Audio Advice Needed

[Evan93]

So I want to upgrade the audio in my festiva but not sure exactly what to do. I love music and want to be able to hear all tones of the music Highs/mids/lows. I listen to mostly pop, rock, country a little bit of everything mostly but not to extreme in any genre. FUN. is currently one of my fav bands to give you an idea. I have done a lot of research but am not good at this stuff and get more confused the more I look. oh and I dont really want to spend more than about $150-200.

Here is what I currently have-
A Pioneer head unit I installed about 2 years ago when I bought the car to replace the stock radio here is a link to it http://www.amazon.com/Pioneer-Deh-11...135745&sr=1-39
Also there is four 4" Pioneer speakers in stock locations must have been replaced before I got it, 100w 2-way. speakers sound decent but nothing to brag about.

Options I have looked at-
First I thought just about getting a powered sub that fits under the seat and being done with it because thats what I want the most is something to fill in the bass that the speakers just cant do, I dont want or need anything that will thump or rattle the windows. Heres is the ones I like- http://www.amazon.com/BASS600-8-Inch...ds=powered+sub this one is cheap reviews are ok, not sure about it. http://www.amazon.com/Pioneer-TS-SWX...ds=powered+sub this one looks great but appears it may need a amp which drives up the price.

I also looked at buying a kit like this one http://www.amazon.com/Pioneer-TS-D13...onent+speakers or possibly a 6.5". Not sure if the woofer would be able to bring the lows that I want well enough or not though, but the tweeter would take care of the highs. Also not sure if I want to try to install door speakers. Where would I run the wires and where does the woofer and tweeter connect to the head unit? I could do this though and if I needed more bass I could always add an under-the-seat subwoofer.

I also thought about just upgrading the current speakers to higher quality full range speakers but not sure that would do much good.

I dont want to spend too much but dont really want cheap either. I want to be able to hear everything that the artist meant to be heard, nothing over the top. I also dont want anything that will take up a lot of space. Dont really want to have to do much to make stuff fit but am open to door speakers. Like I said I really dont know much but have been trying to learn as much as I can, 2-way 3-way 4-way, ohms, watts, tweeters, crossovers, woofers its all over my head lol. I'm kinda trying to mimic the best I can the sound system in my dads 2010 Kia Optima, listening to music in there you hear things you didnt know was in the song and the sound just surrounds you and fills your ears. If you have made it this far thanks for reading, hopefully someone can give me a clue as to what might be best for me. Pics would help me as well where applicable. Thanks in advance!

[cway1319]

I up graded by drilling into my dash to put 6 inchersin same with the back im a cheapo so mine are all pioneers. Also added tweeters.

[Charlie1717]

Haha well you have quite a few limitations- the largest being $$$

So in my opinion for cheapness/easiness/effectiveness this is what I would do.

4" in the front (doesn't have to be anything special) with tweeters (2 or 3 way).

5 1/4" rounds for the rear, you will have to be a little creative to make them fit but it is easy.

and I've heard the powered subs under the seat get the job done pretty well, I've never heard one for myself. But just adding a sub will make a huge difference.

There is no reason to replace your 4" front speakers, all you need them for are the Highs so just run the High frequencies through them and not any lows. Then the 5 1/4" can run highs and mids then the sub can handle all the lows.

Just my opinion for a cheap good sounding system.

[navdoc101]

I've got the BOSS 8" powered sub. under pass. seat. Pretty good sound, even suprised my son who said I'd be wastein' my money. Put good 4' in dash with bass blockers & 6x9 2ways in individual boxs in rear. Sounds good all around. The little sub won't shatter windows but fills in the bass great. Just my oppinion.

[cway1319]

Got 2 12inch kicker comps sounds crazy

[sketchman]

I grabbed a set of 4 Pioneer 2 and 3 ways and a Kenwood KDC-248U for a sans-flashiness setup that was easy and cheap to do and sounded worlds better than the stock setup with my old Escort. It even had the premium sound thing with a separate amp under the seat. The Kenwood with no external amp blew it away.

