Help with intro level car audio components

[Malexduh]

I have a 2008 Chevy Colorado crew cab that I'm going to give to my son for graduation, and I want to replace the stereo system before that.

I used to be a car audio big system fanatic 35 years ago, but this is just entry level stuff for this pickup. I just want to run these components by someone who's got some recent experience.

The head unit I'm looking at is a Sony DSX-B700

Sony DSX-B700

Digital media receiver — does not play discs

www.crutchfield.com

Here are a few things I like:
Display color can match the truck dash
20w per channel amp
Sub output
High and low pass filters
10 band EQ

I'm looking at a compact powered sub. I had a Pioneer once, and loved it. But can't find one now. Is this Infinity decent? Any suggestions?

Infinity BassLink SM 2

Compact powered subwoofer with 8" sub and 125-watt amp

www.crutchfield.com

Front door speakers I'm thinking Infinity components. This is a brand I fell in love with eons ago, but I don't know anything about the Primus line. Any thoughts?

Infinity Primus 603CF

Primus Series 6-1/2" component speaker system

www.crutchfield.com

Rear door speakers I'm thinking Infinity Reference 2-way. Any thoughts?

Infinity Reference REF-6532IX

Reference Series 6-1/2" 2-way car speakers

www.crutchfield.com

Basically, I'm just going for a simple upgrade and I'd like it to sound decent enough for a teen who isn't interested in blowing the doors off.

Any feedback is appreciated

Click to read more...

 

[Doxquzme Premium Member]

I like a lot of Sony products, but prefer their Kappa line. These Pioneers are really good and they are about $150 off regular price at $99, hard to beat - put them in front and in back! They will really perform if elect to get an amp too.

Pioneer TS-Z65C 6.5" Component Speaker System 300 Watts Max RB | eBay

1-1/8" aluminum tweeter. 6-1/2" Twaron fiber woofer with butyl rubber surround. Tweeter Composition Aluminum. Woofer Composition Twaron. Woofer Surround ---. handles up to 100 watts RMS (300 watts peak power).

www.ebay.com

From what you save on the others, pick up one of these. He may not want to blow the doors off, but he is going to want some BASS production for sure.

Kicker 46HS10

Hideaway™ compact powered subwoofer with 10" sub and 180-watt amp

www.crutchfield.com

For another $150 you could get an amp, really make the system shine!

$85

DI550.4 Full-Range Class-D 4-Channel Car Audio Amplifier, 1,040 Watts, 2-4 Ohm Stable, Mosfet Power Supply, Bridgeable - Recoil Audio

Class D 4-Channel Amplifier, 1040 Watts Max Power, RMS 130 Watts x 4 Channels@2 Ohm; RMS 80 Watts x 4@4Ohm; RMS (Bridged): 260 Watts x 2@4Ohm; Peak Power: 260 Watts x 4@2Ohm Featuring a high-speed MOSFET power supply, premium-grade internal components, as well as 4-way protection circuitry, the...

www.recoilaudio.com

$35 8 gauge OFC wire kit

$13 4 channel RCA - use the one in the kit for the sub!

 

[HardofWhoring]

What I would do is include a 4 ch amp for those doors. Something small and simple that is 4x100w RMS and you can dial it down to about 60-70w per channel. Spend about $100 on it, and he should get plenty of volume that way out of it, and if he decided to ever upgrade those speakers, 100w should be pretty good. You can play them off that head unit, but they will only play about 2/3rd the volume they are capable of.

Don't expect that powered sub to do anything but maybe add to sound quality. It won't give any bass that you would feel, and it's hard to say if a teenager(? or early 20s) is going to think that's adequate. If you really wanted to spend some time, you could see what prefabbed enclosures are available for your vehicle. See what size speakers could be used, and see what an upgraded alternator would cost. --- OF COUSE, With that SM2, you wouldn't need to spend that money or time.

The Big 3 wouldn't be required, but should be helpful, especially if he wants to do more. Something you could do before that.

