Since those of you that are already into the systems won't really be interested in this much. If you're going to make a change in your system, and you're going to do it one peice at a time, do the Head Unit first. I just got through replacing the factory tape deck in my 99' scab and the difference is amazing. Night and day. The factory speakers really come alive with the power that the Sony CDX-CA650X head unit can throw at them. Granted, I expect that one day I'll probably blow them, but, that'll be my excuse to change them. But, bang for the buck, the Head Unit is the way to go. I have heard systems that are just new speakers, and, its just not much of a difference.

Nola-Ford-Guy

 

Keep your head unit and spend the money on an amp and quality speakers unless there is something special that you want like MP3 playback or video etc. You will get the same results and no one will try to steal it.

 

I would always, in any case, replace the head unit first. Even if you add an amp, the signal you feed it determains how well it will sound. You can have the best amp and speakers money can buy, but if you have a crap head unit, you have a crap system. This is just my opinion, but it is factual also. Heck, any more the head units on the market have enough clean power that you don't even need a second amp. And with the Pioneer heads, they use the same MOSFET outputs in their H/U's as they do their regular amps.

 

Mainly, I wanted, first and foremost, an in dash cd player. Secondly, I wanted pre-amp outputs for later system building. Third, I wanted better control over the sound in the truck, and, Fourth, I wanted the music to sound better when the volume is cranked up, because at highway speeds, there's a lot of road, engine and wind noise to overcome.

The head unit did all of the above, and, realistically, I could stop with the system here and feel that I achieved enough of an improvement to not warrant the rest of what I want to do. In the future, I'm planning the following, in the following order...

1) New Speakers all around. Currently considering Polk EX3 6X8 2 way speakers with aimable tweeters. I want 6 X 8s for the increased mid bass range that they offer over 5X7s, so, the DX7s that everyone loves are out. However, I have, by far, not come to a decision.

2) Sony's tiny 6 disk changer for the console between my captain's chairs.

3) Clarion Stealth Subwoofer for between the center console and the dash. I like the look, I like the fact that its custom designed for the truck, and, since I don't want skull shattering bass, it should be more than enough to extend the low end down a bit, keep it tight, and look good at the same time.

4) And, this may never happen, but, I want to put a pair of tweeters (that match the ones in the co-axials in the door) in the sail panels on the doors (just inside of the rear view mirrors. To drive them, I'm gonna get a RF Punch 120.2 amp and hide it under the dash somewhere. Why the RF? Its a good name and, its also the smallest decent amp that I've found so far. This is mainly to raise the sound stage and give some greater definition to the high end (and, also, allow me to hear the musical detail on the left side of the truck, since the grill design for the door speaker sucks and all the high notes get deflected away from the driver's ear.

That's the plan. Any suggestions?

 

12Vrep, of course you would disagree, you sell headunits. David Navone and Richard Clark (well known to anyone in the Car Audio world) proved that the sound quality of todays head units is just as good as aftermarket and sometimes better. What you lose is additional bells and whistles and pre-outs. Todays jacked up pre-outs (4-8volts) are no different than speaker outs at the same level. How do you think they get the levels up? They amplify them. Of course if you drive the internal amp to clipping it will sound bad but if you set your gain structure up correctly you will not be able to tell the difference. Also using the internal amp to drive an 8 ohm speaker versus a high impedence input on an amp or LOC makes all the difference.

 

Replacing stock speakers with a quality set of speakers and a good amp will always make a bigger difference than replacing a stock head unit.

This has been proven time and again.

 

Nyah, replacing the stock HU is always a good starting point if you are considering replacing the entire system in stages. The stock Ford speakers aren't all that shabby, especially when supplemented with some tweeters up high in the door. Don't knock it until you've tried it, cuz it actually sounds pretty good. Then you can upgrade speakers, amp, etc., to totally revamp your system. The stock HU will need converters unless the amp has speaker inputs, and this always compromises the signal to some extent. If you care more for stock looks than sound, by all means, keep the stock HU, but a GOOD aftermarket HU can't be touched by any of the stock HUs that come in the F150.

 

Nyah, wrong again. This is just one of those myths perpetuated by the aftermarket industry. A stock HU with properly installed LOCs, amps and speakers will sound no different than an aftermarket head and the same amps and speakers. The Ford speakers may be better than some factory speakers but they are still not going to give you sound quality. One driver cannot reproduce the full frequency range all at once. It is a compromise at best. Spend the money on amps and speakers and later if you still want a new head unit it will be plug and play. Obviously we are talking about headunits from the 90s and later not some of the crap that GM and Ford used to use.

