Hi guys. I have a 2003 Evo, and recently I've saved enough lunch money to upgrade my car audio system. I have about $900 to spend, including installation. Since this is the first time I'm getting an aftermarket system, could you guys give me some suggestions on what to get? I listen to R&B mostly, so I would like to have some bass, but I'm sure I won't need huge subs to be happy with my system.

Here's what I want to get:
Head Unit (mp3 function not needed, but needs to be able to play CD-Rs)
Component Speakers
Subwoofer (a 10" will do, perhaps?)
Amp

I'm considering getting just 1 set of component speakers, but would that mean lousy sound for those in the backseat?

Right now, here's some stuff I found on tweeter. I thought they were ok, and I might be able to squeeze them into my budget. I'll run a Clarion DX545MP head unit, Boston Acoustics RC620 for components, a JL Audio 10W04 subwoofer and an Alpine MRDM301 AccuClass-D Mono Subwoofer Amplifier. I was told I could get decent components off ebay for much cheaper, but I'm not sure what brand/model to get.

With this setup, would I need to get an amp for the speakers? Or could I just get a head unit with bigger outputs and still get decent audio?

Last but not least, would these speakers run over my budget? $200 for installion + cable seems a little unrealistic.

Thank you guys for any advice you can provide. Please don't flame if I sound stupid, I'm an absolute newbie at this.

 

get the JL audio for sure, there amps will work too, alpine headunit. I have more time later to help ou but very sleepy. PM for more info thanks

 

saved enough lunch money....hahaha

If i were you dude id get 2 kicker solo baric 12's....there awesome speakers...and if you email me pretty soon i even have a 600w mmats amp im selling. that would be perfect bass/sound for your r&b needs. ill give u a good deal on it

I just updated the post...i attached the amp im sellin, if ya like it pm me.

 

kicker solobaric = lots of trunk room, awesome sound, and $$$$$$

 

if your still out to impress people in high school, then go with two kicker 12's. one sub is more then enough with a decent amp running it. i second the alpine deck recommendation, go with one of the 9831, 9833 or 9835. the 33 and 35 are really awsome decks, but the 31 can do most of what the higher end ones can. don't skimp on the deck, though... additionally, once you have a deck picked out, don't skimp on the speakers or the amp to power them. i run infinity kappa series speakers (not to much money, and a great sound) off of a MTX 5 channel amp (decent amp, again, not to much money, but clean and powerful). there are many other good recommendations such as the focal, and MB quart. for amps there are a whole slew of good brands. some of them will break your bank for sure, others will offer 99% of the performance the really high end stuff offers, for 1/4 of the price. stay away from the really cheap stuff that exagerates the power output. rockford is a good example of this. if it says 900watts on the amp from rockford, it will really only push like 200 clean watts stable.

my recommendation, go to a few stereo shops, tell them what you are looking for, then report back to us. there are a few people who will give constructive criticism here, and a few that will tell you to buy 2 12" solobarics even after you said you don't want huge subs.

one other thing. remember you don't have to do everything at once. for example, if your only going to spend 900 dollars for everything, your system is going to sound like ***. expect to pay a few hundred for cables and install if your not doing it yourself. a hundred on a box if your not building it yourself, and that leaves you will 600 for amp/sub/deck/speakers which wont get you anything worth your time and money. start with a good deck, say 400 for the 9831 or 9833 alpines. installed for free usually plus 50 for harnesses and parts. then look at speakers... you should be able to get fronts and rears for 450 installed. inifinty kappa components are 250-300 and the perfects are like 650. for rears you can get kappas for 150 or so. installation will be around 50-100 (rears are really easy to do yourself if you get the adaptor rings) (and you don't have to go with infinity). once this stuff is in, then start looking at amps to power the speakers you have... 4 channel alpine digital will work with your deck (and actually controlled through the head unit. really sweet feature) or else JL makes $weet stuff. my MTX isn't bad, the amp ran 600 msrp (i didn't pay near that though... employee purchases are nice...). you can find good stuff for cheaper though... add the sub and sub amp last otherwise you will be drowned out in bass and systems like that sound awful IMO. plan everything you want to do before you spend a dime though. systems that are thrown together always sound worse then systems well thought out.

 

I'm a big fan of alpine so, heres my .02, the type x components retail for about 450, but go to ebay and you can get them for about 220. Along with the sub, you can get them for about 210 a piece with 1000 watt RMS. It all depends on what youre looking for.

 

Thanks Kevin for your thoughtful insight!

I'll shop around today, see what stores in my area have.

I think I'll put in a head unit, 1 set of component speakers for the front and an amp for the speakers first.

