Upgrade 2004 Mitsubishi Lancer sound system

[Strakele 10+ year member]

Hey guys,

I have a 2004 Lancer with the 'sun and sound' package that includes a 6 Ispeaker Infinity sound system with an 8 inch sub in the trunk. I've been getting more in to quality audio stuff now and decided it's time to upgrade the car stereo. I'm totally new to upgrade car audio.

I'm looking to spend somewhere in the $400 range. I checked out the Crutchfield "Fit my car" thing to see what's available for my particular car. Here's what I'm looking for:

New head unit - 7-1/2" depth; Size code J - MUST have iPod / mp3 capability. This will be used 99% with CD's or an iPod, so I don't care about satellite radio or anything like that. I don't need something uber high tech looking with flashing lights and screens everywhere. Just something crisp, clean, and black.

Speakers - Dash: Tweeter factory speaker note, Front Door: 6-3/4", Rear Deck: 6-3/4" I'm not really sure about speakers to be honest. The ones that are in there sound decent. If there are some higher quality aftermarket speakers and tweeters that aren't too expensive, I'm game, but I'm not looking for anything real expensive here. My goal is to get good, high quality sound, not to blow out my eardrums.

I want to get a bigger / better subwoofer system. I've checked out a couple of the bass packages on Crutchfield and they look pretty good. I listen to a lot of Metallica. Many songs have some heavy double bass drum going on. I've seen them live, so I want to recreate as much of the experience as possible. The concert really hit hard. The side by side setups look good.

I don't want to buy a bass package only to trash the amp and buy a better one. Again, I'm not looking to blow out my eardrums / windows / neighbor's windows with loudness. I just want high quality sound that I can really feel without having to crank the volume unbearably high. So assuming I get one of the bass packages, I'd like one that comes with a decent amp that won't need replacing.

So that's what I'm looking for. I'd really appreciate recommendations on products that fit what I'm trying to do.

I'm hoping to be able to do most if not all the work by myself. A good portion of that work will also go into reducing vibrations and rattles from interior panels and such.

Thank you very much for your help!

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[Fiercetimbo17 10+ year member]

your going to need a bigger budget than that, that budget you could get a budget cd player and a sub, maybe

 

[02accord 10+ year member]

I really think you are going to need a bigger budget as well if you want some quality components for your new set up.

 

[Strakele 10+ year member]

So say I can spend $500.

Just browsing around on a few different sites, trying to learn and read reviews, I found an Alpine head unit for $170 and an MTX sub/amp package for $150. So that still leaves $160-180 for speakers and any extra wiring.

Are there other costs that I'm not thinking of? I'm not going for audiophile sound quality or blow my eardrums out loudness. I just want a noticeable difference from what I've got now.

Is $500 totally unreasonable for that goal? What else do I need to consider?