Car Audio

Anyone around here into or know much about car audio? It seems a bug has bitten me.

I've never been one for great sound in a vehicle; I always bought cheap or kept stock. But since I've been driving for work for some time my system has taken a hit from all the miles on it. I'm looking to upgrade...like a serious upgrade. No more stock, no cheapies.

Problem with my truck is it has a big aftermarket muffler that drowns the sound out a bit. I crank it up, it gets nasty (my right front speaker has a small tear and rattle as well). My favorite music to listen to is old-school thrash, but at this point because of the poor production values when I throw it on it is virtually unintelligible noise.

I'm not looking for something to show off or for beats to echo the valley. I want clarity, purity, definition, the kind of thing I get with my amp at home. I'm looking at new speakers, receiver, amp, sub cabs, good shit for good music.

Work is also the one time I actually do get to get my CDs out so quality is very important at that point. It should also be known that I in no way want to look like a douche when the system is complete. No rainbow lighting or runners etc. I just want great sound.

I don't know much about car stereos and am far from an expert but the best aftermarket stereo component I've ever put in a car was a pair of Polk Audio satellite tweeters. I'm a big fan of highs and those things screamed for me through 3 different vehicles before I finally went with a factory Infinity system in my next car and I left 'em in my tradein.

Um... my truck has a CD player in the dash. When I put a CD in it, music comes out.

...that's pretty much all I know about "car audio."

Fat Freddy wrote:

Um... my truck has a CD player in the dash. When I put a CD in it, music comes out.

...that's pretty much all I know about "car audio."

lol so does mine; problem is when I put Destruction or Coroner on, music doesn't come out, but it makes me wonder if a small animal got stuck in my engine.

tohostudios wrote:

I don't know much about car stereos and am far from an expert but the best aftermarket stereo component I've ever put in a car was a pair of Polk Audio satellite tweeters.  I'm a big fan of highs and those things screamed for me through 3 different vehicles before I finally went with a factory Infinity system in my next car and I left 'em in my tradein.

I'm actually looking at Polk and Blaupunkt so far; they seem to have moderate price ranges and good ratings. But I like loooows. Not Usher lows, but thundering metal lows.

i think my factory system does just fine. I look at it like your putting a lot of money into a car, which could be destroyed in a blink of an eye.

I don't like to invest in car audio. I'm a bit of a snob, and while I guess it's possible to get balanced sound in a car, it will anyways catch disturbances from noises by the engine, traffic, whatever, and if I do spend money on it, it seems a little bit like a waste. For intricate music like europower or technical thrash, a good home audio system / headphones is much better for hi-fi listening experience. Maybe if I drove more and longer distances I'd feel the need to upgrade.

Anyway, I can never fully focus on music/lyrics while driving, because I still have to pay attention to traffic or wife or whatever (at least when I drive in the city, or maybe it's because I kind of suck as a driver), and if you really want to blast it loud, you're always thinking if whatever that squeak you hear is the sound of a drowned ambulance siren wanting to overtake you. Especially music that has high and low dynamics (ie. good music) will sound like shit in a car. So I just play it with the compressed setting (I think it's called LOUD option in my system, the one that increases the lows and lowers the highs), which I would never do at home, and then I grind my teeth and make the most of it. I guess bass-heavy monotonic dance music or maybe some heavy compressed rock music is what sounds the best in a car. If you need the bass boost or loudness option, it's already screwed up.

However, I do see the point in wanting to have a system that is at least audible. Maybe I'm lucky because in my current car I have a decent one pre-installed. Not that I could name it...

When I bought a used car about two and a half years ago, it only had a cassette player and AM/FM radio (the CD player was defective for the most part, rarely playing CDs). I later upgraded it so the CD player would be operational, and also got one I could connect my iPod to. Of course, now the CD player doesn't work on that, so I just use my iPod.

