HELP: picking out stereo.

reveille_83 · 08-08-2004, 02:44 PM

Hey all i'm looking to redo all the audio inside the ol' titan. i'm looking for suggestions from all backgrounds. i want loud. price is no object.

what do you suggest? thanks

mikeody2003 · 08-08-2004, 03:01 PM

I am thinking of the same. After looking all at the great stuff, suggestions, demos, and what everyone here has its hard to come up with one. For me I amthinking of getting two 10 in a streath box by jl audi they ahoule have it by the end of august with two RF amps or JL audio amps to pwr the subs and the componets all around. I just want a nice setup where I can still use the space to carry stuff and the quality is sencond to none. I dont want the truck to shake apart or the kids to be deaf lol thats my 2 cents.....

LordReed · 08-08-2004, 05:47 PM

Stealthboxes a nice and all...especially for looks. However, with a typical 4ohm load and the occasional 3 ohm....You wont get loud with these enclosures. I have redone my entire sound setup and what my local shop recommended (they have done multiple NFL, NBA, actors vehicles and said to be the best in my area), a custom enclosure under the rear seats. In my case it houses 2 Kicker 8" L7 speakers with about 460 watts on each from a Kicker 400.1 Mids/Highs were my choice and I could have gone extreme or budget and I chose Mid Extreme with the best Kicker Mids I could buy with a 600.4 running the show up front. I have an Alpine 7998 Head Unit with the Alpine XM receiver and it all makes for a very nice and clean look...And it gets LOUD. I have never heard 2 8's do anything like what these do in my truck (Crew Cab). Good luck with whatever you decide but with a custom enclosure you can dip those ohms down to 2 and get max preformance out of your Amps and Subs.

04TitanXECC · 08-08-2004, 07:08 PM

Subs are the biggest mystery out there! Look at the stuff i have below and that is an awesome set-up. Crisp cleen sound nomatter the type of music, and everything fits in the factory positions with minor mods. This system can be as mild or as wild as the volume knob lets it.

GETSOMZ28 · 08-08-2004, 07:38 PM

I would def get a high end Alpine deck.

peanutbutter · 08-08-2004, 08:18 PM

Elipse 8454
http://www.eclipse-web.com/index_cd.html
Probably the best sounding HU ever. Only heard it once, but the sound lasted forever. Very clean, and can get loud. They also offer some Nav, and DVD Hu's if you want to go that route.

Blaupunkt San Fran
http://www.crutchfield.com/S-8pJRXJa...&avf=N&search=
Another very clean HU.

Alpine 9835
http://www.crutchfield.com/S-8pJRXJa...&avf=N&search=
Very clean, and powerful. Overall one of the best.

Kenwood 7015
http://www.crutchfield.com/S-8pJRXJa...&avf=N&search=
Lots of options. Probably my next HU because I want a double din with DVD.

As far as everything else, research these names and pick out what you want. Sarka will also provide some good info. Focal (components), Rainbow Components, CDT Audio (components, subs), JL Audio (subs, amps), Image Dynamics (subs), Elemental Design (subs, amps), Adire Audio (components, subs), Resonant Engineering (subs), Hifonics (amps), JBL (amps), Phoenix Gold (amps, subs (Ti series only)), Infinity (components, subs).

Good luck, you have enough homework ahead of you.

Some of the above are not known, not sold at retail stores, and are not assembly line built. However, they are great sounding, reliable, and cheaper than comparable brands. Ask around and research and I am sure you will find what you like. Remember, if you are happy that is all that matters. Also, great sounding systems are all in the install. You can have a $5,000 system and get beat by a $400 system because of bad installs, I have seen it happen. Good luck, there is no best, just whatever sounds best to you and meets your budget.

TIsTAN · 08-08-2004, 10:21 PM

for me, i'm doing kenwood source units and amps with focal speakers. you can't go wrong with mainstream brands. rf is good bang for the buck. jl is always good. i like uniformity when i plan a system so i look at all options before picking a brand...ie, making sure the brand for sources has plenty of options like video/mp3/etc, all speakers being the same brand, etc. i guess i'm nuts like that!

Florida Titan · 08-08-2004, 11:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 04TitanXECC

Subs are the biggest mystery out there! Look at the stuff i have below and that is an awesome set-up. Crisp cleen sound nomatter the type of music, and everything fits in the factory positions with minor mods. This system can be as mild or as wild as the volume knob lets it.

You wouldn't happen to have any pictures of your sub box would you? I have my box designed on autocad right now and I can not figure out a way to get enough depth for the MKII's. I can get the MKI's to fit but it is snug with a mounting depth of 5.43". My design has the subs firing down, leaving approximately .75" of area for the excursion on the sub so it doesn't hit the floor, and leaving minimal amount of room behind the voice coil inside the box. I just can't get the sub to fit in my box. I am using diamonds specifications btw for the mounting depth which is 6.18". I am using a box that is 7" tall in the back and 8.5" tall in the front (outside dimensions) and it will be constructed of .75" mdf. Any insite would be appreciated.