I started to put together a sub with a generic eBay box and a JBL GTO804, but never got the amp for it before I ditched the car. Saved the head unit and speakers though, so my wagon will get done up now.

IMO, you'd be happy with some multi-way speakers and a quality no flash head unit if you're being budget conscious.

Got the head unit from Crutchfield, and the speakers from eBay. Don't think it was more than $200 total.

[Evan93]

Thanks for the suggestions. I will prob get a powered sub and see how that sounds then add other stuff after as I see fit. The bass blockers is a good idea simple enough. I like the idea of adding 5.25" for the rear. and maybe add some tweeters down the road. The $200 is more of a hope not a cap, I can spend more but dont want to if I dont have to. Haven't made any purchases yet so other suggestions are welcome.

[purg3d]

It's not pretty, but the PO installed 6x9's in the rear locations. Took a little trimming to fit. 5.25" in the doors i think.

I had some 4" clarions in my truck. Highs sound good, but they're too small to put out any low.

[Skrapbob]

Why not buy used speakers online. If you're careful, you can get a great deal on some good quality speakers. The sub will cost the most, but it is so much worth it!

[Charlie1717]

Why not buy used speakers online. If you're careful, you can get a great deal on some good quality speakers. The sub will cost the most, but it is so much worth it!

Definitely^^ especially when it comes to subs. You could easily find a decent sub, maybe a sub +amp

Or you can do what I do when I can't afford things (all the time). Buy something that is a good deal (craigslist, etc.) and resell it (ebay, etc.) until I can afford everything I want.

[FestYboy]

Infinity Referance or Kapa (if you can find them), or upper end Kicker 4" in front. then some normal 2-way 4" in the rear.

the best thing you can do is have a quality head unit with built in crossover at the pre-amp.

[Evan93]

So I bought the Boss bass600 amplified sub, and it sounds great. I was really surprized at what this thing is capable of. It sits under my seat and fills in the lows perfectly. My only complaint is that the volume control it comes with doesnt change the volume of it at all it just turns it off but doesnt bother me much. I also got some bass blockers for the speakers but not sure they are doing much, might send em back and get my money back, but Ill give them a few days. Maybe down the road Ill upgrade my speakers but for now I'm happy.

[navdoc101]

The bass blockers on your 4"speakers just keep bass signals from blowing your mid rage 4" speakers. Keep them.

[Charlie1717]

The bass blockers on your 4"speakers just keep bass signals from blowing your mid rage 4" speakers. Keep them.

I agree. There is a difference but it is just hard to hear. This will help keep distortion out when you crank it up along with preventing them from blowing. It's just hard to hear on the 4" speakers.

[Dare]

For your price range, I cannot suggest much other than what has already been said. A solid system will cost about $500. Most of this spent on an amp for the sub, and the head unit. Any decent head unit will have 50Amps x 4 speakers, and a sub output. Keeping the front two stock is a good saver, and the stocks are not bad. Bass blockers keep them from blowing and really don'thave much to do with sound quality. Just keeps you from replacing them every time yer on the highway listening to AC/DC. 5.25's in the back is a new investment but a good one. Either that, or bass blockers for those too and you have nowhere to get mid range.

Probably most critical, insulating your car to eliminate outside noise. There's a number of methods you will need to employ for complete coverage, but you can start with rubberizing the inside of your floorboards with one of those spray deals. Not optimal, but gets the job done.

For your budget:
5.25's in the back, a sub with an appropriate amp. The secret there is buying an amp first and getting a speaker to match. Your local audio guys can find something for you once you decide on an amp. spend the extra for a warranty. New speakers from any manufacturer are prone to blow. Your amp will be protected with a fuse, so no worries there.

I see you already did most of this, but I like to type.

Good luck