Car stereo recommendations?

[Wiltonauer]

I‘d like to put an aftermarket stereo in an older car that has a modest factory system — dual-DIN head unit with ~6” rounds in each of the four doors and tweeters in the A pillars. I was a little surprised to find the aftermarket car audio industry still exists, to be honest. I don’t want to put a lot of money in it, but I want to replace the receiver and all the speakers, and maybe get a small subwofer.

I’m not a big bass-head. I’d like some low-end extension, but it’s important to me that the bass stays tight and accurate.

I’m used to audiophile gear at home. Sometimes mass-market stuff like Sony, JVC, Pioneer, and Kenwood just sounds unlistenable to me, but I know they are some of the biggest players in mobile. Does any of it actually sound good these days?

I’m looking at dual-DIN receivers that play CDs, have 13-band electronic EQ, time alignment, preamp outputs, line in, USB, Bluetooth, some smartphone interaction. These are like $150-$200. That seems cheap. Touchscreens get more expensive, but I wouldn’t mind spending more money if they did extra things I found useful, or if they sounded better. A lot of the touchscreen models don’t have physical volume knobs or play CDs, though, and those are two things I’m pretty sure I want. There’s a Pioneer that has a 31-band EQ you can access through an app.

I’m thinking of two-way components for the front with passive crossovers, and coaxes for the rears. I’d be willing to spend about $600 here.

I don’t know yet if I want to get into outboard amps. Maybe later. I’m definitely getting a receiver with a full set of preamp outputs. I know there are outboard EQs you can use if you’ve got external amps, and that might appeal.

Subwoofer, depends on where I could fit one. I’m not the guy who’s getting a box with two twelves and 1,000W amp.

 

[jaxadam]

I‘d like to put an aftermarket stereo in an older car that has a modest factory system — dual-DIN head unit with ~6” rounds in each of the four doors and tweeters in the A pillars. I was a little surprised to find the aftermarket car audio industry still exists, to be honest. I don’t want to put a lot of money in it, but I want to replace the receiver and all the speakers, and maybe get a small subwofer.

I’m not a big bass-head. I’d like some low-end extension, but it’s important to me that the bass stays tight and accurate.

I’m used to audiophile gear at home. Sometimes mass-market stuff like Sony, JVC, Pioneer, and Kenwood just sounds unlistenable to me, but I know they are some of the biggest players in mobile. Does any of it actually sound good these days?

I’m looking at dual-DIN receivers that play CDs, have 13-band electronic EQ, time alignment, preamp outputs, line in, USB, Bluetooth, some smartphone interaction. These are like $150-$200. That seems cheap. Touchscreens get more expensive, but I wouldn’t mind spending more money if they did extra things I found useful, or if they sounded better. A lot of the touchscreen models don’t have physical volume knobs or play CDs, though, and those are two things I’m pretty sure I want. There’s a Pioneer that has a 31-band EQ you can access through an app.

I’m thinking of two-way components for the front with passive crossovers, and coaxes for the rears. I’d be willing to spend about $600 here.

I don’t know yet if I want to get into outboard amps. Maybe later. I’m definitely getting a receiver with a full set of preamp outputs. I know there are outboard EQs you can use if you’ve got external amps, and that might appeal.

Subwoofer, depends on where I could fit one. I’m not the guy who’s getting a box with two twelves and 1,000W amp.

In my last truck I went with Hertz Mille 1650.3s and 280.3s up front with an active crossover and man it was a night and day difference over passive. I don't think I'd ever go back to passives again. I had a Sony double DIN with a physical volume knob and the time alignment and eq settings on it were by far enough.

 

[Wiltonauer]

In my last truck I went with Hertz Mille 1650.3s and 280.3s up front with an active crossover and man it was a night and day difference over passive. I don't think I'd ever go back to passives again. I had a Sony double DIN with a physical volume knob and the time alignment and eq settings on it were by far enough.

I’m sure it sounds great, but I’m realistically looking at passive-crossover components because otherwise I would have to use outboard amps, and twice as many of them.

 

[jaxadam]

I’m sure it sounds great, but I’m realistically looking at passive-crossover components because otherwise I would have to use outboard amps, and twice as many of them.

What kind of vehicle and why do you want coax in the back? Is it important to have rear fill? I’ve always found that a high quality front sound stage is much better.

 

[Wiltonauer]

What kind of vehicle and why do you want coax in the back? Is it important to have rear fill? I’ve always found that a high quality front sound stage is much better.

It’s a 1985 Trabant Super Sport Twin Turbo, the one with the V12 and the 7-speed manual transmission. I’d like coaxes in the rears for the back fill. I can always fade to the front if I don’t want to hear them.

 

[jaxadam]

It’s a 1985 Trabant Super Sport Twin Turbo, the one with the V12 and the 7-speed manual transmission. I’d like coaxes in the rears for the back fill. I can always fade to the front if I don’t want to hear them.

I don’t want to talk you out of getting 4 speakers in your car with no amp, but with that size car, a quality front stage installed and tuned properly will fill that thing with sound. If you do not have SQ people constantly riding in the back and you already are saying you’d just fade them to the front really leads me to believe you’d be much better served doing a front stage with a sub and not chasing things around and spending extra money. People used to hear my truck and try to go for the same thing but they never wanted to spend that much, then by the time they were done goofing off swapping amps/speakers/installs they’d spent more than I did. Also consider dynamatting the hell out of it. I even dynamatted my license plate.