 

You all are starting to sound the same to me.

 

I used to be a head unit replace first kind of guy because I never had a stock CD player, but...... With the disc changer in my HD I decided to change out the speakers first and it was a night and day difference. They are the pioneers I had in my old Tbird and are powered by the stock head unit. Considering it was virtually a free upgrade (<$200 for new) it was well worth it until I get new amps and a sub.

 

Good disscussion here...we might even get Raoul excited...
Ok, it's pretty much a given that most Ford late model vehicles have Visteon equipment. They aren't great, but they are OEM quality, which means they are durable, and provide sound acceptable to the average consumer. If they had line out connections they would be about the same quality as most mid-level manufacturers-- but they don't. They also don't have the bells and whistles. Some features are useless, but others (eq, dynamic range enhancement, sub out, adjustable crossovers, etc), are very useful in not only enhancing your system now, but in planning your future additions.

I'm not saying that changing your HU is going to make as much difference in your sound as adding amps and speakers. That's pretty much a dead horse. What I am saying is that if you are planning on building a complete system, the HU is the signal source, and the rest of the system has to match it's capabilities. It only makes sense to get the HU first, UNLESS the amps you are considering have speaker level inputs. Even then, you are going to have to take up the carpet twice, unless you buy the signal cables ahead of time and run them while installing the amps.

This method also give you a good line on what you want from your new speakers. Speakers are the most subjective component in any system. Without knowing how your system sounds with your new HU, you don't really have a good baseline to improve on. Then again, it's rare that the speakers sound the same in the vehicle as they do on display.

 

Basically we agree then, you do not change your head to improve sound but to add additional bells and whistles. If you do not want or need any of those bells and flashy displays then change your speakers and add an amp. I am happy with all the features of my stock unit. It has cassette and 6CDs. It has RDS and a clock. It has the same sound as the aftermarket units and does everything I need. I would like more power and more bass so I will add an amp and better speakers and a sub.
The speaker level inputs on most amps are just an internal LOC but some external ones are of better quality and have gain adjustments. Line outs do not improve quality, they improve flexibility. It does not make sense to get the HU first if you are happy with the features it offers. Spend the money where it is needed, speakers, amps and a sub if desired.

 

The main reason that I wanted to change my head unit from the stock was to get native CD audio support. I was tired of using a cassette adapter to play my audio CDs in my truck. The integrated noise reduction was clipping the highs and lows, and it was a disappointing experience at best.

Now, what I got was much more than I thought I was getting, here's my point. I didn't replace anything else in the truck, yet. Although I have plans for speakers, a CD changer, probably a sub, and possibly a smallish amp and some tweeters in the sail panels on the doors. The stock speakers semed to come alive. With a better than stock AMP driving them, and a clean signal to that AMP, they are producing Bass like I never expected, the highs are much cleaner, and, the audio system is much better able to deal with road noise than it used to be. These are all nice improvements in excess of what I was expecting. This is NOT JUST WITH CD AUDIO, FM STEREO SOUND MUCH BETTER AS WELL. So, I can't attribute it all to just a purer CD experience.

Now, if you already have an in-dash CD player, or, a factory changer, you have a head unit designed with an eye towards reproducing the extended dynamic range of the CDs. This means that you likely have a better, slightly more powerful amp than I had in my factory tape deck. If that really is the case, and you don't need anymore bells and whistles, then you can probably see a significant improvement by just replacing the stock speakers with more efficient, multi-component, improved clarity ones. The efficiency advantage will make your system louder for each setting of the volume control ****, the greater clarity of the multi-driver units will better recreate your highs, mids and lows with less distortion. All good things.

So, I stand by my original statement that replacing your head unit with a high-power aftermarket unit will make a dramatic improvement in the sound of your car stereo, however, I will add the caveat that that path may not be the most cost effective or efficient way of improving your sound.

 

" 3) Clarion Stealth Subwoofer for between the center console and the dash. I like the look, I like the fact that its custom designed for the truck, and, since I don't want skull shattering bass, it should be more than enough to extend the low end down a bit, keep it tight, and look good at the same time. "

Just a word of warning here. This thing does not even sound like a sub. It's really weak and the enclosure is not even designed to provide the correct sonic output. You can't just make a tiny box and have it sound good. Go for the dual 10" sub box with the included 2" rear seat lift kit at subbox.net. It's easy to install and 2 good quality 10's will sound great. You will never regret that purchase!

 

Hmm, that sub-box.net kit looks to be a little more than I wanted. Any thoughts on the amplified MTX enclosure with the two 8" subs that fits underneath the rear seats?