 

[audiobaun 5,000+ posts]

I would recommend these in there
REARS=

Polk Audio 6.5" 300W 2 Way Car Marine ATV Stereo Coaxial Speakers - Pair *DB652 | eBay

Peak Power Handling 300W. 6-1/2" polypropylene woofer cone with rubber surround. Two 2-way speakers. Driver Enclosure Type Marine Certified. Top Mount Depth 1.77". Bottom Mount Depth 2.12". frequency range: 40-22,000 Hz.

www.ebay.com

FRONTS=

NEW POLK AUDIO DB6502 6.5" COMPONENT SET CAR/MARINE/BOAT SPEAKER SYSTEM SPEAKERS 747192127312 | eBay

Honed Polk perfection. Polk includes mounting hardware for the tweeters, along with boldly designed grilles for the woofers that'll add a little flare to your vehicle's interior. 0.75" shallow tweeter design.

www.ebay.com

AMP=

CT-800.5D // 1000 Watts RMS 5-Channel Car Audio Amplifier

The CT Sounds CT-800.5D is a compact full-range class d 5-channel car amplifier. The 5-ch car audio amplifier features a Low Pass Filter (LPF), High Pass Filter (HPF), and Bass Boost so you can get the exact sound you want out of your amplifier.

www.ctsounds.com

AMPKIT-4GA-ELITE // 4 Gauge 2000 Watt Amplifier Wiring Kit (OFC)

The CT Sounds 4 gauge OFC complete amplifier wiring kit is perfect for systems rated up to 2000 watts and includes everything from a waterproof fuse holder to a bundle of zip ties for cable management to get your stereo going faster.

www.ctsounds.com

EITHER 1 SET 4CH RCA,or two sets 2 ch RCAs

https://www.monoprice.com/product?p_id=5346

Stinger 20 Ft. Of 4-channel 4000 Series Rca Interconnect Cables - 609098805766

massiveseller.com

Sub= Might even look at a 10" for a sealed application that you can build easily with your son, or even go ported with a simple design

TROPO-8 // 400 Watts RMS 8 Inch Car Subwoofer

The CT Sounds TROPO-8 is an 8-inch car subwoofer capable of reaching 800-watt max power. Available in dual 2-ohm and dual 4-ohm coil configurations.

www.ctsounds.com

TROPO-10 // 650 Watts RMS 10 Inch Car Subwoofer

The CT Sounds TROPO-10 is a 10-inch car subwoofer capable of reaching 1300-watt max power. Available in dual 2-ohm and dual 4-ohm coil configurations.

www.ctsounds.com

You can find better pricing with a search on the speakers,and some 14ga speaker wiring for the extra speakers. you could even do two sets of the Polk DB Coax 6.5s that also sound fantastic with 60+ rms to save on funds and installation. Though components sound so much better imo.
Just some suggestions I myself would do. at the least the 80.4 CT sounds 4 ch amp for front and rear speakers and an 8" Amplified 8250 Class D sub as well to keep it fairly simple. Others will recommend speakers /ECT as well. Whats the overall Budget? That may help. The Polks have a lower Htz range than most and a decent DB rating for the $

 

[audiobaun 5,000+ posts]

You can run this on the sub stage on that 5 ch amp and should do just fine in the sub stage area @ 2ohms Approx $25-30 cheaper with a search/Amazon/ebay even

https://www.sonicelectronix.com/item-2610-Bazooka-BT8024DVC.html?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=PLA&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaignid=20154329959&utm_matchtype=&utm_keyword=&utm_device=c&utm_content=&utm_devicemodel=&utm_network=x&utm_loc_physical_ms=9026902&utm_loc_interest_ms=&utm_placement=&utm_adposition=&gclid=Cj0KCQiAtOmsBhCnARIsAGPa5ybZMr-jsfPzWAQUBAlQUHLdI3KWosvrNdg1UwvhZBQgvY5pWi3RkbIaAn7aEALw_wcB

 

[joeFi]

I have a 2008 Chevy Colorado crew cab that I'm going to give to my son for graduation, and I want to replace the stereo system before that.

