TransAm12sec

Hey I'm 15 with a stock 82 TA. I'm looking for a decent system to have fun with where ever I go. Not looking to impress any one, but a nice system. I've read the tech article and was thinking about starting out with a pioneer deck from best buy because I heard they have free instalation. I don't want to spend more then 200 on a deck, maybe less if possible. What kind of deck would be a good choice for my suituation and what else would be required for a deck only. I'll step up to speakers later. ty all

mudaholic

try to get a kenwood or an alpine, or maybe a jvc... pioneers are alright, but you should be able to install it yourself pretty easily. i wouldnt pick a headunit just because it comes with a free install...

tamu130

go with the pioneer but i would suggest that is the premiere series. other wise, its not really worth it. best buy does have free installation but expect to pay about $45, give or take, for the parts they will charge you for (wire harness, antenna adapter, etc). they will charge you for those so in actuality, its not really free installation. dont try to figure it out, just know how much its gonna be going in.

Berlinetta00

As far as head units, think of what features you might want later. If you think that you will install a disc changer, get one with controls for it. If you want to install an amp later, think about how many pre-outs you want in it. If you are just thinking an amp to one or two woofers/subs, 1 preout is fine. If you want to install both mid and low range systems in the future, 2 pre outs will allow the simple installation of a four-channel amp. As far as quality goes, just make sure that the thing has a warranty, and is not about to break (ask specific questions to those who have one, see if you can play with it). I went with a Pioneer, and cose a low model one, with 2 pre outs for addition of more mid-range speakers. I did not need a high power internal amp, because I was going to run dual 240 watt 4 channel amps off of it to all the 10 rear speakers. Think it over, but defenitly try and do the install yourself.

HamSpiced

Do it yourself its a breeze. youll spend like maybe 20 bucks on the install kit and the wireharness if you want easy wireing. its so easy. dont get panasonic they are ****. at least my experiences with them have been. i know what it was like to be 15 and cheap so ill give you some pointers. for an amp i bought a cheap Legacy off of an online source. the amp was 114 shipped. i still have it today and im 19 it was an excellent amp (3 years aint much but for the hype people give me about legacy). second you can buy the custom camaro box that fits the hatch or you can buy a truck box for the well. i had a truck box pushing a 12 for a while. second if you want quality over quantity go on e-bay and spend about 50 bucks for a new Infinity Refference. you can slowly upgradfe to the Perfects as you get older

mids - Infinity

6x9's - Infinity

TransAm12sec

Pioneer does not come with free instalation, all head units do. Guess I worded that wrong. Just by listening pioneer sounds like it's not a good choice. So would Kenwood or Alpine be a good choice under $200?

I am sure I will not want a disc changer in the future, but I am sure I will want at least 1 sub. My friend said he would sell me his 2 10 inch subs 350 watt for $50. Either that or I buy a new one. I am not sure what type of amp is needed and how to choose. I plan to get 4 new speakers to replace the stock ones in the stock position. Once again, nothing special for speakers but something nice. That is my idea and I will stick to that. Can a deck be bought under 200 for this setup?

mudaholic

generally alpine and kenwood make very nice, quality headunits. if i were you i would get the more expensive of either of those brands that you can afford.. the two brands have very different and distinct faces and button layouts, so just find one that you like..

MartyMcFly

Generally, you can't go wrong with Pioneer or Kenwood. I've never known anyone with an Alpine, but I've never heard anything bad about them either. I'm with the others about self-installation. You should have no problem as long as you are careful.
More Advice:
Shop around as much as possible. I cannot stress that enough. When I was looking at 6x9's I looked around online and in stores for weeks and eventually found a price on the ones in my sig that was almost $100 cheaper than anywhere else. I got them through ikesound.com, btw.
Good Luck on your system, you better post pics when it's done.