 

[littlebadboy]

I am in the search too because my factory one works intermittent with an annoying loud pop sound right before it does out at random times. I'm actually considering thinning it down to something that I can just stream Spotify on to via Bluetooth and radio available.

 

[Wiltonauer]

I don’t want to talk you out of getting 4 speakers in your car with no amp, but with that size car, a quality front stage installed and tuned properly will fill that thing with sound. If you do not have SQ people constantly riding in the back and you already are saying you’d just fade them to the front really leads me to believe you’d be much better served doing a front stage with a sub and not chasing things around and spending extra money. People used to hear my truck and try to go for the same thing but they never wanted to spend that much, then by the time they were done goofing off swapping amps/speakers/installs they’d spent more than I did. Also consider dynamatting the hell out of it. I even dynamatted my license plate.

Well, my car already has four speakers plus two tweeters, and no external amp — just the factory head unit with a power section rated by the manufacturer as follows:

Output Power: 0.06mW @ 1kHz, 153% THD

What’s more, the two round speakers on one side don’t work. All I get is the tweeter from the passenger side, which makes for some interesting listening. Sometimes I hear one or both of the rounds on that side playing, but it’s intermittent and unpredictable.

When all the speakers were working, it sounded decent. I’m sure a new receiver that does an honest 22W RMS x4 and $500 or $600 worth of new speakers would sound better. That’s what I’m thinking, anyway. Preamp outputs all around so I can add an amp later if I want to.

Even if I just disconnect the rears and put all my speaker money into front components, I still need a new head unit. Either way, I looked up the Hertz Mile stuff, and I’m not going to end up spending more than you did.

The head unit, in audio terms, is going to be (at least) an EQ, D/A converter, and preamp. I’m totally lost in the woods on what would do those things well. I keep thinking of the Sony AC-3 processor I bought new in the late ‘90s and was so excited about until I fired up the Dolby Digital Laserdisc of ‘Clear and Present Danger’ and it sounded so bad that I took the Sony out and put my Angstrom 200 back in because it slaughtered the Sony doing Dolby Pro-Logic.

 

[jaxadam]

Well, my car already has four speakers plus two tweeters, and no external amp — just the factory head unit with a power section rated by the manufacturer as follows:

Output Power: 0.06mW @ 1kHz, 153% THD

What’s more, the two round speakers on one side don’t work. All I get is the tweeter from the passenger side, which makes for some interesting listening. Sometimes I hear one or both of the rounds on that side playing, but it’s intermittent and unpredictable.

When all the speakers were working, it sounded decent. I’m sure a new receiver that does an honest 22W RMS x4 and $500 or $600 worth of new speakers would sound better. That’s what I’m thinking, anyway. Preamp outputs all around so I can add an amp later if I want to.

Even if I just disconnect the rears and put all my speaker money into front components, I still need a new head unit. Either way, I looked up the Hertz Mile stuff, and I’m not going to end up spending more than you did.

The head unit, in audio terms, is going to be (at least) an EQ, D/A converter, and preamp. I’m totally lost in the woods on what would do those things well. I keep thinking of the Sony AC-3 processor I bought new in the late ‘90s and was so excited about until I fired up the Dolby Digital Laserdisc of ‘Clear and Present Danger’ and it sounded so bad that I took the Sony out and put my Angstrom 200 back in because it slaughtered the Sony doing Dolby Pro-Logic.

I hear you man. Check out some of the lower end Hertz stuff. I think the HCX 165 coaxes have gotten some wonderful reviews. I don't really know about the Dieci series, but a lot of their lower end stuff is pretty good. I also don't know much about them whoring out the Mille line for lower pricepoint offerings (when I got them there was only one Mille line, which is the Legend now I believe).

My buddy Rob was from England and a big sound quality guy and loved live music. He loved my setup and wanted THE EXACT SAME THING. Well, I told him exactly what to do. What did he do? He went with the Hertz Energies passive and wondered why they didn't sound like active Milles. Then he got the Hi Energy passives and wondered why they didn't sound like active Milles. Then he tried to get a deal on the Milles and bought them online for cheap but got some Chinese knockoff shit. Then he refused to get an aftermarket head unit and would only use his stock interface. Then he decided that he didn't want to spend any money on dynamat. Then he decided to get real Milles. But passive. So then he shelled out and got the Audison Bit Ten and had my buddy spend like two hours tuning it and by this point Rob was over it and sold the car. So anyway...

If you haven't checked out the DIYMA forums, that's a great resource. I would just love to see you slap a decent system in there that you'd be happy with.

 

[Wiltonauer]

Lol, I’m going down a rabbit hole. Not the deepest one, but it’s definitely rabbits. I just bought a new head unit, a pair of components for the fronts, foam baffle boxes, some Dynamat, and a few installation doodads, but I’m not going to install any of it yet.

I’m going to get a pair of coaxes for the rears, more Dynamat, a four-channel amp, and a ton of speaker wire and pull from all six speaker locations to the trunk. That’s where the battery is and where the amp and crossovers are going.

So I’m like, on my way, or something?

 

[jaxadam]

 

[Wiltonauer]

Still buying stuff and planning. Got rear speakers, more Dynamat, a sealed 12, mono amp, and over $43 billion in wire, differential RCA cables, connectors, and installation parts. The red power wire is on backorder, so I’m still listening to the lopsided, half-broken factory system while pieces pile up in the corner of my bedroom.