I used to be a car audio big system fanatic 35 years ago, but this is just entry level stuff for this pickup. I just want to run these components by someone who's got some recent experience.

The head unit I'm looking at is a Sony DSX-B700

Sony DSX-B700

Digital media receiver — does not play discs

www.crutchfield.com

Here are a few things I like:
Display color can match the truck dash
20w per channel amp
Sub output
High and low pass filters
10 band EQ

I'm looking at a compact powered sub. I had a Pioneer once, and loved it. But can't find one now. Is this Infinity decent? Any suggestions?

Infinity BassLink SM 2

Compact powered subwoofer with 8" sub and 125-watt amp

www.crutchfield.com

Front door speakers I'm thinking Infinity components. This is a brand I fell in love with eons ago, but I don't know anything about the Primus line. Any thoughts?

Infinity Primus 603CF

Primus Series 6-1/2" component speaker system

www.crutchfield.com

Rear door speakers I'm thinking Infinity Reference 2-way. Any thoughts?

Infinity Reference REF-6532IX

Reference Series 6-1/2" 2-way car speakers

www.crutchfield.com

Basically, I'm just going for a simple upgrade and I'd like it to sound decent enough for a teen who isn't interested in blowing the doors off.

Any feedback is appreciated

I found that by buying a new mini fosgate t1000x5ad it ran everything perfect. And has immense crossover capabilities….as for powered sub, I’d go with a hyanka 10” underseat …their cheap, and have good tone for the price….components, you’ll probably want to go with coaxial speakers…..on amazon you can get 4 alpine S 6.5 coaxials for under 75.00 …..but if you go with the new mini fosgate, you won’t need a powered sub…as it has 600 watts designated to just the sub ….and 100x4 for the high end speakers……infinity isn’t what it use to be…..their ok, but for price range you can get a lot more bang for your Buck with brands like alpine, Rockville, kicker, hifonics, or something of that caliber….if you decide on buying a fosgate t1000x5ad…get a 2 ohm subwoofer…that will give you maximum power to the sub channel…but run your component speakers at 4ohm per channel…good luck! Btw, there’s also JL audio and DD that make the new hybrid mini amps aswell…their nice because they hardly take any room up…I installed mine behind the dash….

 

[joeFi]

I found that by buying a new mini fosgate t1000x5ad it ran everything perfect. And has immense crossover capabilities….as for powered sub, I’d go with a hyanka 10” underseat …their cheap, and have good tone for the price….components, you’ll probably want to go with coaxial speakers…..on amazon you can get 4 alpine S 6.5 coaxials for under 75.00 …..but if you go with the new mini fosgate, you won’t need a powered sub…as it has 600 watts designated to just the sub ….and 100x4 for the high end speakers……infinity isn’t what it use to be…..their ok, but for price range you can get a lot more bang for your Buck with brands like alpine, Rockville, kicker, hifonics, or something of that caliber….if you decide on buying a fosgate t1000x5ad…get a 2 ohm subwoofer…that will give you maximum power to the sub channel…but run your component speakers at 4ohm per channel…good luck! Btw, there’s also JL audio and DD that make the new hybrid mini amps aswell…their nice because they hardly take any room up…I installed mine behind the dash….

 

[joeFi]

I have a 2008 Chevy Colorado crew cab that I'm going to give to my son for graduation, and I want to replace the stereo system before that.

I used to be a car audio big system fanatic 35 years ago, but this is just entry level stuff for this pickup. I just want to run these components by someone who's got some recent experience.

The head unit I'm looking at is a Sony DSX-B700

Sony DSX-B700

Digital media receiver — does not play discs

www.crutchfield.com

Here are a few things I like:
Display color can match the truck dash
20w per channel amp
Sub output
High and low pass filters
10 band EQ

I'm looking at a compact powered sub. I had a Pioneer once, and loved it. But can't find one now. Is this Infinity decent? Any suggestions?

Infinity BassLink SM 2

Compact powered subwoofer with 8" sub and 125-watt amp

www.crutchfield.com

Front door speakers I'm thinking Infinity components. This is a brand I fell in love with eons ago, but I don't know anything about the Primus line. Any thoughts?

