Car Audio

jcll2002 · #1 (**permalink**) 03-12-2007, 01:05 AM

I know someone here has custom audio gear in their ride.

I'm looking to improve the audio quality of my car. It has really weak base and the speakers are stock, but I'm pretty sure that I just need a better sub.

Also, I need an auxiliary line so I can plug in an mp3 player. How exactly would I go about doing both of these.

I obviously want to stay as cheap as possible. I'm an audiophile but I don't have that much $.

TIA.

oh, and can someone tell me roughly how much this all would cost? I'm a huge nubhat.

Tulkas · #2 (**permalink**) 03-12-2007, 02:56 AM

It would probably help if you put the make, model, and year of your car.

However, I think you will find much more help on a forum for your particular car. There are several out there, they may be just maker specific (i.e. all Honda's or all Toyota's).

jcll2002 · #3 (**permalink**) 03-12-2007, 10:50 AM

2005 Audi A4. I'll check audiforums.com

Dukefrukem · #4 (**permalink**) 03-12-2007, 10:58 AM

you mean like this?

jcll2002 · #5 (**permalink**) 03-12-2007, 11:11 AM

hells yeah! I see that you have it in the spare tire compartment. Is there plexiglass or something iver the sub? I have baseball bags and **** that i always put in the trunk.

How would you know if you want a 10" or 12" inch, ect? I really dont know anything about anything.

FuzzyLogik · #6 (**permalink**) 03-12-2007, 12:06 PM

Lol, don't have an amp, but rather happy with my pioneer stereo, bose tweeters (by the dash), diamonds in the front and kenwoods in the rear (if i remember right). work prefectly for the RMS i have...just never took the time to get an AMP installed to really use how much power my speakers can handle. But I got it with AUX inputs installed and that works fantastic as well. I think its funny when I see car commercials bragging about AUX inputs, not like its anything fancy or new. Most car stereos have 'em, you just need to have it installed (if that's even an issue). Probably only spent about 500-600 on everything.

Duke's looks sweet though... but i imagine its ...significantly more than what I spent (lol) but i'm sure the sound difference is significant as well

Hercules · #7 (**permalink**) 03-12-2007, 12:25 PM

Head to crutchfield (they have a website if you add . com). They have live support that is pretty decent at getting you what you need for whatever criteria you have. They also have carkits for about every make out there and pretty good DIY instructions. You can probably find better prices elsewhere but they are a good research stop.

DennyCrane · #8 (**permalink**) 03-12-2007, 12:33 PM

SHOP and get INFORMATION at Crutchfield... NEVER buy there. Extremely overpriced
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(Factory 12" sub in the rear deck FTW)

joe · #9 (**permalink**) 03-12-2007, 01:36 PM

crutchfield is very good if it's your first time with a do-it-yourself upgrade...especially if you know that you're going to be keeping the car for a while...the car-specific install guides, wiring harness and brackets are invaluable...

the problem with car audio, is that while you can get good value and performance by upgrading on the cheap, you really are sacrificing a lot of the benefits of the new hardware by not matching it with other high performance components...what I mean by that is you would definitely see (or rather hear) an improvement in audio if you upgraded your factory speakers, but they'll never come close to their full potential on the factory head unit simply because it cannot produce the necessary power/sound quality (EQ, etc) of an aftermarket unit...

subwoofers can be a stand-alone upgrade, if you have the right hardware already in place...the best way possible is if your head unit already has a pre-amp output (not really likely for stock factory models), you can do it without the pre-amp, but it's going to require some nasty wiring and is so much simpler with it...look to spend roughly $200-300 minimum for a decent sub and amp pairing (and you'll also probably need a wiring kit)...either a single 10" or 12" sub matched to the right box will give you plenty of bass, choose the 10" for a tighter sound, the 12" for more "boom"...

here's a quick rundown of possible prices you'd be looking at (can't give you exacts, because still need more info about your car):

head unit: around $200-300, pioneer has a very nice new model that features a USB input for any MP3 player (DEH-P6900UB)

speakers: around $70-120 a pair, look at the Polk db and Infinity Reference series

sub/amp: around $200-300, you can currently find specials on some boxed subs as the new model year is coming out (Rockford Fosgate PL1 and PL2 series comes to mind), pair one of these subs with a mono subwoofer amp rated in the recommended power range (watts RMS)

DennyCrane · #10 (**permalink**) 03-12-2007, 01:59 PM

It just occured to me... VW/Audi does a lot of funky stuff in their radio circuits.... like integrating it with their anti-theft system. I'd recommend you have a pro do ANY installation that involves the head unit.