Hello all, I have been visiting this site for years and never once looked in the audio section. I recently came across 2 Rockford Fosgate Punch Forties I had out in my storage room. I had them in a Z-28 over 2 decades ago. That car is long gone as is the wife I bought it for. But I digress, my soon to be teenage daughter is encouraging me to replace the stock AM/FM cassette in my truck. I have to agree that the stock sound system pretty much ...well...sucks. I need some suggestions on speakers and a good tuner to go with the amplifiers. The kiddo thinks it should be able to play her MP3's as well. I see Alpine has a pretty decent following here. I can live with or without a subwoofer unless everyone see's it as a critical component. I do not want/need a remote as it will only get lost. I'm just kind of looking at the tuner, 4 speakers and maybe a sub. I would prefer everything fit in the stock locations in the doors. I know it depends on the amount of $$$ I want to spend. Lets say I would like to go with premium components and still hang on to a little of her inheritance. Thanks for your help, I may be getting older but I'm not deaf yet.
Rick

 

You've come to the right place! First, lets replace "tuner" with Head Unit (HU). You can't go wrong with Alpine or Pioneer. I personally have & recommend the Pioneer DEH-7400MP or Premier series DEH-740MP. It has a lot of really great features....and it also has the different screen display (your daughter might like that). You can get it for $234 from http://www.ikesound.com/800.htm which is a very good price! Now lets move to speakers. Your truck speakers are 5x7's or 6x8's (same mounting diameter). Pioneer makes some really nice budget speakers that would work great off of HU power. Since you already have two subs I say go for it, buy a four channel amp and bridge the two channels...If you decide you don't like the subs you can use the amp to power your speakers. Some good budget four channel amps: US Acoustics & Autotek SS, check them out at www.thezeb.com

 

IMO, the rear speakers are virtually irrelevant and you are better off spending money on better front speakers or a sub.

Some of the lower end component speaker systems from name brand makers (such are Infinity) are moderately priced and sound great for the money. It complicates the install slightly to use components.

I have a Clarion head unit which I like, but it is a PITA to operate at first as none of the controls are intuitive at all.

I would recommend going to some of the audio sites like www.crutchfield.com and doing some research before you buy. On a modest budget you can get a system that will be SO much better than stock.

 

Marvelous, I love the help you get on this site. I appreciate the part numbers. As you can tell, I am a little behind on current technological nomenclature.(I like head unit better than tuner anyway.) Thanks for the update. I must have accidentally called the Punch Forties subwoofers. (Guess I should reread my earlier post.) They are 40 watt amplifiers, so I guess I need the name of a good sub if anyone has a favorite. Another thing, the literature with the amps tells me that they do not have built in crossovers. In all honesty, I don't know what that means or how it will affect the install. The stereo shop(They probably call them something else now) said they could install them. Are they worth my while, or should I get a different brand of amplifier?
Rick

 

The Pioneer DEH-7400MP or Premier DEH-740MP has built in crossovers...if you go with this HU you can use your amps to power speakers, but they don't produce enough power for a sub. All a crossover does is filter frequencies, all of the new amps have crossovers built in. How many channels does each amp have? Personally, I wouldn't pay a stereo shop to install anything because it isn't hard to do yourself. I know it can seem overwhelming for someone who doesn't know anything about car audio, but we can talk you through it. How much do you want to spend on a sub & amp? Are you going to build your own box or buy a pre-fab box?

 

Sorry guys, my network has been having problems and I haven't been able to log on. In answer to your questions, I don,t remember how many channels, I will have to check when I get home. As far as a box, I was hoping to get one of those prefabbed jobs. Some of those seem to be pretty well built. And lastly, I assumed I was going to spend over $500 on the system and hoping to keep it under $1000. I am heading over to Cartoys after I get out of the office. I want to check out the Pioneer unit so I will at least know what we are talking about. One other thing, I love my truck, but am I going to have to drill a bunch of holes in it?
Rick

 

That is a very good idea.

The only holes you will have to drill are:

1. You will have to cut a hole in the rubber grommet on the firewall to pass the power wire through. There are grommets on the driver's side & passenger side. Personally I find it easier to use the driver's side.

2. You will have to drill holes to mount your amp. If you go with a single sub setup you can mount the amp behind the seat. If you go with a dual sub setup it will probably be best to mount the amp under the driver's seat.

3. You will have to drill a hole for the amp's ground wire.


You will definitely be able to get a very nice system for under $1000. For subs, I am going to recommend the K series by Elemental Designs www.edesignaudio.com they are designed for small enclosures and do not require 1000 watts of power.

Don't let the salesman at CarToys discourage you...they have to push their products and will probably tell you anything they don't sell is junk.

Keep shopping!