I have an 05 screw lariat. It has the 6 disk changer (Not Audiophile). The sound in my truck really sucks. Can I upgrade the speakers and get good sound out of the stock head unit, or do I need to replace the head unit as well? I'm not trying to win any contests here, I just like nice crisp, balanced sound. BTW, I dont have the factory sub. Any specific suggestions on how to upgrade this setup is appreciated. Money is tight so, the cheaper the better! Thanks!

 

Upgrading the speakers is not a problem. You might actually be surprised with the sound you can get from a factory system.

I upgraded with Pioneer 3ways from Walmart...I don't remember the model number.

$50-60 for the pair I think.

 

Your best bet is to go to a shop or a best buy and listen to their displays and see what you look. Upgrading your stock speakers and still having the stock headunit will yield better sound quality, however the lower power rating will mean that they will distort at high volumes.

I personally run Infinity Kappa's in my truck...some other popular choices are the Polk DB series, Alpine Type S, Infinity Reference, and Pioneer D series.

Last I knew, we running by one pair get one 50% off on inifinity speakers at work, if youd like, I could check for sure tomorrow when im working and let you know.

 

Thanks for the help. I was hoping some new speakers would do the trick. Are there plenty of options that will fit the existing speaker bays? I've had the front speaker grills off and it looks like I need to find replacements that will bolt right in. I haven't had the back dooe grills off, but I assume it will be similar to the front.

 

Your door speakers should be 5x7"/6x8" full ranges. Full range speakers are garbage because they do a poor job at reproducing low AND high frequencies at the same time at high or even nominal volumes. Personally I have a pair of 3-way Pioneers I got from Wally World for less than $60, and they GREATLY improved my treble because of the smaller drivers with high frequency capacitors soldered just to push out treble and less midrange. Honestly, I firmly believe you will get better sound from an aftermarket headunit with better sound options like a low, mid, and high equalizer setting, high pass filter, loudness* effect, added bass boost, all the things that a stock headunit can't offer. If you just want a better sound, go with an aftermarket headunit and a pair of 3-way coaxial speakers for the front.

That pretty much takes care of your highs and clarity over a higher volume. If you want bass, then you need to consider how much space you have for bass. The majority of people will put subs under the rear seats. A 10" flat woofer in a sealed box with...eh, 200 watts continuous will be generous. If you want more bass, you'll need to consider more woofers, bigger woofers, and more power. Consider this too. The more you want, the more you'll pay.

 

@ PHATT

Yeah, the more reading I do the more I lean toward a new HU. If I do it though, I'm gonna get one that's motorized and one that plays DVD's. I just can't help myself when it comes to trick gadgets like that! I also need one that's steering wheel control compatable and iphone compatable. All of that considered, the whole thing becomes cost prohibitive! I don't know. Thanks for the input!

 

Check out www.crutchfield.com and click on "outfit my car" in the car audio section. I kept my stock head unit and simply replaced my factory speakers. I don't have a sub either. The difference is AMAZING. I have enough bass now to shake the rearview mirrors. The difference in clarity and soundstage is well worth the less than $200 I spent on four 5x7 speakers. Also, if you buy from crutchfield, all the wiring adapters are free, so no cutting your factory wiring - just plug in your new stuff!

In my front doors I installed Kenwood KFC-C6880ie's and in my rear doors a set of Polk Audio db570's replaced the stock speakers.

If you're going to keep your stock HU, look at the sensitivity rating of your new speakers - the higher dB the better. This means the more louder / clear they'll be given the power supplied to them.

I believe the stock HU puts out 20W RMS x4, so each speaker will be getting at least 20 watts, which is the sweet spot for most speakers sold at crutchfield anyway.

I did also buy a set of foam speaker baffles for the rear speakers, and cut off the back of it. Without the baffle, the rear doors simply rattled too much and became annoying.

At any rate, even if you decide to replace your stock HU, you're gonna end up replacing the stock speakers anyway. Why not do it in stages and see if you like it: swap out stock speakers, see how that sounds, then head unit, etc...

I hope this helped!