Looking for a decent system (head unit, speakers, amp) that produces good sound and decent bass by just replacing the speakers. Is this possible? There is so many choices and I don't even have a clue where to start

 

Start with looking at www.crutchfield.com. You can even speak with one of their rep's. Your best bass will come from a using a sub. Although, there are some great system's to be had without using a sub.

 

A good head unit feeding quality door speaks through a decent amp will do what you want. With the sub channel deactivated and set the speaks to full range in my setup, the sound is still very good with plenty of low end. Not nearly as much as with the sub, obviously, but a massive improvement over stock.

Brad

 

I agree. If you buy a quality HU, install a pair of quality components in your front doors (I like Infinity Kappa, or Alpine Type R 6.5 inch, but there are many quality products out there), stay with the stock size rear speakers and upgrade to a quality two way coax, get a 4 channel amp somewhere around 125 watts/channel, you will have a very loud and good sounding system, it just wont rattle your teeth. If you do it this way, you leave yourself the flexibility of adding a single 10 or other sub in the future.

In my truck, i have an Avic D3 with the speakers and wattage mentioned above. At first i ran a single Memphis class M 10 in a Q-logic box and it sounded very good. A month ago i exchanged my single 10 for dual JL 10W3s and now its just ridiculous, but i had the flexibility to add these subs since i started with a good hu, door speakers, and a dedicated amp for them. Good Luck with your system.

 

In his case I think he'd be better served to go with 6x8s for the added cone area over components, and go ahead and replace the rears as well. The components are great but for his particular requirements he needs the extra low end the larger speaks will give. Having four is mo betta, is relatively inexpensive, only takes a few extra minutes to install, and adds a good bit more bass capability over the factory speaks.

No real need for make 125w a channel your absolute minimum unless your selection limits you to that, or you find a screaming deal on something. I'm running a measly 75w per channel and it's enough to peel the hide off your ears. That being said, too much amp is infinitely better than not enough. It's easy to turn the gains down to match your speaks. Kinda hard to add power when there isn't any more to be had. In all honesty I'd be tempted to find a nice 5 channel and get a head unit with a sub out setup and wire the audio feeds like you intended to install a sub from the get-go (you're runnning wires anyway, so why not?). You'll spend a touch more, but it makes sub installation later (if you choose) a simple job running a single speaker cable.

Brad

 

Yeah i see what you're saying. I guess i just assumed that after he was done he would end up adding a sub so thats why i suggested the components. I completely agree on the 5 channel amp. The reason i suggested the 125/ch amp was for the reason you said..i would rather turn the gains down and have some reserve power than run an amp full out.

Personally, i am running an Alpine pdx 4.100 and i agree that 100 watts/ch can make your ears hurt. Oh, Mr. Johnson, i sent you a p.m. To ask you a ?

 

You guys are awesome! Love this forum thanks for the great info gotta do some shopping now lol

 

Ill have to take a picture of whats under my seats for you guys and see if you think I could get a sub under there. I have a lot of wiring for emergency lights.

 

Components in front, and 2ways in the rear if you're never gonna ad a sub, if you are adding a sub components all the way around.

I have yet to find a head unit I like for my truck so no opinion there

I took the spare tire jack out from under my back seats and put 2 low profile Sony 10" and powered them with a 600w(max) Sony amp. i almost have more money tied up in the custom box I built then the subs, amp, and signal converter put together. (I got the subs remanned from a dealer and the amp from a pawnshop. They sell boxes similar to mine for about what it cost me to make it.

I'm still using the OE head unit and speakers, but being able to set the Bass level to 2 bars and the treble all the way to max gives a much more clear sound, and the HU quits pushing the subs long before the amp runs out of power.

My truck is a Supercab.

 

Here's what the back looks like

From rear pass side



From Drivers Side

 

No problem at all for you. Most single 10 boxes are made for the driver side anyway. My atrend box would fit your available space with room to spare.

Brad

 

Add a sub if you can. Sure components will fill the bottom end better than stock speakers, but response below 70Hz will be very weak and nonexistent for the most part. If you could somehow seal the 6.5" woofer in an enclosure it would really help the low frequency response. Playing free-air in the door just won't produce much bass, plus the fact that 6.5" speakers with low excursion just don't displace much air. No replacement for displacement holds very true for subwoofers.

 

My setup.

Form driver side.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/59518551@N04/5857082054/
From passenger side
http://www.flickr.com/photos/59518551@N04/5856514043/
The Underside (wiring left long so I can rotate the box to sit on seat mounts to work on Amp)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/59518551@N04/5856540587/