Aaron Silverman
Senior HTF Member
Hi gang,
Unfortunately/ fortunately, I'm going to have to replace my car. I am almost certainly going with a Mazda 6S. Driving the car is great, but the base stereo is feeble and very few cars seem to have the Bose upgrade (note: I would NEVER put Bose equipment in my house, but IMO they do car audio OK ).
So I'll probably get a car with the base stereo and spend a few hundred bucks for a new unit and speakers. But I don't know anything about car stereos. What are brands to look for and to avoid? Is a $400 stereo that much better than a $200 stereo? I don't really care about satellite radio or anything; just a receiver and CD deck will be fine (although cassette would be nice). What's a decent amount to spend on speakers? Would it be worth just replacing the speakers instead of the whole unit?
Unfortunately/ fortunately, I'm going to have to replace my car. I am almost certainly going with a Mazda 6S. Driving the car is great, but the base stereo is feeble and very few cars seem to have the Bose upgrade (note: I would NEVER put Bose equipment in my house, but IMO they do car audio OK ).
So I'll probably get a car with the base stereo and spend a few hundred bucks for a new unit and speakers. But I don't know anything about car stereos. What are brands to look for and to avoid? Is a $400 stereo that much better than a $200 stereo? I don't really care about satellite radio or anything; just a receiver and CD deck will be fine (although cassette would be nice). What's a decent amount to spend on speakers? Would it be worth just replacing the speakers instead of the whole unit?