Hey guys, I've been wanting to get new sound equipment. The aftermarket radio isn't really that loud and I can't really have any base because of a rattle in the dash. What is a good head unit and speaker combo for the best, full sound? Also does anyone know what the rattle would be, and are there any tricks to get the dash speakers out? Thanks!

 

some info about what you have, what your budget is, what kind of music you listen to, etc would be helpful. to get the speakers out you just take all the screws out of the dash pad(under lip) then i just bent it up and stuck the shop light in to hold it up. then there was a couple screws holding down from the top then you slide it out and unplug it

 

To take the dash pad off, remove all the screws under the front lip, then remove the 4 other screws holding it down in the defroster vent. They are easy to get to, but make sure you dont drop them down into the vent. Once they are out, you can take the entire dash pad off and out of the car so it's not in the way.

 

I have a Dual brand head unit and I believe Sony speakers all the way around. I listen to country and rock. I'm not really sure on a budget right now, I can buy them one at a time if I have to.

 

If you are to do it in parts, start with the head unit and work your way out from there.

I'd get either a Pioneer (cheapest) Alpine (little better) or Clarion (much better) for the stereo.

Then move on to speakers. In my own opinion, I do not care where the sound is coming from in my car, just as long as it sounds good. Some people want a good front stage, meaning the sound is like at home, where your stereo is in front of you, so thats where the sound comes from. If you are concerned with focal points and sound stage, replace the front speakers with some good components in the kick panels. If you arent, take those same components and put them in the rear sail panels where the 6x9s are and just get some small 4" speakers for the dash. Myself, I dont even have any dash speakers, just some 6.5" in the sail panels.

Once you have your main speakers situated, look into a small amp and sub combo. For country and rock, you will want either an 8" or 10" sub, but nothing larger. The bigger they are, the deeper and more boomy they play. An 8 or 10 will play nice and tight, matching that style of music much better.

I listen to more rap and techno, so I have 2 12" subs in my car. They sounds good playing things like metal and classic rock, but they really shine playing things like Jay Z and Chemical Brothers.

 

What are good speakers to go with? I want to put an 8" sub in the rear where the spare tire is supposed to go or on the other side. My roommate has a couple 12's in his Vibe so I can get advice from him on brands and sizes of amps and subs.

 

I have a set of MB Quart 6.5 component speakers and I love them. They arent super high end or anything, but sound great running off my deck at 22watts rms. I can always add an amp to them later on as they are rated for 75watts.

http://www.sonicelectronix.com/item_...rt-PVM216.html

Amazon has them for a little cheaper, which where I actually bought them.

In previous vehicles I have used quite a variety of speakers. Pioneer, Kenwood, Polk Audio, Sony Xplode, and Infinity. The Pioneer and Sony were bottom of the barrel stuff and made sounds, but werent what I would call great, or even good (at least not anymore, maybe back then when I didnt know any better I would have). The Kenwoods were OK, but again not great. The Infinity's were decent, but I had them setup all wrong with tons of distortion and ultimately fried them without ever knowing what they should have sounded like. The Polk Audio and MB Quarts however... both were under $130 per pair and sounded excellent. The Polks were actually bought by a close friend who I helped put into this Integra. It is certainly worth the extra cash to buy components vs less expensive coaxial speakers. The external crossovers that come with them make ALL the difference in how they sound.

 

I got a Dual Din Pioneer AppRadio2 with a 7" screen. The radio itself is just a radio, but if you have a smart phone, with Addroid OS or an iphone. Once connected to the radio it mirrors your phone and you can control your phone 100% from the radio touch screen. You get movies, mp3s, Navigation w/ext antenna, bluetooth for phone calls, backup camera and internet all on your 7" screen. It is an awesome radio to use with a smart phone. I have a Galaxy S3 and it works perfectly with the radio. I just leave the phone in the console and control everything from radio.

 

Ringo, about how much did that run ya? And does it produce good sound quality?

 

Here is a VERY good combo;

Head unit - Pioneer P99 - $ 1,100
Speakers - Hertz MLK165 - $ 850
Sub - JBL JTi Mk II - $ 480 or...Image Dynamics IDMAX - $ 450
Amp - JL Audio HD 900/5 - $ 800

You can start saving now.

 

http://www.crutchfield.com/p_500INEW...D.html?tp=5684

this one is cool too,lol. you can spend a ton on stereo setups. but really if you want clear loud sound should be thinking about a amp for the speakers. and maybe a single 8 or 10 like mentioned if in the future you feel like you want it.

http://www.sonicelectronix.com/item_...t-OA600.4.html
http://www.sonicelectronix.com/item_...dio-db691.html
http://www.sonicelectronix.com/item_...io-db461P.html
http://www.sonicelectronix.com/item_...ion-CZ702.html

 

i have a little under 1000$ into mine and i love it

i got a alpine MRX-V70 5 channel amp
alpine type "R" speakers all the way around
and an alpine type "s" ten
all paired with a 120$ kenwood deck that had the necassary 3 sub outs and iphone hook-up

amp is more then enough to make you not want to be in the car