Maybe wait for a few months before I finish the rest of the work.

 

YO,
$900 is not enough, my rule of thumb is to spend $2000 minimum for an aftermarket system. Of course you can spend $10,000 too, but $2,000 is a good starting point, which would give you flexibility as to what brands you want.

$500 - head unit ( Alpine 9835 - awesome )
$500-speakers (front comps only or cheaper front comps($400) & rear coax($100 )
Boston's or MB Quart's
$500 - amp ( 5 channel if running rears or 4 channel is only running fronts)
channel 1+2 fronts, 3 + 4 bridged to subs ( 1 or 2 )
$500 - subs and enclosure

$200 for wires ( power , speaker, signal )

So your at $2200, but you can cut corners somewhere to make up the $200.

But with sound, your system is as good as the weakest link.
Don't cheap out on the wires, front speakers or amps.
The head unit is not too important to sound quality because you will be incorporating external amps, as long as you get one with at least 4 v outputs.
There are a million good subs out there, just get on that matches your amps output.

 

get the alpine and some MB Quart or Infinity for the price. stick with these. you may want to but a crappy amp for now for the replaced speakers as high end components can handle alot of power, but will have a tendency to blow running on just the deck.after you think out the rest, one sub will definately get you there. I recommend the JL Audio because of sound quality,small closure space, and craftsmanship. Just go at it, and feel free to ask away if needed. Hell Ill check on some pricces for you too. that mmats amp is sweet man dont get me wrong, but its not what you need. A good 5 channel wouldnt be bad. I have a JL 500/5. Bottom line you are doing the right thing by asking around. Good luck with this project. Hope this helps.

 

I went to Tweeter today, and they put together a really nice system for me for about $2000, which includes all parts (extra battery and wires) and labor.

Here's the system:
Alpine CDA-9851 Head Unit (Still considering if I should upgrade to a better one)
Alpine MRV-F450 5 Channel Amp
JL Audio XR650CSI Component Speakers (I thought they sounded really nice)
JL Audio 10W04 10" Subwoofer w/custom Box (on sale for $140)
JL Audio Coaxials for Rear Speakers (not sure of the product number, but matches my components)

What do you guys think of this setup? I booked an appointment for the 23rd, so there's plenty of time to upgrade/downgrade. I brought along a couple of CDs to try the system out, and it was awesome! The music sounded very clean, while the sub provided good bass. I thought about putting in a pair of 10" subs, but the guy at Tweeter told me I wouldn't need that much bass.

Well, I finally realized $900 would only get me a lousy system after listening to different setups at the store. Now, I am prepared to spend the money to get the system that I like. It's a lot of money, but the store's 12-month no-interest financing plan certainly won't hurt. Guess plans for a new LCD TV will have to wait for a while.

Let me know what you guys think. And again, thank you for all the advice and help you can provide!

 

I have a 04 model solo beric s10l7 and an 04 kx600.1 amp that will work good for your bass setup. Let me know if you wanna work something out. I can put some pics up here or email them to you if you want.

 

I know everyone loves alpines, but I got the Clarion DXZ845MC (a few steps up from the DX545MP). I really like it. It matches the red interior lighting scheme I wanted for my evo (changes to multiple colors) and by itself increases sound quality a lot. It also has some cool "music catcher" technology; it can store up to 6 CD's worth of music in the head unit itself, and can record from CD's, radio, etc., plus it plays MP3's and CD-R's. It's also got a nice looking display and a motorized face. It fits my needs perfectly. I got a good deal on it from www.6ave.com. I only bring it up because you were looking at a head unit from the same product line, and this one is better, and around the same price ($206!). 6ave has good customer service and shipped quickly, if you are worried about their rep.

My plan is to put some 6.5" Focal Utopia components up front and two JL 10" subs in the back, and power it all with a JL 5 channel amp. FWIW.

Oh BTW I went to a local Tweeter store to check out different head units and I almost bought it from them. Lucky I didn't; it was on SALE for like $400 (down from $500)! I got it for around half of that from 6ave (even after shipping) and I only had to wait two or three days. That's a pretty ridiculous markup!

 

i'm also a stillwater design fan.but i would say spend the 900 elsewhere.evos/subs don't mix

 

i would upgrade the 10W04 to the 10W3v2........i think you will like the 10w0 for a week or 2 but after you get used to it your going to want to turn it up more and i don't think the 10w0 will handle it...just my .02

 

Try www.etronics.com and look for 8" or maybe 10" subs and they have the Kicker L7 solobarics 8" for less than 140 bucks. Got my 8 there and built my own trunk box for it and it hits hard as hell! With just a 250W amp and it can hold 450W rms. crazy.