Help Me With My Car Audio Upgrade

I want to replace my current audio with aftermarket stuff. I don't know jack about car audio, only that I like my music to sound as it should. I have two tweeters up on the columns and 4 - 6x8" speakers (one for each door, of course). My budget is $400 or less.

I was looking into component systems (tweeter, woofer, crossover) but I don't know if they need to be used in conjunction with the usual 2 or 3 way speakers, or if the component system replaces the need for usual speakers? If the latter, will I need an amp?

Are there good 2 or 3 way speakers that provide enough range (especially bass) where I will not need a component system or woofer/sub/tube?

I'll be replacing the factory receiver to match the output of whatever speakers I get. At what wattage/output will I need an amp?

Any other suggestions as to what is good is also appreciated. Spanks.

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ejenne87

Is your $400 limit including a new reciever? If not I know of some great component speakers that you will love. Car audio is a bit of a passion of mine. If you are looking for specific things for your audio system, the best website to use as a research tool is Crutchfield.com. I always find what I want to buy on there, and get it for a cheaper price elsewhere. PM me if you want and we can talk a bit more in depth about what you are looking for.

As far as needing an amplifier with your component speaker: You should not need one unless you are looking to get every ounce of sound out of your speakers. A factory head unit will normaly push less power to your component speakers, but that normaly sounds alright. Most of the time, with an aftermarket head unit you will have a bit more power to your component speakers. I have had set-ups both with and without the amplifier powering the component speakers and I much prefer the amplified set-up, but the un-amplified set-up still sounds pretty good.

firetruckguy

I have used Crutchfield.com many times for car audio. They are like the CCOM of car Audio IMO. Very friendly people.

kingjk729

Hey zimmerman ..... what i would reccomend is using a site like crutchfield as mentioned by fire ..... components will not work to their potential unless youu are using an amp to run them ...... as far as speakers go what i would suggest is to goto crutchfield and select your size then break them down by db sensitivity and the higher the number the better they will sound with less power (like that of an aftermarket headunit) ....... i also have some older equipment like some amps not being used since my 09 legacy is a disaster tochange anything on and a lease ..... pm me if your interested .... iam sure we could work something out if you wanted ...... on crutchfield the best 6x8's are in my opinion ..... the jl's are great but need an amp to push them .... infiniti's are great .... and the polk db's both with a 93db sensitivity and i think they are running a deal on the polks .... id use the 6x8's in thew rear and use a 6.5 component in the front the pold db's are nice .... you can make a bracket that will hold the 6.5 in the 6x8 opening and replace the pillar tweeters with the component kit ...... the deal is buy one get half off so for 249 you have your speakers .... and as far as head units ..... there are so many choices ..... alpine pioneer and eclipse ..... its really up to you the kenwood exelons are nice too ......but if you have any other questions please feel free to pm me ...... i did the car auio thing for a long long time

jlzimmerman

Thanks all. I spoke with a few installers today and even a slim sub wouldn't fit behind my rear seats. I only have about 6" of space between the seat and the back of the cab ( 4 door Tacoma Pre Runner). So, I'm looking to do something like http://signature.crutchfield.com/s_113KDCX693/Kenwood-Excelon-KDC-X693.html with http://signature.crutchfield.com/s_136VR525CS/JL-Audio-VR525-CSi.html or http://signature.crutchfield.com/s_1086829CF/Infinity-Kappa-682-9cf.html in the doors. I'll just have to enjoy what bass I do get out of the speakers. :shrug

ejenne87

Those JL's are some of the best speakers I have heard, they are about the best buy for the money. The Infinity's are also some great speakers, I had a set of them in my 92 Buick and they sounded phenominal. I actualy was very close to buying that same head unit but sprung for a flip out DVD screen instead. When I buy my car audio I almost always get it from ebay. I know, this doesn't sounds like the best bet with all the scammers out there but I have had great success, and I almost always get things for about half off. Good luck, and it looks like you will be in pretty good shape with that set up.

One last thing... What year is your pickup? I know of a place that makes custom under-seat enclosures for subwoowofers and amps and I can check if they have something for you if you wanted.

bacon.jay

ejenne87:
...One last thing... What year is your pickup? I know of a place that makes custom under-seat enclosures for subwoowofers and amps and I can check if they have something for you if you wanted.

I was going to mention this as well, I have lots of friends that have gone this route.

jlzimmerman

Considering my budget I went with:

Boss Audio BASS600 8-Inch Low-Profile Amplified Subwoofer (This does fit under the passenger seat)
JVC KD-HDR50 HD Radio CD Receiver / USB 2.0 / iPod/ MP3
Pioneer TS-A6882R 6" x 8" 4-Way 280-Watt Speakers (4 total)

Total: $357

I'll have to wait a little while to get an amp. Homies be broke these days. I'm not going to bother replacing the tweeters unless I notice a gap on the high end.