Infinity Primus 603CF

Primus Series 6-1/2" component speaker system

www.crutchfield.com

Rear door speakers I'm thinking Infinity Reference 2-way. Any thoughts?

Infinity Reference REF-6532IX

Reference Series 6-1/2" 2-way car speakers

www.crutchfield.com

Basically, I'm just going for a simple upgrade and I'd like it to sound decent enough for a teen who isn't interested in blowing the doors off.

Any feedback is appreciated

Stay away from infinity products…their not what they used to be…..

 

[Malexduh]

I like a lot of Sony products, but prefer their Kappa line. These Pioneers are really good and they are about $150 off regular price at $99, hard to beat - put them in front and in back! They will really perform if elect to get an amp too.

Pioneer TS-Z65C 6.5" Component Speaker System 300 Watts Max RB | eBay

1-1/8" aluminum tweeter. 6-1/2" Twaron fiber woofer with butyl rubber surround. Tweeter Composition Aluminum. Woofer Composition Twaron. Woofer Surround ---. handles up to 100 watts RMS (300 watts peak power).

www.ebay.com

From what you save on the others, pick up one of these. He may not want to blow the doors off, but he is going to want some BASS production for sure.

Kicker 46HS10

Hideaway™ compact powered subwoofer with 10" sub and 180-watt amp

www.crutchfield.com

For another $150 you could get an amp, really make the system shine!

What do you like about the Pioneer separates?

I looked at the Kicker sub, but it only takes speaker inputs

Is there a reason you suggest it over the Infinity?

 

[Malexduh]

What I would do is include a 4 ch amp for those doors. Something small and simple that is 4x100w RMS and you can dial it down to about 60-70w per channel. Spend about $100 on it, and he should get plenty of volume that way out of it, and if he decided to ever upgrade those speakers, 100w should be pretty good. You can play them off that head unit, but they will only play about 2/3rd the volume they are capable of.

Don't expect that powered sub to do anything but maybe add to sound quality. It won't give any bass that you would feel, and it's hard to say if a teenager(? or early 20s) is going to think that's adequate. If you really wanted to spend some time, you could see what prefabbed enclosures are available for your vehicle. See what size speakers could be used, and see what an upgraded alternator would cost. --- OF COUSE, With that SM2, you wouldn't need to spend that money or time.

The Big 3 wouldn't be required, but should be helpful, especially if he wants to do more. Something you could do before that.

I'm really looking to power the door speakers from the head unit. It is adequate enough, for sure.

 

[Malexduh]

I would recommend these in there
REARS=

Polk Audio 6.5" 300W 2 Way Car Marine ATV Stereo Coaxial Speakers - Pair *DB652 | eBay

Peak Power Handling 300W. 6-1/2" polypropylene woofer cone with rubber surround. Two 2-way speakers. Driver Enclosure Type Marine Certified. Top Mount Depth 1.77". Bottom Mount Depth 2.12". frequency range: 40-22,000 Hz.

www.ebay.com

FRONTS=

NEW POLK AUDIO DB6502 6.5" COMPONENT SET CAR/MARINE/BOAT SPEAKER SYSTEM SPEAKERS 747192127312 | eBay

Honed Polk perfection. Polk includes mounting hardware for the tweeters, along with boldly designed grilles for the woofers that'll add a little flare to your vehicle's interior. 0.75" shallow tweeter design.

www.ebay.com

AMP=

CT-800.5D // 1000 Watts RMS 5-Channel Car Audio Amplifier

The CT Sounds CT-800.5D is a compact full-range class d 5-channel car amplifier. The 5-ch car audio amplifier features a Low Pass Filter (LPF), High Pass Filter (HPF), and Bass Boost so you can get the exact sound you want out of your amplifier.

www.ctsounds.com

What do you like about the Polks?
I heard some probably 25 years ago and they sounded smooth.

I really am dead set on a powered sub under the seat

 

[Malexduh]

Stay away from infinity products…their not what they used to be…..

Can you elaborate?
Is it sound quality? Build quality?