Jim85IROC

iTrader: (2)

In the sub-$200 range, any brand name deck is going to probably be fine. For the most part, although everybody has their favorite brand, it doesn't matter much. The only stuff I'd specifically avoid is JVC (except their Digifine series - that stuff is fantastic) and Any Sony X-plod stuff. It lives up to it's name. Other than that, any brand name (Eclipse, Alpine, Kenwood, Pioneer, etc) will be fine. Stay away from the cheap stuff like Jensen, Aiwa, and the other 2000 cheap brands. Every one of them has 1 or 2 guys here that likes them, but for the most part they are made very cheaply and do not offer quality nor durability.

I would then suggest that you install it yourself. It's easy, and it's a great way to learn what you're doing. The only difficult part of the whole installation for a beginner is crimping the wires on the radio harness to the adapter harness that plugs into the stock wiring. If you take your time, and tug on each connection after you make it, you'll be fine. Then you'll have that satisfaction of having done it yourself, and down the road you'll already be familiar with the process.

firebirdpl

spend a little more on a quality deck if your not gonna do an amp right away get soemthign like an alpine 7893 or soemthing, very good deck highly recmmoened it

Jim85IROC

iTrader: (2)

I disagree. I feel that the head unit is one place where you can really overspend if you're not careful. Don't buy a $400 Kenwood with the expectations that it's going to sound better than a $150 kenwood. In reality, it won't. You're paying for 10,000 bells and whistles. If these bells and whistles are of use (or interest) to you, then by all means consider it, but if you're just looking for a basic deck to be the starting point of a relatively basic stereo system, keep your head unit budget low and divert that extra cash into better speakers. Better speakers will give you the best bang for the buck improvement in overall sound quality.

I just re-read firebirdpl's post. I guess I can't say I totally disagree. The point that he was trying to make is that a deck like the 7893 will provide additional power output than other decks, which can be an advantage if you don't plan to amplify soon, although you are likely to pay a good bit more for the higher powered decks.

82camaro

So often around here I see a killer cd player/deck and stock blown speakers. Sounds terrible. Then they add a cheapo(overrated)amp and subs. Then they wonder why my 7 year old plain Pioneer CD player, Pioneer speakers, ancient Punch 40 amp and single sub sound better So, getting a killer deck is fine IMO if you follow it with good stuff too.
I've had really good luck with pioneer stuff

83Firebird420

A friend of mine said that pioneer speakers and subs blow easily...i found that out after i bought my pioneer stuff...is this true?

1982chevycamaroz28

i got a pinoerr headunit for 179.99 at work(pepboys), then i got a 400watt 4 channel jensen amp, a 200 watt 2 channel jensen amp, 6x9'' pinoerr rear speakers, a jensen bandpass sub box with 2 10's in it and all the wireing for it. everything cost me probably 800 bucks and that was with a 50 bucks i gave to our master tech becuz he put it all in for me.

and be carefull removing ur old headunit , a few of the wires on the old crappy headunit i got grounded then selfs out and fried the crappy rampage cd player i had. oh well it was gettin replaced.

firebirdpl

thats exactly what i meant youw ant to buy a good deck so you dont have to replace it later if you need mroe pre outs and stuff besides you can get away without a speaker amp wihtout it

TransAm12sec

ok so I've been looking around some sites and talking to some friends. One friend says he would install everything, and I'm sure I could watch and help. He said to get a deck and he'll get speakers, a sub or 2, and an amp for a much cheaper price and I would pay him at the end. idk how much he knows, but that sounds like a good idea after alot of you telling me to install it myself.

Another friend said I wouldn't get anything nice from kenwood and such for under $200, and he said to go with pioneer.

idk why but I was thinking about a Kenwood KDC-319.ike sound The faceplate looks pretty good imo. I was thinking of going with Kicker speakers for to replace the front and rear.4x6 and 6x9 and haven't looked into subs or amps yet.

Would this be a good choice?

Oh and what are some more websites that carry these products?

DISTURBthePEACE

Around the begining of march I will have a sony CD Player, amp, and aluminum 12 for sale. If your really not looking to impress anyone, this will do fine. I'd let it go for around $300 + S&H. But it wont be till around the beginning of march, so if you can wait, I think I could give ya a good deal it. The sub comes in a box (not the greatest box, but it works). the amp is a 760 2 channel sony that bridges to run 380 watts rms into the sub which is a sony aluminum cone 12" that can take 400 rms and 1200 peak. They work together great.

