Looking for cheap but decent sound system
 

Hey guys, first post :smokin:

Aight, so big odds are that I'm getting a '98 Neon. Not the best thing... but it was owned and babysitted by my uncle and my father ever since it was bought new so it's really running almost perfectly.

The point is: It's still got the stock headunit. I changed the front door speakers with 6.5" Sony that I found for cheap, they do the job better than the stock ones but still not quite up to the job, with the stock headunit at least.

Now, being a low-on-cash student, I'd like to throw some money on a new "sound system". Let's make it clear - cheap and decent stuff are perfectly fine here, I am not looking at competition-grade stuff, and my budget is limited.

So, I am mainly looking for:
- New headunit
- New rear speakers, possibly new front speakers if the Sonys aren't up to the job
- New sub/s

I have a friend that is selling his car with subs for really cheap (Paseo '98 running with brand new cheap headunit and 2 subs, $500 take it away), so I'm thinking about asking him how much he would ask for the subs and amp. I don't have any info on them, I think they're 10s (only info I have is that the box says "m.a. audio" on top of the box), and the sealed box is leaking air from somewhere. If the speakers are not damaged I think I could grab them for cheap.

For the headunit, I'm not looking into something particular... native iPod and 3.5mm jack would be liked, but I could do without the iPod. Pre-amp for sub, and not Sony please XD I also don't need satellite radio and stuff. There is a Clarion CZ209 available at NewEgg for $130 which is interesting, small price for what it offers, it would suit my budget really well, which could leave me more money for the front speakers.

For the speakers, I'll leave them stock and see with the new headunit and sub/s how they sound, I'll probably just buy a pair of aftermarket 6x9 for mid bass and rear passenger sound and call it a day... but I dont know what I could get for the front.

Lastly... do you guys have any idea where to order some car audio stuff in Canada without going on eBay? :laugh:

Thanks!

Tell us your budget and we'll go from there. As for non-ebay, Crutchfield is pretty good and they have a Canadian site now to save you cross-border nonsense. There are also quite a few vendors here that have shops that ship gear to guys. Rob @ Forbidden Audio is the first that comes to mind. He's around all the time, so he'll probably chime in on this one.

Lyle

deck pioneer makes decent deck. better than sony anyway. comes with usb and aux with sat ready. under 200$ i beleive. speakers. i just got myself an energy component set for 145 at FS. sounds awsome for the price ( used to be priced at 299 )
sub... as long as you have over 400watts rms it should be enough for a daily driver that doesnt want boomy . and the size is up to you. from 8 to 18 lol...

there are some dealers on this site that can give you great deals. also can get used stuff. great if you need amps and deck for cheap. look around bud lots to check out

Thanks, budget I dont really know, I'm going with what I find... was thinking max 200 for the deck, around 150 for front component speakers... I'll fill the rear ones with something I can find locally for cheap I guess... and if the subwoofer deal can't be bought, then um IDK, maybe $300-400 for a sub + box + amp setup. Oh, and I'll need a stereo amp for the component speakers, that's to consider...

Let's say I'm keeping this around $800. I am lookign for something that'll sound obviously better than the stock shat that comes in the Neon :) But as I said, I'm not looking for professionnal and competition stuff. About anything will make me happy, as long as it doesn't get heavy distortion from too much bass on higher levels of volume (which is a problem right now since the bass is distorted at med volume, and the stock HU won't go higher than that "med" level)

But again, the lower priced and the happier I will be. If I am lucky I will have 2 subs ready to use (I will only need to fix the leaking sealed box - should be easy), so I will only need a headunit + front speakers + amp to drive them, and rear speakers to fill the gap.

As for the sub size, what kind of sound difference comes with different sizes?

I have what you need and thanks for the referral Lyle. Add me to msn if you like and message me as well so that I know who you are. PM me as well just in case the msn does not go through (has happened before). I have some good ideas for you.

Thanks Rob, I just added you and sent you a PM. Looking forward your ideas :)