hey...so my last paycheck came in and i wanna fork some out for a better sound system...maybe around 500, but flexible depending on how much i like things =P
i was thinking like...200 into the HU, 200 sub+box, 100ish amp? if thats not too unreasonable..
i am 100% pure noob at car audio...so i know nothing lol...my friend said he can help me install if i really need

i heard that the stock head unit sucks compared to aftermarkets, and it doesnt have a sub output...what i like in a head unit is internal CD player (obviously), USB port for a harddrive would be a really nice add-on, and maybe an ipod adapter...but i'd take a usb port over the ipod. also...the stock head unit is twice as big isnt it? wouldnt a single head unit look kind of awkward in there? i mean...theres just a hole in the middle of the car...any way to get around that?

i dont want to fork out alot of trunk space, if at all, because im still a college student and i move around ALOT...and i tend to use almost my whole car to take my stuff along...so i want a sub that takes little space. i am really leaning towards the edesigns' stealth box...good idea? do i have any other options? im not looking for something to shake the whole neighborhood...just something to add a nice kick in my car

and lastly...an amp? something to power the sub?


so in summary...because i kinda wrote alot...
500ish budget
head unit? usb preferred ($200)
how to deal with the hole in the dash?
sub? ($200)
amp? ($100)

 

1. you're not going to get a usb headunit for 200 bucks plain and simple
2. 200 for a sub + box is reasonable if you want one sub but 100 for an AMP?!?! dude you must be crazy
3. I know you're a "noob" but you need to really take the advice of people here, i've seen too many people have their wallet talk before they listen to us so take our advice. WITH THAT SAID here is what i would do.

HU - get a base end alpine. stay away from dual and pyle and all that crap and just get a good sounding headunit.

http://www.crutchfield.com/App/Produ...Alpine&tp=5684

is the one i would recommend.

for subs. being that you want to spend 300 for everything its very very low but i would look at getting a dayton ref 10. not the prettiest thing in the world but it has good sq and a lot of features.

http://www.parts-express.com/pe/show...number=295-462

or if you want something a little prettier that costs a bit more but has a bit more power and a bit more output check this out

http://www.edesignaudio.com/edv2/pro...products_id=34

NOW THE TOUGH PART

amp.

either way you'll need about 400 or so watts rms and this is the amp i would suggest this

http://www.edesignaudio.com/edv2/pro...products_id=45

like i said 100 for an amp is crazy low and you really don't want to get a cheapo amp. now with everything said and done thats about

650 so its a bit over your 500 but you'll really like the sound and they'll be incredible products.

I just read you liked the edesigns stealth box and yeah its a great package but you can get more output if you DIY. plus with their delay for home theatre stuff it'll take about 6-8 weeks for that so i recommend goign the route i suggested. don't buy crunch amps don't get cheap ____ and by all means don't settle with alpine type r stuff

 

HEY! Alpine Type-R isn't bad if you pair it to the proper amp and have the box tuned correctly. I've got two Type-Rs in a custom box with a single PDX1.1000(actual 1278 watts) and they HIT, sound damn good too. They are ok for the money seeing as how its almost another $300 to step up to the next level Type-X(which i will be doing soon), they are good budget woofers.

 

they sound horrible and are made horribly

 

Nebster, I have to disagree. Sonic Electronix has the Pioneer 6900UB for $199 and it's an awesome head unit WITH USB input. I use mine with a thumb drive and it works great.

The new 600UB supports it as well, but it a little more $$$.

Go with the 6900UB.

 

i would never buy a pioneer for sq oriented system.

 

If it were an 880PRS or the new 800PRS, you might change your mind. The 880, after fixing the grounding issues, was an awesome unit, and the 800 is supposed to be even better. I'm not sure what difference you'd be able to tell between the 800 and any other high end Alpine, Eclipse, etc. head unit.

IMO, Pioneer's top of the line Premier products are very SQ-oriented. And I own a 6900UB right now and it sounds great! Especially for a beginner. I'm only upgrading because I'm looking to go 3-way active and have time alignment options.