CD Player...its bout a year old


At night


I don't have a pic of the sub in the box, so the first pic is the sub (its the silver one, not the red one) and the second pic is the box in the well...the box is outta my old S-10 so it is a truck box, it'll work great till you could build a new one



Amp...The only thing wrong with it is that I had a "meltdown" and the ground wire is hard to get tightened down, I can get a pic of it if you want. It doesnt affect the workability of the amp in any way.


PM or email me if interested, and maybe we can work somethin out.

tamu130

no offense to anybody but stay away from the sony stuff. bout the only good car stereo stuff they make is their 4channel amps (which is not always the case either).

make sure you know what your friend is buying before it happens. you dont want to get stuck with something you dont want.

DISTURBthePEACE

Hey tamu, you post that after I posted or just happened to post as I was? If he's not looking for anything big and powerful then sony will do just fine. I've ran it for a couple years with minimal problems.

tamu130

it was after. your right, it wouldnt be that bad but its also used equipment and sony has a rep of crappin out even new ones. if its cheap though, go for it, but dont expect anything special except for some pretty lights.

HamSpiced

ok dude let me help you out..

PANASONIC(Not Pioneer) - my personal opinion is they suck. my headunit has been repaired two times and each time about 3 months later the face plate just goes dead.

Kenwood - excellent stuff and here is an e-bay auction for an excellent cd-player mp3 and all that jazz. this is the one i am considering, and i usualyl research my stuff.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...category=18798

that one is under 200 and a decent buy. i personally am leaning towards the KDC-x859 but it depends how much money i get to blow. anyway i think kenwoods are excellent.

tamu130

if you are gonna get a pioneer, make sure its the premiere series. Hamspliced-was your's a premiere or not? just curious. if its a kenwood, go with an excelon. they are gonna be more expensive but well worth it for the lower cost ones. pioneer and kenwood base models are more or less crap. thats not completely true but its best to just stick w/ the higher grade models.

TransAm12sec

Soo, it would be a better idea to get a Kenwood eXcelon KDC-X459 instead of a Kenwood KDC-319 30 dollars isn't much, but would it be worth it?

I don't think I would like to buy used equipment, but I'll definitely keep you as an option. I would like to see explore some more and check more prices.

HamSpiced

the pic i posted has mp3 capabilities and is not used man it is new read the auction.

i made an edit it is panasonic that i have sorry im not in the right mindset. i have no experience with pioneer sorry for the confusion.

tamu130

i think he was talking about disturb's stuff being used, not yours.

i would say for $30, go w/ the excelon. it will most likely sound better, play cds better, and last longer.

TransAm12sec

It looks like a sub and amp will take me over my budget. When looking at speakers I was thinking about infinity, but then thought I would need an expensive amp to power them. I'd like to get Infinitys 4x6 faceplate, but am not sure what is needed to power it. If that is too expensive, I was thinking about the kicker K46

Any suggestions?

mudaholic

infinity speakers will sound very nice off your deck power, and you can always upgrade with an amp in your system later when you have a litle more money.

MartyMcFly

Refer to Jim85IROC's post above about getting the premium decks. I, for one, am in total agreement with him. But it's all up to you. You could check them both out on Crutchfield.com since they give you lots of info in easy to understand language. However, I would not advise you to buy from them as they are overpriced. Basically the only difference between the two is that if you go with the kdc-x459, you're gonna get three preamp out puts, whereas a kdc-319 will give you one. Three is overkill for most people.

Jim85IROC

iTrader: (2)

One thing to consider though... if you plan to run your 4x6 speakers off of deck power, having a deck that allows you to run a high-pass signal to the front speakers would be a HUGE benefit. Incase you don't know what a high-pass signal is, it's one that's had the bass filtered out. A lot of new decks have built in crossovers for the speakers, and I highly reccomend that you find one with that feature if you're going to use deck power for the front speakers. I'm not terribly familiar with a whole lot of the new decks, but I don't think it'll be hard to find some under $200 that have it.

