Factory vs Aftermarket

[Richg]

Hello, I have a 2008 acura rdx with the premium sound system which they describe as 340 watts, 6.5" front components, 6.5" rear fill and a 10" subwoofer. It sounds pretty good. My question is, if I shell out $1500 to $1800 on a sub, 2 amps and new components including installation, will I hear a big difference in sound quality? I listen to rock, country, easy, jazz, oldies etc. I know it's a subjective question but since I really don't have any friends with good quality systems to listen to, I'm hoping someone could enlighten me with their experiences.

Thanks

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[bamaboy 5,000+ posts]

i say yes, if everything is done right you should hear a good increase in quality and loudness

i suggest you you to go listen to some nice speakers at local shops, see if they have any vehicles with the equipment installed etc, its hard to get a feel for what kind of sound your looking for reading on the net

my suggestion for a good sound i like is HERTZ, if you have a dealer that carries them i highly suggest to give them an audition, we had a killer demo room at the shop that most hertz dealers have, take a few cds in and kick back and see what you think

i think with that amount of money you can get something that sounds alot better than factory you would be happy listening to

hertz, focal, boston, cdt, morel, image dynamics, someone around you carries one of these, and there are many more

 

[fasfocus00 5,000+ posts]

Hello, I have a 2008 acura rdx with the premium sound system which they describe as 340 watts, 6.5" front components, 6.5" rear fill and a 10" subwoofer. It sounds pretty good. My question is, if I shell out $1500 to $1800 on a sub, 2 amps and new components including installation, will I hear a big difference in sound quality? I listen to rock, country, easy, jazz, oldies etc. I know it's a subjective question but since I really don't have any friends with good quality systems to listen to, I'm hoping someone could enlighten me with their experiences. Thanks

even if you spend twice that amount of money on better equipment it wont make a difference if you don't get good quality sound processor. i kept my factory headunit for the look and use an Audiocontrol LC6i as a line out converter and than a Kicker KQ9 eq for sound processing. i'd definitely recommend an Audiocontrol LC8 than get a good quality EQ and maybe crossover source. obviously you wont have to worry about all that if you plan of getting rid of you factory head unit.

 

[raverx3m 10+ year member]

whos gonna install all that?

you can make a pair of 150 dollar speakers sound good or you can make a pair of 600 dollar speakers sound like factory

it depends ALOT on the installer

 

[Richg]

Thanks for the advice. I am planning to keep the head unit so maybe I should save up for a processor. Since I really don't know any installers, I,m relying on some good web reviews of a place called sound werks in lodi, nj. I was gonna have them to the install. If anyone could recommend someone in the north jersey area that would be great too. Initially, I was just gonna add a sub and amp to the stock system then I started getting into the front stage. It seems to get the job done right i'll probably have to shell out around $2000. Now I just have to figure if I want to spend that kind of money. Thanks again for the input.//content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

 

[timaishu 10+ year member]

I honestly think my factory sound system in my altima sounds pretty **** good. Best stock audio Ive ever heard. Its not the bose, I have the clarion system. Puts out massive midbass, its slighly muddy on some notes, but it really sounds nice. The tweeter is comparable to aftermarket tweets imo. They can get low to, sub bass sounds okay but there is noticeable db loss the low low notes. Most everything Ive played in my altima sounds great I think.

My only point of reference was my taurus. Which had vc100 tweets, infinity reference mids, 2 IDQ 10s, and 120rms to the front with no rear speakers and an aftermarket deck.