I am not a stereo geek by any kind of measure and price is a big factor as well. I personally swear by Alpine decks, Polk, Kenwood and Pioneer speakers and JBL subs (10" and 12" are the best for metal). I know that a lot of it is preference, but look at (not kidding) last years closeout stereo models and you will pay half as much. Don't be afraid to ask about close-outs especially at stereo shops and places like Best Buy or Circuit City. I would seriously caution against used unless it has a warranty. I had a blaupunkt stereo in my Camaro a few years back and it was nothing but crap and headaches. On the subject of sound quality, take a few CD's into a car stereo shop and ask to play them through the systems available. Everyone that I have dealt with is pretty cool about finding the system that works for you in order to make a sale.

I'm keeping an eye on this thread because I'm needing to replace all my front speakers...they live, but they do not TRULY LIVE AHHHHHH

I've got a pretty good aftermarket JVC head with color changing features, ooh.... which, of course, came out approximately one year before all the touchscreen units..........it sure does make some noise, though.

The best front speakers I've owned (besides the Polk tweeters) have always been by Infinity. I had them in a Pontiac Sunbird and the Mitsubishi Eclipse I traded in before my current car. My current car came with factory-installed Bose all over the place and in the 2 1/2 years that I've had the car, I can't complain about those either (although I've always felt Bose was overrated).

To me Bose is garbage, so yeah.   I'll have to check out the Infinity brand. I'm loud...so....... if they can handle it..

My home stereo has Infinity speakers as well. Remember the ancient kind that are pieces of furniture? These things are about 23 years old and still going strong.

I got this last year and love it

http://www.caraudiogiants.com/pioneer-deh-x3500ui.html?___store=default&___store=default

I had a stock radio that was crapping out on me so I got this for christmas. I've bought other car stereos before and I believe they have all been Pioneer and I was happy with all of them. My favorite thing about this one is the USB port that I hook my ipod up to. It also displays the songs, artists etc. It also illuminates different colors or you can choose whatever color you want.

Theres also one that has bluetooth for a little more money but I didn't get that one, maybe I should have though but oh well.

The only thing I will say tho is, a lot of places offer deals where if you spend over a certain amount installation is free. I had to pay extra to have this installed. I can't remember how much extra maybe somewhere around $100 or so.

A friend of mine has a pioneer with a bigger screen that I like a lot as well really depending on if you just want a better sound and just something thats simple definetly take a look at the one I got. I love it and you won't believe the sound that you never heard before with your stock radio.

good luck.

Phoenix Reign Drummer wrote:

I got this last year and love it

http://www.caraudiogiants.com/pioneer-deh-x3500ui.html?___store=default&___store=default

I had a stock radio that was crapping out on me so I got this for christmas. I've bought other car stereos before and I believe they have all been Pioneer and I was happy with all of them. My favorite thing about this one is the USB port that I hook my ipod up to. It also displays the songs, artists etc. It also illuminates different colors or you can choose whatever color you want.

Theres also one that has bluetooth for a little more money but I didn't get that one, maybe I should have though but oh well.

The only thing I will say tho is,  a lot of places offer deals where if you spend over a certain amount installation is free. I had to pay extra to have this installed. I can't remember how much extra maybe somewhere around $100 or so.

A friend of mine has a pioneer with a bigger screen that I like a lot as well really depending on if you just want a better sound and just something thats simple definetly take a look at the one I got. I love it and you won't believe the sound that you never heard before with your stock radio.

good luck.

Thank you PRD; you just helped me pick my stereo. Only I'm gonna go with the Bluetooth model. Looks like just the thing I want, and Pioneer has always been good to me. I've installed many car stereos over time so I won't have to worry about that. I've ordered some 6 1/2 300w Blaupunkts for the front, they're triaxial to make up for the cab size. Lots of great industry and consumer reviews for them. I'm asking for an amp for Christmas .

One thing I'm swearing on is hanging onto the stock unit and speakers. I'm close to getting a new truck for work since this one is getting close to 300k miles so I want to be able to transfer the system over and still have the stock installed for selling.