TransAm12sec

I was talking to a friend and he said Infinitys are made for marine use. He gave me some suggestions for amps and a sub. PROFILE CALIFORNIA
Legacy
DAYTON 12"

He also suggested the book Auto Audio, Choosing, Installing, and Maintaining Car Stereo Systems and that after I read it, I will know a drastic amount of info.

I'm debating over the Kenwood excelon X459 and an Alpine 7893

I like the looks of the kenwood, but I think its a better to go with the alpine because I won't get an amp for speakers for some time.

DISTURBthePEACE

Profile: No
Legacy: No No
Dayton 12": never heard, no comment

Go with the Alpine CD Player, its the same one im getting. Your gonna need a 200w amp wiring kit for the CD Player though, cuz Alpine recommends not using factory wiring cuz its not good enough. Im even getting mine from ikesound.com too! (along with a second 12" Type-R, 2100.1 JBL amp and P80.4 JBL amp )

HamSpiced

infinities have been made for marine use, home stereo and car stereo, i personally think they are the best subs on the market. your friend needs to do some better research Legacy are cheap amps but they work great. i love mine. go with kenwood, they have an awesome reputation and beautiful headunits.

mudaholic

no offense but i dont think your friend knows what hes talking about. that might very well be a good book, but the plethora of information available on this forum will be much more beneficial to you i think. if you have a question, ask; there are sooo many incredibly knowledgeable people on this board. take advantage of it

firebirdpl

definitly go with the alpine 7893 great unit, a little harder to wire becuase you have to run a line directly to the battery but well worht the effort expecially without an amp. infinity speakers and subs are great, i use alpine's in my car you jsut got to be careful in front dash becuase some speakers magnets are too large.

spartyon

i love my pioneer 7400. its great. the only problem is i get caught watching the "MOVIES" rather than driving. lol i think its a really good deck. stay away from jvc like jim 85 said. i have a friend who went through 3 jvcs and one of them being the highest elkalmelion from the 2001 set

di11avou

iTrader: (1)

I've had very good luck with Pioneer headunits. I've had mine for about 3 years and never had any problems with it. Still sounds great. My brother got a Premier about a year ago and loves it. I've heard good things about Alpine too.

As for speakers, definately get rid of the crap factory ones. I'm very happy with my Infinity Kappa's (no they don't just make marine stuff). And my brother's Infinity Reference subs sound great and are reasonably priced. Good luck with your system.

Jim85IROC

iTrader: (2)

Profile and Legacy is crap... especially Legacy.

I've never heard the Dayton speakers, but they seem to be VERY popular with the home theater crowd. From everything I've heard, they are a very, very good subwoofer that just doesn't have the type of media hype that Kicker, Rockford, etc. seem to get.

HamSpiced

eh, everyone has their own opinions of what they like. i have had my 1200w legacy for 3 years and 3 different cars, i thas never assed out on me and it sounds great. if your low on prices buy a legacy (red series) i think its worth it.

Jim85IROC

iTrader: (2)

Have you ever owned a Rockford, Kicker, PPI, or Orion amp? I used to think my Profile amp was nice until I had the opportunity to own better stuff... and not necessarily more expensive stuff.

HamSpiced

sure did. I had a rockford fosgate 301s quite a while ago. i had it pushing two jensens in a sealed bandpass. the fosgate was alright but i didnt like it. for the price i paid i expected much more out of a name brand amp. i think rockford has awesome subs but i am not a fan of the amp. keep in mind im not saying Legacy is *** cause i know they arent i am jsut saying to a cheap 15 year old a legacy will be easy on his budget and will also be able to handle the stuff he pulls. i didnt mean to upset you. my friend had an orion amp and he didnt like it too much. he has a really nice MTX amp now.

Jim85IROC

iTrader: (2)

I just looked up the specs for the 301s. 75x2 for $200 (all this from a 30 amp fuse. ). I guess Rockford is playing the million-watts for $5 game now too. I haven't had the misfortune of using any of Rockford's 2003 line of equipment. The rockford stuff that I'm familiar with is a lot different than this crap. My 360a2 is rated at 90x2 and is a hell of a lot more amp than that 301. Oh well. I guess I'll scratch Rockford off my christmas list.

