Hey all,

Need to upgrade my audio gear and am not really sure what to get. Only got a headunit which is out of a TL (I think), not sure if I'm gonna upgrade it or not. I've got a second gen wagon which is on gas so the spare tyre is in the cargo area. 'Cos of this I'm not real keen to get any subs, I'll start running out of space and need all I can get.

Question time:
Pretty sure there won't be but is there anywhere else to put a sub somewhere other than in the cargo area?
What brand of gear should I be getting, not looking for top shelf but want something better than average?
Also, what size speakers and how many should I get? I'm thinking 6x9's for rear and 6's for front door pods.
Do I need an amp at all?

Cheers in advance.

if you want to amp your system then you will have to buy a new head unit, you should be able to get a pretty nice sound without any subs too. usually you will go for 6x9's for the rear and either 6 or 6.5's for the front, but there are many different styles of speaker out there, what is your budget? for about 400 dollars you can usually get a "pack" that consists of a head unit 2 front speakers 2 rear speakers (or a sub) and an amp... if you buy second hand then you can get a better deal, but no warranty...

the brands you should probably be thinking of would be pioneer, alpine, kenwood, clarion, jaycar, jl audio, etc etc... they all make cheap gear through to good stuff...

hope this helped and doesn't start a fight...:doubt:

if your looking at upgrading your system then a new aftermarket h/u would be best
something with 3 pre-outs would be best
amping the speakers would be better then running them off the h/u, you'll get more out of the speakers as the h/u can only do so much
if your looking for a sub have alook at the slim line range subs, pioneer do them but im not sure who the others are, this will still go in your cargo area but wont take up much space
as for speakers, a nice set of 6.5" splits up front with some 6.5" coaxials or 6x9's if your not getting a sub
as for brands well it depends on your budget

In a street machine magazine, they had this really cool way of doing a stealth sub install, which could be adjusted for your car......

They done a fibreglass/mdf install within the confines of the spare wheel, spare wheel was still accessible as it had a false floor (2" high) and it was hinged.....rather neat, and couldnt tell it was there......

I'de personally do a raised floor in your wagon area, across the whole cargo area, lay your tyre in the middle, do a fibreglass box inside the spare wheel, sub facing towards your roof.....

Since the floor is raised some 30cm, on one side you have a cargo storage area (lockable storage bins, built into the floor) and on the otherside, underneath you have your amps, hidden by the false floor (access hole hinged aswell).

That would be my pick......but, time consuming and not too cheap :cool:

What brand of gear should I be getting, not looking for top shelf but want something better than average?
Also, what size speakers and how many should I get? I'm thinking 6x9's for rear and 6's for front door pods.
Do I need an amp at all?

Now to answer your actual question....

I *personally* like clarion front speakers for entry level stuff, I've heard some running off a very average headunit, and they put out a nice bit of bass, ok mids, and the high's werent harsh......

However, just to be first to say - audition audition audition......

For the rears, if you dont use a sub......you will want 6*9's.....(i like soundstream.....but thats me)

They can all run off the deck.....amping is better.

If you need a 4 channel amp, let me know - I have my clarion APX4360, 90wrms x 4 laying around, its become redundant as i've replaced it with a bigger amp lol make me an offer I cant refuse.....like a case of beer or something :)

Thanks for the prompt reply guys. By the sound of it I'll need an amp and I'll probaly get 6x9's instead of a sub. Probably not looking to spend too much, I'd just like a good midrange set of speakers (6's, 6x9's), amp and headunit. How much might that cost?

Got little to no knowledge on audio specs and that sort of thing so take it easy on me, not how many channels and all that.

I'm keen for something decent and respectable without going over the top and spending too much, I'm still a uni student after all lol.

Ok, here's some idea's for a cheap as cheap can be set up:

$119 Clarion's
http://www.ryda.com.au/Clarion-SRR1686-6-Car-Speakers-p/srr1686.htm

$149 - JayCar Response Splits (would be my choice......)
http://www.jaycar.com.au/productView.asp?ID=CS2329&CATID=&keywords=Response&SPECIAL=&form=KEYWORD&ProdCodeOnly=&Keyword1=&Keyword2=&pageNumber=&priceMin=&priceMax=&SUBCATID=

$159 6.5's Pioneers
http://bitaudio.com.au/pioneer-tsd161r-p-43.html

$179 6.5's Soundstream ****
http://www.ryda.com.au/Soundstream-SST6-5-Tarantula-6-5-Speakers-p/sst65.htm

***These I can vouch for - got the 5.25 versions in the back of my car, nice and clean sound, amped at 90wrms, decent bass, and keeps the rear passengers happy, oh, and high's dont make your eardrums bleed either.

6x9's - may aswell make these a matching pair for the fronts :-P
$163 - Clarion
http://www.ryda.com.au/Clarion-SRR6986-6x9-Car-Speakers-p/srr6986.htm

Head unit, depends what you want.....I guess basic, if it has USB/bluetooth its a bonus?

$169.95 - JVC, with pre outs for amps, USB, etc
http://www.ryda.com.au/JVC-KD-G646-Car-CD-MP3-USB-Tuner-p/kdg646.htm

$186.45 - Pioneer, same, USB
http://www.ryda.com.au/Pioneer-DEH-3050UB-Car-CD-MP3-Tuner-p/deh3050ub.htm

As for the amp, anything with 50-100wrms per channel. I'de stick with something like Jaycar Response series, they make nice amps for low cost.

$169 - JayCar Response
4 x 50wrms http://www.jaycar.com.au/productView.asp?ID=AA0422&CATID=&keywords=Response&SPECIAL=&form=KEYWORD&ProdCodeOnly=&Keyword1=&Keyword2=&pageNumber=&priceMin=&priceMax=&SUBCATID=

$299 - Jaycar Response
4 x 100wrms
http://www.jaycar.com.au/productView.asp?ID=AA0426&CATID=&keywords=Response&SPECIAL=&form=KEYWORD&ProdCodeOnly=&Keyword1=&Keyword2=&pageNumber=&priceMin=&priceMax=&SUBCATID=

Add some $80 for bits and pieces like wiring, and you're done.

So the very cheapest: $700 including wiring kit etc.....

Wow, that was comprehensive, thanks heaps for doing all the legwork. Will have a good think about it while I save up some dosh. Will be sure to let you guys know how it went.

Not sure if it's what you guys want but with all the info Ers has just given me maybe consider putting this as a Sticky?

Not sure if it's what you guys want but with all the info Ers has just given me maybe consider putting this as a Sticky?

not really as prices and webpages always change. besides theres a crapload of similar information around..

Fair enough, I'm not a regular to this section so you'll know better than I will.

One more question, will 6's fit into the 2nd gen door pods with little modification? I'm not installing them so if they require some extra modification I'd prefer to do it myself so i don't get charged for it.