New here...looking to upgrade the stock sound system. Need some help.
03-10-2009, 07:05 PM
#1
0 Watt CAFz'r
Thread Starter
Join Date: Mar 2009
Posts: 22
New here...looking to upgrade the stock sound system. Need some help.
I drive a 04 VW Jetta TDI Sport. The system is all stock and im looking to upgrade. Well im mainly interested in gettin more bass. So some subs in the trunk would be sweet. What should i do? Im thinking of puttin in 2 10's. What kind of wattage should i be looking at? Do i need a new deck? Amp?
I wanna spend like a grand on this...and ill build my own boxes and run my own wiring. What the best setup for this kinda money?
I dont know much about this stuff....so any thought and comments would be appreciated.
Thanks,
Jer
I wanna spend like a grand on this...and ill build my own boxes and run my own wiring. What the best setup for this kinda money?
I dont know much about this stuff....so any thought and comments would be appreciated.
Thanks,
Jer
03-10-2009, 07:22 PM
#2
Jer, you have lots of options to consider. Answer this first though. Are you after some bass, enough to balance with the system now and in the future or are you trying to get bass that would kill Kenny? All the systems are going to differ depending on what you want or need. Personally, I would start with a cd player as it is going to offer you the control over the entire system and the expansion in the future.
03-10-2009, 07:42 PM
#3
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Thread Starter
Join Date: Mar 2009
Posts: 22
Jer, you have lots of options to consider. Answer this first though. Are you after some bass, enough to balance with the system now and in the future or are you trying to get bass that would kill Kenny? All the systems are going to differ depending on what you want or need. Personally, I would start with a cd player as it is going to offer you the control over the entire system and the expansion in the future.
I am looking for at least enough bass to balance the system....porbly even more
03-10-2009, 07:59 PM
#4
500 Watt CAFz'r
Join Date: Sep 2008
Posts: 723
I'd suggest the Kenwood Excelon KDC-x592. Selective Sound, a shop in Toronto, and a vendor on this site, had this unit on for $170 until last month. Link >>>http://www.canadiancaraudio.com/online/selective-sound/150960-jan-feb-winter-clearance-sale.html
My fiancee bought this unit back in November, unfortunately she paid about $40 more. Its a very nice deck. Sounds beautiful. 3 pairs of 4V pre-outs. 2 year warranty. The USB cable that comes off the back goes into her glovebox. She bought an inexpensive 8Gb USB thumbdrive that hooks up to that USB cable. Last time I asked, she had about 600 songs on there, with plenty of room to spare. It has subwoofer volume control, bass control (which is for the main speakers only, elevating this does not affect the subs output) mid control, and treble control. All of these are selectable from -8 to 8 at intervals of 1. So there's lots of control, and its not nearly as confusing as the Alpine deck I have. Max volume setting is 35. Max volume without sending a distorted signal is between 25-27. This is the volume we set the deck at, while setting the gains on her 3 channel amp.
If you can get this deck for under $200, you'd be making a very good decision. The MSRP at East Hamilton Radio was $249.00
After you've decided on a deck. Decide on front speakers. Usually components, where the tweeter is separate from the 5.25" or 6.5" woofer. Co-axials have the tweeter mounted in the middle of the woofer... Components are almost always more expensive, but almost always sound much better, as well. $1000 can get you a good system, especially if you're building the boxes and doing the install yourself (or with cheap labour).
I'd suggest a 4 channel amp. Two front channels to run your two front speakers. Then bridge the rear channels for subwoofer power. Personally, 300W is probably the lowest power I want to have available for a sub. My fiancee is running a 10" Alpine TypeR on 500W, in a sealed box. We're going to have a ported box made to increase the output of that sub...
My fiancee bought this unit back in November, unfortunately she paid about $40 more. Its a very nice deck. Sounds beautiful. 3 pairs of 4V pre-outs. 2 year warranty. The USB cable that comes off the back goes into her glovebox. She bought an inexpensive 8Gb USB thumbdrive that hooks up to that USB cable. Last time I asked, she had about 600 songs on there, with plenty of room to spare. It has subwoofer volume control, bass control (which is for the main speakers only, elevating this does not affect the subs output) mid control, and treble control. All of these are selectable from -8 to 8 at intervals of 1. So there's lots of control, and its not nearly as confusing as the Alpine deck I have. Max volume setting is 35. Max volume without sending a distorted signal is between 25-27. This is the volume we set the deck at, while setting the gains on her 3 channel amp.
If you can get this deck for under $200, you'd be making a very good decision. The MSRP at East Hamilton Radio was $249.00
After you've decided on a deck. Decide on front speakers. Usually components, where the tweeter is separate from the 5.25" or 6.5" woofer. Co-axials have the tweeter mounted in the middle of the woofer... Components are almost always more expensive, but almost always sound much better, as well. $1000 can get you a good system, especially if you're building the boxes and doing the install yourself (or with cheap labour).
I'd suggest a 4 channel amp. Two front channels to run your two front speakers. Then bridge the rear channels for subwoofer power. Personally, 300W is probably the lowest power I want to have available for a sub. My fiancee is running a 10" Alpine TypeR on 500W, in a sealed box. We're going to have a ported box made to increase the output of that sub...
03-10-2009, 08:24 PM
#5
0 Watt CAFz'r
Thread Starter
Join Date: Mar 2009
Posts: 22
I'd suggest the Kenwood Excelon KDC-x592. Selective Sound, a shop in Toronto, and a vendor on this site, had this unit on for $170 until last month.
