Complette Newbie

[sadhakim]

Sorry guys, but I'm completely new at car audio and I have no idea what I'm doing or what I'm getting myself into... I just bought a brand new car deck (Clarion DXZ715) and I figure i might as well get some new speakers/subwoofers/an amp, but I dont know what to get, whats the difference between a good set of speakers and a bad set of speakers, a good amp/bad amp, etc... I probably dont wanna spend too much money, so i'll probably just buy the speakers first...anyways, any help would be great, Thanks.

Click to read more...

 

[Mark_ab 5,000+ posts]

Well, first off, you have a very good HU there. Merely a word of warning, however; the car audio bug is a big one, and once you're bitten it stays with you forever! Now, the difference between a good set of speakers, and a bad one. This depends on several factors, including what you listen to, and what you find important in sound quality. Some speakers have poor handling, breakup, they sound muddy or muffled, their high's are too shrill or bright, the frequency response is poor etc. Bad amps are easily distinguishable, usually by the price per watt. You'll see a lot of amplifiers online claiming 1800W X2 for 200 dollars, or something ludicrious like that. Poor circuitry, overrating, stability, are some things to watch for when purchasing an amp. Tell us how much you plan on spending, what type of music you listen to predominantley, and we'll try to give you a nice setup that will keep you happy.

 

[sadhakim]

Well I dont have a limitless budget, I'd say I'm willing to spend in the 75-125US$ price range, I listen to basically everything, hip hop, rock, etc... mainly the radio...when i turn the bass up, the speakers I have now starts to rattle and the sound gets messed up, if i turn down the bass then its fine.. not sure what I should be buying.... Thanks

 

[more_spl 10+ year member]

and I figure i might as well get some new speakers/subwoofers/an amp

with a price range of 75-125 US, you cant get a system...

you could get like:

1 amp

or

2 subs (1 good one)

or

2 speakers

that low of a budget you cant really get what you need as you stated......

if you're on that low of a budget, start small. like upgrade your factory speakers (if they really **** and you cant stand them)..... then move onto subs and an amp.

dont try and get the whole shibang from the local pawn shop just to say you have it all

//content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/rolleyes.gif.c1fef805e9d1464d377451cd5bc18bfb.gif

 

[Mark_ab 5,000+ posts]

If all you have in pocket is a buck seventy five, you have a couple of options. Either (a) save up more money, or (b) buy an okay pair of front speakers to replace your OEM's. You could get two pair, for both front and rear fill, but you may find yourself wanting more. Your best bet is to go and listen at an audio store and find the pair you like best. Remember, do it right the first time, it'll save you a lot of money in the long run. Buy what you want first, even if it takes a little longer to get. I didn't do this and wasted a lot of my money.

 

[sadhakim]

sorry, i guess i was a little unclear, i know i cant buy speakers, subs and an amp with a 75$, i know i can only buy one so i just wanted to know which one i should buy and what good stuff is in that price range? What should i be looking for in speakers, power as in watts, frequency, etc?.. what are tweeters, are they important?

I have after market Kenwood Speakers in the back, i have no idea what they are because they came with the car (i bought it used), i dont think they are very good...

sorry for being unclear..

hopefully this helps

 

[AFIREINSIDE 10+ year member]

i'd save your money foo.. wait till christmas comes around.. and ask santa to be extra nice to you.. lets see.. 75 for a sub.. 150 for amp 50 for wires or so... you are looking at at least 300 bucks for some bass that's like minimum... i don't think tweeters will be that necessary... and if you got some bass.. you probably wouldn't need to get new speakers.. cause the bass would cover the distortion your speakers put out.. just a thought.. i bought 2 jl w0's... i wish i would have saved for the w3's.. but anyhow.. i'm saving for a w7 or a eclipse ti series.. just getting back to the.. buy what you want and don't waste your money thing... anyhow.. have a good day

 

[Mark_ab 5,000+ posts]

Originally posted by sadhakim sorry, i guess i was a little unclear, i know i cant buy speakers, subs and an amp with a 75$, i know i can only buy one so i just wanted to know which one i should buy and what good stuff is in that price range? What should i be looking for in speakers, power as in watts, frequency, etc?.. what are tweeters, are they important?

 

I have after market Kenwood Speakers in the back, i have no idea what they are because they came with the car (i bought it used), i dont think they are very good...

 

sorry for being unclear..

hopefully this helps

If you are merely looking to upgrade your system so that it is semi-pleasurable to sit in your car then $75 dollars will do that just fine. You say that you have aftermarket rear speakers, so your best move from a stock system is your front fill. This is the most important area anyway, as the sound you here predominantly comes from there. What size are the speakers in the front of your car? If you don't know, what is the car and it's year. We can tell from that. In your price range you'll be looking at 2 or 3 way speakers. This means they contain a midrange woofer, a tweeter, and if 3 way, a supertweeter. Are tweeters important? Prior to what the fellow ahead of me says, yes, they are. They are responsible for the higher frequencies that you hear, such as snares, or some LYRICS. Since you only have enough for speakers, they will need to run off of your HU. Thus, wattage will not be terribly important. Some brand names to check out that linger in the $100 dollar range depending on what size (again, coaxial) are Image Dynamics (CTX), Infinity (Reference), MB Quart (Discus), Kicker (K-Series), Phoenex Gold (Q -Series), Pioneer (Rev series). Hope this helps you out some.

 

[sadhakim]

Thanks alot guys, this has been very helpful so far..

I have a 92 Honda Civic Si, Future Shop says my front speakers are 51/4 inches..

 

[deejay face]

Thanks alot guys, this has been very helpful so far..
I have a 92 Honda Civic Si, Future Shop says my front speakers are 5 1/4 inches..

that is correct. i have the 92 civic dx. i also found out that there's speaker wiring to the back, but the holes aren't cut. so upgrading to 4 speakers shouldnt' be too hard.

i just got a set of pioneers for the 2 front speakers and they sound fine for my purposes (plus i dont plan on keeping this car forever)...

question: i just bought a Pioneer DEH-1600 and i am thinking about installing it myself. i have a wiring harness, but i think i need a mounting kit and maybe an antenna adapter?

most importantly, how do i go about taking the factory tape deck OUT of the dash, so i can try to install my new head unit myself, and save $70...???

thanks!

 

[Acidburn 5,000+ posts]

dude, this thread is over 2 and half years old, check the date before posting

thank you, come again

 

[Logikalliquid 10+ year member]

date checker: 06-11-2002, 10:15 PM

 

[deejay face]

dude, this thread is over 2 and half years old, check the date before postingthank you, come again

well, you read it, didn't you?

do you have anything against the year 2002?

 

[analogkid]

i gotta ask...... how far do some of you go back to find this?

 

[qtipextra 5,000+ posts]

i gotta ask...... how far do some of you go back to find this?

Its called what a lot of people today refer to as "USE THE ****ING SEARCH BUTTON"

People always say that today, then when people do search, and they find a thread that pertains to what they are looking for, they get slammed cuz they just brought back a 2 year thread.