HI. I was wondering what I should put in my '97 Cavalier. I don't have a lot of cash so I wanted to know what the best bang for my buck would be. Any help is GREATLY APPRECIATED!!!😎
I have a '99 and I put new 6x9s in the back [Pioneer] and a 10" JBL in a sealed cabinet w/200w amp in the trunk and it sounds great.
I'm going to put a new head unit in and power it all by real amps fed line-level [the chip amps in head units suck].
It'll sound pretty darn good by that point. If all you want is 'bang for your buck', just get a ported band-pass. If you want good sound, invest at least in 4 new aftermarket drivers and a sealed sub w/amp.
I'm going to put a new head unit in and power it all by real amps fed line-level [the chip amps in head units suck].
It'll sound pretty darn good by that point. If all you want is 'bang for your buck', just get a ported band-pass. If you want good sound, invest at least in 4 new aftermarket drivers and a sealed sub w/amp.
Does the '97 have that (expletive deleted) system bus where things like the door chime won't work with the radio out? (I'd heard that people were stuffing the factory radio into the trunk with those.)
In terms of bang for the buck, a moderately decent amplifier and subwoofer cabinet are hard to beat. Just get a set of line level converters, and you're good to go. The subwoofer will make a dramatic difference in the sound, and that'll hold you until you can afford to start upgrading other things.
Hint: Get an amplifier that will handle your front speakers when you want to upgrade later. This means that it should be as good as you can afford now! Go for quality, not power. That way, you just buy a new (bigger) subwoofer amp, and then move the smaller one to new duties. This will save you a lot of money in the long run.
Upgraded speakers are nice, but probably not needed on the factory head unit (Or, for that matter, on an aftermarket one!) Save this for when you go to better amplification, unless the speakers are blown. Inexpensive aftermarket speakers aren't that large a step up from the factory units, so unless you want to buy them more than once, make sure you get good ones if you're going to get them at all.
When buying stuff for a sound system on a budget, remember, the cost of cheap equipment is the cost of the cheap equipment PLUS the cost of the good equipment to replace it. Save money, and get the good stuff to start with. If you can't afford the good stuff, start thinking of what you don't need to buy at all.
In terms of bang for the buck, a moderately decent amplifier and subwoofer cabinet are hard to beat. Just get a set of line level converters, and you're good to go. The subwoofer will make a dramatic difference in the sound, and that'll hold you until you can afford to start upgrading other things.
Hint: Get an amplifier that will handle your front speakers when you want to upgrade later. This means that it should be as good as you can afford now! Go for quality, not power. That way, you just buy a new (bigger) subwoofer amp, and then move the smaller one to new duties. This will save you a lot of money in the long run.
Upgraded speakers are nice, but probably not needed on the factory head unit (Or, for that matter, on an aftermarket one!) Save this for when you go to better amplification, unless the speakers are blown. Inexpensive aftermarket speakers aren't that large a step up from the factory units, so unless you want to buy them more than once, make sure you get good ones if you're going to get them at all.
When buying stuff for a sound system on a budget, remember, the cost of cheap equipment is the cost of the cheap equipment PLUS the cost of the good equipment to replace it. Save money, and get the good stuff to start with. If you can't afford the good stuff, start thinking of what you don't need to buy at all.
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