My fiancee bought this unit back in November, unfortunately she paid about $40 more. Its a very nice deck. Sounds beautiful. 3 pairs of 4V pre-outs. 2 year warranty. The USB cable that comes off the back goes into her glovebox. She bought an inexpensive 8Gb USB thumbdrive that hooks up to that USB cable. Last time I asked, she had about 600 songs on there, with plenty of room to spare. It has subwoofer volume control, bass control (which is for the main speakers only, elevating this does not affect the subs output) mid control, and treble control. All of these are selectable from -8 to 8 at intervals of 1. So there's lots of control, and its not nearly as confusing as the Alpine deck I have. Max volume setting is 35. Max volume without sending a distorted signal is between 25-27. This is the volume we set the deck at, while setting the gains on her 3 channel amp.
If you can get this deck for under $200, you'd be making a very good decision. The MSRP at East Hamilton Radio was $249.00
After you've decided on a deck. Decide on front speakers. Usually components, where the tweeter is separate from the 5.25" or 6.5" woofer. Co-axials have the tweeter mounted in the middle of the woofer... Components are almost always more expensive, but almost always sound much better, as well. $1000 can get you a good system, especially if you're building the boxes and doing the install yourself (or with cheap labour).
I'd suggest a 4 channel amp. Two front channels to run your two front speakers. Then bridge the rear channels for subwoofer power. Personally, 300W is probably the lowest power I want to have available for a sub. My fiancee is running a 10" Alpine TypeR on 500W, in a sealed box. We're going to have a ported box made to increase the output of that sub...
My fiancee bought this unit back in November, unfortunately she paid about $40 more. Its a very nice deck. Sounds beautiful. 3 pairs of 4V pre-outs. 2 year warranty. The USB cable that comes off the back goes into her glovebox. She bought an inexpensive 8Gb USB thumbdrive that hooks up to that USB cable. Last time I asked, she had about 600 songs on there, with plenty of room to spare. It has subwoofer volume control, bass control (which is for the main speakers only, elevating this does not affect the subs output) mid control, and treble control. All of these are selectable from -8 to 8 at intervals of 1. So there's lots of control, and its not nearly as confusing as the Alpine deck I have. Max volume setting is 35. Max volume without sending a distorted signal is between 25-27. This is the volume we set the deck at, while setting the gains on her 3 channel amp.
If you can get this deck for under $200, you'd be making a very good decision. The MSRP at East Hamilton Radio was $249.00
After you've decided on a deck. Decide on front speakers. Usually components, where the tweeter is separate from the 5.25" or 6.5" woofer. Co-axials have the tweeter mounted in the middle of the woofer... Components are almost always more expensive, but almost always sound much better, as well. $1000 can get you a good system, especially if you're building the boxes and doing the install yourself (or with cheap labour).
I'd suggest a 4 channel amp. Two front channels to run your two front speakers. Then bridge the rear channels for subwoofer power. Personally, 300W is probably the lowest power I want to have available for a sub. My fiancee is running a 10" Alpine TypeR on 500W, in a sealed box. We're going to have a ported box made to increase the output of that sub...
03-10-2009, 08:37 PM
#6
I've had good results in VWs before just by adding a deck and amp to the factory speakers. Crossed over at a reasonable frequency those speakers will take a lot more power than the factory HU puts out. If you want to save a bit of cash now, a deck like the KW mentioned above, a decent quality 4 channel that will do 50-75w per channel and 1 or 2 subs that will run off the rear channels should keep a better balance SQ wise than just pounding the power to bass that will overwhelm the rest of the sound.
Nice part is you can get better stuff now, upgrade the factory speakers later when you can afford a bigger amp for sub use and keep that balance in the system.
Really loud bass with factory mids and highs will get tedious very quickly and the reaction from other car audio fans will be depressing......
HTH
Nice part is you can get better stuff now, upgrade the factory speakers later when you can afford a bigger amp for sub use and keep that balance in the system.
Really loud bass with factory mids and highs will get tedious very quickly and the reaction from other car audio fans will be depressing......
HTH
03-10-2009, 08:40 PM
#7
500 Watt CAFz'r
Join Date: Sep 2008
Posts: 723
Its probably more cost effective to only replace the front speakers. And yes, you've got components to start with - which might make things a bit less expensive for the install...? Probably depends on the vehicle, I'm not an expert, just giving you some ideas.
The money you'd spend on replacing the rear speakers would be much better spent on going a level up on the front speakers. 90% of the guys on here will say likewise. Leave the rear speakers for "fill".
To get the most out of the speakers you put in the front, it may be wise to replace the stock speaker wire with something of higher quality, but it won't be necessary. It'll really depend on what you decide to put up front, for better speakers you may want to upgrade the wiring so that you get the most out of your investment.
I suggest checking out Welcome To The KnuKonceptz Online Store. They've got decent pricing on good quality install necessities.
The money you'd spend on replacing the rear speakers would be much better spent on going a level up on the front speakers. 90% of the guys on here will say likewise. Leave the rear speakers for "fill".
To get the most out of the speakers you put in the front, it may be wise to replace the stock speaker wire with something of higher quality, but it won't be necessary. It'll really depend on what you decide to put up front, for better speakers you may want to upgrade the wiring so that you get the most out of your investment.
I suggest checking out Welcome To The KnuKonceptz Online Store. They've got decent pricing on good quality install necessities.
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