Q On A Nice Sounds System

[nateb06]

I finally saved up some money and I'm wondering what i should get for my car, l was wondering on your opinion on CD players, amps and subs like what are pretty good ones for a reasonable price?
thnx

[cherrington17]

pioneer and panasonic make good headunits.

amps... shop around for a good one.

subs, depends on if you want Loud, or Clear.

specify your total price range and we can make suggestions.

[TheSoundDemon]

Do you want easy to use as well?...if so then I agree with Pioneer, and Panasonic...if your looking for something with a little more tunability...then you should look into Alpine or Eclipse (they are also good for clarity)...again...what is your price range and one thing to keep in mind is...if it sounds good (to you) then it is good.

[mikegett]

I agree with thesounddemon. There are no exact rules to what sounds good. Just what sounds good to you. HU's have come a long way. A few hundred dollars can get you a very nice HU. I suggest looking into what options you feel are best for you. The only must I would suggest, is ensuring that your HU has a subwoofer crossover. Most amps come with one built in, but not all. I realy suggest going to a nice shop to preview some subs. Avoid just going by your friends advice. While they all have distinct sounds, they are very prone to poor installation. The best sub underpowerd or in the wrong enclosure can easily dissapoint you. Once you figure out what type of sub you like, choose your amp. Try to avoid underpowering it. At the least match it to the RMS. At best, double it and lower your gain.

[nateb06]

pretty much around 500$. I'm looking mostly at just having 1 10" just to have a lil thump. so pretty much a CD player, amp and 1 10". Oh yeah I know nothing about like the amount of watts from amps to subs, like how many watts i would need for a certain sub, from the amp. thanx for all your help so far.

[mikegett]

Every amp and sub will have rated powers by the manufacturer. The most common spec listed will be the maximum wattage of the sub or the amp. Ignore these specs, they mean nothing. Pay attention to the Amp and sub RMS rating. The RMS of a sub, is what the manufacturer suggests to supply the sub for continuous listening. In short, where it will perform the best. The RMS of the amp is the maximum continuous wattage the amp can output at the given Ohm. For example. A amp rated 250watts rms x2 at 4 ohm and 500watts rms x 2 at 2 ohm. The amp may peak at 400 watts x2 at 4 ohm, but who cares. For the most part, it is unusable wattage.
Most likely, you will expect to spend 200 on a HU. Unfortunately, 300 will be a bit short for a sub and amp. You still need to factor in a box, amp kit, and possibly a install fee. At bare minimum, they will cost you 100 alone. I would suggest finding a HU you enjoy and taking you time to find the sub and amp. Go to shops and talk to the guys about systems. Over time you will have a good idea as to what sounds good and what price range you will need to save for. It is possible to purchase a very cheap system or even a deal off ebay. However, you do get what you pay for and I strongly oppose ebay.

[kampfer422]

well 500$ aint too much but i think i can get something for the sub and amp. Probably a Dayton 10 quatrro and USAmps IS2080 bridged. I think that would work well. BUt just don't know the final total. for a cheap but good HU i would look into JVC. NOt many like them due to some reliability issues but haven't seen too many bad ones lately. Or sony, they're ok for the money and go cheap on ebay.

[cherrington17]

Amp wise just check the specs. find one your looking at and post it here, our sound guys will educate you on what the specs mean. then just apply that to the others you might want.

Subs, personally i stay away from lesser known companies. Its just me, if i've never heard of the company i tend to think the equip isn't that great.

right now i have 2 10" Fosgate HE2's. 800W, they really bump. the only problem with that is fosgate is infamous for alot of power, but not much clarity. If you want a decently loud sub, but very clear, get infinity (i'm sure there are others i'm not familiar with and others will post) if you want power, fosgate. if you want middle of the line, pioneer makes alright stuff.

(if you want tons of power and great clarity go with soundstream, but be ready to take out a small loan to pay for it. :lol: )