car stereo guys

[HeavyMetal]

Long story short, I am tired of having poor/"passable" audio in every vehicle i have ever owned.

Can I build a solid system for a few hundred? I dont need thumping/retarded hard hitting bass or anything...i just want a rich sound, and dont know where to start. would prefer not to add more speakers to the existing system unless it is fairly easy/really would make a massive difference, mainly because my subaru is not permanent by any means. will be looking for a headunit that is 100% MP3 player input, no need for anything else, maybe radio at most in it.

in addition, anyone here skilled in car stereo install?

thanks guys

[hippie metal]

I used to build/install systems for a living, along with rem starts alarms, etc. If there one thin I'm good at, its putting together a nice sounding setup with no more than maybe 1.5-2" of wiring showing.

What car are you trying to setup and whats your musical preference? Different setups work better with different genres

[HeavyMetal]

its my 2000 2.5RS Impreza. i listen to rock/alternative so thats a good starting point.

[hippie metal]

Ok, so your obviously (even though was already mentioned) not looking for super hard wompy bass hits.

It really depends if you want just a little extra thumpy, or if your really looking for some awesome clarity as well.

My personal favorite for the person that wants an all around awesome sounding setup but doesnt wanna spend thousands. Is the kicker 5 channel

http://www.sonicelectronix.com/item_...Fcyf4AodtW0AuA

will handle 4 interior speakers and a single 12. With the semi sealed trunk, it wont be too loud, and will minimize trunk space waste

[HeavyMetal]

is it unreasonable to want to have good sound at $500 total (maybe just minus headunit cost)?

All things considered, I have lived with base 90s era stereos in all my cars just fine. i dont need something that blows my mind, but would like an obvious definite improvement overall

honestly curious because i have 0 idea...and because its hard for me to justify spending a lot on a stereo

[hippie metal]

Also, pretty sure the speakers are 6.5 all the way around. You can use 5.25 which is what is called for, but they leave gaps and tend to rattle more than I like. Little to no (depending on speaker size/magnet) and 6.5 will fit perfect

[hippie metal]

is it unreasonable to want to have good sound at $500 total (maybe just minus headunit cost)?

Not really, it can be done. The way I usually look at it is that for another 200 you can replace all the speakers inside. Makes a LARGE difference in sound quality

Could be wrong, but IMHO interior speaker changes/amplifying them make a bigger difference than tossing in a sub/amp

[HeavyMetal]

lets call it 600 absolutely max right now budget. headunit and speakers, do i need a big external amp?

gonna need some serious hand holding here

[hippie metal]

No. You dont NEED and amp for interior speakers thats optional and from what I'm gathering, not needed for your application. If you want to throw a sub in you need an amplifier. I personally like kicker, I've always run them, mines like 7 years old and still running great. Personally, I'd start with all new speakers, a small amp/sub combo, and a radio.

If you really wanted to get it done, I could get the job done for/with in you in literally 2.5-3 hours. Its not hard at all

[HeavyMetal]

any suggestions on what speakers i should be looking at inside of my budget? and as a result, what headunit I need to back them up?

[hippie metal]

Pioneer is a good start, I have a pioneer in both my cars. Easy enough to use, they are reliable. One thing I would say, dont buy a head unit w/o the ability to put CDs into it.

Did a job for one kid that bought one of those, went to go tune it and couldnt, apparently, kids friends always bring CDs with them and get pissed when they cant play them

Speakers, other than kicker, Polk audio has always been pretty good. Havent dealt with any newer alpines, but I've always found them a little too "tingy"

[kracker]

rockford fosgate has great sound as well and wont break the bank either...ive got them in my zj w just a mp3/cd head unit from pioneer 52w/per channel.....you dont need an amp either just dont expect heart pounding bass but you can expect deep ,rich sound when listening to rock/alternative....and if you go to crutchfield.com you can get a whole plug and play system that sounds awesome for well under 500....and they give you instructions specific to your vehicle so youd have zero issues installing it ,too....if ya need a hand let me know as ive been an audiophile for quite some time ,too...

[04WranglerX]

I'd replace the head unit, upgrade the factory speakers and add 1 12" sub/amp. You can def get everything you need for under 600. I always used to buy everything new on ebay and it was always atleast 50% less than at stores. I always used Alpine, everything for the most part, we're into the same genre of music so I can tell you Alpine would also sound good for what you want.

[hippie metal]

rockford fosgate has great sound as well and wont break the bank either...

Magnets are too deep to fit in the doors of the 2.5

[Krazors001]

Check online sites for the equipment. Onlinecarstereo.com is good for pricing and probably cheaper than crutchfield.

I have all alpine in my jeep and have always enjoyed the sound and didn't pay more than $500 for the speakers and head unit.