Topic: car audio suggestions

[alienbobz]

I am planning on upgrading my car audio. Don't need thumping bass or anything, just want it to sound better. Right now I have a 2 year-old Kenwood CD player. Worked alright since I bought it. Mainly bought it so I could listen to concerts on CD-RW's without having to waste a bunch of CD-R's. Thinking about getting one with an auxilary input, and can play CD-R/CD-RWs. Also want to upgrade my factory speakers. They seem ok, but I need bass. I need to focus my ears to just hear the bass and even when I mess with the controls the bass enda up sounding disorted. My budget is about $150-200 for everything. Please let me know of any good suggestions.

Jarod

[Ray76]

I am planning on upgrading my car audio. Don't need thumping bass or anything, just want it to sound better. Right now I have a 2 year-old Kenwood CD player. Worked alright since I bought it. Mainly bought it so I could listen to concerts on CD-RW's without having to waste a bunch of CD-R's. Thinking about getting one with an auxilary input, and can play CD-R/CD-RWs. Also want to upgrade my factory speakers. They seem ok, but I need bass. I need to focus my ears to just hear the bass and even when I mess with the controls the bass enda up sounding disorted. My budget is about $150-200 for everything. Please let me know of any good suggestions.

Jarod

http://taperssection.com/index.php?topic=44827.165

Jef-O has some good ideas there, look on page 12 of that thread.
Ray

[alienbobz]

Thanks for the link Ray. I was actually looking at the Polk's last night. A lot of the reviews on circuitcity.com sounded great, but there were a few comments on the bass. I think I will go for these though. I am still deciding on the cd player though. Circuit City is having a sale on their car audio. Anyone know if the Jensen cd players are good? Thanks again Ray +T.

[Ray76]

Thanks for the link Ray. I was actually looking at the Polk's last night. A lot of the reviews on circuitcity.com sounded great, but there were a few comments on the bass. I think I will go for these though. I am still deciding on the cd player though. Circuit City is having a sale on their car audio. Anyone know if the Jensen cd players are good? Thanks again Ray +T.

backatcha buddy/

+T ray

[Nick in Edinboro]

I have the same infinity sub that Jef mentions and it's fantastic.  I use a Pioneer Premier deck, and some Pioneer speakers.

I would spend most of that $200 on a deck that has the features you want.  Install it and then spend frugle amounts on the speakers.

If I were buying car speakers I might wander over to www.partsexpress.com and see what they have in speakers that will fit my car (6x9, 4x6, 6.5", etc.)...  anything they have is going to sound better then OEM.

Here is what a typical OEM speaker looks like (which you can buy for $.30!):


These $29 Pyle speakers they have would obviously out shine them any day:

[alienbobz]

I just saw the JVC specs and now I am drooling. The Jensen that I am looking at and the JVC seem somewhat similair, but the JVC looks better. Might go for the next model down on the JVC. The one that Jef-O bought is 179.99 at circuitycity. The one that is a model down is 125.99. Still looks as bad ass as the one that Jef mentioned. Decisions, decisions.

Nick - may do something like that. I saw a few of the "cheap" speakers and didn't look at them because of the price.

[Ed.]

I have a JVC head unit and its the shit.  i highly recommend them.

as for bass, you might want to look into getting an amp and an 8" or 10" sub and that'll help with the lowend quite a bit.  getting new speakers and running an amp to them will improve the sound quite a bit too.

in my car i have a jvc head unit.  and then i just got some cheap 12" subs, i think they're Legacy, in a bandpass box.  a 900 watt california pro audio (cheap - no name) amp that runs them and then a 450 watt amp that runs 2 jbl 6x9's and in the front i have bass blockers on the factory speakers in the door.  i need to replace them, but i don't see the need.

the subs only put out bass, the 6x9's sound amazing and cover the highs and mids very well, and from what i can tell, theres no distortion in the front speakers with the bass blockers on.

i think i paid around $1500 back in the day for everything.  but i had a different head unit and cd changer back then.  now all the shit is probably worth a couple hundred bucks if that, but it still draws attention.

[alienbobz]

Thanks for the help everyone. I just noticed that the JVC unit listed for 125 does not have an auxilairy in. Either thinking of getting the speakers now along with one of the Jensen's, or just buy the speakers and wait until I can afford the JVC for 179. Might also just buy the JVC online and try to install it myself.

[Diamond_D]

I spent about $160 (?) from crutchfield (I guess their prices suck, but I loved the kit - had everything I needed to install it even in my POS '87 olds) on a Pioneer head unit, and I love it. Plays every CD-R and RW I've ever thrown at it, never a skip on a bumpy road. I also bought some new 3.5" front speakers and left my stock 6x9 rears, and it sounds damn good! Those old speakers have some serious bass kick, I couldn't believe it.