I totally agree. Some are more dependable.... which of course, is a good thing. But many of them are just really pretty / flashy, and do a million and 1 things that I'll never need my stereo to do, yet the clarity of the digital output is virtually the same as a cheap CD player.

I'm not saying I want the cheapest flea market deck I can get..... but on a level of 1 to 10... 1 being entry level, and 10 being show level, I think I need about a 3.

Actually, I'm somewhat the same about amps too.... which is, nothing fancy (don't need all kinds of built in X overs and controls) but I do need LOTS of real power.
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I used to know a guy who built his own amps and X overs. They were flat out ugly..... but he could produce 5 X's the power, for his dollars spent. Rather than put them under an acrylic cover, surround by neon lights, he just hid them. But geez, did his stereo rock ! I wish he still built those. I'd hire him :-)

Peace,
Fish

 

most people cant hear the difference in audio equipment... then again some say they can hear the difference between wires... which is bull, wire is wire, just get the right gauge you need. most aftermarket decks are going to be pretty close to each other as far as sq goes to the ear, anythings better than the stock deck. but someone with a critical ear like mine can hear the difference. its very small but scientifically measurable. almost all decks today have at least a few bells and whistles. some are useful like adjustible crossovers, eq and time alignment, others are just stupid graphics... do stay away form those gimmick decks tho. kenwood and alpine are probably the most solid options for you

 

Fish,
My deck would probably fall as a 3 or 4 on your 1 to 10 scale, and it sounds mounds better than the stock deck. Even when i first put the deck in, running it just on the stock speakers, it sounded wayyyyy better. I spent 180 bucks on it. It is definitly worth it to get an aftermarket deck.

 

There are many decks out there that cost boatloads more than you or anyone else would ever want to spend (I know, I have one...). But certain decks are designed for either functionality, flash, or SQ and some a combination of them all.

The deck I suggested the Alpine CDA-9887 is built to be a SQ deck. I have installed a few of those and the sound they put out is worlds better than any Ford deck. It has the ability to be used as a 3way Xover, 4v Preouts, 24bit Burr Brown D/A's, Time Alignment, MultEQ, Imprint (if you decide you want it, I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THAT PIECE), and many other options for shaping sound perfectly. Then an Ipod interface thats almost flawless.

Other than that deck Eclipse 7200MkII or the Pioneer Premier P880PRS (the P800PRS is the new model). Look, I have never been one to tell people to get things they dont need. And many on this board can back me on that. I have been in this game SOLIDLY for the past 7 years, and I know most of the products out there. Trust us on this, we are here to help you out (Bartak1, Styxnpics, MSall150, and I)

 

Low_e, I just checked out the Alpine CDA-9887, and I have to say, it looks like a pretty sweet deck. And I actually found it on Amazon, for $319.... totally doable. BTW, the biggest, baddest sound system I ever built, was topped by an Alpine :-)
And BTW Styx, the other couple of nice aftermarket decks I've owned, were Kenwoods.

One thing that throws me off a bit though.... That is a pretty high powered deck, read: space and materials wasted on power which will never be used, as plan to have a bunch of seperate power, from at least two seperate amps....
I remember the best stereo Alpine used to make, put out "0" watts.... It needed a pre-amp.

Anyway, of all the brands you could have mentioned Low_e, Alpine would probably be the easiest to sell me on....
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Okay so, what about power ?
I want a BOATLOAD ! If I don't often use it all, that's fine, but to me, a 2000wt system being played at 200wts, sounds SO incredibly sweet !

I'm thinking about the biggest, baddest 1 channel I can get, in the $300 to $400 range.... to run either two 12"s or a single 15".

And then, the strongest, cleanest 4 channel amp I can get, again, in the $300 to $400 range, to run my mids and highs on two of the channels, and a couple of 8" mid-base speakers on the other two channels.

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I know I can get two very nice 12" subs, OR one very nice 15" sub woofer for less than $200.

A couple very nice 8" mid-base drivers for maybe $150.

A couple nice 3 1/2" or 4" mids, plus some nice seperate tweeters (those have to be seperate, and they just have to be mounted up high on the windshield pillars, center, or top corners, to put the treble straight to where it needs to be... my ears) for maybe $200 more...

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So, rounded high;

$350 for the deck

$700 for two amps

$550 for speakers

$250 for an alarm

$150 for some box building materials, and wiring
(btw, I could not agree more with Styx Will I need a X-over, if I have the above mentioned Alpine deck, and good quality amps ? {remember, my system will be a 3 way... subs, mid-base, and mids + highs} Maybe just a couple passive X -overs between the mid-bass and mids + highs, huh ?

Anyway, that looks like pretty close to $2K to me.....

And I'm thinking this would be a pretty nice system.

Oh, so now am rambling.

Suggestions on amp and speaker brands ???

Thanks again,
Fish

 

Since you say nobody will ever sit in the backseat, just forget rear fill and focus on the front stage for speakers. Get a high powered 2 way component set, which comes with a pair of tweeters and a pair of 6.5" midbass woofers. This will be in your best interest. Add that to a pair of 12s, and your system will crank.

Also, if you plan to do a high quality system, do a high quality install...leave at least $200 for deadening and install materials.

