Hey guys,

Thinking of upgrading the stock sound system soon.

Figured ill just get a new head unit and some 3 or 4 way 6" speakers upfront, on recommendation from other AMC members.

Ive seen some nice packages which have a head unit and 2x6" speakers, but even if i do buy seperately, just wondering, what brands should i look for in terms of quality, and what brands should be avoided?

I think ive seen someone making fun of Kenwood, i thought they were ok. Pioneer seem overated or just really popular.

Can anyone shed some light on the brands out there?

I also dont need top of the line awesome ****. Just a nice head unit and 6" speex.

TJosh

Have a look at this thread
http://www.aussiemagna.com/forums/showthread.php?t=57167&highlight=buy
Might help you to choose

You only need 2 way speakers. 3 or 4 way coaxials are a wank. A true 3 way system would be uber, but they're difficult to set up properly, and wouldn't be in your budget anyway. Unless you're a true audiophile and have a lot of skill and money, a good set of splits is more than enough.

If you're only doing a cheap upgrade (<$100), you may as well go down to Autobarn and audition whatever Kenwoods/Pioneers etc they have. There's no brands that you should avoid as such.

If you're planning on buying a decent set of speakers ($200+), I'd go to a specialist audio store (or ask here) and see what they'd recommend.

First thing you need to do, is establish a budget, from there you can seek advice.

You only need 2 way speakers. 3 or 4 way coaxials are a wank. A true 3 way system would be uber, but they're difficult to set up properly, and wouldn't be in your budget anyway. Unless you're a true audiophile and have a lot of skill and money, a good set of splits is more than enough.

If you're only doing a cheap upgrade (<$100), you may as well go down to Autobarn and audition whatever Kenwoods/Pioneers etc they have. There's no brands that you should avoid as such.

If you're planning on buying a decent set of speakers ($200+), I'd go to a specialist audio store (or ask here) and see what they'd recommend.
Yeah cause you can hear an audible difference between the two....:nuts:

Well i wanna spend no more than $250 on head unit + 2 6' speex for up front. Ill leave the stock 6x9s in for now.

Saw an alrite kenwood package the other day, head unit + 2 3 way 6" speex for 170 at JB, marked down from 260 or something.

yeah, you can some ok packages for that sort of money. but they are basic. but they are a good start. make sure you get a HU with pre-outs so you can add to the systme later

http://www.jbhifi.com.au/images/2008/09/HERO1-JB-AU-338-20080909NAV-car-sound-483x180-JB-AU118.jpg

http://www.jbhifi.com.au/images/2008/09/223-1_09.gif

http://www.jbhifi.com.au/images/2008/09/223-1_11.gif

http://www.jbhifi.com.au/images/2008/09/223-1_13.gif





ETC

Any input on these sorts of things?

JVC are fantastic, highly recommend any of their systems, I have had 4 in my cars, and a few in my dads trucks too, very reliable, they have NEVER missed a beat for me!

Well i wanna spend no more than $250 on head unit + 2 6' speex for up front. Ill leave the stock 6x9s in for now.

Saw an alrite kenwood package the other day, head unit + 2 3 way 6" speex for 170 at JB, marked down from 260 or something.

If you're looking for an okay system dirt cheap...kenwood is the way to go...for the money I paid, I couldn't be happier with mine...

all rubbish. Save up a bit more and get something semi decent

Well....

It'll be better than factory, and not everyone is hell bent on having the best stereo......

Yeh thats exactly right!

im not saying buy the best, but it wont be much better than stock. Seriously, spend about 200-250 on a headunit and go get some jaycar splits... sound much better than that

alpine just save up a bit there always quality

alpine just save up a bit there always quality
id seriously advise against this at the OP's budget

jvc HU + jaycar splits is your best option

id seriously advise against this at the OP's budget

jvc HU + jaycar splits is your best option

Dude, my whole system's cost me 500 bucks...that's two 6's, two 6x9's and two subs + monoblock amp...another 600W speaker amp was given to me aswell as my HU...so for the price the OP's got in mind, they're decent quality for a fraction of the price...

Dude, my whole system's cost me 500 bucks...that's two 6's, two 6x9's and two subs + monoblock amp...another 600W speaker amp was given to me aswell as my HU...so for the price the OP's got in mind, they're decent quality for a fraction of the price...

