Suggestions for putting together decent system in 04 Explorer

[SeaNile 10+ year member]

It's been a long time since I have dabbled in car audio and a lot has changed! I have a completely stock 04 Explorer which I use for work and is my primary car. My goal is to step up a bit to a system which will support my iPod/iPhone and also Sirius satellite radio. I'm using the FM transmitter now and it is terrible.

With ebay, these forums and craigslist is there a reason to buy new from audio store? I'm not looking for 2 12's and 1000W to take up my trunk area but would not be against a bazooka tube type sub under the rear seats. My goal is to have a headunit which will support the ipod and sirius, play mp3 CD's and also upgrade my speakers.

Any suggestions for this type of setup? I think I have a 700W Xplode and and a 30x2 clarion amp in the basement somewhere. Would it be worth using these amps? I'd like to stay in the $1,000 or less area if possible.

Thanks in advance for the help.

--JK

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[illbmeubu 10+ year member]

there are way too many options for you. I say look around, if you see something that sparks your attraction, then ask a ? on that particular item. every has an opinion and ultimately it will be up to you to pick what's best.

 

[SeaNile 10+ year member]

I agree there are probably 1000 different ways to set this up. Guess I am looking for someone who needs to sell an entire system. Sifting through the classifieds, ebay and craigslist can be a PITA when trying to put together an entire system. I will stop by a local car audio place tomorrow and see what they can offer.

--JK

 

[Ellsworthz 10+ year member]

a $1000 budget is pretty good, get a nice HU

2 12" RE SE D4's

Hifonics BXi2000

Hertz 6.5 comp set,

nice little amp to power them

wire, maybe a small batt.

you be good //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

 

[mazzasec 5,000+ posts]

You could do very good for $1000 dollars. 2 nice 12"s a nice amp and a decent front stage

 

[bamaboy 5,000+ posts]

i suggest if you going with a new unit, you have the room for a DD uint, the kenwood ddx512 is an excellent unit on a budget

http://cgi.ebay.com/KENWOOD-DDX512-IN-DASH-2-DIN-6-1-LCD-DVD-CD-MP3-USB_W0QQitemZ300293255544QQcmdZViewItemQQptZCar_Video_Navigation?hash=item300293255544&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1234|66%3A2|65%3A12|39%3A1|240%3A1318|301%3A1|293%3A1|294%3A50

crutchfield has the DNX5120, which adds full garmin nav for like 599$ now, reg 999$, just 2008 models so they are trying to clean them out

just add a SCC1 tuner and a kca-sr20 or 50, dont remember and it will plug in for sirius

dont do a bazooka tube, especially under the seat, would sound terrible i bet, if you dont mind giving up the room, 2 12s would be great, but there are so many subs out there its hard to find a place to start

i use RF so just to throw out some ideas of stuff we sell at work

2 12" Rockford P3's-225$ for the pair

http://cgi.ebay.com/2-ROCKFORD-FOSGATE-P3D412-Punch-P3-12-Subwoofers-Subs_W0QQitemZ360134238523QQcmdZViewItemQQptZCar_Subwoofers_Enclosures?hash=item360134238523&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1234|66%3A2|65%3A12|39%3A1|240%3A1318|301%3A1|293%3A1|294%3A50

p10001bd perfect for these 2 subs, run it at 1ohm

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ROCKFORD-FOSGATE-P1000-1BD-SUBWOOFER-AMPLIFIER-2000W_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQ_trksidZp3286Q2em20Q2el1116QQitemZ200255543590QQptZCarQ5fAudioQ5fVideo

a nice prefab box, usually dont reccommend them, but there are a few out there that are pretty nice

4cu ft tuned to 32hz

http://cgi.ebay.com/DUAL-12-CUSTOM-PORTED-SUB-ENCLOSURE-BOX-4-0FT-3-32Hz_W0QQitemZ360130675058QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item360130675058&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1234|66%3A2|65%3A12|39%3A1|240%3A1318|301%3A0|293%3A1|294%3A50

5 cu ft tuned to 34hz

http://cgi.ebay.com/DUAL-12-CUSTOM-PORTED-SUB-ENCLOSURE-BOX-5-0FT-3-34Hz_W0QQitemZ360133911416QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item360133911416&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1234|66%3A2|65%3A12|39%3A1|240%3A1318|301%3A0|293%3A1|294%3A50

wire kit

http://cgi.ebay.com/Rockford-Fosgate-RFK4I-Power-Installation-AMP-Kit-4AWG_W0QQitemZ270332971171QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item270332971171&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=66%3A2|65%3A3|39%3A1|240%3A1318

