[Chu Gai]

My son, to whom the GT has now passed, has done a damned nice job of upgrading/repairing such things as the exhaust, throttle body, front and rear suspension, etc. His thoughts now turn to improving the speakers in the car. He's asked me to post this question looking for suggestions on brands and being a high-school senior with cost being a factor. I'm sorry but I don't have the opening dimensions but I'd imagine Crutchfield does. He wants to know if he's strictly limited to ready made solutions or do various drivers suggest themselves? Ideas so he can work on his own short-list?

[Scott L]

For your first car stereo I recommend you stay away from Sony. They lured me in on my first car audio purchase and based on that experience I will never buy anything audio that has their name on it again. YMMV though, auditioning some of the stuff at Best Buy or Circuit City is a good first step.

I just bought some Focal Components but if I was really looking out for my wallet I'd look at Infinity Kappa's. Alpine head units are quality built cd players that last a long time. Later down the road (or now if budget permits) he can add an amp, and Kenwood makes great amps for the money. If he has a little more spending room he should chek out Rockford Fosgate, they cost more but you really get what you pay for quality-wise, not just because of the name.

I just bought half of my stuff new on ebay for almost 40% off MSRP. www.ikesound.com www.carmedia1.com and www.thezeb.com have great prices as well.

[brentl]

Let me state ... I've owned 3 Sony HUs, I OWN 3 Sony amps, and a SOny Xover(XEC-1000). I Still use one of the HUs now(cdx5050x ES) and until I got my new car I used three amps(2-4020s, 1-3020) and have never had ANY problems that I didn't cause myself.

That being said .... I've not heard alot of good things about anything BUT the HUs recently. If you like a Sony HU I'd say go for it, but steer clear of the current amp and speakers.

If you can find anything "ES" from Sony it's got a 2 year warranty.


I agree with Infinity Kappa thing. Good value and they sound very nice. I'm looking at upgrading to them next spring.

Brent
I still can't figure out why people slag Sony!!

[Scott L]

Because I had a top of the line "D-Bass" HU in an old Town & Country minivan. When it started giving me problems I had to reinstall the stock Infinity head unit, I was shocked at how much clearer the stock unit sounded compared to the aftermarket Sony.

Sony has never been known for great audio, they focus more on features & marketing gimmicks to grab J6P's eye rather than sound quality, have been for years. To get 4V preouts from a Sony you have to pay $380 retail, for Alpine only $200.

[Chu Gai]

I'll have him look those links up. We do a little ebay shopping and have had fairly good success. In fact we've got a cold air intake coming in a few days. Thoughts on the Polk speakers?

[Leif Wall]

I'd have to disagree and say to stay away from Kenwood amps. Also, Rockford amps are very high-priced. You can do a lot better for the money.

If he's looking for a good component set for up front, I'd recommend Image Dynamics, or maybe some Digital Designs 6.5s paired with some Vifa tweets.

As for decks... it's tough to beat Alpine for "flash in the dash" I personally use Panasonic at the moment. My next deck will probably either be a Panasonic or Alpine.

I use Polk in my HT, but don't think I would in my car. I've never been impressed with any of their car equipment. Too many other companies that make superior products for the car. Image Dynamics, Digital Designs, JL, Treo, Elemental Designs, Kicker, Resonant Engineering...

[Chu Gai]

Hey this is a hs kid and i'm working on encouraging him to save some money! regarding playback, presently he's got a blaupunkt (forgot the model) that he traded for. Once we (he) decides on a path and we've got it installed, I'll see about posting pictures (before & after) and make a stab at a subjective assement. Truly though, thanks for the feedback. I know he enjoyed it and it expanded his options.

[LeeH]

I think best buy is running a special on Rockford (If he wants some subwoofers). You can get an amp and two subs for 300 dollars. All you need then is a dual sub box (like $79). For brand new you can't beat this. I would definitely check on Ebay first for Volfenhags though. IMO, Pioneer makes the best 4" and 6x9s. It sounds to me that your son could install it himself. As for head units I agree that alpine makes the best. steer clear of Dual, they are a very cheap brand (you get what you pay for).