Okay, I've made a few posts with and haven't gotten much from those, so I did a little more research into how car audio works and what not. Anywho, I'm possibly looking to upgrade my 6cd Audiophile+sub sound system on my 08 FX4 Supercrew, I mainly listen to hard rock. I'm looking to spend right about $1000. Anywho, this is what I've managed to come up with so far, with prices from crutchfield, ebay and etc.

$150 - Alpine MRP-F250 speaker amp
$150 - Alpine MRP-M450 sub amp
$155 - Supercrewsound 2 10" underseat box
$225 - 2 Rockford Fosgate P3SD210 10" subs
$130 - 4 Pioneer TS-A6882R 6x8 door speakers

Does this sound like a budget friendly upgrade system for my truck (would it even be worth it compared to the audiophile)? please advise where I may have over/undershot myself

All of this rounds up to right about $850... Any idea how much this might run for install if I were to take all this to a local shop including the cost for wiring and etc?

 

What you have listed will work fine for what your wanting , and it will sound better than the stock system as well . Not sure what a shop would charge you , bear in mind that you will need amp install kits , although I never buy the prepackaged kits . I always buy everything separate .

 

First a little advice, instead of retyping that link to your pic everytime, put it in your sig and shrink it a little bit(photobucket will work). Go to User CP(in the black bar above) and Edit Signature.

The Pioneer A-Series is personally garbage. They were not designed well, the tweets if played hard have a great shot at dimming down and it be real ehh.

For spks, go to CCity right now and pick up 2 sets of the Polk DB571. They are buy one get one half off right now.

The other option for spks would be to replace the entire component set in the front doors with a 6.5" Component set and amp just the front doors. Either disconnect the rears or leave them off the deck.

That Alpine MRP-M450 is NOWHERE near enough power. That has the *** to push one NOT two.

 

Low

He is looking for a budget friendly upgrade over stock . The Pioneer A series are an entry level speaker , however they are an improvement over stock . The Alpine MRP-M450 puts out 400 watts RMS @ 2 Ohm . That is 200 watts Rms to each sub. That is enough to drive each sub . Remember , he is only looking to upgrade his stock system , not enter SQ competitions . To many times on this forum , I see people wanting a simple upgrade over stock , yet cetain senior members are telling them to buy high dollar component sets , use no rear fill ,buy high dollar amps , Etc . If they wanted a high dollar SQ system , they would probably ask for one .

 

Thanks for the advice low and bad, my main concern is, if I already have the Audiophile + sub system, would this upgrade be a noticeable improvement? I can see how to the 450amp might be a bit underpowered since it looks like the Rockford subs are 300watt rms/600 peak, so would it be better to find an amp that can power close to 600-800watts rms? As for as speakers go, if I stick to coaxial, what's the main difference between 2-way, 3-way, 4-way and etc? Would a 2-way be a better choice for durability and SQ considering it probably has a better single tweeter as opposed to a 3 or 4 way with multiple tweets? Is it ideal to have 2 amps, 1 for the subs and 1 for the speakers, and what sort of wattage should i be looking for on a speaker amp? I'm guessing around 250-300 as most of the speakers at my level are 40-75watts rms.

Sorry if this is a bit comprehensive, just trying to learn as much as possible.

 

Yes , that system would be a great improvement over stock . I would get a 4 channel amp that is around 50-75 watts(RMS) per channel to power all 4 door speakers. 2 way coax will be fine for all 4 doors(you can always fade out the rear doors if you don't like rear fill) . If you want more power for your sub amp , look for a Mono amp that puts out 600 watts (RMS). Each sub will then get 300 watts RMS .

 

The Polks are about 10$ more (per 4, they are on sale currently) and will sound a hell of a lot better. Give me that at least VMAX...

Ok, I will admit I was wrong. I was thinking he was chasing the P3 not the P3S. Therefore that amp would be almost too small for even one.

I also threw in there that he could just do front spks for the better SQ. Didnt say that was mandatory and the only way. I was just throwing out ideas. Because most people starting out, dont know how to get a better SQ. Agreed

As far as installs go (this is my price list, at CCity)
4ch: 70
2/1ch : 60
4 Spks : 70
Using LOC's: 15 per

Total for his install : 245 plus tax and a 5 dollar shop fee.

 

Yes , agreed and I also agree that for $10.00 more , the Polk's are a much improved option . The only reason I would tell someone to put rear speakers in a Screw , is because they can fade them out if it's just front seat listeners . But if you have rear passengers , you could fade them back in .

 

Okay, I'm starting to get the hang of things now.. another few questions tho, as far as the difference between component vs coaxial, I'm assuming component is obviously better but maybe a more difficult install due to the seperate pieces? Are the stock speakers component or coaxial?

