Head unit and speaker selection

GSpeed

Hello!
I'd like to upgrade my OEM (2002 Galant) head unit and speakers. The existing size speakers, head unit are as follows;

-Head unit is DIN size
-Front speaker location and size: lower front door panel, 6.5"
-Rear speaker location and size: rear deck, 6x9

I would like to use the existing speaker locations without external amp. What information is needed so components complement one another. Do the aftermarket speakers and head unit have to match my OEM head unit and speakers (ohns,watts etc.) due to existing wiring? If not, how do I select aftermarket head unit and speakers?

For example, I've been researching a head unit I like with the following specs;
-Maximum power output 212 watts (53W

eloplayspolo

alright, just start from scratch.

The head unit u are talking about sounds like sony and i would stay away.

Go alpine or Premier(Pioneer)
If u like an ipod i recomend the Alpine 9885, i love it, a few other guys in the forums have it.

As far as speakers u cant go too high end because u are powering them off the headunit, anything high end would almost be a waste.

for the front doors u want at least somthing that is 3way, 4 way is even better.
I had these in my old civic powered off the headunit and they sounded very very good, im only recomended these because i have heard them and they produce clean highs and decent mids. http://www.cardomain.com/item/PIOTSA1682R?vq_id=none

For the rear, i would never usualy do this, but my buddy has some sonys in there and the mids and base is amazing. I HATE SONY, but they sound great running of his headunit. I will prob get flammed for telling u that.
http://www.cardomain.com/item/SONXSV690HP?vq_id=none

As far as the wiring, your good, just get a harness and u are all set, u may need some converters for the speakers themselves, go to a circuit city or whatever is near u and they will tell u.

GSpeed

eloplayspolo, thanks so much for your reply. The head unit is actually the Clarion DXZ775USB and the front and rear speakers are Infinity Referance two way. As per your your reply I should go with a three or four way deign, yes? The rear 6x9 are two way design, which should be fine, yes? Now what about RMS power? Is this setup okay regarding these specs oe is this something I need not worry about? Again, thanks for taking the time to reply.

black magic

your setup sounds good, but like eloplayspolo said, getting high end speakers is a complete waste unless you're looking to get an amplifier to power them in the future. imo there is really no point in getting good speakers if you're not going to be able to use them like they're meant.

Clarion makes decent decks, but if I were to buy a new one, I'd get an Alpine, Kenwood or Pioneer. But for now, my panasonic will do

GSpeed

With regard to using "high end" speakers, should I just install the Clarion unit using existing OEM speakers? If not, what speakers would you suggest I use? Thanks again.

eloplayspolo

Same ones i recomended. and yeah 4 ways in the front will get u a fuller sound. I would stay away from a clarion deck, they are pretty **** imo, im all about alpine or premier.

eloplayspolo

GSpeed wrote: »

eloplayspolo, thanks so much for your reply. The head unit is actually the Clarion DXZ775USB and the front and rear speakers are Infinity Referance two way. As per your your reply I should go with a three or four way deign, yes? The rear 6x9 are two way design, which should be fine, yes? Now what about RMS power? Is this setup okay regarding these specs oe is this something I need not worry about? Again, thanks for taking the time to reply.

First part, Infinity is good, but i would go kappa and run an amp on them, at least, low end stuff is decent, but not worth the money. and yes 2 way in the rear is fine, u just need mids and bass in the back if u arent using subs.

For the RMS, u are going to pretty much find the same rms on headunits, notice all alpine, pioneer and kenwood decks are from 18-20 RMS, none of theat **** 22 rms like sony or clairon have. I found that on my pioneer deck that it made my speakers that wernt amped sound great, and i had the abilty to control lots of functions such as High Pass, Low pass for front and rear speakers which helps alot, your car will sound good if u tune it correctly and go with somthing simular to the setup i gave u.

GSpeed

Thanks again for your suggestions. I wont be using any additional amps or other components, just four speakers and a head unit. Has anyone tested or know anything about the Alpine iDA-X001? Maybe I'll search that out rather than the Clarion.

eloplayspolo

its a cool unit, i dont think its worth the money, i hate that it doesnt have a CD player even though u have your ipod, u wills till miss it. Also, nexts years model is suposed to support video, and i would be pissed off if it came out in the next few months. The sound quality is what alpine effed up on, its not your typical alpine unit, u arent connecting it to a amp so u wont notice the low voltage preouts of 2v, but still, its kinda BS.
the Alpine 9885 is what im using now, its the same speed as that unit, and i really like it. Check out the 9887 though, its the same price as the x001 but freaking amazing looking.

black magic

i'm waiting for a newer version of the x001 or something similar from alpine. I'll be using that just for the ipod, then i'd like to get a dvd/navigation unit.... for those rare occasion that i'd want to play a cd.

