20 more and is rated 50w more then the kenwood.
that also seems like a good buy.

Im not crazy about kicker brand but I also never owned anything from so don't take my opinion on them but it just seems like they choose form over function.
But a lot people seem to like them so who am I to say they are bad.

Other woofers you can consider for that amp also...

Orion CO104s Subwoofers - Car Subwoofers at Onlinecarstereo.com
Pioneer TS-W253R Subwoofers - Car Subwoofers at Onlinecarstereo.com
Alpine SWE-1043 Subwoofers - Car Subwoofers at Onlinecarstereo.com
Rockford Fosgate P1S410 Subwoofers - Car Subwoofers at Onlinecarstereo.com

 

I am kind of late on this one but I have a pair of upholstery clip pliers that are well woth their weight in gold if you are pulling door panels

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