Sound System

For the past few months I have been considering to upgrade my OEM system. I have recieved many different suggestions, but nothing yet very convincing. I am looking to add a couple of 10's and maybe a punch amp as well as replacing my existing speakers. Any suggestions on particular brands?

here are what brands i like...
head unit- alpine
amps-fosgate,ppi,kicker
subs-fosgates,jl audio
seperates-mb quartz

i personally have alpine,fosgate,mb quartz

it is all what you are after, how loud or how clear you want your system to be and how much you have to spend

[Accord Man]

Originally posted by Redline
For the past few months I have been considering to upgrade my OEM system. I have recieved many different suggestions, but nothing yet very convincing. I am looking to add a couple of 10's and maybe a punch amp as well as replacing my existing speakers. Any suggestions on particular brands?

We'll need to know what car you have, how loud you wanna get, desired SQ level, amount of $$ to invest, and in which are you live (for availability of products)

For your head unit either Alpine or Pioneer. When it comes to the subs I would suggest Pioneer (Premier of course) or JL Audio. When it comes to the factory system, I only heard a few that have aftermarket speakers, mostly consisting of pioneer and the sound was very clear and crisp. I guess when I look at it, I would go with pioneer, but not the pioneer equipment sold in Circuit City or Best Buy. One more I would suggest which is actually pretty cheap and is starting to get alot of rep, especially where I am from is the Fusion series. I was very surprised in the sound. But then again, you can only get these through a dealer.

WELL DEPENDING ON HOW U WANT YOUR SUBS TO SOUND YOU HAVE DIFFERENT WAYS OF APPROACHING IT. FIRST OF ALL KNOW THAT THERE ARE DIFFERENT TYPES OF BOXES THAT WILL EFFECT THE SOUND OF THE SUBS. if YOU WANT CRAZY MAD BASS WITH GANG OF VOLUME THEN I SUGGEST YOU GO WITH A PORTED OR A BANDPASS BOX. I THINK YOU'LL GET THE MOST THUMP WITH A BANDPASS BOX WITH THE LEAST AMOUNG OF POWER. iF YOUR INTO MUSIC LIKE I AM AND LISTEN TO A VARIETY OF MUSIC THEN YOU WOULD NEED TO GET A SEALED BOX. KNOW THAT A SEALED BOX WILL PRODUCE CLEAN, HARD HITTING, TITE BASS BUT IT NEEDS A LOT OF POWER TO POWER THE SUBS IN A SEALED BOX. SO THINK ABOUT THIS BEFORE YOU START YOUR MODS. I HAVE THE FOLLOWING IN MY CAR.

PIONEER DEH 7200 HEADUNIT
PIONEER DEQ 9200 EQUALIZER
1 LANZAR OPTI FREE 4 CHANNEL AMP 25 X4 RMS
2 LANZAR OPTI FREE 2 CHANNEL AMP 75X2 RMS
CERWINVEGA COMPETITION SEPARATE COMPONENTS IN THE FRONT AND BACK.
CUSTOM MADE SEALED BOX WITH 2 10'S.
I ORIGINALLY HAD JL W4'S, THEN I SWITCHED TO SOUNDSTREAM SPL 10'S. bUT THEN ALL MY SUBS BLOW AND I HAVE SOME CHEESY WANNA BE SUBS IN MY TRUNK TEMPORARILY THAT I PAID ONLY $100 FOR A PAIR. I AM LOOKIN INTO GETTING SOME SQUARE SOLABARICS.

I like JL's components and speakers I got them In my Diamante. And JL subs are the @#$%,Also my preference for amps are Phoenix Gold.Alpine got some nice head units,I like Pioneers.Just my 2 cents.

[2000Pimpinex]

First off, Jl subs are by far the best I have seen. Second goes to Kicker. I would get some Jl subs and get a Kicker ZR360 to push them. MB Quart components are one of the best sounding speakers out there. Get a Pioneer 8200 head unit and your set. A 4 channel amp for the comp. and your set.

