[Mr. Ice]

I'm about to upgrade my sound system, and I was hoping you guys could review my selections before I dump a lot of money into it. Here's the list I've compiled after doing some research:

Main Speakers:
CDT Audio Cambrias. Supposed to be much better than infinity references, which I thought sounded quite nice. For both rear 6x9 and front kick panel 6.5's. I've seen several people mention Diamond Audio. Are they better than these? If so, how expensive are they?

Dash Speakers:
The JBL mid/tweeter combo that's referenced in the "For all those who need Aftermarket Dash Speakers" thread.

Sub:
Arc audio 12" sub. Not certain about this. Comments/Suggestions?

Amps:
US Acoustics USX2150 450x1 for sub
US Acoustics USX4065 65x4 for speakers
(What's the deal with their Digital line of amps? Cleaner signal or something?)

Headunit:
Still trying to narrow this down. Any suggestions? I'd like something with nice graphics, CD/CDR/CDRW/MP3, radio, satellite ready, plenty of component outs for all the speakers, and a decent (ie: better than a 3 band) equalizer.

Also, what should I do with the stock amp in the "high quality" setup, or whatever it's called that comes with the VR-4? If I disconnect the DIN, will it never power up? Or do I have to tear it out completely to fully disable it?

 

[randy_tho]

How much are you looking to spend on the HU?

I'm going to reccomend Alpine. Maybe this one..
http://www.crutchfield.com/cgi-bin/S-7gcTwFsaM4O/ProdView.asp?i=500CDA7995&id=morephotos&a=0&s=0

Or this one...it meets all your requirements but it will cost you.
http://www.crutchfield.com/cgi-bin/S-7gcTwFsaM4O/ProdView.asp?s=0&c=3&g=300&I=500CDA7998&o=m&a=0

I would look for another seller though. Probably can find a better price than crutchfield.

 

[bnorris85]

hmm i would suggest getting components for the doors, you can put the tweeters in the dash. They sound much better than coaxials. Alpine for the head unit definatly. Boston makes excellent speakers, but they are power hungery...see sig

 

[Mr. Ice]

I was able to drop those prices from $500 to $365 and $800 to $570, which are still high prices, but depending on how much my drivetrain repairs cost, I might be able to swing that much. I don't like the way Alphine's look, but those units do fit what I'm looking for feature wise. I'd like something that looks more like this , but with an EQ. Satellite control capability would be nice, but as a just-in-case type of thing, since I'm not certain I'd get it yet. Motorized face plate is also a major bonus. Arg. I want the looks of that Panasonic with the capabilities of that second Alpine... Is that too much to ask?

As I mentioned, the car is currently in the shop to figure out why it won't go anywhere. (Busted output shaft, most likely. Hopefully nothing more.) The cost of those repairs will determine what I can spend on the stereo. I'd like to get the speakers now and the HU, sub, and amp(s) after I know the cost of the repairs. (Reason for that is: the kick panel speakers are blown, and I must have music. Even if it's aftermarket speakers powered by the stock HU. )

 

[Mr. Ice]

Just looked into Boston Acoustics prices and they seem to be far more expensive than what I've been looking at. Are they that much better sounding, or am I just not looking in the right places? Powering them wouldn't be a problem since I'm looking at high powered HU's or extrenal amps.

Alpine is getting recommended heavily, both here and elsewhere. Do they sound a lot better or something? I haven't heard them side by side with anything else, so I'm not sure.

 

[bnorris85]

Yes alpine decks sound very good...way better than my friends pioneer, keenwood, and jvs's. THe speakers are very good, mine were 300 for the comps and 200 for the 6*9's. I would suggest getting a good set of comps for the front and just get some cheeper 6*9's in the back because the subs over power them for base and persionally i have the sound faded twoards the front.

 

[ScarletFeVR4]

Go here http://www.onlinecarstereo.com/caraudio
Best price,Best Brands.no tax, and free shipping!!!

Crutchfield is top dollar prices + shipping.

The Pioneer DEH 7400MP is this years best seller! Why? Because it has high power,Remote control, CDR,CDRW,XM Satilite radio, and best MP3. Yeah so does Alpine! But not for $250.00 shipped to your door!!!
Plus It has every feature possible and full liquid or (Organic) graphics, Lots of cool screensaveres to watch too( you know the one with the dolphins and racecars). I've installed many of them and all of my friends/customer love them. I have this unit and have always been loyal to Clarion ProAudio but for the Pioneer proformance and price you just can't beat it!!! Pioneer units to me just look cleaner and more bad-ass. See for yourself they carry Alpine too. As I said best Products and Prices!

As for you list! Save a little more if you have to but buy quality names that have been around. Trust me it is worth the wait to have top of the line! They last longer and the sound is no compairison...
Head unit Above)
Components: ( MB Quart's,Boston Acustic, SoundStream, JLaudio )
Subs: Only the best JLAudio 12w6 or 12W3's Or 10w6 10w3's
Amp's from this site the SoundSteams are the best bang for the buck because they produce true RMS. Many amps out there say 1200watts! Ah NO, they produce 600watts RMS. Crunch are good to for low budget. Best JLaudio ALL the Way front to back but it's $$$ You could have one JLAudio12w3 or 6 sound like 3 ten's or 2 12"s of lower quality name.

