Basic Car Audio Advice

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Hey guys,

I got a new car and plan on replacing the audio system it had. :D

Its a 1998 Limited 4runner so it already came with a 6.5" component audio system in front. It sounds decent stock. My budget is kinda limited, so I plan on keeping the stock speakers just to see how they hold up.

I plan on getting a 4 Channel (40-75W RMS) A/D/S or similar amp to power my front and rear speakers.

-Would this be too much power for the stock speakers?

I also plan on replacing my HU with a new Pioneer.
http://www.crutchfield.com/S-6bK74ZNq2zE/cgi-bin/prodview.asp?i=130DEHP4UB&s=0&cc=01

-Any advice or opinions on that HU choice?

I also plan on purchasing 2x12" subwoofers. Nothing crazy loud or expensive. Sealed box with about 400W RMS amp on them.

-Whats the best price/brand for this?
(I was actually thinking something like this: http://www.crutchfield.com/App/Product/Item/Main.aspx?g=510&i=236RT12X2A&tp=112&tab=review )

I'd appreciate any advice you can give me on increasing performance and decreasing price.:smash: :smash: :smash:
 
Replace headunit with a midrange jvc/nak.

Replace front speakers with the most expensive ones you can afford (look for high sensativity - 90db or greater)
The higher the sensativity, the less power you will need for a given volume level.
Thus, you save money by not needing an amp.

Also better speakers will have MUCH better bass response, so depending on how far you want to go, you might not need any subs.


Of course if you plan on playing mp3's either on cd or mp3 player, then disregard the above and buy the cheapest cr-p available :smash:
 
Agreed with MadMutt - put your bucks into the front component set. For a little motivation to spend extra here, scrap the rear speakers, and never install replacements. Only a front set of speakers is needed.

You'll be thankful to buy a decent headunit with some DSP capabilities (crossover, delay, EQ). That way, you won't need any other devices except for the amp.
 
i did my friends toyota sportrider, similiar to your 4runner....we kept the stock speakers and stock headunit and added two 10" subs with amp, two dish tweeters in the kicks, and an amp for the mid/hi's (built in xover)

If the headunit is a single cd 'fujitsu' ... you can hook a line level adaptor to it....the fujitsu sounds better than most pioneer headunits, apart from the high end stuff.

the stock speakers when crossed over and amplified will absolutely scream, not much bass in them, but they get loud...

see how much they can take, wire up a set of tweeters to them in parrallel with an inline 2.2-4.7uf capacitor and bring the freq response up if you dont already have them....

of course my friend is cheap so we had to work around things, his truck was a 2003 model, so your equipment may be worse than his though since its an older model.

if you cant get an active crossover, dont run the stock speakers.
 
How's this HU?
http://www.crutchfield.com/App/Prod...00&i=257KDHDR1&tp=5684&tab=features_and_specs

I'll replace the HU first, and then if my speakers aren't sounding they way I like, I can get new ones.

What are some midrange/not expensive 6.5 component speakers?

I saw some on ebay made by Phoenix Gold for around $60 shipped, they make good amps, but I don't know about their speakers.

Any reccomendations?

Also, I plan on getting subs. I'd like some recommendations on that as well. :D

I really appreciate all your help!
 
I'd rather look on Madisound for Seas or Vifa paper cone midbasses and seperate tweets, and run them active - much better results than a pre-built component set, because you can tweak the crossover points and slopes to perfectly match what's needed in your install. Every install is unique. :)
 
I'd get the PG comps and buy some deadener.

Me...I have some 6x8 kenwood 2 ways from Best Buy. When I first installed them they didn't sound too good...decent at best. They sounded "weak and hollow"

After deadening my whole door these sound better than a lot of my friends 200-300 dollar components cuz they did not do any sound treatment.
 
it has a 7 band EQ built in.

I went and they had it at best buy so I played with it for a while.

Its got a +/- 6 feature for 60, 150, 400, 1k, 2.4k, 6k, and 15k

Plus the HD radio feature is pretty cool. I think that should be enough for me.

