now before i post this im going to write a disclaimer....this is your personal opinion and dont call me a no0b :P lol even though i am i kinda know this is a stupid question but!

if you had a budget of 1500 - 2000 buks what would you buy this includes wiring but not installation...as alot of you guys here are car audio nuts so you obviously know what is good

Not a stupid question at all, in fact good to see you doing your research before your throw ur money away on stuff u dont need.
Nevertheless you have many more things to consider. You want your stuff new? Or second hand? Interested in warranties? Or can you put the time and effort in to hunt around and get things cheap.

What music do you listen to? How do you listen to it?

Do you want a car that is just very loud?

Do you appreciate really good quality music? SQ? Or just want something with a whole lot of music at ur fingertips, eg mp3s etc...

How high will you crank it usually?

What is your favourite colour ;)

You want a jazzy install or just stock/stealth?

From fhrx ~ new price range
----
System Cost: $1000
Source Unit(s): Alpine CDA-9823 / Pioneer DEH-P4650MP / Clarion DXZ646MP
Front Speaker(s): Boston FS-60 / Diamond M361 / Hertz HSK 165 / Phoenix Gold R6.5 Comp / Vibe SA-60
Amplifier(s): Alpine MRP-F200 / Audison SRx2 / Phoenix Gold R2.5:2
Cable: Stinger / Phoenix Gold / Audison
Deadening: G-Spot Serenity Max / Stinger Roadkill / Dynamat Pro

System Cost: $2000
Source Unit(s): Alpine CDA-9827 / Pioneer DEH-P5650MP / Clarion DXZ746MP
Front Speaker(s): Boston SL60 / Diamond M361 / Hertz HSK 165 / Rainbow CMX 265 Kick / Morel Pulse 6 / Phoenix Gold ZR6.5 Comp / Vibe ST-60 / Eton Pro-160X
Sub(s): JL Audio 12W0-4 / Image Dynamics ID12V.3 / Boston G2-12 / Diamond M312 / Hertx HX 300 / Boston GS1204 / Phoenix Gold R12D / Digital Designs 2012 / Vibe BlackAir-12
Amplifier(s): Audison SRx3 / Phoenix Gold R8.0:4
Cable: Stinger / Phoenix Gold / Audison
Deadening: G-Spot Serenity Max / Stinger Roadkill / Dynamat Pro
----

Remember to factor in a lot for the install, for instance, sound deadening will be very important and can make the cheapest components sing...
Wiring, you'll want ~$100 ish for rca's power lead fuses etc...

Peace

Tim

s_tim_ulate, nice lists there, i have a simular setup to your 2nd ($2000) system, puchased a few things second hand which was able to bring the price down to about $1500 so i was happy, we (my friend and i) put a bit of sound proofing in, but didnt really worry about it origionally (due to lack of funds) anyhow now, i think taht i may be causing excess dammage to the car and speakers due to lack of sound deadening.. any guides you have or brands which you can reconmend?

Cheers

parabol

nw I'll make a new thread so not to hijack...

i was looking at a system that is good for a bit of eerything, im not a look at me type person so i only really want a sounds pretty good system on a budget my home stereo in ma room is a oabasonic stereo which is opretty good (450 buks it should be) so i appreciate good sound....basically i listen to punk/rock and some doof doof so i will probably get sum subs...maybe some second hand ones from here....

K cool, easier to suggest things when you know those details...
I'd go a small sub, say 10" or 12". Bass doesn't sound like it's ur main focus, (nor should it be) A 10" in a sealed box will give you nice punchy bass, good for doof, and good for rock/punk.

Put a lot of money into ur front splits. 75% of the frequencies will come from here, and your ears point forward, no use in upgrading your rears. Then just a mp3 deck if that's what ur after.

Pioneer, JVC etc make some reasonable quality decks at a good price. Most new headunits will out good sound. The difference between a $300 unit and a $1000 might not be noticeable to you audibly.

As for power. If you get some reasonable quality splits (Hertz hsk-165 gets the best bang for buck on my list, followed by Jaycar splits although lesser quality) You'll need an amp to run them. Easiest way is to buy a 4 channel amp 4x50 w rms is heaps. Bridge two channels for ur sub and run the fronts off the other two.

peace

Tim

so the standard TR/TS rear speakers r fine u thinK?

yep, u want most of ur sound coming from the front.

he he he screw the people in the back seat, u seem to have something against alpine, pioneer etc. or are they just commercial crap with a markup?

Nothing against em... I am running both alpine and pioneer in my car atm.

Got alpine amps and pioneer stacker/sub. I recommended them to you above as well. Headunits mainly.

Out of the commercial stuff I think Alpine and Pioneer make some decent gear. Their technical support is great as well

Just for subs and speakers there are much better brands out there.
It's hard for any company to excel at all areas. Many other specialised European and American brands tailor specifically for speakers or subs. And come out with a much better product.

one of my mates from work has boston stuff, is it any good or is he just bull ****tin me again?

I have Boston FS-60 splits and a 12.5lf sub and they are great. The higher end stuff doesnt get much better anywhere and there amps are good.. not as good as say Zapco or Tru tech but are right up there. :badgrin:

My fronts sound crap! I found it interesting you say (Tim) that the quality comes from there, as (and I guess this is where what you're using them for counts for a lot) I find that fronts can generally not handle the aggressive bass I listen to (Funk, not doof). I have resorted to backing the fronts off to about R4, and while I do have a lot of the sound coming from the back, the quality is better; I no longer have the distorted, overworking sound that was coming from my fronts. I was gonna replace them, and then I figured that they're not bad quality to begin with; I shouldn't HAVE to replace something less than 6 months old.
Eh... what are you gonna do? :confused:

what do u suggest cheap from alpine, maybe some S type subs? but what speakers do they make good?

Milquetoast, obviously u need decent front speakers to get good sound. Factory front speakers are almost always sh!te... I'm talking after market splits.

You should put more thought/time/preparation into ur front splits/speakers over your rears.

Liverpool, have a look at ranges like Hertz. Heaps of midbass power at a really good price ~$300 new.

Milquetoast, obviously u need decent front speakers to get good sound. Factory front speakers are almost always sh!te... I'm talking after market splits.

You should put more thought/time/preparation into ur front splits/speakers over your rears.


Yeah, I know I could probably have spent more on them, but they were 'upgraded' from the stock ones i found in the beastie (none!)
The guy at Strathfield Car Radios told me that the pioneers would work fine... he lied!