Best bang for buck system from above. 1 JLAudio 12w3, 1 300or more watt soundstream amp, all soundstream components, 1 Pioneer Head Unit from above. Total arond $600-$650 to your door. The radio has enough RMS power for the components by soundstream.

I've been doing this for a long time now and I think most people out there who really know Car Audio would agree with my Brands. Don't get me wrong about Alpine! They are at the top of the chain but they're just lacking in the looks depertment and price.

Just remeber that you get what you pay for...

 

[randy_tho]

If you order from onlinecarstereo.com be prepared to wait a month or two. They have lackluster customer service also. I always recieved answers quick but they were always just stalling and finally pretty much told me my speakers were coming anywhere from 1 week to 2 months or something.

They do have awesome prices though.

I have a Blaupunkt Sanfransisco but I think if I were to buy today and I could find that Alpine deck and a really good price I'd buy it. I just like all the capabilities it has.

 

[ScarletFeVR4]

Wow sorry to hear that. I have ordered from them many times and never had a problem. That's why I have been raving about them. The longest that I ever had to wait was ten days. But since the shipping was free I wasn't too upset about it! I tell you shipping charges are sometimes just as much as the products you buy sometimes. BUt with the holidays I can see that there would be a delay...

 

[Mr. Ice]

Thanks for the heads up on that place randy. I'll definitely take it into consideration when I order the gear.

My current HU list looks like this:
1) Pioneer DEH-P8400MP - I do believe this has everything and then some.
2) Alpine CDA-7995 - Not a fan of the layout, missing a good EQ. Other than that it's cool.
3) Pioneer DEH-P7400MP - Love the display/layout, almost all the features (missing good EQ, only 2 preamp outs, low internal amp power)
4) Alpine CDA-7998 - Unique, not a fan of the button layout, expensive

Main Speakers:
Still debating whether or not the component setups are worth the roughly 400% price increase. (I do have some sort of a budget limit for this project...)

Sub:
JL Audio comes recommended by a fair number of people. I'm deciding between 10" or 12" now and leaning towards a 10w6v2. Only problem is, that sucker costs $280. Is there anything cheaper that still has a tight, quality sound? Or a better place to buy JL gear?

Amps:
The internal amp on HU #1 should power the main speakers fine. I think I'll go with a US Acoustics USX800D to power the sub. They come recommended, and cost less than equivalently powered SoundStreams.

I'm also considering a 1 farad capacitor for the amp, but with the lower powered amp it might be overkill. Thoughts?

Thanks for all the help so far.

 

[frogman330]

Are you sure that you want to power your front end off the HU internal amp....

Just my 2c here, 'cos you seem to have quite a well balanced system if you go with the JL sub. Investing in a 4 channel for your front end speakers would definitely give you better smoother sound overall. HU internal amps in my HMO are very much overrated for power....

As for the HUs, I am still a huge Alpine fan. I have used the same 2 Alpine HUs for 7 years with no problems and great sound quality. I am now considering getting another Alpine HU to replace my aged 7525 cassette and CD shuttle controller.

Godd luck with the system man.

Regards,

DaFrogman

 

[stealthawd]

Eclipse and Diamond Audio...clear, smooth, hit hard when you want them to...

i used to be into Kenwood, Alpine, Fosgate, etc...bought Diamond Components and Eclipse HU and Eclipse amps and the others just dont compare IMHO...

 

[randy_tho]

BUt with the holidays I can see that there would be a delay...

Yeah except this was last summer. They were Diamond Audio HEx components.

Anyway I would order from them again but I would definately make sure the product was in stock first.

I remember emailing them acting like I was interested in a few other things... they weren't in stock either. MBQuart components, a couple different amps and a couple different subs.

 

[Mr. Ice]

frogman: I will probably add an external amp for the main speakers later. Right now I've got a budget crunch due to a messed up drivetrain and the related repairs. If that comes in under-budget, I'll be grabbing another USX amp (or two, if I drop something in the dash.) I figured the HU would be adequate for now. On the HU front, I'm pretty well stuck on that Pioneer I've got listed as number 1 a few posts back. The Alpine listed as #2 is a nice unit as well, but I like the layout of the Pioneer better. I know I should be picking based solely on the sound, but I want something that will be fun to use as well as sound good. On a side note, would you happen to have a picture of your car? I'm interested to see what my car would look like with yellow paint and since we've got the same year and trim, I figured it'd be an accurate representation.

stealthawd: Eclipse subs have way more power handling than I want, but the Diamond Audio M6 10D4 for $200 looks nice. It exceeds every spec on the JL sub I was looking at for about $80 less. A bit more power than I'm looking for, but I can live with that .