OK i'am thinking about putting in a new stereo to replace my stock one. I honestly kinda like the stock one, but i feel that it may blow out soon just because its old, not very powerful, and once i put my exhaust on i will probably have to turn up the music louder to hear it !

I am definately not looking to go crazy at all. I would like something simple, tasteful, of good quality and ultimately not too expensive. I listen to alot of rap and r&b but i do occasionaly listen to 80s/90s rock. Again, i dont need anything overpowering. My friend has a 85 firebird with 2 punch subs in the back and its wayyyyyyyyyy to much for tastes.

So i dont really know much about audio and im just loooking for suggestions. So like head unit, speakers (do i need better than stock ones?) and a sub/sub box. Don't know if i need an amp. Like i said, i dont need any type of overpowering thing. Just something simple, but nice.

 

Most subs will require an amp to run decently.As for your 6x9s,4x6s you dont need an amp, but if your gonna run one on the subs.You will be unable to hear speakers with the subs running.Most aftermarket H.U. will overpower your stock speakers anyway.So youll want to upgrade to aftermarket units.Brand name is just a matter of preference.So ill start with mine.H.U. is a premier(pioneer)DEH-P8MP.All my subs/speakers are Cerwin Vega.Two amps, a very old coustic(subs) the other MTX 204 for the 6x9,4x6 + tweeters.Not too much power.The subs amp is just 65watts rms x 2.The mtx is @ 2ohms is puting out 50watts RMS x 4.You can always turn your gain down on the amp if its too much or like me turn the volume down.

 

As for it being wayyyy too loud for your tastes you can always turn down the gain on the sub amp. Better to overbuild and not run it at its limit than to under build and not be happy with the end results.

Are you interested in fiberglass/can you fiberglass? The best thing to do is to stick speakers in the kick panel location. This will give you the best sound possible and means that you will only have to buy one set of speakers vs two for the 4x6 and 6x9 locations. If you want to keep the stock speaker locations then you’re best looking at the 4x6 plate speakers (the ones with the 3.5-4” woofer and tweeter mounted to a plate) for the front. Infinity, polk, and a few other companies make them. Personally I would just run 6.5-8” woofers in the rear and wouldn’t even bother with a tweeter. This will actually end up costing less than a set of 6x9s would.

Speakers: go out and listen to them regardless of what you end up installing. Listen for the tweeters being overly harsh, especially on sh/ch sounds in vocals, symbols, etc. The speakers you end up liking the most might end up being the cheapest. Then again, the might not and you will have to trade off price vs performance. It all hinges on your personal tastes.

Subs: the sky is the limit to a point here. There’s really not enough room to go ported in the hatch without going pretty crazy on the box and there’s not a lot of room for a sealed box unless you want to go with fiberglass. You’re looking at about 2-2.5 cubes total for your average MDF well box.

Sub box: general advice is to build it yourself. A sheet of MDF is only $20 and the rest of the hardware you will need will cost you less than $15 (glue and screws).

Amps: amps on the main speakers is always nice. Your average head unit can only put out 12 or so watts per channel and it’s not very clean power. An amp for the subs is pretty much a requirement unless you’re a fan of the ******* install running their subs off their rear speakers.

Post more spicific questions and we will do our best to answer them.

 

No i cant fiberglass and i wouldnt really want kicker panels anyway. My car only has a few simple mods and everything appears stock. If i do change the stereo i just want to keep the stock speaker locations...

For a decent system, how much grand total am i looking at spending? (ballpark)

 

That depends on your company/tastes. You can easily pull off what you want to acomplish for under a grand.

 

Wow I better start saving then.

 

It all depends on what you want to buy and how crazy you want to go. You can easily spend $300 total on your subs/amp, another $100-150 on a head unit, $200 total on speakers, and call it a day. Then again, you can spend significantly more...

 

My suggestion would be,

Alpine Headunit,
Infinity componet speakers,
and a infinity sub sounds clear as hell and loud.

I like infinity because there **** is kinda expensive but its well worth it

 

I have a Kenwood head unit ($140, ebay), and Rockford Fosgate Power 4x6s and 6x9s (all four= $275ish)Right now I have no sub, cause I am saving for a LS1/T56 swap. But, with my set up and your taste in music, I don't think you would be happy. I love the way mine sounds, but it has almost no bass.
Like was said above, how much you spend depends on how clear you like your music. I starred out with Pioneer all around. Sounded good, and had about $300-350 in it all. But, I wanted more.
There is one brand I would recommend to stay away from, and that is the Sony Explode. I think they sound like crap and don't live very long at all. Friend had a set of 4x6s and they were rattling in about 6-8 months.
But, like was said, listen to everything you can and make up your mind from there. For my subs, I plan on about 150 watts per for 2 8" Rockford Punches.

 

I keep hearing stories from Camaro owners in my area how quickly their stereo systems disapeared from store parking lots while they stopped off to pick up a couple items.
Are any of you finding good ways to hide that you've got a decent stereo system in your car. Apparenty speaker boxes in the back seat or back 'lift' area automatically send out some sort of '' STEAL ME" signal.

What's working and is actually discouraging Breaking and Entry?????? Thanks for ANY feedback!
Nitro

 

keeping the sub box in the rear part of the well makes it a lot harder to remove from the car, if its well built. even if it isnt, they will probably have to open the hatch to get it, which takes longer than breaking the window in most cases.

hiding the amps is good. having them sitting under the rear window like i did, not good.

and properly mount the cd player. roll your windows up and lock your car, purchase a 2 way alarm.

 

Or, you could just have windows like this....