stereo questions and opinions

[GPdriver1986]

Right now I'm using my Delco stereo (4 speaker) with the cassette adapter for my sony cd player. I was thinking of changing my whole stereo when I get a job.I only want 200W nothing more. I need some suggestions and some tech advice.

 

Here we go:

1)What kind of wire do I use to wire up the speakers,amps,subs?

2)If I get a head unit with 2 preouts, do these preouts plug into an amp for seperate speakers?

3)Can I plug in a cd changer to my delco stereo?

4)Will my 200W stereo work good with my stock speakers,amps,and wiring?

5)Should I get an older cd head unit stereo and just put it in?

 

Anybody got any recomendations?

Tell me your setup and how it sounds.

 

Thanks

[Bolt_Crank]

if you just want 200W, then find yourself a decent 50Wx4 deck, and you'll be good. however, at max volume you'll get some distortion (if you have speakers that can handle that much power, anyway) and as for amps and subs and such, a single 10" (port the box if you want more of a rumble, leave it sealed for more of a punch) with around a 200W amp will be plenty, you'll barely hear anything outside the car with the windows shut, and it'll still sound good inside

[92RegalGS]

Bolt crank is right (as usual)

 

Check out http://incolor.inebraska.com/weisinator for parts and harnesses.

[mdelorie]

As far as changers are concerned, you can use any RF changer, they plug into your antenna connector then you tune in a certain FM frequency to get the sound. Track control is accomplished via a separate control panel that you can mount to almost anything.

 

I personally think Sony makes great head units and changers.

http://www.xplodsony.com/products/?CATEGORY=Changers&MD=CDX-565MXRF

[92Cutlass4Dr]

Some things to think about:

 

Head units that say they have 50x4 actually have more like 20 watts of continuous power, the 50 is a peak rating and doesn't mean anything in terms of meaningful performance. The head units with the most power that i know of are the Alpines with the vdrive amp. They have about 30 watts.

 

More power is not a bad thing for speakers assuming you have clean power from a quality amp. Too little power is typically to blame for blowing speakers, if you turn up the volume on an underpowered speaker the amp can't provide the power to move the speakers without distorting. Distortion blows speakers. A poor amp will also "clip" at high volumes, which produces a wave pattern that the speaker can't reproduce, causing the speaker to distort and blow.

 

I'd recommend buying a good head unit with 3 preouts and then saving money to build from there later. Panasonic makes some great units with tons of features for a good price. Look for one in the MXE series, they have a 2 year warranty and from my experience are pretty reliable.

 

http://www.crutchfield.com/cgi-bin/S-EOgVN4hLqgs/ProdView.asp?s=0&c=3&g=300&I=133DFX883&o=m&a=0&cc=01&avf=N

 

Later you can add a sub and amp, replace your main speakers and amp them, too. I wouldn't just add a changer to the stock deck, it's a lot more trouble and it isn't as good sounding.

 

Good luck

[GPdriver1986]

I'm looking for a stereo with the following: MP3,CD, CDRW,built in crossover,2 or 3 preouts, remote,clock. What do these pre-outs do?

[GPdriver1986]

Do you think I could buy an older stereo like that used without the Mp3 playback?

[92Cutlass4Dr]

Preouts are RCA wires that carry the music signal to your amplifier. If you have 3 preouts that means that you have a preout for front and rear speakers and a subwoofer preout. Each preout has 2 wires, right and left. Subwoofer preouts should be non-fading, meaning that when you use your fader between front and rear, the subwoofer isn't affected.

 

I would avoid a used stereo. You own't have a warranty and the features might not be there.

 

Go to crutchfield.com and check out alpine, clarion, panasonic, and pioneer. they have decks that have all the features you're looking for and then some. Crutchfield is a great resource for info about decks.

