Time to rebuild stereo system...

I

imported_dl9589

New member
It's not going to be to the extreme that my old system was, but I plan on spending about 2 thousand on it...I plan on getting a real good head unit again, an amp and some subs...nothing close to what I had, but enough to enjoy some music.



Any suggestions on head units, subs, amps?
 
As far as amps go, Precision Power still rock!
Click to expand...



I had two PPI's in my car when I got stolen...along with a 600watt Xtant amp...I really like the Xtant, but not sure what I'm getting when it comes to the subs and amps...



I have narrowed down the CD player to 3 choices though....may spend a bit more on the CD player and less on the amp and subs...not sure yet...I've kept the cost for a CD player around 500.00 bucks, might spend a little more for something better.
 
I dont know about you, but I am a fan of simply designed, high quality head units. So I would check out Nakamichi and Dennon. Eclipse, Clarion, and Alpine have some awesome recievers as well.



I have an Alpine amp in the 850, just because thats what came with the car from the factory. So I really dont have much experience as far as amps go. I have heard good things about JBL though.
 
There are many ways to go depending on set up and what you type of sound you want. Here is one



JL subs - very good



Boston Acoustic Components - can handle a lot of power. I have 500+ watts(Alpine Amps not Pryamid or Majestic crap) going to each component. They are a little harsh sounding but very very loud. To help get a better sound use audio control equilizers. I haven't seen many cars that sound better with this set up without spending a fortune.



Amps--??? so many choices and possiblities. I have always wanted to try pheonix gold or PPI
 
If you are stuck for amps, here's what I would recommend looking at:



JL Audio: Slash series (e.g. 300/4) or the new e Series

a/d/s

Eclipse

Alpine

Precision Power

Orion

Soundstream

Xtant

Arc Audio (sounds good, expensive as hell)

Brax

Zapco

Phoenix Gold

Rockford Fosgate (Power Series, Not Punch)
 
Head Unit: Alpine

Amp: Soundstream

X-over/Pro: Audio Control EQQ

Speakers: MB Quarts

Subs: JL Audio

Two Caps, HO Alternator, make sure to star ground and call it a day!!:up
 
Hmm, I used to be into car audio but realized it sucked up all my money!



My biggest suggestion........ask the shop to let you sit in a bunch of cars with the equipment installed and do some comparisons. Always use a CD your familiar with and know what it should sound like.



My experience:



Eclipse makes some of the best sounding decks in the industry however their reliability is questionable. I had three Eclipse decks and they all had a tendency to skip and their buttons would wear out prematurely. But they sounded better than anything else I'd heard so I couldn't turn them down.



Years ago I had heard that Nakamichi Car Audio division was sold out. The name remains but the quality went out the door and I haven't heard anything good about them since.



Alpine and Pioneer Premier have some great decks and are very reliable.....that's probaby a safe bet.



The Eclipse Amps I had sounded awesome (both 2 channel), I would definitely recommend them. Xtant is also tops for amps.



Speakers I've found really depend on the vehicle and the listener...try a bunch out and see what you like.



Good luck and post some pics of what you get.:xyxthumbs
 
Okay, seriously now....



I really like Pioneer decks. Very reliable and clean sound. Alpine is also very good, but a little pricier. Eclipse is very high up there too and many think they are the best.



For speakers, I like Kicker and the new Infiniti Kappa line. Kickers will have more bass, but Infinitis will have slightly cleaner highs.



I've had Pioneer, JBL and Kenwood amps. All are decent but not the true high end stuff.
 
An update for those interested!



I have decided on the Alpine CDA-7897 Head Unit.



For subs, I am torn between 3 of them.



1. Alpine SWE-1241...I've never head or had any Alpine subs, but going on the quality of their decks, it has got to be a safe bet.



2. Kenwood KFC-W3005...Again, I've never heard or owned any Kenwood subs...I have however owned some of their smaller speakers (ie...6", 6" x 9"), and those always sounded awesome!



3. Polk Audio GNX12...I heard these at a local car audio place, and they are great! They don't hit as hard as some of the other subs I've heard, but they are among the cleanest sounding subs I have heard.



As for amps???????????



I'm currently looking at a Kicker KX800.2. But have owned XTant, and PPI. The XTant is by far my favorite amp i've ever owned...clean and very powerful. If I decide to go with a mono amp though, strictly for the subs, I would lean more toward the PPI amp, since that is their specialty.



So, I've decided on only a head unit, still torn on speakers and subs.
 
For subs, JL all the way!:xyxthumbs



As for the head unit, go for the ones made by Eclipse and Alpine with 4-volt outs. :bounce
 
Go Kicker on the subs. My Kicker 650 Impulse coaxils put out as much bass as an 8" sub, so I know their dedicated subs put out even more. Besides, I heard them in a Range Rover that had 2 10" Kicker Solobarics and I thought the glass was going to blow out of the damn thing!
 
I've actually been talking to a guy that told me to get 1 12" Brahma sub, powered by a 1000+ watt amp, and it will sound better and hit twice as hard as 2 kicker comps....so I may go that route, I'm not sure.



I'm not really looking for glass shattering bass though.
 
been outta car audio for awhile, but i can recommend you a few things. For decks, get a high end pioneer premier unit, better than the alpines that are out there, the p9 headunit(not sure exact model) is better than the sony cdx-90(you know, the sony model that ruled the car audio industry b4 they went to xplod crap). For subs, id recommend either an 12" idmax from www.imagedynamicsusa.com (seriously consider this one), 10 or 12" w6(w7 waste of money, its loud, but not that great for 500 bucks), or you can get a 10 or 12" adire audio brahma sub(needs some power to get moving, but its a great all around sub). All those subs i suggested are more sql subs, in other words, sound quality and spl(sound pressure level). the idmax is more sq, but gets loud, the w6s are more sq/spl, the brahma has great sq also just like the idmax, but it gets a bit louder than the max. If i had my pick, it be between an idmax sub and a brahma sub.
 
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