And the sad part is it's not even extravagant!

Low/mid-tier Pioneer nav system, Polk Audio components, Q-Logic OEM-fit enclosure for two 8" subs, two 8" RF subs, and a 4x100rms amp.

I know Crutchfield isn't the cheapest, but still...jeez. I'm going to start hunting for parts. Do you think I'd be better off running separate amplifiers for speakers and subwoofers? If I go with the same components I have in my MR2, I think they're 50-100w RMS and the subwoofers are 50-150w RMS. I could either nix the rear door speakers, or put $50 replacements in as filler. I am thinking I may be better off without them, though.

2 nice and expensive speakers in the front running off the amp, then use the other 2 channels of the amp to run subs. Then get some less significant rear speakers and run them right off the head unit, if you want them at all.

That's what I did with my MR2- ditched the rear speakers completely. I imagine I will do the same here.

Unless head units are deliberately designed to be **** to encourage amp sales, I still say there's no reason you can't run a full system off one. It does not take a lot to make a good amplifier these days.

What is the big deal behind amps? My crappy little car stereo I have now can already make my ears bleed, and the speakers are far from quality. I absolutely cannot think of a reason why to do this sort of stuff.

he gots to be pimpin, yo

Amps aren't just about being loud. Properly powering your speakers (combined with higher quality, higher power draw speakers) will result in better audio quality.

The part of this rig I don't understand is needing four 8" subs. Why so much bass? I thought you were a white cop from the northeast JLee. (lolgeneralizations)

What? The only OEM-fit box I can find for my truck takes two 8" subs. That's nowhere near crazy...



Because some of us want crisp, clear sound..

Your crappy little car stereo with your far from quality speakers that you have now is the very reason that it can make your ears bleed.

High quality components that are properly driven can be comfortably listened to at a much higher volume than low quality components, the inadequacy of which can cause head pain/discomfort at relatively lower volumes.

Sound logic... the problem is that a head unit with a decent amp should be enough. I don't know much about car audio so I wouldn't doubt they aren't of highest quality on purpose. There's really no reason why you can't fit a high quality amp in a head unit.

Audio technology was, for the most part, mastered in the 70s. Everything since then has been incremental. A $15 chip amp can outperform high end equipment from the last decade. I don't know what the business world is doing, but there's really no need for anything extravagant.

If I was unsure, I'd pick up a cheap dBa meter from Harbor Freight or something and set up a little blind ABX test. I'd test the setup, blind, with the amp and with the head unit. If I couldn't tell the difference I would return the amp. I'd also be able to say I did :science:

I think people need to be very careful when buying audio gear. Audio is full of snake oil salesman. Ask any electrical engineer, they'll tell you that by far the most significant factor in audio quality these days is the speakers. It's very easy to make audio sources and amplifiers that meet reference quality standards. Most portable media players, including iPods pass various RIAA tests for reference audio quality.

And whatever you do, do NOT buy aftermarket audio cables, EVER. Lamp cord from Home Depot is exactly the same.

You can't properly drive a subwoofer calling for 300w with a head unit giving 22w RMS.

I wasn't talking about subwoofers. They move a lot of air and obviously require more power. That's why most subwoofers for home use are usually self-powered. Also what do you mean "calling for 300w?" Just because it's a "300 watt" subwoofer does not mean you need an amp that outputs 300 watts.

For the rest of your speakers, if they are reasonably efficient, the head unit should be fine. Speaker efficiency is measured in decibels, at a distance of 1 meter and power of 1 watt. If your speakers have an efficiency rating of 87 dB (about average for 6-8 in woofers), that means that from 1 meter away, the sound they produce will be 87 dB when powered by 1 watt. Since the bel scale is logarithmic, you need twice the power for every 3 dB increase in loudness. For speakers rated at 87 dB, you'd need 16 watts to get 99 db at 1 meter. 99 dB at one meter is pretty ****ing loud, and will damage your hearing over time.

Now, an analog amplifier (most all of them) that is rated at "100 watts RMS" will not put out 100 watts. As it heats up, it'll get less efficient. It can start to distort or the signal can start to clip, which can damage the speakers. That's why high end amplifiers have such high specs. It's not to be "loud," but to properly drive very high end (and often very inefficient) speakers to listenable levels without distortion. Similarly, a 22 watt head unit won't output 22 watts. But you don't even need that. It's a car, it's a confined area. If you crank your speakers to 95 dB, anyone riding with you would get pissed.

Don't argue semantics with me. You know very well what I'm talking about. I'm not a professional by any means, but this isn't the first sound system I've put in a car.