These are the speakers I'm looking at:
http://cgi.ebay.com/PHOENIX-GOLD-RY...ryZ32819QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

I'm not looking for INCREDIBLE audiophile sound, just an upgrade from stock.

So, the JVC HU for 160, the speakers for 60. $220 isn't too bad.

If you have anything to say, speak now or forever hold your peace because I'll probably pull the trigger this weekend.:D :D
 
Pricing here in aus is very different, so hard to make $$ based recomendations.
But.

MB quart, very light in the bass department, would need small sub to blend properly.

I'd look at; AVI, ADS, Boston acoustics, Nakamichi (older versions, not the new rubbish).

Companies like PG USED to be good, but now they all pretty much churn out chinese cr-p.


I still recon a mid range head unit.
Don't worry about xovers etc.
Reason being, if you decide you want sub, then you will need an amp.
You then pick an amp with a built in xover.

Saves a heap of money, and it's something that only needs to be set once (properly), so there's zero need to acces it, meaning why have it in the head unit.
 
MadMutt said:
Pricing here in aus is very different, so hard to make $$ based recomendations.
But.

MB quart, very light in the bass department, would need small sub to blend properly.

I'd look at; AVI, ADS, Boston acoustics, Nakamichi (older versions, not the new rubbish).

Companies like PG USED to be good, but now they all pretty much churn out chinese cr-p.


I still recon a mid range head unit.
Don't worry about xovers etc.
Reason being, if you decide you want sub, then you will need an amp.
You then pick an amp with a built in xover.

Saves a heap of money, and it's something that only needs to be set once (properly), so there's zero need to acces it, meaning why have it in the head unit.

Sure, the crossover doesn't need to be touched once it's set properly, but crossover tuning takes a while, needs to be done in the driver's seat listening to see how the adjustments affect the staging...it's a heck of a lot easier doing that all from the driver's seat than having to go in back and adjust it at the amp :)

Plus head unit Xovers usually have more flexibility in their slopes, amps may only have a fixed 12dB/octave or whatever slope while the head unit could be adjustable from 6 to 24 or greater.
 
Cxrazy said:
They also cost more money. :smash:

Well, this is audio, after all :D

You can find used head units for $160-175ish that have active crossovers built into them. I'd look into older Alpine models, I have the 9835 and the Bio-Lite display makes setting the Xovers a piece of cake. Pioneer Premier and Eclipse models offer the same capability as well, and I'm sure you can find something in your budget...
 
Cxrazy said:
Could I just purchase better mid/bass woofers and keep the stock crossover/tweeter?

How would I build a new crossover to better suit the new mid/bass?

How about you think about just exactly what you want from the audio system first.
Otherwise I can see you buying and swapping bits every where.

If you want the ultimate, get a ;
Top line head unit (again leave the built in xover and eq's for the children with their 'dolphin displays'),
an active 3 way xover,
3x 2 channel amps.
Then you can muck around with speakers till you die.

Most 'normal' consumer amps have a built in xover that will be adequet for 90% of the market.
Either fixed at around 80hz or variable around that point. Bazzilions of them out there to choose from.

Most 6.5" sets don't like high power below that (80), and most subs will give more than you want at 80.

In a purist world the sub should be crossed of lower, but then were starting to get into proper systems that have been designed to suit your car, and with price tags to match.

If you want cheap start (see your first post) go with a mid H/U and spend as much as you can on the front speakers.

Get some more money, add an amp with xover, feed one pair of channels to the front, other pair to the sub.

Leave 6x9's and dolphin/anime units on the shop shelf.
 
I really liked the JVC HU I saw online and then messed with at best buy. It looks nice, and it feels solid.

How much is a good amount to spend on a good front 6.5 component set? I've looked around on ebay and such and it seems like something with some quality to it will run me about $125.

I was hoping I could keep it closer to $75.

What is, in your opinion, the cheapest and best performing 6.5 component (or just speakers in general) system? (sorry for the can of worms :xeye: )
 
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