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Thread: Car Audio ???

  1. #1
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    Default Car Audio ???

    I have not owned a car in 10 years.... Only Motorcyycles.I have lost touch with car audio

    I recently purchased a 1994 Nissan Pickup regular cab, with stock stereo and looks like 2 five inch door speakers. Im looking to upgrade it to a CD removable face/theft deterant unit with quality sound and upgrade the two door speakers also.. I dont need an amp or boom boom cause I dont want loud volume, im in pursuit of clean,crisp sound at moderate levels ...

    What would you guys recommend? Thx in advance

  2. #2
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    Default Re: Car Audio ???

    Go to:
    http://www.crutchfield.com/cgi-bin/autoinfo/autoinfo.asp?lp=%2fapp%2fCar%2fMyCar.aspx

    They will tell you what will fit in your car. Honestly what your looking for all aftermarket stereo's will provide you with.

    I normally go with kenwood or poineer recievers and had great luck. Same with their speakers

    Problem you will run with in a pickup as I noticed when I redid the set-up in the truck I share with my dad is there is no way to even get mild bass out of the radio even with after market door speakers. There are very small sub's that have their built in amp and speaker and sit perfectly under a seat. The bass from them is next to nothing but will improve sound quality. With out a small sub I found that the door speakers didn't provide the audio quality I wanted... I quickly lost my hopes of having the pickup equal the sound quality of my volvo(which just has factory premium stereo)

    First add an aftermarket reciever and door speakers and see how the sound is

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  3. #3
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    Default Re: Car Audio ???

    Good advice! I will check it out. Thanks

  4. #4
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    Default Re: Car Audio ???

    if and when you end up getting some speakers and cd player, i know best buy charges 250 bucks to install two back door speakers and a new cd player. but if you know a tid bit about wiring you could probably do all that yourself. btw best buy has door speakers that are pretty good for like 50 bucks. or if you want really cheap maybe check out a local junkyard for a newer vehicle and rob that of its speakers.lol..

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    Default Re: Car Audio ???

    Quote Originally Posted by crazyVOLVOrob View Post
    Go to:
    http://www.crutchfield.com/cgi-bin/autoinfo/autoinfo.asp?lp=%2fapp%2fCar%2fMyCar.aspx

    They will tell you what will fit in your car. Honestly what your looking for all aftermarket stereo's will provide you with.

    I normally go with kenwood or poineer recievers and had great luck. Same with their speakers

    Problem you will run with in a pickup as I noticed when I redid the set-up in the truck I share with my dad is there is no way to even get mild bass out of the radio even with after market door speakers. There are very small sub's that have their built in amp and speaker and sit perfectly under a seat. The bass from them is next to nothing but will improve sound quality. With out a small sub I found that the door speakers didn't provide the audio quality I wanted... I quickly lost my hopes of having the pickup equal the sound quality of my volvo(which just has factory premium stereo)

    First add an aftermarket reciever and door speakers and see how the sound is
    Very informative post.

    From experience, when it comes to very basic stereo setups, Pioneer headunits provide very warm sound at the expense of fidelity. Usually, this is enough to win over those who just want a basic headunit upgrade with the possibility of installing speakers. Kenwoods are ok too. Alpines generally don't sound as good until they're amplified. Same goes for Clarion and Eclipse. As far as a recommendation for door speakers, I would pick something that does not require globs of power. Entry level Polks can be a safe bet. I am partial towards JL Audio and Focal though. So my choice would be JL Audio TR series speakers or Focal Axis speakers for that particular application.
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    Default Re: Car Audio ???

    Quote Originally Posted by PMoth View Post
    Very informative post.

    From experience, when it comes to very basic stereo setups, Pioneer headunits provide very warm sound at the expense of fidelity. Usually, this is enough to win over those who just want a basic headunit upgrade with the possibility of installing speakers. Kenwoods are ok too. Alpines generally don't sound as good until they're amplified. Same goes for Clarion and Eclipse. As far as a recommendation for door speakers, I would pick something that does not require globs of power. Entry level Polks can be a safe bet. I am partial towards JL Audio and Focal though. So my choice would be JL Audio TR series speakers or Focal Axis speakers for that particular application.
    Well JL Audio you are paying for the JL name. Polks are nice I like their speakers.

    Boston Acoustics are great but over priced as well

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    Default Re: Car Audio ???

    Quote Originally Posted by crazyVOLVOrob View Post
    Well JL Audio you are paying for the JL name.
    How so??
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    Default Re: Car Audio ???

    Quote Originally Posted by PMoth View Post
    How so??
    I have heard cars with just as good sound quality for half the price of JL stuff.

    JL Subs to me are worth the price if you want quality bass, but their mids and highs aren't anything special in my ears opinion

    That opinion is a bit spoiled though with the SQ car I had

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  9. #9
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    Default Re: Car Audio ???

    So long as you stay away from the basic Walmart brand head units, you're golden. Expect to spend between $80 and $150. The $150 side of things will provide you with Aux in which is ESSENTIAL for iPod/MP3 users. I've never replaced the interior speakers in my vehicles but I've always been told that installing aftermarket mid-highs is hit-or-miss with most vehicles and the only safe bet for good sound is stock speakers. You might be able to pick up some fresh ones if yours are blown. I LOVE in-car electronics and have done more than 10 stereos for friends. I'm in Northern Indiana and would be more than happy to teach you how (free of charge, of course). Not sure where you live....

    Edit: It'll be tough to teach you all the way out in Cali. haha. Feel free to throw out any questions if you do decide to do it yourself.


    rc

  10. #10
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    Default Re: Car Audio ???

    Quote Originally Posted by crazyVOLVOrob View Post
    I have heard cars with just as good sound quality for half the price of JL stuff.

    JL Subs to me are worth the price if you want quality bass, but their mids and highs aren't anything special in my ears opinion

    That opinion is a bit spoiled though with the SQ car I had
    That's cool. It's just that I was always partial towards JL Audio equipment until I experienced Focal speakers. So now, anything I own gets a set of Focal components. They aren't cheap but they are good sh#t. I would not buy any of the newer JL amps because they've fallen and now outsource it all to China. Lead FTL!!!!! I live and die by their subs. What can I say, I'm a W7 fanatic.

    Quote Originally Posted by robcollins5 View Post
    So long as you stay away from the basic Walmart brand head units, you're golden. Expect to spend between $80 and $150. The $150 side of things will provide you with Aux in which is ESSENTIAL for iPod/MP3 users. I've never replaced the interior speakers in my vehicles but I've always been told that installing aftermarket mid-highs is hit-or-miss with most vehicles and the only safe bet for good sound is stock speakers. You might be able to pick up some fresh ones if yours are blown. I LOVE in-car electronics and have done more than 10 stereos for friends. I'm in Northern Indiana and would be more than happy to teach you how (free of charge, of course). Not sure where you live....

    Edit: It'll be tough to teach you all the way out in Cali. haha. Feel free to throw out any questions if you do decide to do it yourself.


    rc
    It's generally hit or miss installing aftermarket speakers when the person doing the selling and the installer are clueless. Gotta have an idea of what you are looking for and match the speakers to the system.
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