And I agree with everyone here about Bose. Overpriced, and many home theater specialists who sell the stuff even say the same thing. Bose is just really good at marketing.

Car audio...... I never changed the stock system in my Highlander, it works fine and sound fine. I would love to have a kick ass system in the car, but it's not something I have to have. I'd rather spend the money on my home system, which currently consists of a Marantz receiver and Klipsch surround speakers (and sub) - the next step is to upgrade all of the speakers, which won't happen for a while.

As far as car audio, I have no idea what is high quality for the car these days. I would also stay away from Bose - I don't think that their speakers actually sound that great. Put them up against a pair of speakers that came with a $150 Emerson Turntable/Cassette Player/8Track/AM/FM combo and they sound fantastic...... they even sound better than the stock speakers for an AM radio in a 68 Volkswagon bug...... try them up against any of the other speakers for sale at Best Buy and they sound like shit.

I love listening to music in the car. I used to spend alot of money on nice car stereo systems, but I learned the hard way not to keep anything of worth in my car.

Since were here talking about car audio, I have an issue.

Lately the cd player in my car seems to have a hard time locating the first track on a cd. I slide one in and it searches and searches and usually spits out the cd with an "ERR CD" message. However if I slide one in and skip ahead to track 2 or 3, it usually (but not always) seems to find it and plays fine.

2 things I've noticed. It usually happens with more recent cds (but not always) and when the car or stereo is hot (but again, not always the case) from sitting in the sun all day.

It's more of an annoyance than anything. Any suggestions?

^^^I have had the same issue, but I have an in-dash changer, so not sure if that makes a difference.  It is a stock installed changer that I have had replaced twice.  First time I had 6 discs in that luckily they were able to remove them.  The second time I wasn't so lucky, but I only had 2 in there.  They probably just said F it and kept them.  Either way I stopped throwing my cds in there and only use cdrs.  Of course there are those rare occasions when I buy a new cd and have to hear it immediately.  Feels like I'm playing Russian Roulette every time.

Corplhicks, You have a lot of obstacles to overcome trying to listen to those early Destruction and Coroner albums driving in a truck with a modified exhaust. You can get them rockin' but it certainly won't sound like it does at home with headphones or a nice setup. It sucks, but I have plenty of other stuff I can play. I have had setups in every vehicle I have had. I like to drive, and I like to listen to music. Give me a cigar and convertible and stick me on the highway, and I'm set.

Joe wrote:

^^^I have had the same issue, but I have an in-dash changer, so not sure if that makes a difference.  It is a stock installed changer that I have had replaced twice.  First time I had 6 discs in that luckily they were able to remove them.  The second time I wasn't so lucky, but I only had 2 in there.  They probably just said F it and kept them.  Either way I stopped throwing my cds in there and only use cdrs.  Of course there are those rare occasions when I buy a new cd and have to hear it immediately.  Feels like I'm playing Russian Roulette every time.

Mine's just a stock single cd player. It's worked fine for the last 5 years now. This problem just started a few months ago. Thankfully, no cds have got stuck in there and it hasn't been consistant. Some cds play fine, while others can't start-up at track 1. Or I'll pop them out and pop it back in again and it works. The only thing it's been consistant at is pissing me off. 

Take your vehicle to a local audio store and ask their experts. That's what they are there for. Tell them what you are looking for and hear some of their options and then go by price...

MetalGuy71 wrote:

Since were here talking about car audio, I have an issue.

Lately the cd player in my car seems to have a hard time locating the first track on a cd. I slide one in and it searches and searches and usually spits out the cd with an "ERR CD" message. However if I slide one in and skip ahead to track 2 or 3, it usually (but not always) seems to find it and plays fine.

2 things I've noticed. It usually happens with more recent cds (but not always) and when the car or stereo is hot (but again, not always the case) from sitting in the sun all day.

It's more of an annoyance than anything. Any suggestions?

If you have a tapedeck in your car, purchase a carkit as I have always felt that carkit cd players sound better than the stock system.