If so, which brand would you recommend for a pair of component speakers? It looks like Apline, Polk and a Infinity might be in my pricerange on Crutchfield. Where do you guys buy your stuff? Why are most of the Polk speakers certified for marine use, I don't think ym truck would float very well...

Another thing I've been seeing a lot is that you guys mention fading out the rear speakers if I dont want rear fill, is that something most people do? I've always kept my speakers balanced front/rear, sounds fine to me (then again I'm a newbie), and I thought it would give more of an even soundstage.. anywho, whats the main purpose of fading out the rear?

Okay, one last question, if I were to do all of the said upgardes to my truck, am I fine leaving the stock audiophile 6cd changer, or would it be advisable to swap it out? I kinda like the stock look, and don't want to give another incentive for someone to smash in my window. But nonetheless, aside from DVD/Nav headunits, what do the standard dd headunits offer that my stock headunit can't do? I'm going to assume they offer more equalizer adjustments and look flashier, but other than that, do they noticeably increase the sound quality (due to equalizer)?

Sorry for asking a million questions, but I'm still learning, lol.. and you guys seem to know your stuff pretty well. Anywho, thanks again!

 

Stock speakers are usually dual cone or coaxial . As far as rear fill goes , When you listen to a live performance , where is the band ? The band is in front of you . You do not stand with your back to the band . Thus you want your sound stage in front of you and at or near ear level . Coax speakers tend to be easier to install for a novice than components , because you can buy a direct fit coax for your application . Components have a tweeter , mid bass and crossover , and usually come in 5.25" and 6.5" the two most common sizes . I , like alot of my SQ friends prefer a soft dome tweeter over a hard dome .

 

ahh.. things are startin to come together now.. okay, a question about power tho.. what are the differences and considerations for underpowering/overpowering you subs from the amp?

im going to assume if you underpower the amp you have a higher risk of the amp overworking itself and cutting out from the sub trying to draw too much in high load situations?

on the other hand, if you overpower a sub, you would run the risk of blowing out/damaging the sub? for example, say you had a sub that was rated at 300watt rms and 600watt peak, and you wired up a 1000watt rms amp would you run the risk of damaging distorting the sub past 300watt rms?

i know my reasoning might be a bit vague and in reality all this wouldnt pose much of an issue with the countless choices and combinations, but im just tryin to get the basics down with amp power... thanks again

 

Polk's spks are marine certified so they can be installed in a boat if needed. But also you get water on the inside of your door, its normal. Thats how doors are designed. Therefore the Polks are a bit safer in that sense.

The stock HU's are not made very well. The aftermarket will provide many more sound shaping options as well as have a better quality.

Ya, most people with an underpowered amp/sub setup will overdo the gains (using it as a volume **** ) and cause damage to the spk from clipping. Overpowered people watch the levels a bit more.

Sorry for the lack of explanation, Im in a rush.

 

I've seen alot more Subwoofers damaged from underpowering than from overpowering . Like Low said the gain adjustment on a amplifier is there to match the signal output of your deck . IT IS NOT A VOLUME CONTROL. Another thing to consider before buying Subs , is how many subs are you going to use . Most mono amps are 2 ohm stable , and some are 1 ohm stable . You will need to know what ohm rating you want your amp to see . This will determine what ohm subs you buy(Single or DVC ) , and your wiring options .

 

hmm.. alrighty.. another question about my current system.. as i said before, I have the Audiophile 6cd changer HU, sub, and etc... (I've heard there are components in the front) and I was playing around with the fade and other misc settings on the HU.. I came across the option to choose 3 soundstage presets for the speakers (driver, all, and rear) I just put it on "driver" and it sounds extremelly better than the "all" setting, which I'm guessing is due to fading out the rear some.. thx for that tip..

okay.. I'm obviously limited on changing up the treble/bass, as it is with most stockers, but I've always liked to have my treble a few clicks higher than my bass. Is this okay to do? (I listen to mainly rock) The way it's setup, I can hear the vocals clearly without too much high end, but the bass still thumps hard enough.

Another thing.. how far can the Audiophile HU be turned up? I usually listen anywhere from 5-6 full bars and this is plenty good for me, but how much farther does the volume turn up? It doesn't look like I'm even a third to the max? but I don't want to have to worry about blowing out these speakers/sub. To that, I don't think I've ever blown out a speaker.. but how loud does it have to be to risk something like that?

 

Components would be sweet if you are willing to get them. I listen to a lot of Rock too (mostly metal) and i find that it is crucial to have a strong midrange and midbass for this type of music. Component separates with a strong, round 6.5" midbass driver would really increase the listening experience.

What will increase it a great amount though would be swapping out the HU. I believe it is well worth it to switch it out. You wont have the stock look anymore, but the sound improvement is well worth it.

I dont know if the stock head unit has fading options, but if it does, try driving around with the rear faded all the way off, see how you like it. A lot of us going for superior sound quality find that its more enjoyable without sound coming from behind you, as vmax already explained.