82camaro

I like the rockford amp I have, but it's old. A puch 40 DSM. Says 20w x2 on the bottom of the amp. The test sheet that came with it shows 98w x2 rms. Back when I had a 'better' system, I ran it bridged to 2 4ohm subs in parallel--never overheated and still works great today. But, who knows if the rockford stuff is any good today.

HamSpiced

yea, compared to my legacy that fosgate sucked. however i love the fosgate speakers. i dunno some companys should just stick to certain components. sony just shouldnt make subs.

AJ_92RS

I have that same amp, but the 100 DSM.

It was ~$400 and is 50x2. However that's a 11.5V. At 14.4V, it says ~400 watts into one 4 ohm load. That would explain why I keep blowing $80 subs. :sillylol:

I've had mine since '91 (I think). Never had a problem. Although, as Jim said (about the 30 amp fuse) I HAVE TO USE a 60 amp fuse when it's bridged. I've used an inductive amp meter with it cranked at idle, and it pulls up to 54 amps, and that's based on the digital multimeter keeping up. It may have peeked even higher.

If anyone is refering to SQ, then a GOOD amp is the way to go. Although I have to admit, I'm rather impressed with some things names like Jensen and Profile are doing these days. They're now using out-dated equipment, but it's a lot better than say 5 yrs ago.

I put a Jensen MP3 player in my wife's car about 3 months ago and no problems. The SQ is actually pretty good, and it was $160. My buddy just put a Profile 50 x 4 in his '85 Monte Carlo, and it actually sounds like it's putting out that much power. The imaging sucks, but he's also using 3 1/2" fronts in the dash, so that don't help.

I can't say the same for Pyramid, Legacy, Boss, Rockwood, Kenford, etc. Some of those names are as bad as Prolong, Duralube, and the Ding King. They sound neat, but don't do what they claim.

zer0321

Legacy always gets a bad rap....

I'm pretty happy with my legacy amp, it does it's job well and for the price, I'm extremely happy!

I've had some similar Alpine & Rockford Fosgate amps, haven't really noticed a difference while pushing a set of kicker comp c10s.....and the legacy amp has a adjustable remote control, and I paid about 1/2 of what I paid for the others ($70 vs. $120-130), granted I'm sure there alot better (build&sound quality) amps out there, I really don't think it was a waste of money.....

TransAm12sec

Ok, one thing I would like to know is if it would be ok to run the Kenwood eXcelon KDC-X459 with Infinity 4x6s and Infinity 6x9s without an amp. An if one is needed, what kind of amp should I get? This deck is my favorite for looks. For subs, I will not purchase until much later, but it will be a single 10 inch, because I would like to keep some of the well space.

firebirdpl

it will sound ok the alpines have significantly more power then almost all decks out there

TransAm12sec

ok a couple more q's. Where can I get a wiring kit for both decks and speakers? I'll worry about subs later. I'm not sure what its called but where can I get that plastic cover that goes around the deck and fills the open space?

Ty all very much. idk what I would have been getting if I didn't ask here.

HamSpiced

9 bucks almsot anywhere its called an installation kit. or a mount kit (murrays k-mart, bestbuy, circuit city)

chevkid

i am 15 and have already had a cheap system, a used pioneer deck,pioneer 4x6s and pioneer 6x9s(used) and 2 8ohm 12"MTX subs on a plate in the rear (bad idea) with a Radion(?) 400 watt 4 channel amp powering everything. it was loud and thats all I can say about it. i got rid of all of it and now have a Alpine 7893 and Infinity kappa 3way 6x9s. And when i get more money I will get some kicks and components for the front. And eventully a couple amps and a 10" sub. Its hard not to just go out and buy the less expensive stuff so you have a "complete system" but I figure i can just wait and keep saving my money for higher quality stuff. I suggest kenwood,Pioneer and Alpine. I personaly like the way the Infinity speakers sound but it is personal prefrance. Do lots of research and listen to what it sounds like in peoples cars before you pick because you will have to live with it.