I need a little help. First I'm almost 40 so I'm not looking to shake the cars around me but I do appreciate good music. However, it's been a long long time since I have looked into car stereos. So, I have a question or two and would love some advice.

What head unit amp setup will allow me to control the subwoofer?
or I guess a better question is, What feature allows that. I want a sub but I dont want to shake the cars around me.

I have $500 to spend. I know a lot of you will spend that on the speakers alone but I 'm upgrading my entire stock setup for that amount. I dont care about the bells and whistles but it has to be a MP3 player. I'd appreciate ideas, advice.

Here's what I think I need:

Head unit CD\MP3 player (Pioneer and Panasonic seen to ahve them around $150)

6x8\5x7 door (good ones)

amp for a single sub (8") (not sure yet)

(bazooka sub $99?)

6x8\5x7 rear (cheaper coax) (pioneer coax $57?)

The CD changer I guess I will ditch.

Thanks in advance,
0light1

 

Whatever you do get a sealed sub.... it is much better if your going for sound quality vs quantity. Ported bass gives me a headache!

 

sealed sub over the bazooka (ported), ok.

Would a 8"sub and a $59 enclosure work?

I know this is going to be a challenge with limited $$ but I know
I can do it.

 

Anything will work... will it be good enough for you?

 

The Alpine low-end models I think are one of the only units that allow sub control from the deck (9803 & 9805 models) (~$170 or so). But I'm not sure if those of their mid-range models play MP3's. Check out the Pioneer Premier DEHP550 too I know it has both.

I've had the Infinity Kappa (coax) series 5x7 in a Ranger before and they were great but I'm thinking of either those or the Pioneer REV (coax) series 6x8 for the L soon.

I've ordered online from a couple of places before that I'd buy from again (I have no other connection to them), and I haven't seen anyone beat their prices FYI.

http://www.audiowarehouseexpress.com

http://www.carstereoexpo.com


Good luck.

 

Oh, and stay away form the Bazooka subs IMO. You can get a simple prefab box for a couple of 8 or 10" subs for ~$100-130, and for what you'll get with a nice sub in one of those the Bazookas don't compare.

 

Illin I sent you an e-mail based off NLOC info.

Just asking some similar questions..

with that 200$ ish alpine HU non mp3 version it provides signal/power to run 1 subwoofer off of?

I'm looking into replacing teh stock HU and stock door speakers. I'm not sure if replacinging the rear speakers would be worth it especially with 1 or two sub's in the back also?

 

I'm starting to think there may be others out there who want to upgrade but dont want to spend thousands doing it. It appears that many think if you dont have atleast a grand to spend then your wasting your $$.

I disagree!!

We are not all wanting to wear earplugs and rattle houses as we drive by. A nice 50-100w setup should sound good in our cabs.

So, that being said, who has upgraded with limited funds and how did you like it?

 

not to steal the thread but I have a similar question. I wanted to put a small system in my truck and the local audio guy suggested/offered me this deal....

2, 10" Alpine Type R Subs w/ warranty
1, Custom Box For The Subs
1, JL Audio 150x2 Amp
2 Pair, Alpine 6x8 Coaxial Speakers
1, JL Audio 4-Channel Amp
Plus Installation
Wired to my Kenwood MP3 HeadUnit

For $1550.

Question one is,
1. Is This A Good Deal ???
2. How Would This Sound In The Truck ???

Josh

 

Save your money on the rear speakers. They are pretty much useless sound wise. Also I think you should go with one ten. Like an Alpine type R or a comp vr. Don't spend alot, but you will be much more satisfied with a ten.

 

I spent $670 for 2 JL10w6 subs, a JL 500/1 amp and a 1 farad cap. Then I went on to buy a $150 custom subbox for the f150, and a $90 SWEET amp kit. This adds up to $910 if im not mistaken. This is with my wholesale jobber price, one time only. Hits HARRRDDDD. Since I have the subs, i can now turn the bass down on the door speakers, almost all the way down. Using just about only the mids and the highs from the 4 stock speakers. They do a great job at it too. With proper tuning, i have got to say, it sounds amazing...its tuned so that I could listen to it at MAX volume, barely maxing out my subs, not even close to warming my amp up, and no chance of hurting the door speakers. The only thing I hurt are my ears, but it sounds rich and full at max volume. Id say all u need is a sub and a good stereo tune..."its all in the tune".

 

you goober

 

The last Alpine unit I had (a 2002 model - 7993 or something like that - the nicer of the 3 low end models) had both left and right pre-outs for the subs. When I put that in my std cab Ranger, I replaced the front door speakers, disconnected the rear ones, and used the pre-outs to drive 1 8" Kicker sub. It was definitely an upgrade and plenty for the cab, but didn't hit hard enough to be heard well outside the truck.

In my most recent ext cab Ranger, I had the same setup, with better speakers in the front and the mid-range speakers from my std cab Ranger replacing the rears. I ended up keeping the rears turned down just for fill, and it was a great setup.

For my new L, the plans this summer are a new HU, another nice set of Infinity Kappa series or Pioneer REV series in the front, disconnected rears, and 2 10" subs (prbly JL W0 series or Kicker CompVR series) that will hit hard.


For my Rangers, the HU was ~$180 (200 w/self install incl. parts), and $100/pair on the speakers. For that $400, anyone can have a really nice sounding setup wo/subs. I plan on spending an additional ~150 or so on a box for the 2 10" subs, figure ~$150-200 on the subs themselves, and ~$200-300 or so on a pretty powerful amp to drive them. So for under $1000, anyone can build a h*ll of a system.

 

Your right, there are allot of people that want to spend $500.00 to upgrade the whole system (including me) with Sub. What people are trying to tell you is, you can't get there from here. What ever you get in that price range isn't going to have much better sound quality than the factory stuff does. Either do it right, or leave it alone. JMHO

 

Infinity Kappa 6x8 - $95
Premier DEH-P550MP Deck - $175
Dash kit / Harness - $25
Blaupunkt PA2150 Amp - $125
Scosche Dual Amp 4AWG Kit - $26
Phoenix Gold Ti10 Subwofoer - $80
Build your own enclosure - $30

Total Price - $556

Most items from ebay and include shipping. This would make a great set up. A 2nd amp for the front speakers would be nice to have. Don't forget that you can ebay your old stereo and changer.