GSpeed

eloplayspolo, I agree about not being able to play cd's. After thinking about it, I'd have to keep a device with me at all times. To bad there's not a head unit available that could download and store mp3's for playback. Does the Alpine CDA 9885 have a USB connection as well or just the iPod connection?

GSpeed

The Pioneer Premier DEH-P880PRS does seem nice overall. I'm trying to figure out the differences between the Pioneer DEH-P6900UB and the Pioneer Premier DEH-P690UB. The P6900UB seems somewhat better. I believe all three units use a "pigtail" connection and not a USB outlet directly to the unit face itself for USB devices.

eloplayspolo

funny u mention the 6900 i used to have one, i like the search features on the alpine much more, i also find the text easier to read on the alpine which is one of the reason i got it. As far as the preimer and pioneer, on most units u will find that holding it in your hand, u will feel a diffrence.
the alpine is a direct cord which right now i belive is free at most authorized dealers.

As far as headunits that store files, some do, i know of a sony one that has 2gb or 4gb of storage i belive and its like 250 bucks only.

GSpeed

So, does the USB cord connect to the rear of the Alpine CDA9885? How did you go about routing it to the front after installing it? I understand this will vary vehicle to vehicle, but curious. So you would choose the Alpine over the other three Pioneer units? Also, browsed Sony units, but didn't see any models that saved mp3's to unit (Sony CDX - GT81UW, CDX -GT61OUI, CDX-GT41OU)

eloplayspolo

i ran it into my glove box. and yes it connects in the rear.

Here is the sony - http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/Sony-In-Dash-CD-MP3-Player-MEX1GP/sem/rpsm/oid/143908/catOid/-13089/rpem/ccd/productDetail.do
its 1gb of flash memory.

black magic

I'm not a huge fan of Sony. I like all of their electronics, except for their car audio stuff. I keep myself away from that line.

GSpeed

Thanks for posting the link about the Sony MEX-1GP eloplayspolo. It seems to offer a lot for the price. I myself never really had or thought about a Sony head unit. I'll research it further, but may end up with a Pioneer. eloplayspolo, I assume you would take the Alpine CDA9885 over the Pioneer models mentioned? Also, with regard to selecting head unit and speakers, do all components need to be the same impedance? All 2 or 4 ohms, or can the head unit be 2 ohms, rear speakers be 4 ohms and front speakers be 2 ohms?

eloplayspolo

your good with any impedance for head unit power, and yes alpine over pioneer especialy, but premier also.

GSpeed

Thanks again. So the impedance rating of each component doesn't make a differance, great! I can get a good deal on Infinity Kappa 63.7i 6.5 speakers(3-way, like you suggested) for the front, but have a 2 ohm impedance rating. The Infinty 6x9 speakers I have for the rear are 4ohms.

eloplayspolo

prob not even worth getting kappa if u are running off the head unit, but if they are that cheap, go for it.

Jack from Indo

Why you would be thinking of spending enough money to buy good speakers and a good head unit, but not adding a $100 amp, at the very least? Boggles my mind.

To not give good speakers and HU an amp is like buying yourself a champion race horse and then feeding it cat food.

You obviously are looking for good sound, so, duh, that's what amps are for, not necessarily for higher volume.

GSpeed

Ok then, any suggestions on what amp may go well with this setup?

black magic

a four channel amp that puts out the required amount of power. Usually anything between 50 and 100 watts per channel is good...

Like the c400.4

There's a ton of good amps out there, just do some shopping around and do your own research. Don't take people's words on everything. And remember, 9 times out of 10, you get what you pay for.

eloplayspolo

http://www.cardomain.com/item/MTX704X
http://www.cardomain.com/item/INFREF5760AZ
http://www.cardomain.com/item/ROC06P4504

Some good deals i found.

GSpeed

black magic and eloplayspolo, thanks for your replies. You've been most helpful and I appreciate it.

black magic

np.

Nice find! that rockford is a pretty solid deal.

Greg Peters

eloplayspolo wrote: »

your good with any impedance for head unit power, and yes alpine over pioneer especialy, but premier also.

Actually, it's not a great idea to run 2 ohm components off head unit power- many become unstable and shut down. There are even cases of internal head unit amplifiers being damaged from attempting to run 2 ohm loads off of them. If you're sold on 2 ohm components, go with an external amplifier that puts out the required power at 2 ohms.

As for Kappas, I cringe when anyone recommends Infinity components or coaxials. I've had some, and did not like them...your results may vary .

GSpeed

Thanks for your input Greg (regarding 2 & 4 ohms).

GSpeed

Well, recieved and installed the Pioneer P6900UB however, the faceplate doesn't ope to allow insertion of cd's (it's not hitting the trim/dash). Anyone experiance the same thing and if so, what did I do wrong? May just return unit.

black magic

Could you explain that a bit betteR? I don't really understand what you mean. Is it a motorized faceplate?

eloplayspolo

that unit shouldnt be motorized, it should have a button on the bottom right i think.