If you want to run speakers on your POS head unit, feel free. I have a set of decent components on a decent 4ch amp and I will put it up against your stereo any day (and I get no clipping at high volume, either). I also can't be bothered to rewire my whole car just to try to prove you wrong, so I suppose you'll proclaim that I'll never know the difference if I would. You can try running $200 components off a head unit, crank it up and see how far you can go before it starts clipping, but I'd rather take the advice of practically everyone else in the automotive audio world and run an amplifier.

Hell according to Crutchfield, my Tundra has a factory amplifier...if it wasn't necessary, I imagine Toyota would've saved money and just used one in the HU. The factory stereo sucks, though...so who knows.

Volume is also more important than you think, especially when you have a loud car with an open roof on the interstate.

Man, if I ever get a car all it's going to have is a ****ty stereo.
And I mean literal stereo, as in two speakers.

A few months ago I accidently turned my truck on with the volume cranked up for some reason. Chunks flew out of my speakers.

They still sound fine to me.

>_>

My Grand Marquis sets the sets the volume down to a certain level if it's cranked up loud when you shut it off so you don't blow your ears out when you fire it up, best car audio idea ever :neckbeard::neckbeard::neckbeard:

My car stereo does that as well.

Frankly, even if I could hear a real difference between my system and a better one, I wouldn't put forth $1500 for it. Unless you're going to be spending ridiculous amounts of time in the truck I wouldn't do it. I'd rather spend the money on a better home stereo system, something I'll spend a lot more time using, and can relax and enjoy more (without being surrounded with car noises, traffic, distractions requiring less volume, etc).

Just my opinion

If I didn't have roommates, I would.

It shouldn't end up being near that much - Crutchfield is great for figuring out what will fit in a car, but definitely not cheap. I will probably end up with a combination of different stores and possibly used stuff (picked up some great amps used).

Driving with loud music is irresponsible and dangerous.

Spoken like a true inselaffe

I just spent less than this for my new PC.

And that's exactly my point, the audio world is full of idiots. If you want advice from the real audio world, consult a forum like Hydrogen Audio, where it is literally against the terms of service to make subjective claims that aren't substantiated by hard numbers.

I wandered around the Head-Fi forums for years thinking I was reading posts by knowledgeable people only to eventually realize that they were all full of ****. Audiophiles love spending money on useless ****, and go through amazing ends of rationalization and bunk science to convince themselves that they have spent their money well. I'm not outright suggesting an amp is useless, but I'm advising you to be cautious. I'd be surprised if you can't find a head unit that more than meets your requirements (say 50w). But it sounds like you've made up your mind and don't give a **** if you're throwing your money away, so whatever.

I don't know what you mean by "loud music" but listening to music while driving is not at all dangerous. Our brains are very good at multitasking when the tasks are orthogonal. Essentially, visual input from the road and auditory input from the music don't conflict. For me, I find that music on the road helps me stay focused, because my mind is less likely to wander to more intense thoughts than when it is idly occupied with music. Talk shows may be different because they require you to think about the things being said. Especially most morning shows, which are so incredibly stupid that they force my mind into a state of confusion.

I seem to recall at least one head unit that came with a halfway decent onboard amp, but I am looking at DVD / nav units, and have yet to find one with an amp capable of driving good components properly.

Why in the world would you want a DVD display in your dash? >.>

Most head units with navigation have a DVD. Regardless, might be nice to have for passengers on long trips. Lots of vehicles come with that from the factory. But to more directly answer your question, because he does.

Yep, exactly...I'm not sure I've even seen a modern nav setup without DVD. Can't really use it for passengers because the screen is within view of the driver. TBH I doubt I would use the DVD often (or at all), but it usually comes with nav, which I would really like to have integrated.

Actually our brains can't multitask at all. I'm pretty sure that's been proven.

Loud music can make it more difficult to hear sirens which can be pretty dangerous. If you're trying to listen to talking it's even worse since you either pay attention to the guy talking or your driving, and it's very easy to get distracted from one by the other.

Music I understand, especially if it's not too loud so you can hear sirens.

On that note, commercials and songs with sirens should not be played on the radio. I can't tell you how many times I've thought I heard a siren and it was fake..

I don't tend to listen to loud music in fast / heavy traffic, but for long trips it's great. On the interstate, you won't really hear a siren until they're practically on top of you..at that point you should have seen emergency lights well before then.

You're going to remove 2 speakers from your car?

not if they have THE RUMBLER

I've had friends that got/had fancy systems in their car... and besides the bass, I have never noticed anyone's to sound much better than the stock system in my ****ty Cobalt. *shrug*

That thing is ridiculous. Two of the cruisers in my local PD are equipped and it makes you feel like your car is about to fall apart when they're behind you. :-/

Most aftermarket systems are set up pitifully with the only point being extreme "one-note-wonder" bass production. It's all about the "thump", screw sound quality.

I am intrigued...

Its a Siren that blasts low frequencies along with the standard noise. It's pretty unnerving. Some cops in NYC have it and it still catches me off guard.