Ok. Finally I think I have enough spare cash laying around to start upgrading my sound system. Good by factory system. So I'm wondering what has a good name on the market at the moment. Im not looking for an over the top system. Just something that has good quality and loud. Probably upgrading in three stages- hu and 6x9s first. Then fronts, then amping the whole system. Perhaps a 10 inch open air sub further down the track if I still want it deeper.

Looking at around (up to)
$500 for head unit
$400 for rears
$400 for fronts
undecided on amp yet

does anyone have any recomendations? I listen to mostly metal but some dance and top 40 when my missus is in the car. Definately want to be able to put out alot of low and midrange without any loss of quality

have a listen to what other people have in their car if you can. (I'm happy to demo mine)

I recently bought an ex-demo Kenwood in dash DVD player from JB Hifi for $350.
Installed it myself and then hooked up my old sub & amp and now I'm very very happy.

All other speakers are still stock and I'm enjoying what I've got enough that I'm not hugely interested in replacing those other components.

IMO - get a subwoofer. Even my wife's car has a factory 4" subwoofer and it is better than nothing. The music is just missing so much without a sub that I find it mandatory. Not for 'doof doof' but for completeness of the music.



However, if you're keen on your plan, IMO $400 for a set of rear 6x9s is WAY too much. My experience is that the rear speakers do very little for your sound. My old car that I did a big stereo install on had a pair of $99 Alpine 6x9s 30WRMS in the back running from the headunit. Perfect as the ~18W RMS from the headunit was put to maximum effect. It produced just enough bass to make the rear vision mirror wobble.

For the fronts I spent $300 on a set of "Ultimate" 2-way components (splits) plus an Alpine V12 4 channel amp running 2x 12" subs and front speakers. The subs were enough to shake the mirror off the windscreen (well, almost).

Now I have a little permanent hearing loss, but my god that was a fun car :)

edit: oh yeah, Sub size recommendation for your music preferences: assuming you don't want 'doof doof' a single 10" subwoofer would probably be perfect. I have a 10" bazooka and a 12" Rockford. The 10" sounds much better - more musical is how I describe it - but I haven't been able to strap it down securely yet, so the 12" is in the car currently.

Have a look Here (http://www.aussiemagna.com/forums/showthread.php?78565-FAQ-What-are-some-of-the-names-of-car-audio-companies) for the names of good audio companies.

Personally I wouldn't spend so much on rear speakers as the front stage is where most of your sound is going to be heard. Investing in really good front splits, amp and headunit is where you will improve your sq. Also have you considered sound deadening?

Your choice of headunit really depends on what you want; dvd, GPS, bluetooth iPod support etc. and single or double DIN. Also, things like cabling and possibly a new battery (depending on components) are costs that will also need to be factored in.

Samm

I would also recommend spending more on your fronts and less on the rears..

With a $500 budget for a Head unit I would recommend making sure it has a decent voltage on the RCA outlets and a dedicated sub out..

As far as brands are concerned, Mix it up a little.

500 I would have to say either the Eclipse CDK7200 if you can get one 2nd hand or even some places sell the Alpine 9887 for under $500. I bought mine for about $550 down from $600 about 5 months ago. The best thing about this unit is the imprint onboard tuner/processor when i bought it, i didnt think that i would know how to use it, but then i plugged it in and straight away my sound quality improved over some $320 Kenwood unit i had. Then over time i started using the tuning features and it made the world of difference, took bass from my mids so i could play them 30% louder and havent looked back from that. Also the time alignment is alot of fun to use when you get the staging correct you just cant believe much a head unit can actually do for your sound stage.

Also if you really want some rear fill spend $50 on some cheap speakers from somewhere like Strathfield, Autobarn, or JB Hi Fi because you will want a nice set of front speakers. $850 can get you some of the nicest speakers you will probally hear. I would recommend some Focal K2P's if you are going all out (including proper sound deadening and mounting) or other wise "Digital Desgins" would surely be a brand i recommend.

But heres the important part you will want to spend a good $200 on proper installation of the speakers the following things will help dramatically
MDF Baffle/Spacer: If you mount the speakers on here you will be sure to get a better kick from the speakers
Foam Gasket: By placing this under the speaker mount and the MDF Baffle you can deter any air leaks and improve SQ
Dynamat: THIS IS A BIG ONE, i never really used dynamat until one day i decided to try it with my Focal Splits, and i must say from here on out i will always use dynamat, it may be expensive but it does a good job at preventing rattles, and increase bass.
The way you want to use the dynamat is to cover the outer skin of the door trim (panel closest to the outside of car) as well as you can, and then work on the inner skin, and then cover some MDF in Dynamat and cover the service holes and then you have made a sealed speaker box for your splits !

peaandham is spot on with the preparation of the doors. This is were most of your mid bass is lost or gained :)

Some suggestions:
Headunit: Eclipse CD 5030 with Ipod cable - Under $450


High voltage preouts
Time Alignment
7 band EQ
Bluetooth


Fronts: Crescendo Opus 3 - RRP$399


Good power handling ( 100WRMS )
6.9inch midbass
Very smooth tweeter
Excellent Passive Xover


Rears: Who cares, they will be 6x9's. Budget about $200 for these.

The remaining $200 you had budgeted could be spent on a bulk pack of deadening.

Just an idea...

If you don't want a sub, I'd only consider the Digital Designs DDCX6x9's for the rear, they're under $200 for a pair, and they love power.

They'll run off your headunit (Not really sure how well), they're rated at 80w rms but they'll take over double that, play clear and low. I ran them subless in my old car, and current car for a while, with about 90w rms running per channel in the old and 130w a channel in the current, and they pump plenty hard enough to not miss the sub on a lot of music genres. They won't give you the rumble of a sub, so if your into that sort of thing there's no sub substitute, but they've got the low end punch you need for the vast majority of whats around.

I also agree with Peaham and Mr C, spend as much money on your front splits as you can afford and then spend $250 on a dynamat extreme bulk pack and MDF. It took me alot of years to realise the top end is more crucial than the bass. I have never owned a sub but still love bass. $250 - $300 on 6x9's will give you more than enough bass if you choose not to go the sub option.

$500 on a HU will give you a good one with all the bells and whistles you need, but shop around for prices once you pick what you like you may be able to save a $100 or so.

Again, invest in a good 4 channel amp (best you can afford) that spits out at least 100 watts RMS but don't get a digital amp. A 4 channel will give you good options if you change your set up down the track and add a sub cause you will be able to bridge it.

Best of luck and make sure you tell us what what you get!

I will add in the link as an edit on how I installed the dynamat and MDF in my car once I have finished it. It has photos on each step.

DJ

To add to Mr Charismas post, the Opus 3 can also run off a factory head unit and still sound good because of its excellent efficiency.