Lead me out of the wilderness...

fred987634

Hi,

As a present to myself for my car turning 100,000 miles, I'm upgrading the factory stereo. (Cheaper than a new car!) To figure out what I need, I've been reading this forum and I've learned enough to be dangerous...but now I have questions. I know I'm asking a lot in one post - I'm using this as a way to organize my thoughts...so I'll appreciate any and all suggestions or directions to places where these questions are already answered.

My main question is just about brands for speakers and amps. I'm looking for warm, detailed sound - nothing super thumpy, nothing super bright - and I'm curious as to whether there are some obvious brands to lean towards. At home I have a B&K ST-140 and a small tube amp, and I'm very happy with both of those. Thoughts?

Second thing: I read where folks here do not use rear speakers. That one threw me. Do you folks use a sub? I faded my stereo system all the way to the front to test it and it seemed a little thin. I see the point - I listen to two-channel music at home - but what do you say to using high-end speakers in the front, and cheaper ones that reproduce low frequencies in the back to avoid needing a sub? Or is that a stupid idea?

Related to that: if I just keep the stock rear speakers can I run those off the head unit and the fronts off the amp, or is that dumb idea #2?

Last one: I would prefer a *plain* looking head unit, but it seems that those are not to be found. I was getting excited about Nakamichi for a while, but I read where they skip a lot. Other suggestions?

Thanks!

exalted512

fred987634 wrote: »

My main question is just about brands for speakers and amps. I'm looking for warm, detailed sound - nothing super thumpy, nothing super bright - and I'm curious as to whether there are some obvious brands to lean towards. At home I have a B&K ST-140 and a small tube amp, and I'm very happy with both of those. Thoughts?

Speakers...of course, Polk! Theyre going to give you a much smoother sound (as in, not bright) than most. As far as amps go, anything quality...RF, Alpine, Kicker, Polk Audio...theyll all work great. The new RP power series and Alpine's new series leave a very small imprint.

fred987634 wrote: »

Second thing: I read where folks here do not use rear speakers. That one threw me. Do you folks use a sub? I faded my stereo system all the way to the front to test it and it seemed a little thin. I see the point - I listen to two-channel music at home - but what do you say to using high-end speakers in the front, and cheaper ones that reproduce low frequencies in the back to avoid needing a sub? Or is that a stupid idea?

Related to that: if I just keep the stock rear speakers can I run those off the head unit and the fronts off the amp, or is that dumb idea #2?

4 speakers coming from all different directions, at all different distances is terrible for sound quality. Especially since youre not centered in the front anyway.

And yes, most everyone here runs subs. At 6.5" midrange speaker just doesnt cut it for 80hz and lower. You could certainly run 6.5" midbasses on the rear deck in the factory locations, just make sure you do some sound deadening. Since most radios dont have the ability to low pass the rear speakers, I would get an amp. A 4-channel would def. do the job. You can get midbass speakers for cheap at www.partsexpress.com. If theyre in the back deck, look for something with a butyl surround.

fred987634 wrote: »

Last one: I would prefer a *plain* looking head unit, but it seems that those are not to be found. I was getting excited about Nakamichi for a while, but I read where they skip a lot. Other suggestions?

Thanks!

I'm fond of this one:
http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/PUSA/Products/CarAudioVideo/In-Dash/CD-Players/Pioneer/DEH-P5100UB
-Cody

fred987634

But can a sub really go as *high* as 80hz? Seems like you'd have a dead spot beneath the speakers and above the sub.

Meanwhile, I haven't had very good luck getting a sub to blend well in my home system. It keeps saying "here I am, a subwoofer."

exalted512

Yea, subs can go up to 125 linearly, as long as theyre decent subs. The issue there is you start pulling your sound stage behind you.
-Cody

tk421

yo can also get 6" subs from certain manufacturers. use them on the rear deck if u dislike a speaker box in your trunk. fabricate an enclosure to get a MUCH better response from these woofers.