Its kenwood man, they make blenders :P
I paid $199 over 8 months ago for a HU with USB, Bluetooth handfree audio, remote, MP3/WMA, 1800 color screen..
Kenwoods didnt even come close specs wise to one of those.
JVC HU FTW
And like trav said some jaycar splits

I seriously advise against fusion, stay away from it, i bought cheap fusion splits for the front of my car, both of them are making crackling noises already, only been in the car for 3 months tops and they arent even amped:shock:
Learnt my lesson now.

']Its kenwood man, they make blenders :P
I paid $199 over 8 months ago for a HU with USB, Bluetooth handfree audio, remote, MP3/WMA, 1800 color screen..
Kenwoods didnt even come close specs wise to one of those.
JVC HU FTW
And like trav said some jaycar splits

Kenwood lags behind with its tech to make itself more affordable...I'm happy with my el-cheapo system and will recommend it to anyone looking for something cheap that sounds good...My speakers have been given a fair bit of abuse and they're still going strong too...so maybe sometimes cheap doesnt equal nasty ;)

ive always had pioneer, NEVER had a problem like other people i know.

i personally wouldnt bother spending $250 on a system as it really wont be much better than factory.

but like pointed out earlier, a LITTLE improvement might be the aim here.

I think people neglect that most audio components come out of the same factory with a different logo...

Unless you buy a hand built Audison Thesis :D

there really isnt much difference in the quality of sound you get from a head unit. i would just chase a head unit with a usb port to use ya ipood

the speakers is where you need to invest the money, also i recomend using decent speaker wire, not that crap supplied with speakers.

buy second hand. youll get a lot more for your cash monies. hell.. if your willing to wait my new car came with a JVC USB deck, i'd give it to ya for $100 once my new stuff is installed.

leaving $150 for speakers, something should pop up, if not, just get some dirty JBL 2 way coax's or something.

buy second hand. youll get a lot more for your cash monies. hell.. if your willing to wait my new car came with a JVC USB deck, i'd give it to ya for $100 once my new stuff is installed.

leaving $150 for speakers, something should pop up, if not, just get some dirty JBL 2 way coax's or something.

I'll take the JVC deck for $100 if he doesnt want it, second dibs.

As already said, JVC head units are fantastic value for money, and great reliable decks that are packed with features and won't break the bank.



Kind of off topic.. but in regards to comments about Kenwood..
Kenwood Electronics and Kenwood Limited are two separate entities. There is an entire R&D team for their Electronics business that do car audio, home audio, radio & navigation technology. And although their entry level car audio units are nothing to write home about, their high end systems in all areas of their business are actually quite good.

Just wondering what coustic gear is like? Didn't want to have to make a new thread.

electricity doesnt care how much you paid for the wire it travels on.
lmao, I got a giggle out of that one.

None the less, lets keep on topic kido's :P

tell that to the people paying $700+ per meter for silver core cable :P but i entirely agree with you, i use stuff from bunnings that i tricked them into giving me at a really cheap price :)

Go for an alpine HU. and yes, it is in the price range
grab a CDE-9872E or a 9874E
my 9872E was $245, is ipod ready etc etc etc
if you dont use an ipod and use another type of MP3 player grab a 9874E, because it has aux in as well (wish id gotten this one)

as for splits, i have alpine rears and JVC fronts - id recomend either brand highly
im no audio guru, but it does the trick and even though nothings amped and i dont have a sub yet, they can blast **** out loud and bassy

thats my 2c.

EDIT: oh and only brand id say to stay away from is 'Rampage' generally found at supercheap etc. I havent tried it myself, but iv had atleast 4 people tell me its the worst ever.

You only need 2 way speakers. 3 or 4 way coaxials are a wank. A true 3 way system would be uber, but they're difficult to set up properly, and wouldn't be in your budget anyway. Unless you're a true audiophile and have a lot of skill and money, a good set of splits is more than enough.

If you're only doing a cheap upgrade (<$100), you may as well go down to Autobarn and audition whatever Kenwoods/Pioneers etc they have. There's no brands that you should avoid as such.

