Need new system

[Chris Hacker]

Well my old Pioneer of 7 years went k-put, time for an upgrade. What's the nicest head unit out there? What sort of options should I look for? I need one w/ a sub output so I can get a sub. What's the best sub out there? Also, amp? How big? Looking for 4 new 6 1/2 speakers too...Just throw me out some ideas on how to upgrade, preferably while not spending lots of $$$$

[Sean76]

I just bought a set of Infinity's for the 6 1/2's And an Infinity 12" with just a 280 watt Kenwood, all being driving by an Aiwa head unit that I got from Ebay. The sub was 50 bucks because of father's day specials, the 6 1/2's were 100 bucks a pair, the amp is from years ago... and the headunit was only like 40 bucks. System really pumps. Te sub is put onto a board that fits the back pretty nice. I will have to get some pics posted on Cardomain. I totally rec. infinity's. Best buy or Circiut City should have some good deals. Or you can check ebay. Just be careful not to buy someone else's junk. I bought a sub off there and it was totally blown, dispite what the guy said about it being in "pretty good condition" LOL

[96firebird311]

Sooo.... just how much money ARE you looking to spend? You asked for the best, but then don't wanna spend the money for it. First, there really is no end it all best at everything piece of gear. Some subs and better at some things. Same for headunits. For a high end setup with a pair of subs, components, 2 amps and headunit..... look to spend $4k self installed. If you're ok with this, just say the word and we'll spit out recommendations. If not, what is your budget for everything? And just how much bass are you looking for? A pair of 12"s in a vented box or a single 10" sealed?

[FireFighter]

96fire is right, answer some questions first about what you want it to do and we can help. What ever sub you decide to get tho, check out www.subthump.com for your box.

[Chris Hacker]

I'm wanting simple, yet nice, and not expensive stuff. I need some sort of head unit for like $150 (is that enough to get a good one?) I need only one sub (10 inch probably, it'll just sit in the trunk and we all know there's no room in there anyways) I just need an amp to run it all (don't need anything w/ 8 zillion watts power or ohmns in it) Someone said Sony stuff was crap on another post on here. Why is it crap? It looks just as nice as Pioneer and it's cheaper....Best Buy doesn't have Infinity 6 1/2, I'm looking there now. So, just throw out like 2, 3 or 4 ideas of buy this headunit b/c, this amp b/c, this sub b/c and these speakers b/c....that's what I'm looking for, ideas....but ideas b/c of something, not just the name of it.

[99V6Camaro]

I agree with sean... i have infinity's all the way around and a couple mtx subs and the infinitys sound sooooooo damm good!

[96firebird311]

Originally posted by Chris Hacker:
I need some sort of head unit for like $150 (is that enough to get a good one?)

No not really. Sorry. :( MAYBE if you buy off Ebay, but no way from a local retail shop. Try to squeeze out $200 and still buy off Ebay. That should get you something pretty decent. Here's a little break down of how much some decent stuff will cost you:
Headunit=$200
Fronts=$120
Rears=$80
Sub/Box=$180
Amp=$120
Wiring=$40
Total=$740

That will get you some stuff I personally wouldn't be ashamed of running. [img]graemlins/rofl.gif[/img]

Some things to think about. You could get a single 4-channel amp and use the front channels to power your front components and bridge the rear channels to power the sub. Run the rear speakers off the headunit. This or this amp would be good for that. Are you planning on building the box yourself? What design are you thinking of using? May I recommend picking up one of these? You might be able to scoop up a used one from someone here on the board for cheaper. Check the other f-body boards as well. Maybe stuff it with an Alpine Type-S or Kicker CVR? Use www.knukonceptz.com for your wiring. Great stuff for cheap. Also before you settle on a sub/amp, post it up here so we can make sure you have the correct sub config for the amp your using. Also read the FAQ thread at the top of the forum for help with that. [img]smile.gif[/img]

PS... here's some front components to look at. [img]smile.gif[/img]
http://www.thezeb.com/p-CDT-Audio-CL...tem-101083.htm

[ July 06, 2005, 10:59 PM: Message edited by: 96firebird311 ]

[Chris Hacker]

anyone else have ideas?
And thanks 96Firebird, but could you do something else for me please. You listed prices for each of those items, could you also put up actual products for those prices? I look all over on ebay, cc, best buy, but hell, there's 8 million to choose from.....

[96firebird311]

So what do you think about that price range though? $800 too much? Could you spare more? Maybe you want 2 seperate amps, or maybe one 5-channel amp? Those were just some very rough guesses on gear. Here's some stuff to look at.

