Need some car stereo help!!

[Cliffio]

ok i need a new system in my truck(bronco) and im not looking to spend a fortune, so i need some opinoins
i need:::
2 10" or 12" subs
New CD Head Unit
2 6x9's

and i guess an amp??
if i dont need it i would like to do without it

i really dont know ANYTHING about this kinda stuff but i need something that will be relativly cheap and will work well in my bronco

keep in mind im on a budget since i am buying a new angel soon, but just list what you think is decent for the price, i would say i have 500 bucks? something around there
thanks in advance
Cliff

[Jon/xpm]

i have a system but it would be too big to send!!!

i was selling it cheap too!!

i have two 12" subs (900W) in the enclousre

a boss amp 1200 watt

475!

[Miscue]

Don't get 2 subs. Get 1 GOOD sub and a GOOD enclosure for it... a sealed enclosure is a good bet. A single competition/pro sub with a clean amp will destroy 2 cheapo subs in SPL and more importantly SQ. You do not need more than one sub anyway unless you are competing or something.
A 10" is tighter, a 12" is boomier... depends on your taste.

Alpine/Clarion/Kenwood are fine headunits.

For budget minded:

I'd recommend a 4x75 or so Amp... depending on what speakers/sub you pick out. Be wary of amps with big wattage ratings. Unless they cost you about a grand, it's probably total crap. 500W, 1000W... don't let this fool you into thinking it's good.

Since you are not using a dedicated amp for the sub - I would suggest looking into an efficient sub that doesn't need much power. If I remember correctly, AlumaPro is good for this (and they look sexy). Actually, the wattage of an amp isn't as important as the amp's actual quality. Good clean amp with lower wattage is WAY better than a crappy amp with higher wattage. And also take into consideration that GOOD amps are almost always underrated. (It's a form of cheating so that you can compete in lower wattage comps when actually you have more than you're supposed to... :) )

Run your fronts off two channels, bridge the other two and send to your sub... run your rear fills off the deck (you can bridge the 4 chan into 2 as well)... that is a typical setup.

If you want brand/model recommendations, supply a price range for me. :)

Better question: What do you want this system to do for you? I personally care only for SQ (if you have good SQ, typically you get PLENTY of SPL too). Some people are after high SPLs, which is totally stupid unless you compete.

Check out http://www.ampmanaudio.com . That's a GREAT place to get stuff. Pretty good prices, high quality stuff. Everything they got is good... will spank any store bought equipment.

[Jon/xpm]

Miscue

our you trash talking me say my stuff sucks?

i hope not!

my car thumps so loud we had to buy a new trunk launch!

[Cliffio]

im just looking for somthing that sounds really good that i can turn up and make it hit hard if i want
but i want somthing that will sound good at normal levels
i wanna spend 400-500 bucks

got anything?
just wondering

thanks
Cliff

[Miscue]

No, I have no doubt that what you have is loud and obnoxious... :) The info I mentioned had high SQ in mind... which can be loud and obnoxious as well... or even more so... but also sound good. :)

[Miscue]

Originally posted by Cliffio
im just looking for somthing that sounds really good that i can turn up and make it hit hard if i want
but i want somthing that will sound good at normal levels
i wanna spend 400-500 bucks

got anything?
just wondering

thanks
Cliff

The $400-500 poses a problem. You are not going to be able to get much. If you want a sub, you need an amp... either built in or whatever. That costs money.

I'll look around for best stuff I can find in your $ ballpark...

[Miscue]

Amp: $189

http://www.ampmanaudio.com/details.asp?PartNumber=USX4065&Category=Amplifiers&ID=897

Sub: $150

http://www.carstereomall.com/store/store.cgi?command=listitems&pos=0&type=search2&search=baz-el104

Deck: $139

http://www.carstereomall.com/store/store.cgi?command=listitems&pos=0&type=search2&search=cla-db125

Fronts: $70

http://www.carstereomall.com/store/store.cgi?command=listitems&pos=0&type=search2&search=alp-sps1629s

And you'll need a wiring kit of some kind... about $30.

Total: $578

This is just a general idea of what you can get for $500-600... there are numerous different paths you can go... using different brands and what not... this is just a suggestion.