I dont use cds anymore in my car as I just plug my phone in and use Spotify and listen to any album I want  

corplhicks wrote:

Phoenix Reign Drummer wrote:

I got this last year and love it

http://www.caraudiogiants.com/pioneer-deh-x3500ui.html?___store=default&___store=default

I had a stock radio that was crapping out on me so I got this for christmas. I've bought other car stereos before and I believe they have all been Pioneer and I was happy with all of them. My favorite thing about this one is the USB port that I hook my ipod up to. It also displays the songs, artists etc. It also illuminates different colors or you can choose whatever color you want.

Theres also one that has bluetooth for a little more money but I didn't get that one, maybe I should have though but oh well.

The only thing I will say tho is,  a lot of places offer deals where if you spend over a certain amount installation is free. I had to pay extra to have this installed. I can't remember how much extra maybe somewhere around $100 or so.

A friend of mine has a pioneer with a bigger screen that I like a lot as well really depending on if you just want a better sound and just something thats simple definetly take a look at the one I got. I love it and you won't believe the sound that you never heard before with your stock radio.

good luck.

Thank you PRD; you just helped me pick my stereo. Only I'm gonna go with the Bluetooth model. Looks like just the thing I want, and Pioneer has always been good to me. I've installed many car stereos over time so I won't have to worry about that. I've ordered some 6 1/2 300w  Blaupunkts for the front, they're triaxial to make up for the cab size. Lots of great industry and consumer reviews for them. I'm asking for an amp for Christmas .

One thing I'm swearing on is hanging onto the stock unit and speakers. I'm close to getting a new truck for work since this one is getting close to 300k miles so I want to be able to transfer the system over and still have the stock installed for selling.

And I agree with everyone here about Bose. Overpriced, and many home theater specialists who sell the stuff even say the same thing. Bose is just really good at marketing.

Awesome! Yea I love the radio. I probably could have used the bluetooth but I was a little hesitant because a friend of mine has the bluetooth and I didn't like how his microphone looks just sticking out of the ceiling by the mirror. Maybe these people could have done it differently but oh well. The speaker on my iphone is fine.

These stereos have like a mini amp built into them so they have a lot of power. Check into it before you go and buy an amp. I don't have an amp or anything to mine. I thought I would've had to change my speakers but I left my stock ones in and its booming.

I just need to take some longer car rides on my own so I can blast my music more often haha. Once the fiance gets in the car, everything is just too loud  

I always save the stock radios as well.

Finally got around to replacing my front speakers with the Blaupunkts, it was a breeze. Holy crap, what a difference. I threw on Master of Puppets and Newsted's album for the test run. First thing I noticed is the need to back my EQ waaaay off from its original setting--I only needed a tiny bit of bass and a little more treble to get the perfect sound. I cranked it hard--no distortion or buzz like with the factory's. Took my son for a drive and blasted Screaming for Vengeance on the freeway at 80 mph--for once I could hear every note and every beat with no interference. The bass is strong and I could even feel my doors vibrate if I really cranked it up (which of course I don't even need to). I could honestly call it a day after this but hell it's fun and my CD player is going out anyway. So next steps:

1. Head unit (was looking at Pioneer, now looking at Alpine due to several added benefits and more RMS per channel)
2. Rear Speakers
3. Amp (already picked out an Alpine add-on that adds 45w RMS per channel which is really all I need)
4. Component tweeters for the front for improved stereo imaging and clarity (more the better)
5. Sub? Not sure if I want to go this extra mile since most experts are telling me rock and metal won't benefit from adding a sub. Could become muddy, at the least just unnecessary. And expensive. Like I said, I'm not looking to go ghetto and have the world hear my setup.
6. Running lights and blue headlamps, maybe some 3D neon mags. I'm joking.

HAHAHA! Nice! Sounds good. A friend of mine has a sub and I brought my ipod and plugged it in. Sounded like total crap no matter what I played, most of it being metal. I don't even know why he bought one cause he listens to country haha.

Sounds like your going all out on this I thought you just wanted to go simple haha