 

[spokey9]

Crescendo Symphony S6 car amplifier | eBay

A very good amplifier. Full range class D 6 channel amp.

www.ebay.com

I'm running one of these and it's nice. Bridge channel 5 & 6 for a sub and you get 700 watts at 4 ohm

 

[HardofWhoring]

I'm really looking to power the door speakers from the head unit. It is adequate enough, for sure.

Yes, you will definitely hear it without an amp, but adding an amp is going to be like having an extra 3-5 on the volume knob, and it will be clear up there. I would expect that head unit, just like most, is going to have distortion and possibly clipping when the volume is maxed out.

Then I would think you would need to question the volume you like to listen to music to, vs the level your son is going to listen to it.


Perhaps a head unit that has a little more power. These specs you wanted:
Here are a few things I like:
Display color can match the truck dash
20w per channel amp
Sub output
High and low pass filters
10 band EQ
Are pretty much standard on every head unit.

13 band eq is a little more popular.

You listed sub output, but you should really be looking for something with at least 2 preouts, one for sub and one for a door/mids and highs amp/front channel. The one you listed also has 2v preouts. Which will work, but the higher the voltage going out, the less the amps are working, and will have less distortion. 4v and 5v is pretty easy to get.

That head unit doesn't have android auto or apple carplay. All it really connects to is XM radio, do you have that in your truck? Do you know what kind of phone he has? If he listens to any streaming music, (if he has an unlimited phone plan, or certain carriers include it) I'm sure he will.

Doesn't have time alignment.


Personally, I'm a fan of Kenwood Excelon. This head unit does all the sony does, and more, and just so happens to be $60 off right now, making it cheaper than the Sony you listed.
(3) 5v preouts, 13band eq, plays from more streaming options, has front and rear USB (which generally means run a cord from the back to hide a phone, and a flash drive in the front).

Kenwood Excelon DPX395MBT

Digital media receiver (does not play discs)

www.crutchfield.com

 

[Malexduh]

Yes, you will definitely hear it without an amp, but adding an amp is going to be like having an extra 3-5 on the volume knob, and it will be clear up there. I would expect that head unit, just like most, is going to have distortion and possibly clipping when the volume is maxed out.

Then I would think you would need to question the volume you like to listen to music to, vs the level your son is going to listen to it.


Perhaps a head unit that has a little more power. These specs you wanted:
Here are a few things I like:
Display color can match the truck dash
20w per channel amp
Sub output
High and low pass filters
10 band EQ
Are pretty much standard on every head unit.

13 band eq is a little more popular.

You listed sub output, but you should really be looking for something with at least 2 preouts, one for sub and one for a door/mids and highs amp/front channel. The one you listed also has 2v preouts. Which will work, but the higher the voltage going out, the less the amps are working, and will have less distortion. 4v and 5v is pretty easy to get.

That head unit doesn't have android auto or apple carplay. All it really connects to is XM radio, do you have that in your truck? Do you know what kind of phone he has? If he listens to any streaming music, (if he has an unlimited phone plan, or certain carriers include it) I'm sure he will.

Doesn't have time alignment.


Personally, I'm a fan of Kenwood Excelon. This head unit does all the sony does, and more, and just so happens to be $60 off right now, making it cheaper than the Sony you listed.
(3) 5v preouts, 13band eq, plays from more streaming options, has front and rear USB (which generally means run a cord from the back to hide a phone, and a flash drive in the front).

Kenwood Excelon DPX395MBT

Digital media receiver (does not play discs)

www.crutchfield.com

The Sony has iPhone control and works with Siri. Both my son and I like the look of the Sony better, but it does look like the Kenwood may be a better option with a similar look.

I didn't even think to look at the preamp voltage. 5v is certainly better than 2v

EQ 10 band vs 13 band wouldn't really be any different to him because either will beat the "tone control" on the factory unit by miles.

The 22w/channel amp is good, too.

Thanks for your input, that's exactly what I was looking for. Overall, I think the Kenwood has moved up to 1st place.

Now to settle on the speakers