 

i've run a premiere headunit and its nothing compared to my alpine unit. i don't expect you to know because i'm sure you've never really explored other than what you have.

 

I have experience with Alpine and Kenwood and Pioneer. Although the Alpine and Kenwood weren't high-end by any means, they weren't noticeably "better" in sound quality than my Pioneer. Perhaps it was the application, environment, other aspects of the system, but I've recommended and installed Pioneer units in 4 other vehicles and the owners all love them.

How would you say your Alpine unit betters the top of the line pioneer premier?

 

how would i say mine is better than a pioneer premiere?

do you even know what i have?

 

Yes, how would you say it's better SQ-wise?

And no I do not, your profile says AVIC-D2, but I doubt you run that anymore since the tC is a past ride of yours and you run an Alpine now, supposedly.

 

this is an old school pic BUT



alpine dva 7996 and a alpine h701. basically i can control more stuff on that than you could with 3 of the 880's.

 

Pioneer's sound excellent. The 980, 880, and DEX-P9/ DEQ-P9, all have been in systems that have taken top honors at SQ competitions. They're just as capable as Alpine to sound good. Another option is Kenwood's "Excelon" lineup with their 24bit DACs. We've done a SQ H/U shoot-out, with the Alpine F#1, Clarion DRZ, Denon Z-1, Panasonic tube, Eclipse CD7100, McIntosh MX4000, Kenwood 001. Trust me, the results would surprise you!

 

Ahh, I commend you on the setup, the h701 is a very nice unit with a LOT of features. However, in a standalone head unit, would your Alpine 7996 stand up to an 800PRS? One v. One?

If the OP is looking for a standalone head unit, the 800 offers a WIDE range of features with very high quality sound. However, being limited to $200 on the head unit doesn't offer him much flexibility. And to obtain any USB control, which he wants, he needs to go with the 6900UB/6000UB or a comparable Clarion unit (crap) for that price range. I don't doubt that your Alpine setup sounds awesome, I know it does. But for a single head unit, the 800PRS is pretty kickass.

 

did i ever recommend the 7996 to him? no did i recommend one with a ton of features? no i recommended him a simple headunit thats going to get the job done and sound great at doing it. i don't think he'll need to play with slope, and eq'ing as he's just doing subs SO.

and yeah i'd take my 7996 over a 800 prs 1v1 because it has dvd and a ton of other features on it

 

The 980BT has DVD playback and all the features of the 800 audio-wise included. In the high-end market, most head units DO the same stuff. I only recommended the Pioneer 6900 because it has USB-input, which he specifically asked for, and just like the Alpine you suggested, it's great for beginners and has more adjustments, as well as having 3 pre-outs to get him started. Not to mention, it's probably the MOST feature rich unit you can pick up for $200.

 

guess i just had horrible experiences with my old pioneers and would never run another one.

 

I do admit, the older Pioneers were riddled with troubles, even including the early-on 880's with the grounding issue. However, when those issues were resolved, the units were great and *most* people loved them.

There's no doubt that Alpine makes great equipment, I run $500 worth of their amps in my car right now, but to meet the points that the OP wanted, the Pioneer is the best option, IMO.

Sorry for thread-jacking, fighting, all that. And I didn't mean to diss your credibility/opinions in any way nebster, I'm pretty sure you've helped out and commented in my threads in the past. Just wanted to get a point across.

 

i both love, and hate scionlife.

 

okay...i guess $500 was a bit low on a budget...its okay...lunar new year is coming up =D so you'd recommend around $650? and i dont REALLY need a usb input...i just thought it'd be super cool if i could plug in my harddrive and access all my music, but then i realized it'd be a giant hassle to dig through it all =(

i really wanted to make a sub box myself, because my friend said it'd be ALOT cheaper than buying one, but i know nothing about car audio...so that might be out of the question =(. plus it takes up a alot of room

my uncle's friend runs an car audio shop back at home, so when i head back, im probably going to stop by and take a look...maybe he can cut me a discount on something there =)