[GPdriver1986]

If I get a brand new stereo with 2 preouts and built in crossover, can I take one of the pre-outs and attach to a sub and take the other preout and attach it to the back speakers? Do these preouts have to be attached to an amp? and what happens if I decide to attach the back speakers to the amp do I have to take the wires from the factory head unit out and replace them with the preout cable to the amp and to speakers or does the factory wire connect to the amp then another connects to the speaker?

 

I was thinking of buying a used alpine,clarion,JVC,or Pioneer something that used to be good and expensive. I might try to get one from the wreckers.

[92turboLE]

Just from personal Experience, i would avoid Sony head units. They are infamous for the rubber tracks that eject or insert the CD going out. the rubber wears fast and/or gets dirty and you'll find yourself shoving a second cd into it, just to get the first one out.

 

My personal recamendation for CD Decks would be Pioneer as number one, and Kenwood as number 2. Pioneer will give you the most functionality out of all of the common brand names, in that you have more sound control and sound control features, as well as a clean looking faceplate that wont look too cluttered. Kenwood also has excellent sound control, although not as good as the pioneer, but the kenwood offers more other "cool" features. Personally im about functionality, so i tend to lean towards the pioneer.

 

If you want the best sound for a budget though, your best bet is to put an amplifyer on your speaker system. You will commonly see all these brands advertising 50Wx4, which totals 200W - JBR (Just Before Fire). Realisticly, these headunits are puting out generally around 20-30W TOTAL power. Thats about 5-7W per channel. - Some put out more, some put out less.

 

If you go with a 200W amp to power your 4 main peakers, then you will notice a HUGE difference in sound quality and clearity. i would stay away from Sony amps as well, as they claim to be stable at 2 ohm, but in reality, they will blow, i know i went through 3 of them (under warrenty) and finally said fuck it. Rockford Fosgate (RF) makes really well built amps that are generallu under rated, plus they all include a test sheet of that amp, that shows the actual power that it is putting out. MTX also makes awesome amps as well. Make sure you get a 4 channel amp.

 

As for subs, i would go with a RF amp or an MTX monoblock amp. If you really want good sound, Xtant is the way to go, although picky, they put out.... I like to refer to them as a super model girlfriend that gives great head. You have to put up with their shit, but in the end, when they put out, they really put out. They are significantly omre expensive then most others, but are well worth it if you want loud and clean sound.

 

Sony makes decent Woofers, as does RF and MTX. I would avoid pioneer subs though. You want a good sub that is capable of handling more power then your amp can put out, but not so much that your amp will have too much trouble powering it.

 

as for speakers, thats all up to you, just make sure that you get speakers that can handle a decent amount of power and avoid cheap ones. In car audio, you get what you pay for, usually.

 

just my $.02. If you have any other questions about anything that i mentioned, PM me and i can give you more info too.

[AWeb80]

I'm looking for a stereo with the following: MP3,CD, CDRW,built in crossover,2 or 3 preouts, remote,clock. What do these pre-outs do?

 

Check out the Sony MP-70, that is what i have and it has all those in it. the preout are RCA hookups so you can run aftermarket amps to just your rear speakers via the rear out-puts, or your front speakers via the front out-puts or your subs via the sub out puts. Or you can use all three at one time. I have my subs running by an amp via the sub outputs and 6x9's running by an amp via the rear out puts. The external amps put more power to the speakers for a clearer, cleaner, crisp sound and doesn't put as much stress on the headunit when volume is turned up loud cause the internal amp doesn't have to do anything. The head unit is just sending the signals to the external amps, and they do all the work. This keeps the head unit cooler cause it's amp is not running and you get hella lot better sound.........

 

Hope this helpls clear it up.............

[AWeb80]

not meaning to hijack the post, but if you run a 4-channel amp to the 6x9's and front speakers.....do you get the balance and fader that you would with just the head unit?

[92turboLE]

that is why i emphasized 4 channel... if you have a deck with front and rear preouts, then yes, you have full function controlled through the deck, as long as all the levels on the amp are balenced.

 

- Justin