Quote:

Elipse 8454
http://www.eclipse-web.com/index_cd.html
Probably the best sounding HU ever. Only heard it once, but the sound lasted forever. Very clean, and can get loud. They also offer some Nav, and DVD Hu's if you want to go that route.

I agree that this head unit is exceptional. I had one in my tundra for a very short time. However imo there were to many design problems I came across which were enough to make me get rid of it. First thing is the remote is HORRIBLE with regards to volume control. It takes a very long time to turn up and down with the rotary knob. What I mean by that is no matter how fast you spin the knob it still goes up very very slow. The volume adjustment increments are so small with the scale being based on a 0-75 or 100 (can't remember) it takes a very long time to adjust it to your preference or if your cell phone rings ect. Also if you are like me and listen to mp3 cd's constantly, you will be disapointed with the lack of a direct track selection. Lets say you are on song #12 and you want to skip to song #56 it is going to take a while because you have to seek to the song which is very frustrating especially since I replaced my Kenwood Excellon which had this feature with the Eclipse. The last thing is if you want to use the eclipse provided tuning speaker which basically allows the cd player to tune itself based on the vehicle accoustics you will have to plug in the speaker to the back of the cd player before you install it. Which means you will have this speaker installed on your cd player till you remove the cd player and un plug it. I replaced the Eclipse with a Pioneer Premier DEH-P960MP and I am very happy with this unit. It has excellent sounds quality. Lots of sound adjustments (similar to the Eclipse). Offers the same automatic speaker adjustment feature but the plug is on the front face that way you plug it in, get the player set up, then unplug it and put it away. It has direct track access so you can just put in a number on the remote and hit enter and it goes there.

As to the original posters question there are so many choices. From my own personal experience I recommend pretty much anything from Diamond Audio (subs, components, amps), Rainbow Audio (components), and Arc Audio (amps). I love my Rainbow 3 way components for my front stage and Arc amps are exceptional. I have also heard very good things about Image Dynamics (subs), eD (subs), Adire (subs), Zapco (amps), Focal (components), Dynaudio (components), and CDT but do not have first hand experience with any of them.

Make sure you use sound deadening during your install. It makes a very big difference in SQ and if you use enough your truck will be as quiet as a Lexus.

Good Luck!

smoketitan · 08-09-2004, 10:58 AM

yeah that kenwood doudble din is very nice--I wish alpine made one--- as I dont really like those flip out screeen decks--Im always worried about the motor or something breaking

peanutbutter · 08-09-2004, 05:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by smoketitan

yeah that kenwood doudble din is very nice--I wish alpine made one--- as I dont really like those flip out screeen decks--Im always worried about the motor or something breaking

Yeah, most manufacturers only give a 90 day warranty on the motor, and 1 year on the rest (read the fine print). Some brands may have changed this but that was policy about 8 months ago. I think Sammy posted a double din Alpine a while back in ths forum, but I think it was only sold in Japan.

Sammy Sandbag · 08-09-2004, 06:44 PM

Quote:

I think Sammy posted a double din Alpine a while back in ths forum, but I think it was only sold in Japan.

Yes, almost all the manufacturers offer double din, but mostly in Japan. Some of the Alpine DD decks are very nice, and all of them use English characters in addition to the Japanese. Problem is you'll have to either find someone over there to pick up one for real cheap or pay these import companies extra dough. I checked the suggested msrp on Alpines Japanese site and did a currency exchange rate calculator and was suprised at how inexpensive some of them were.

pciley · 08-09-2004, 07:19 PM

If you want to add subwoofers, the best quality subwoofers I have ever heard (for SPL our sound quality purposes) have to be the JL Audio 12W7s. They will sustain 1000 watts a piece bridged at 2 ohms, without breaking a sweat. Who knows what the MAX really is, though its stated at 3000 watts they will start to have problems. Not bad for a short excursion 12". They are very pricey, you can spend over $1200 just for a pair, but if money is no object... beware, these require 1.375 cubic feet each with 1" MDF. Basically, you have to not like your back seat very much.

12w7 data sheet:
http://www.jlaudio.com/subwoofers/pdfs/12W7_MAN.pdf

As for head units, everyone always debates between kenwood and alpine. I love pioneer, but not alot of people think they are the best, so I won't promote those as being the best to reduce flaming

. My favorite head unit out is the AVIC N1 also pricey at $1100.