Rockford 6x8 75$ per pair

http://cgi.ebay.com/Rockford-Fosgate-T1682C-6x8-Speakers-5x7-Ford-Mazda-GM_W0QQitemZ350160411850QQcmdZViewItemQQptZCar_Speakers?hash=item350160411850&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=66%3A2|65%3A3|39%3A1|240%3A1318

thats a tad over budget after i got done, but i would think you would be pretty happy with it, just an idea of what you could do

i would def think about getting the Double din atleast, would make ipod and sirius a breeze to use

you could do cheaper amps and subs and build your own box, RF stuff isnt cheap and no its not the best either, but its good stuff

just a thought, throwing out some ideas for you, search around for a while and you can probably find some nice stuff on here and such, but all of that stuff is brand new vs used for alot of stuff on here

edit: **** ebay links ****, hold on let me fix it

 

[systemJLx 10+ year member]

you could get one JL 12w3v3 and an amp for it for a decent price. many will tell u that JL is over priced. its all i ever knew when i bought my system, and i don't regret buying it. the sound quality was awesome. I still wonder what some other SQ systems would sound like in my car tho.

i wish there was a way you could try out systems before deciding to buy one, or if an audio store had the same car with different set ups within the store so you could sit in each one and see how it sounds. nothing ever sounds good in a store in dealing with car audio imo.

 

[SeaNile 10+ year member]

Thanks for the suggestions. I'm trying to be realistic and do admit that pretty much whatever I get will be a huge step up from the factory system. I'd love to stumble upon a completed system on ebay or here and get it for pennies on the dollar!

 

[SPL-Master 10+ year member]

i have a sub amp box i would sell for 375 shipped its a 10" fosgate T1 get really loud and a american bass cx 1500 amp witch is a nice amp does 1500 at 1 ohm and will go down to .33 ohms

 

[bamaboy 5,000+ posts]

you might find a complete system somewhere, who knows

is 1000$ you max price? you installing or a shop? a shop would charge probably 200+ for an install for everything, build your own box or pre built?

you might want to go piece by piece and do a HU first then bass, then speakers, or if you have the money just splurge in now FTW

 

[Brian_smith06 10+ year member]

i vote for a 5 channel amp. should be able to find a decent one on here for cheap. if you want to do front a rear speakers get a component set for up front and coax for the rear. your 5 channel amp will take care of the power there. now get a single 10 or 12 and run the 5th channel to that.

for head unit i vote for probably a pioneer. they can be had for cheap and run all the stuff you want. well not sure about your sat radio though? maybe eclipse? i know woofersetc has the 3100 for 130 with free shipping right now

 

[SeaNile 10+ year member]

I agree the 5 channel amp is probably the way to go for this since I really want the system to be stealth. I can't take up much room due to the stuff I haul around for work, not to mention packing for the boat or a day on the jet skis. Can't have the subs and amp covered by a wet wetsuit! Any recommendations on brands for amps? I remember from years ago just because it says 1000W that doesn't mean anything.

Thanks again.

JK

 

[bamaboy 5,000+ posts]

do you have 3rd row seat?

 

[SeaNile 10+ year member]

No 3rd row seat. Is there a chart which will show what speakers will fit in my doors? 5 1/4 or 6.5", or 6x9?? I can't remember what goes in the doors.....What is the trend now as far as component placement for the tweeters? I had tweeters in the corner of my windshield/dash and the sound was hard and harsh to say the least. I am not sure what the local place can offer but there are some good deals out there on the net and I guess pricing has come down since i last looked at things. Ebay must have 30 listings for component mb quart for under $100. I thought they were a $350 piece of equipment???

John

 

[galacticmonkey 5,000+ posts]

Pioneer 800PRS

Clarion Equalizer

1 10" Crunch GP

1 Crunch P1500.1

2 sets Crunch 5x7s

1 Crunch P500.2

Rockford Amp kit

Then spend about $50 on a nice sealed box that you can build out of 1/2 sheet of MDF. The total of all this would be under $1,000 for a full system.

MB Quart is owned by Maxxsonics. Now MB Quart, Crunch, Hifonics, and Autotek are all owned by the same company. They really have some awesome budget equipment in the lower price range, and even their more expensive stuff is awesome too.