Headunits:
Good list of lots, but let me point you to a couple in particular.
Eclipse 5444
Premier P770
Kenwood X789
But any of them are fine. Just look for features you will use. Like MP3/WMA playback or direct Ipod connection. Also look for 3 (front/rear/sub) RCA preouts with atleast 4V. Which is very common. Don't stew on the little small specs. ie. One has s/n ratio of 95db and the other has 99db. You won't be able to tell a difference even on your best day. The previously listed specs are the most important.
Fronts:listed above
Rears:These or these
Amp:listed above
Sub/Box:listed above
Wiring:Something like this

[Chris Hacker]

Ok, so here's my thoughts after you long two posts. In NO WAY do I want to spend HALF of that amount on that stuff. Maybe I should just start small and work my way up. Just start w/ a cd player to replace the one I had. Here's my problem. I have two 6 1/2's in the front door (like everyone) and two 6 1/2's on the back panels (like everyone) However, I had two spare Pioneer 6*9's laying around so I decided to hook them up. All I did was wire them DIRECTLY to the back panel 6 1/2's. Someone told me that's what mad my cd player go bad. They said adding those two extra speakers overloaded it. BUT, I had them in there for 10 months w/ NO problems at all. Here's what's happening. I have a 10 or 12 pin (forgot which one off hand). The thing with all the wires that plugs into your cd headunit. When that's plugged in ONLY the front two speakers work, the back do not. HOWEVER, if you take your hand and exert more force on the pin unit, that makes the back speakers work as well, but as soon as you take the force off of it, they stop working. The person told me the cd player is bad itself, not the wires or the pin unit. Any thoughts?? Now you know my story....

[T-Punk]

The best budget system i have ever built for anyone consisted of these items and it came out to less than 700 bucks (before shipping).

Amp
Xtant 603X (200 off of ebay) two channels run the front speakers at 4ohms putting out 75wrms x2 and the mono channel runs the sub at 2ohms putting out 300wrms x1.

Head Unit
Alpine 7969 (200 off of ebay) usually i'm not a fan of alpine but this was one hell of a unit if you dont need a built in amp.

Speakers
CDT 6.5 CL component system (150 off of www.thezeb.com ). These are just amazing and you will never find better speakers for the price. I suggest using only the front speakers so you can set it up for proper sound staging.

Subwoofer
12" elemental design K series sub (125 off of www.edesignaudio.com ). Same as i said about the CDT speakers, just amazing.

This was one of the best systems i have ever heard that was purchased for under 1k. Hope it gives you some more ideas.

[ July 09, 2005, 12:09 AM: Message edited by: T-Punk ]

[terminaldegree]

Originally posted by Chris Hacker:
Ok, so here's my thoughts after you long two posts. In NO WAY do I want to spend HALF of that amount on that stuff.

Way to waste the moderator's time... [img]graemlins/twak.gif[/img]

Whether or not your wiring harness is shot or your headunit is toast, just wiring an extra set of speakers to the existing ones is going to make the amplifier in your head unit VERY unhappy. It sounds like you have a lot of reading to do before you even attempt your own install.

If you're serious about having a good system, and you're short on cash, then buy only GOOD QUALITY stuff one piece at a time. If the HU isn't toast, the max "grin factor" will come from the sub and amp. I didn't have squat for money. My system came together over the course of 18 months as I could afford things.

[Sean76]

Originally posted by terminaldegree:
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by Chris Hacker:
Ok, so here's my thoughts after you long two posts. In NO WAY do I want to spend HALF of that amount on that stuff.

Way to waste the moderator's time... [img]graemlins/twak.gif[/img]

Whether or not your wiring harness is shot or your headunit is toast, just wiring an extra set of speakers to the existing ones is going to make the amplifier in your head unit VERY unhappy. It sounds like you have a lot of reading to do before you even attempt your own install.

If you're serious about having a good system, and you're short on cash, then buy only GOOD QUALITY stuff one piece at a time. If the HU isn't toast, the max "grin factor" will come from the sub and amp. I didn't have squat for money. My system came together over the course of 18 months as I could afford things. </font>[/QUOTE]I totally agree... it sounds like someone should just take there car to the local stereo shop and have it done... or.... Read up on Ohm's and so on, and find out what adding 2 4ohm speakers drops your headunit down to &lt;2 ohms&gt; and if your system is stable with that, it would be ok, but most headunits aren't able to do 2 ohms. Atleast as far as I know. Most Amps are stable at that. Well good ones are. The less ohms, the more heat you're going to have.
If you want a thumping system, and you have little money. Buy it one pieace at a time. I'd buy the amp, and a sub first. Or if you need some 6.5's Buy the amp and the 6.5's Keep the output power of the amp low, but use it on the 6.5's till you get the money for the sub and the box. Since a headunit is needed, buy that, and just let it sit till you have the extra cash to buy the speakers and amp. I found that if I have something sitting around that I want installed, but need another piece for it.... I can save money somewhere to get what I want within a matter of a few days.

[CAMAROWIDBASS]

hey chris im the guy who sent you the Camaro letter for your maro, if you want a HU i have a JVC i took out of my camaro the only reason i took it out is because i put in an indash screen.

If you want it let me know im looking to get 120

[Chris Hacker]

How old? What condition? What style? Give all those details...