If you're planning on buying a decent set of speakers ($200+), I'd go to a specialist audio store (or ask here) and see what they'd recommend.


yep coz no autobarn carries anything except kenwoods/pioneers,

The hertz, morel, mb quart, polk signature, etc speakers sitting on the shelf at work are all my imagination

yep ccoz no autobarn carries anything except kenwoods/pioneers,

The hertz, morel, mb quart, polk signature, etc speakers sitting on the shelf at work are all my imagination
Yes but when Budget comes to mind, those brands don't exactly tick the boxes

Ok back on topic....

I've found pioneer speakers to have really good, punchy low end....and decent clarity. You can pick up a new set of 2 ways for $150 (www.bitaudio.com.au).

As for the headunit, spend a bit more ($200) to get a good one. Not that it affects sound quality, more so durability, functions. If you want bluetooth, I think most headunits have that now. Remote's are really good to keep your eyes on the road too.

Im a fan of pioneer head units (even Repco sell them now....decent prices too).

Considering the thread you just posted on audio lies.. this is a terribly hypocritical thing of you to say. The head unit that you are using GREATLY affects what you are hearing from your speakers. Even at this price range, the difference between one brand and another can be very substantial.

honestly new in your price range, the only deck i would be bother to look at is JVC. they simply dominate the low end of the head unit market, offering vastly greater featured units at a similar or lower price to their competitors. Yes they are amde cheaper than some other brands, but they are also made a lot better than a lot of other brands in the price bracket.

Woob.

Yes, there is a difference between a $50 head unit and a $200 unit.....however, considering most head units offer he same cheap internal amplifiers, the difference in sound quality is to me, minimal at best. All will run the same MOSFET style amps.

Maybe I should have been more careful with my wording :P

I was going to say...
How can anyone tell the difference in standard HU amps? I would of thought they would of all been the one type of amp, and being 20WRMS x 4 who can tell a difference? by the time it gets loud it all distorts or misses some sort of major frequency anyway

No one knows what coustic gear is like?

:cry:

This is my setup, which sounds great -

Alpine iDA-X100 headunit - $318 from HK
Alpine SPR-17LS 17cm splits - $170 off MEA forums
Jaycar AA-0432 2x100w amp - effectively $40 off another car forum (bought with JL splits for $200. Sold the splits for $160)
Alpine SWR-1221D sub - $140 w/o box off MEA forums (bought a generic 1cu.ft box for it)
Jaycar AA-0424 2x150w (500wRMS bridged @ 4ohm) amp - $150 off OCAU forums

$900 including cabling. RRP on the whole lot is around $1700.

Wow there is some funny stuff posted on here.

I think everyone should take a deep breathe and chillax :D

I guess Woob to a certain extent is correct, there will be a difference in quality of HU's. I honestly dont think its to do with the internal amps, as they are mostly either 17wrms or 20wrms MOSFET chips and nothing special.

The difference in sound quality (IMO) would more so come from the DAC's* even then, there's a good reason why I love CD's and MP3's - its rather hard to screw up 1's and 0's.



ah. that explains a bit, if you have preference to MP3 for sound quality than i see you arent really looking for sound quality. more 'noise that isnt distorted'. MP3 is godaweful for a great sound quality experience, and the difference between original CD recordings and MP3 encoded recording can INSTANTLY be heard by pretty much anyone that isnt tone deaf.

as for the quality difference in head units.. who said we are just talking about the RAC's that the amp uses? different head units will add different colouration to sound in most cases. the laser plays a huge role in the quality that is extracted from cd media.

And heres the one im sure will get you going.. One of the big way to tell the difference in sound between amplifiers. Yes you are right that an amplifier is an amplifier, it amplifies sound, no more. What isnt the same in each different product however, is the pre-amp stage. This is where sound can be manipulated to the designers tastes, and in some amps, cannot be switched off, it is simply there to give the listener 'better sounding' music or whatever the case may be. The same goes for head units, the pre-amp stage will dictate what the sound sounds like before any other component gets a say in it.

the laser plays a huge role in the quality that is extracted from cd media

Laser shouldn't make any difference, the sound is digital.

Headunits make a massive difference if you have good enough speakers to hear it.

Order of components for me in terms of effect on final sound in a car

Speakers
Headunit
Processors
Amplifiers
cabling etc

Have a listen to some higher end headunits (>$1k) alpine nakamichi pioneers eclipses etc chalk n cheese. There may not be a massive difference in the lower end of the market and you will be paying for bells and whistles, but when you start getting into burr browns, copper chassis, external power converters, sampling, digital out, etc it's a totally different game.