Pioneer's AVIC N1 has multiple subwoofer and amplifier outputs that are programmable, has audio and video inputs and outputs, is a DVD VIDEO screen with NAVigation, and an accelerometer for measuring vehicle's performance.
The back of this head unit looks like a miniature version of my home audio reciever.
The deck also has Dolby Digital Surround (6.1 I believe, supports a front center channel for you audiophiles) and of course mp3 playback, external hard drive support (ie. mp3 player, etc)

SarkaZm · 08-09-2004, 08:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by peanutbutter

Elipse 8454
http://www.eclipse-web.com/index_cd.html
Probably the best sounding HU ever. Only heard it once, but the sound lasted forever. Very clean, and can get loud. They also offer some Nav, and DVD Hu's if you want to go that route.

Blaupunkt San Fran
http://www.crutchfield.com/S-8pJRXJa...&avf=N&search=
Another very clean HU.

Alpine 9835
http://www.crutchfield.com/S-8pJRXJa...&avf=N&search=
Very clean, and powerful. Overall one of the best.

Kenwood 7015
http://www.crutchfield.com/S-8pJRXJa...&avf=N&search=
Lots of options. Probably my next HU because I want a double din with DVD.

As far as everything else, research these names and pick out what you want. Sarka will also provide some good info. Focal (components), Rainbow Components, CDT Audio (components, subs), JL Audio (subs, amps), Image Dynamics (subs), Elemental Design (subs, amps), Adire Audio (components, subs), Resonant Engineering (subs), Hifonics (amps), JBL (amps), Phoenix Gold (amps, subs (Ti series only)), Infinity (components, subs).

Good luck, you have enough homework ahead of you.

Some of the above are not known, not sold at retail stores, and are not assembly line built. However, they are great sounding, reliable, and cheaper than comparable brands. Ask around and research and I am sure you will find what you like. Remember, if you are happy that is all that matters. Also, great sounding systems are all in the install. You can have a $5,000 system and get beat by a $400 system because of bad installs, I have seen it happen. Good luck, there is no best, just whatever sounds best to you and meets your budget.

Well how can I provide good info when you just gave it all out!!!

But really, the best info I can provide is what peanutbutter has already said...find a good installer! If you find a good one it usually will be safe to go with whatever he/she suggests (especially since money in not an object!) As far as decks go, Eclipse is a good option as is Alpine. Stay away from the Blau (sorry peanutbutter) I have one i'll sell ya...nice features, bad execution...I won't make that mistake again. Other Items:

Amps: Arc Audio, JL Audio, Polk (yep!), Zapco
Subs: Image Dynamics, JL Audio, Crystal,Elemental, Adire (SPL only!)
Component speakers: Focal, Rainbow, Crystal (cheap & good), Polk (momo's, don't laugh, I love Plok for some reason

)
Wire: Knuconcepts (good stuff & good price)

That's about it for now. Keep us posted, I love to se what people are installing.

Sarkazm

SarkaZm · 08-09-2004, 08:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pciley

My favorite head unit out is the AVIC N1 also pricey at $1100.

Looks like a very nice unit! If i didn't have the navi, I would strongly consider the AVIC!

Potroast · 08-09-2004, 09:42 PM

Stay away from anything Sony, Kenwood, Lanzar, Pyle, Profile, Dual, Pyramid, Audiobahn, or anything else you can get at Circuit City or Best Buy. Ask here, or at a car-audio forum before you buy! Always!

Eclipse heads sound great, but I've always had a problem with their QA and overall construction -- very poor. Alpine head units have always been excellent for me. I have also had GREAT success with the new Panasonic decks. I don't care for the pioneer or premiere gear. Sony head units are mediocre -- I recommend you avoid. Kenwood should always be avoided.

Amps : JL makes excellent monoblocks (for subs) Avionixx has excellent amps for subs, but I'm not a fan with their mains amps. Crossfire has some good stuff (like the TEK amps) Sony/Kenwood amps are absolute crap. Phoenix Gold has some decent stuff, not great, but not bad. PPI makes *excellent* amps for mains. Tsunami is good, but is really only re-branded Avionixx. McIntosh is great, but pricey. Mark Antony is highly recommended, as well. Post what speakers you're going with, and we can help better with amp choices.

As for components, I use CDT Audio. They're so awsome. JL has some decent components. MB Quart is always excellent. Polk Audio has some decent stuff. Infinity is good, although their highs seem harsh and the bass is lacking imho. Stay away from Sony, Pioneer, and Kenwood. Rockford Fosgate is really re-marked low-end MB Quarts -- but they're pretty good.

As for subs, JL's are good -- some say they're a little muddy, however. Elemental Designs is one of my favorites. Image Dynamics is good. Resonant Engineering is also quite good. CDT puts out good subs, but I'd take eD over most of them. Phoenix Gold has their Ti line, which is pretty good. Kicker gets lound, but their SQ is one of the worst -- stay away unless you want only SPL. Stay away from Audiobahn, Sony, Kenwood, etc.

I'm probably forgetting something. Remember, run questions past people that know what they're talking about before you buy!