Help an Audio Noob with a Speaker Upgrade
Well sounds like you are on the right path! Whenever you are in doubt of your first move, make it a small one. Upgrading your door speakers is always a great first move when you want some kind of clarity. Not only is it a simple and inexpensive transition, but it really enhances those mids and highs at a more desired volume. Your next move will answer the question of "What is missing".
If you are looking for MORE volume out of your door speakers, you might want to run a 4 channel amplifier so get louder sound out of your doors. Some people eliminate rear fill, that's getting rid of your mids and highs in your rear doors. This not only saves money, but it also focuses the source of your sound towards the front, kinda like how a concert hall works. That is totally up to you, as some people prefer rear delete, while I personally want music EVERYWHERE!
Now, if you feel you want something with more BOOM than what your doors are giving, then you will want a subwoofer system. This will consist of an amplifier powering a larger speaker, or two. Now, how much bass do you want? how low do you want it to go? How much can you spend on such a system? Do you have expendible room? Those are important things to consider, as you might have space only under the rear driver seat, you might be on a budget, you might not want really low bass, etc. Common setups would consist of two 10" or 12" woofers in a downfiring box that is totally sealed, situated entirely under the rear seats, run by a healthy 500W - 1000Wrms amplifier.
One thing I would suggest would be an aftermarket headunit. I've always been a fan of Pioneer head units, but whichever you like best is totally up to you. A good aftermarket headunit will allow you a great range of control over your audio. Some have parametric EQ's (7 bands or more), high and low pass filters with their cutoff frequencies, system-independent subwoofer controls, and other features which allow custom sound control. It's slightly technical the features they offer, I can explain them to you if you'd like. One suggestion I will make is to stop by your local stereo shop and play with the headunits, have a sales person who you around some of their menus, and play with them.
For me, the first thing I got was the headunit, then a subwoofer, then door speakers, and my next move will be a huge upgrade of all components including a 4 channel amplifier for my doors, a pair of 3-way speakers for the rear, a pair of 2-way components for the fronts, a better built enclosure for two 12" subwoofers under my rear seats powered by a 1000Wrms amplifier. Whatever your choice may be, share it with us!
If you are looking for MORE volume out of your door speakers, you might want to run a 4 channel amplifier so get louder sound out of your doors. Some people eliminate rear fill, that's getting rid of your mids and highs in your rear doors. This not only saves money, but it also focuses the source of your sound towards the front, kinda like how a concert hall works. That is totally up to you, as some people prefer rear delete, while I personally want music EVERYWHERE!
Now, if you feel you want something with more BOOM than what your doors are giving, then you will want a subwoofer system. This will consist of an amplifier powering a larger speaker, or two. Now, how much bass do you want? how low do you want it to go? How much can you spend on such a system? Do you have expendible room? Those are important things to consider, as you might have space only under the rear driver seat, you might be on a budget, you might not want really low bass, etc. Common setups would consist of two 10" or 12" woofers in a downfiring box that is totally sealed, situated entirely under the rear seats, run by a healthy 500W - 1000Wrms amplifier.
One thing I would suggest would be an aftermarket headunit. I've always been a fan of Pioneer head units, but whichever you like best is totally up to you. A good aftermarket headunit will allow you a great range of control over your audio. Some have parametric EQ's (7 bands or more), high and low pass filters with their cutoff frequencies, system-independent subwoofer controls, and other features which allow custom sound control. It's slightly technical the features they offer, I can explain them to you if you'd like. One suggestion I will make is to stop by your local stereo shop and play with the headunits, have a sales person who you around some of their menus, and play with them.
For me, the first thing I got was the headunit, then a subwoofer, then door speakers, and my next move will be a huge upgrade of all components including a 4 channel amplifier for my doors, a pair of 3-way speakers for the rear, a pair of 2-way components for the fronts, a better built enclosure for two 12" subwoofers under my rear seats powered by a 1000Wrms amplifier. Whatever your choice may be, share it with us!