[MantisMag]

crutchfield

www.crutchfield.com i don't know how competetive their prices are but these guys are great to deal with. even if you're not going to buy from them check out their site. you can enter in the make and model of your truck and they will tell you which components they have that will fit. if it doesn't fit exactly many times they can give you a harness or bracket that will make it fit. no charge. they also include wiring harnesses with all purchases. it'll plug right into where your stock system does. they also send some neat printouts with instructions on installation and showing how to take apart your dash and where all the screws are. that was a HUGE help with my last system. they also list all the specs on the equipment they carry so you can compare numbers and see exactly how much performance you get for your money. installing a soundsystem from crutchfield is quick and painless. i've done it twice so far and i've decided i'm going to deal with them whenever i can.

[TheBigRaguPB4L]

Don't skimp on your system!!!!!!!! i can't stress this enough. trust me. it's like buying a paintball gun. you buy a stock mag to begin with and you're pleased at first but then you begin to see what all the upgrades you can do to it until you finally do it. then you get the intelliframe, the boomstick, the halo, retrovalve, all that when you could have just started with the rt pro to begin with.

you shouldn't need that great of subs because there's nothing to really obstruct the sound. for example, i have an accord and i have to put my subs in the trunk. because it has to go through the back seat, i lose all the sound that the subs produce(some of it anyways). your bronco is all open space so you don't really need to have great subs to have some nice bump.

it happened to me, i started with 2 mtx 12's that bumped really good and stuck with stock speakers. while i had nice base, i had no high's and mids. when i put some money for the high's i needed an amp for them. then i needed a new amp for the subs because i had a cheesey 200 watt alpine. so i then had to go out and buy a new amp for more money than i would have spent if just went out and got good stuff to begin with. i know my analogy kind of sucked, but you get the point cause i'm sure you've seen and heard about this as all of us have.

miscue-you want to talk about loud and obnious, i have 2 jl audio w6's 15's in my accord. my rear view mirror doesn't stay where it should cause of the rumble.

[Miscue]

Hehe, agreed. Skimping is bad if you're serious about it. You just end up replacing stuff and wasting money you could have used towards the good stuff you end up with anyway.

Heck, I have over a grand put in one sub and two amps... I'm not even 1/3 done with the system yet!

[Cliffio]

ok then maybe ill save up some more paychecks,
what would be the "right" amount for a decent to good system with high sq??

maybe 700-800?? i'd have to wait 2 more weeks but i could do it, im just checkin things out right now
im really interested in nice head units and subs, the fronts can be average... just in my opinoin, but like i said i really have no idea what im talking about:)

but so far ive got the basic idea, thanks to miscue

[Cliffio]

also you know im not gonna install all this myself, so is there some nation place you would suggest or a local stero shop or something of that nature

[TheBigRaguPB4L]

oh man do it yourself. it's really not that hard. if you have manuals with everything you get, it'll tell you. i taught myself how to do it just by reading the manual. and i hate to read manuals but it's all there. the only thing i'm shaky on is head units, but i can do it. once you get in there and look at it, it's so simple. shop's will rape you with instalation fees. they wanted 150 dollars to put in my subs. get a life! all it was is puting the positvie in the positive lead and the ground in the negative. not hard. especially in ILL. i was told there's a lot of people that do that kind of thing out there. ask a friend. even look online. some of the places that has been mentioned probably has info on how to instal. if you're still kind of nervous, then maybe you should bring it to a shop. i know around here there's soundtrax and sound waves. circuit city and some PC richards install stereo's. but like i said, all it takes is a little research and some screwdrivers to do it yourself.

[Zumina]

If your current speakers are not blown, you shouldn't be in a rush to replace them. Avoid Base Bazookas; they're crap. Check out Ebay; that's where I buy almost all of my stuff. Infinity subs and speakers are the best! MTX amps are extremely cost effective, dependable, and trustworthy. For decks, Kenwood, Panasonic, and Eclipse. Avoid Pioneers, Sonys, Blaupunkts, and almost everything else! I've gone through several "cost effective" decks in the past two years; save your money and buy something GOOD! For boxes, go for a Fiberglass bandpass. Wood boxes tend to rattle and fall apart with age and usage; resulting in rattles and added porting.