Once you get into that realm the headunit is usually only a pre amp stage, no internal amplification is rqd as it's just there to spin the disk and send a signal down an RCA.

Ive Generally found with car audio you gte what you paid for, ive had quite a few audio brands over the couple of years ive owned/modded cars, 2x of the 98 series alpine decks (there top line model CD players) couple of JVC decks (avx1 and avx2) and currently have a kenwood 7inch flipout atm. But personally even though i have a set of DLS iridiums atm, changing decks has only been a minor sound change, from being smooth of the Avx2 to the Kenwood, but everything else is the same.

No one knows what coustic gear is like?

:cry:

decent for price, its not the top quality but it certainly does the job with the amplifiers.. although if i was you id look at jaycar response amplifiers in the same price range, they are great

to OP, i have a JVC DG615 unit in the car. had it for over 3 years. has front, rear preouts and sub out with sub control. has aux plug, plays mp3/wma disks, has a remote control and has never missed a beat. ill stand by JVC units. while the SQ may be not as clean as an alpine unit it certainly does a great job.

oh yeah.. and if you were to spend a $100 on woob's head unit, do yourself a favour, go to jaycar electronics and have a look at their 6.5" splits. they retail at just over $150 (as far as im aware)

also check these out while you are there, havent had any experience with them but they seem to be awesome for the job http://www.jaycar.com.au/productView.asp?ID=CS2389&CATID=15&keywords=&SPECIAL=&form=CAT&ProdCodeOnly=&Keyword1=&Keyword2=&pageNumber=&priceMin=&priceMax=&SUBCATID=609

Yeah cause you can hear an audible difference between the two....

I always thought that 3 or 4 way coaxials were a marketing gimmick...?


yep coz no autobarn carries anything except kenwoods/pioneers,

The hertz, morel, mb quart, polk signature, etc speakers sitting on the shelf at work are all my imagination

I was just generalising - obviously there's exceptions. Not every Autobarn carries those brands. Until recently my local Autobarn only carried Kenwood, Pioneer, JVC and Sony. Only recently have they begun to stock Fusion.

Mate for your budget I would spend the $250 on a headunit and then save (or ask for money for Christmas) and get some speakers later. Your factory speakers will sound quite a bit better even with just the HU upgrade!

$250 will get you a nice JVC or pioneer headunit with ipod compatibility (if you have one). I recommend JVC. They use good quality components inside. You will even get an entry level Eclipse or Alpine unit for this price. You will also get decent pre-outs if later you decide to add a small 2 or 4 channel amp.
This level of Sony and Kenwood don't use the same quality components. I'm talking purely from an electronics point here, not the look and feel. I would not recommend Fusion, Coustic or Rampage. They are cheap and you get what you pay for.

Once you have the money, some 6" Jaycar splits or coaxials with produce a smile without breaking the bank.

And leave the high end dribble and arguments out of this guys, its out of his budget and nothing to do with the original topic.

Cheers
Pete

<admin edit - rubbish removed>

After reading what you have all said here, decided to spend a little extra. Will look to get a JVC head unit as recommended by people here, will look to spend 150-250 on this baby. Then when the cash arises ill look at some 6/6.5 inch splits for teh front.

Haha you all sound like a bunch of 12 year olds fighting.

After reading what you have all said here, decided to spend a little extra. Will look to get a JVC head unit as recommended by people here, will look to spend 150-250 on this baby. Then when the cash arises ill look at some 6/6.5 inch splits for teh front.

good choice my friend. looking around there are a some decent splits under $200 nowadays

just have a look at the units with at least 2 preouts so you can amp fronts and sub later if you wanted to, if not you can always just run fronts and rears off the amp, sound a lot better

Just consider that Mits paid about $10 each for their speakers.

The original post is dead right.
Speakers come first, however I have heard and even suffered in my cars some diabolical head units.
Example :- Premium???? Ford unit in the 90's. Sibilance was awfull,
swapped out for a cheapo Amstrad UK heap of CR**P that i had in the garage that was actually better.

Must stress that you have to listen to the speakers and then buy based on what you hear and what you like.
Justy depends wheter you like UK sound, Japanese, USA east or West coast!

IMHO, just buy what you like!!
Gerry