I think that a really smart person knows when to ask for help, and for me, now is that time.

I know my way around lots of things but audio is not one of them. So I'm here to be impressed.

This is what I have:
2004 reg cab STX, single disc CD player.

This is what I want:

Quality over quantity. I want to be able to hear the every pluck of the guitar, but I don't want the bass to blow out a filling.

So I was thinking of a component system with either 2 10" subs or 1 12". I could even do 2 8's if they sound good. I'm looking more for a tight bass than "flip a quarter on the roof" bass. I think the bass should accompany, not overpower.

And could I power both a sub and the components with one amp?

There is a lot to ponder, I know. But keep in mind this will come in steps, not all at once. So maybe I should buy the head unit first, then components, amp etc....maybe.

So, tell me what ya'll think. Enlighten me.

I appreciate everyone's input.

 

What's your budget?

I would probably go with a pair of 8's or 10's. I really loved the quick kick of my single 10. Probably even better on a pair of 8's. Which subwoofers depends on your music style though. If you listen to mostly rock and country then stack up some 8's. If you listen to all sorts of music with some hip hop and rap then 10's.

 

wow, there are so many ways to answer this.

First question like what was already asked...budget?

Yes you can get a 4 channel amp that will run 4 speakers and a single sub.

There are also many amps out there that will run 4 speakers and 2 subs.

You want tight bass? Get a 10 or 10's. You want BOOM BOOM get a 12. Match at single 12 with a smaller box to get tighter bass. Which brings up many other factors.

Mounting depth of the box. Cubic Air in the box (which can be fooled by polyfill to an extent)
Matched sub to the air space in the box. Sealed or ported, whole other topic.
Wattage to the sub, ohm load stable....etc

For your truck, getting a 4 channel amp and running 2 speakers up front with 2 subs would do you good. MOST 4 ch amps have front and rear band pass switches that will allow you to run LP to the subs and HP/AP to the fronts.

If you wanted 4 speakers and subs you will loose front rear fad, you can bridge them but run only L/R on the 4 and run 2 subs.

Boxes are cheap. Around 100....color matched is a tad more if you are using parchment color. (tan) 4 channel amp, 300-500 bucks.

Don't forget about amp wiring kits. They are big bucks if done right.

My first F150 stereo I had FACTORY HU with a 4 channel amp running 4 door speakers and 1 single 10. I thought it sounded great. The problem. You'll want more later, trust me, you will. You can deny it all you want, but you will want more.

Hope that helps a little....but there are so many options out there.

GO HOGS GO

 

Thank you both for the reply. I was looking at spending about $200-250 on the head unit. I was also thinking about spending $300 on speakers, not counting the sub(s). Then I was thinking about $500 for a box, sub, amp, and the wiring.

And I listen to all music types, but I like artists like Lyle Lovett and Nickel Creek. You will find Lyle in every section but rap, he is just that versatile.

I'd like to do this without having to fab a box. I wanted to make this a super clean install also.

What would ya'll recommend if I wanted to go with 2 8's, and then 2 small amps, 1 for the subs, and one for the other 4 or six speakers?

 

4 or six speakers?

dude, your can do this with a single component set, 2 8's and 1 or 2 amps, I would recomend using two seperate amps sine a 2 channel a/b amp between 75-100watts per side is cheap and a good mono amp for the sub between 300-900watts depending on what 8's your go with would be cheap enuff as well, just remember to ditch the real fill, and concentrate on the front fill

 

The way I was reading about components, Ill get a pair of woofers for the doors, and a pair of tweeters, with a crossover to distribute the signals from the head unit. Do I have this right?

If I have a set of components in the front doors, what should I do with the two factory speakers in the back doors?

 

you should go with nothing in the back doors, components in the front doors run of a two channel amp

 

Agree...with componuts you will be dazzled by the sound. proper power and some 8's sound good. I still think you may want to consider 10's.



Also check out www.the12volt.com TONS of install info and lots of opinions...

 

im headed there now. Thanks ya'll for all the help!

 

I recommend something like mine... I was kind of going for the same thing and I'm pretty happy.

I've got a single 10" (MB quart) with a 300W (Alpine) amp. Then components (JBL) up front and whatever in the back driven by a 4-channel amp (us accoustics).
You can fit the sub and both amps all under the back seat... easy install.

 

What do you use for midrange? All the components I have seen are just a tweeter and a woofer in the door. If I am going to add a sub in the back, wouldnt that be to much base. What would I do for midrange?

 

The woofer in the door is for midrange. You basically want the majority of your punch coming from the sub.

You'll set up a crossover for each speaker... you'll want the frequencies to overlap a little... low-pass on the sub and hi-pass on the door speakers... then within the component set, there will be a crossover that has a hi-pass for the tweeter and a low-pass for the woofer. So, in the end, you'll have a low-pass for your sub, a bandpass for your door speaker, and a hi-pass for your tweeter.

As long as you are going through an amp, then you'll have all your filters to set up on the amps.

This should give you an idea of how frequencies will overlap:
Bass
20 to 200 Hz - Sub Woofer - under the seat
100 to 5000 Hz - Woofer - in the door

Midrange
500 to 5000 Hz - Midrange Speaker
800 to 7000 Hz - Midrange Horn/Compression Driver
1800 to 20000 Hz - Midrange Piezo - in the door

Highs
2000 to 8000 Hz - Tweeter
4000 to 20000 Hz - Piezo Tweeter

Hope this helps...

 

That helps a whole lot! Now all I have to do is figure out what components I want!

Here's a thumb for a pirate!

 

I didn't realize till just now you're an Aggie... I retract all help I provided in earlier posts...

j/k

 

Gig-em....

Just got to thinking...this is a company I watch. I check out their products from time to time...you may want to check them out yourself.

http://www.edesignaudio.com/edv2/pro...roducts_id=550


They make it, they sell it, so the costs are lower.

I may start a separate thread on ED to see what we get.

JP