Stereo upgrade in 2004 Corolla

[RickWagstaff]

I want to upgrade the stock stereo in my 2004 Corolla CE. I'm new to car audio but after reading many articles and browsing news groups, I think I know what I want to do. I want to perform the upgrade in several steps as I can't afford to do everything at once. One piece of advice I read was to retain the existing speakers but drive them using an external amp. I'm not sure this is the best approach but my question is how do I determine the specs for the stock equipment in the Corolla so I can select an appropriate amp? Is there an online resource I can use?

btw, if this is a bad choice for the first upgrade, I'd appreciate whatever advice you can offer on how best to proceed.

Thanks in advance.

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[RattlinStratus 10+ year member]

I would personally get the head unit (cd player) first, I like Alpine and Pioneer inexpensive and good quality. Then I would upgrade the front speakers first, depending on their size you could most likely drive them with your Head unit. I would suggest components, or a quality coaxial speaker. Then your rear deck if you want to, most people here will say not to do it, but I am glad I did it to my car.

 

[themainman 10+ year member]

I want to upgrade the stock stereo in my 2004 Corolla CE. I'm new to car audio but after reading many articles and browsing news groups, I think I know what I want to do. I want to perform the upgrade in several steps as I can't afford to do everything at once. One piece of advice I read was to retain the existing speakers but drive them using an external amp. I'm not sure this is the best approach but my question is how do I determine the specs for the stock equipment in the Corolla so I can select an appropriate amp? Is there an online resource I can use?
btw, if this is a bad choice for the first upgrade, I'd appreciate whatever advice you can offer on how best to proceed.

Thanks in advance.

The first thing everyone should do is buy a aftermarket head unit. Make sure it's one that will do anything you will want for future upgrades. Like if you are planning on using MP3's or XM or even a DVD player in the future then make sure you buy a head unit that can do those functions so you won't have to buy another head unit down the road. Look at Alpine.

 

[negativezeroz 5,000+ posts]

how much you willing to spend and what do you want? SQ or SPL system?

 

[RickWagstaff]

I'm going to spend about CAN$1500 to start with.

I don't know what you mean by SQ vs SPL. I guess I have more reading to do. If you mean quality vs loudness, I'm more interested in quality. That being said, I do like to rattle the windows on occasion.

My plan is to eventually replace the head unit with a better one, the front speakers with components and add one or two subs along with whatever external amplifiers I need. I'm undecided as to what to do with the rear speakers.

I spend about 1.5 - 2 hours a day commuting to/from work and am looking to increase my "enjoyment" of that time.