Wow guys thanks for all the helpful info. I just registered today and I'm glad I did.
You mean in dampening the doors, etc.? I've done some amp, HU, and speaker installs for friends and myself, but oddly none of them have been in doors. I've been discouraged from investing in sound deadening for the doors as it seems very expensive- are there lower-priced alternatives? recommendations? (I once did a Civic's door with craft foam sheets from Michaels-sounded significantly better and much less road noise. I didn't know anything back then though

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The external EQ would be nice-I'm a bit of a nerd and love being able to fine-tune frequencies. I actually looked into it a little cuz my deck's EQ is a bit lacking... but didn't seriously consider it before because I was unsure if I'd be externally amping the speakers at that time. It's not a big priority. But if I were to consider one (under $100, like SicAudio says), recommendations?
sorry quote fail