[Addict]

Here's my $.02

Pioneer Premier Head Unit (DEH-P930 is a great choice)
Kicker ZR series amps
JL Audio Subs
Kicker Components

But the one thing we can't tell you is what sounds good. If it sounds good to you, then get it. You're the one driving around in it all day. Everyone has different likes and dislikes based on their hearing.

I would recommend a pioneer deck (email me because im a pioneer dealer). If you upgrade your speakers, you will need to add an amp in order to optimize them, since deck power isnt sh*t. Id suggest on the bargain end pioneer components, on the more expensive side id go with mb quart components. To amplify them id say fosgate. Go with fosgate power instead of punch though since they have gone downhill in quality bigtime in the past 2 years. If you want subs, JL, MTX, & Rockford Fosgate are all good. MTX is very cheap but i have used them myself, and was very pleased with them. If you get JL, only get the 12W6s, I really never liked any of their lower lines.

it all depends on different factors, what kind of car, how big the space is, what you want to achieve, how much money to invest.... all these play a considerable role....
but heres my suggestion

Head unit- Pioneer, panasonic, alpine, nakamichi
amps- rockford, alpine, phoenix gold, kicker, jbl, mtx
subs- kicker, rockford, phoenix gold, kicker, jl
speakers- jbl, polk, panasonic, mb

i spent a bit of money on what i got now
nakamichi 40 deck
blaupunkt tweeters, 6.5
nakamichi 6.5
a/d/s/ amp
it cost a lot but it sounds great

I'm suprised none of you suggested Boston or Focals for subs and speakers.

Any particular reason?

[Addict]

Originally posted by CRXZY
I'm suprised none of you suggested Boston or Focals for subs and speakers.

Any particular reason?

Its really all user preference. What sounds great to one person, may ot sound great to another. Though Focal does have some nice speakers.

[2000Pimpinex]

Focal has some great speakers but way to pricey for the average buyer. MB Quart on the other hand is a great speaker and they cost less than the focals. Just my .02

Originally posted by Civic_Addict


Its really all user preference. What sounds great to one person, may ot sound great to another. Though Focal does have some nice speakers.

I agree.

[Accord Man]

I hope REDLINE is seeing all this..

[2ndGenTeg]

My 2 cents, for what they're worth (probably 2 cents, unless we're in Canada):

No brand is "better" than any other brand. One brand may be better suited to your needs, but not better.

My advice is to go listen to every speaker you can hear, and get the stats on every deck and amp out there and make an educated decision.

Different speakers sound different to everyone, not to mention differences in everyone's tastes. For instance, I hate MB Quart speakers with a passion. That titanium dome tweeter is one of the shrillest, tinniest POS's I've ever heard. My buddy swears by Quarts, and won't shut up about how crisp and clean the high end is. I, on the other hand, love the Kenwood Excelon separates- tons of midrange, silky smooth (literally) tweeter, tons of depth tp the sound. However, they have almost no low end. Awful for people with no subs. My favorites are the A/D/S 641 PX 3 way separates, but not too many of us can spend $2500 on a set of speakers.

Decks- what are you looking for? If you want something flashy, you can't do a whole lot better than the high end Pioneers. If you're after sound quality, you can't do much better than the Nakamichi (which look almost stock- no flash whatsoever). However, the Nakamichi won't do you a whole lot of good without some nice, clean amps running some good speakers.

So think about what you want out of your system as a finished product, and what you're going to do to get there. Then go listen to product and figure out what best suits your own taste. We can answer all the tech questions you can throw at us, but can't tell you which speaker you like the best.

[2000Pimpinex]

2ndGenTeg-Although I'm against ya with the Quarts (I love em), I think your explanation was great.

Nothing but the top of top of the line

http://www.usamps.com (Best amps)

http://www.ddaudio.com (Best subs)

http://www.focal-america.com (Best componets)

http://www.eclipse-web.com (Best Cars (Best HUs and CD changers)

::

[Whtehnda93DXSdn]

HU definitly /// Alpine...
Amp/s Audiobahn,Rockford,MA Audio,PPI and US Amps
Subs Audiobahn,Kicker,Rockford and JL
Seperates MB Quart,boston,rockford or a/d/s

hope this might help a little.......