Dont forget, you will need a stronger battery and the big 3 upgrade if you plan to use 2000 watts.

 

get you a few punch bd1000.1's, you can pick them up pretty cheap and VERY reliable

 

your gonna want to do components with a 6.5's or even 7" woofer. 4" mids are weak unless your runing a 3 way up front which might be a better option that trying to rig up some 8's for mid bass (I've done this a few times and its more work than its worth)

I'd go with high end components up front, something like rainbow profi's or germaniums

skip the rear fill all together. SQ setups focus on front stage

for amps use high end stuff... audison, zapco, brax, etc but keep it simple, 2 channel for the front stage. mono amp for the sub stage

now heres the tricky part. use a really simple but well designed sub setup. instead of running 8s and a 15 and powering them with two amps. run like 2 15's (assuming you are pulling out the rear seat) and a single amp, sealed for more sq, or ported for more output. if you run 7" 3 ways off a two channel amp you will have PLENTY of that kick in the chest midbass your looking for. seriously don't buy more speakers and amps than you need, I was seting my truck up the same way with an amp running 7" subs for midbass but after I got my subs installed I found out I didn't need them

your gonna need to plan more $$ for wires. a setup like this can burn $300 in wire alone. and up to $200 in connectors terminals and sound deadening

 

I'm all ears guys (no pun intended :-)

mSaLL, I totally agree with not worrying about a rear seat soundstage.

Hey crash_, I'm going to go check out those amps right now.....

Styx, I have to admit, the big, bad-*** system that I built 20 years ago used 10"s (and at one point, 12"s) and 7" mid-bass drivers, and although it sounded great, the mid-bass drivers did 'less' for the system, than any of the other speakers. I always thought it was just because of how I had everything crossed over....
Now, you said > if I run 7" 3 ways < well, that might be okay.... but no matter what I run, I still know (from experience) that I need some seperate tweeters up high.... especially for my treble-def *** !
So, you don't think their would be any "sound gap" between those 7" 3 ways, and some big ol' 15" subs ?
Another thought.... when I said > or, one 15" sub < I was thinking more about eating up all of my spare, behind the seat, space.... But what the heck, if I put them in a sealed box, two of them, will use just about the same space, as one of them ported, huh ? .....and be a lot more musical, to boot.

Starting to get about as excited over the stereo, as I have been about the truck, itself :-)

Peace,
Fish

 

Pretty boring, normal looking everyday deck huh? No flashy dolphins or racecars, no voltmeters or tachometers that flash across the screen, no tilting screen or flashy layout or navigation, it doesnt play MP3s and it doesnt have an iPod hookup, no internal amplifier....***** it wont even pull in a radio station unless Im within 15 miles of the station....yet there is a reason this deck cost over 600 bucks new.
A solid HU is the backbone of any SQ setup.
Go for the 9887. 319 bucks is a pretty good deal on it, and it is a pretty nice SQ HU.
A quality HU can make all the difference, its good you decided not to cheap out on it. Cant go wrong with a Nak, Denon; or most higher model Alpine, Eclipse or Pioneers for a nice SQ deck.


Are you planning on running the tweets and mids active, or buy a componet set that includes a crossover?

Here is what I would be looking to do if I was going by your requirements.

Grab a nice 5.25" component system which will include the tweeters, mids, and passive crossover so the tweeters are HP'd and the mids are LP'd. Run them off the front channel of the 4 channel as you said, and use the HP Xover on the amp to start rolling off the 5.25s wherever you want. Now, again as you said, run your 8 inch Mid Bass of the rear channel. Use a combination of the Xover on the rear channels of the amp, and the Xovers on the stereo, to bandpass your mid bass. Then just use your LP xover on the amp for your sub stage.

Almost any new amp you buy these days will have built in crossovers, and with the Aplines xovers, you shouldnt have to buy any extra/external Xovers.


Are you looking to buy all new stuff??

 

i'm running jl audio xr series...nice and crisp.

on that bd1000.1... its strong. and durable. i had it pushing everything from 4 punch 10's to a jl w7......

if you want a nice deck, jensen has a touchscreen system that is getting killer reviews for cheap....

 

speaker drivers now are NOTHING like 20 years ago. for instance I had 2 10's in a ported box tuned to 30Hz do low 140 dB daily with less than 2000 watts. they were weak up high due to the box being designed for low end output.... my 4 8s sealed with 1200watts on the other hand can just break 130's.... but not only that, my 8's can dig into the 20's and kick high into the midbass region. the key is driver selection and box design

crash_lucky13, no offense but your recomending jensen to someone looking for a SQ deck..... ya

 

Ok, so my last post was a little late... I started typing it, left, then came back and finished it and by the time I got it posted, over 3 messages had already been posted since the time I started typing the post

 

I did the same thing.

the 9887 is like the holy grail of SQ headunits. it has a cult like following with SQ guys

 

so the 9887 is as good as a "done deal" :-)

What do you guys think about this amp (for both quality, and simplicities sake)
http://www.sonicelectronix.com/item_...OWER-1000.html

2 channels to run my mids + high seperates, 2 more to run a couple of mid-base drivers, and 1 channel ran into a 2 ohm configuartion of a pair of nice 12" subs.... Enough power ?

Fish