I am looking to replace the factory components in my 1990 Jeep Cherokee (new speakers, receiver, and amp). I want a decent system that can get pretty loud, but also sounds good. I listen to mostly rock, but I still want to be able to turn up the bass for listening to hip-hop, techno, etc. My budget is around 500$. I have some receivers in mind, the main things I want to know are: What kind of speakers?- component speakers or regular? Should I get a subwoofer?, if so- the tube or speaker ones? (I like a nice, clean bass- no distortion) What kind of amplifier set up should I get? (one amp for everything, or a seperately powered sub?) Is a CD receiver adequate for powering the mid-high range speakers? Any suggestions/tips would be greatly appreciated.
Replies (7)
uochronos on 06/3/2004 04:48:25
500$ for all that is a bit tight of a budget.. if you want Head unit(HU) amplifier, speakers, and sub. you arnt going to get low bass or real boomy from door speakers without distortion. here is what i would suggest
a set of components for the front 6.5 or 5.25 woofer and 1 inch tweeter. 100-150$
a decent HU pioneerpremier, kenwood, etc with the options you want alot of times you can get one 100$ cheaper by droping a model and not losing anything you actualy use. 150-250$
a sub alpine typ R, alpine type s, elemental designs, and infinity all make good reasonable subs that are good for sound quality 100$
and then a modest amp for the sub say 300watts JBL makes a 300.1 you can usualy pick up for 130$
then a set of decent rear speakers infity, alpine, cdt 30-80$
thats right around 500$ give or take a bit
swez on 06/3/2004 10:13:53
The initial budget number should get you a good HU and interior speakers. The HU needs to have at least 2 pair of RCA outs for amping. A Sub out would be a good idea too. Alpine, Pioneer, JVC and Clarion all have good HU designs. Avoid the glitzy models with all the added gizzmo features as the price just goes up with the extra toys you may not need.
As your taste for louder, cleaner sound increases... adding external amps and decent speakers will become phase II of your journey. A set of quality Components in the front, and decent pair of coaxials in rear will do a fine job. From my notes, this vehicle has a pair of 5-1/4" in front doors and same in tailgate. A good start for mids/high here... but a sub will bring the lower octaves (40-100 Hz) of bass to life.
May I suggest you start with a good HU and interior speakers first. The Aftermarket HU will definitely be more potent than your stock radio system... but you may want even more power later. Adding a wiring kit for 4 channel and sub amps, installed for now.... should hit your budget number with a little pocket change left over.
Once that's done, regroup, look at your next step to add amps and a sub. CK can walk you through the steps of the install and save you several $$$.00 bucks this way.
What say you?
Swez
EN on 06/3/2004 19:47:05
Thanks for the replies guys! The $500 budget is just a ballpark figure- I won't know for sure haow much I'll be able to spend for a couple months. The main place I have been browsing for the equipment is Crutchfield.com. Do you recommend shopping here, and are their installation instructions good? Also, I'm still a little unclear on sub-woofers. What's the difference between the tube style and the other ones (not sure of the real names). One more- what kind of amp would you recommend for powering the mid-high range speakers; would there be any issues with my Jeep being able to power the amp?
swez on 06/4/2004 10:04:31
Crutch is a great place to browse and get details on the gear they sell. Not the cheapest prices on the web, but they offer excellent technical support , very good warranties and solid application/install guides. They are probably the best in the business for customer support before, during and after the sale... but you pay a bit more for these aspects. Is is worth it? To many... yes. To the super bargain hunters abd folks on a super tight budget... maybe more shopping is better.
Sub enclosures come in many styles, shapes and sizes. The shape is not that important. But the internal air space for the sub(s) used is/are. We can help you through that maze of choices when you are ready.
As for amping the interior speakers... the new Aftermarket HU will have notably more power (SPL) than the stock factory HU. Better than stock speakers will also make a big difference in how your truck will sound later. Amping the interior speakers will do even more to boost SPL and Sound Quality (SQ) of your entire system. Just depends on your budget, choice of gear and install techniques.
A modest 4 channel amp (50 -75 watts x 4 RMS) will draw close to 40 amperes of current at full power. Nominal power draw is more like 25-30A., at normal listening levels.
Here's a very good amp choice... but shop it hard to get the price down where you want it. Phoenix Gold Octane-R 5.0:4, 50W x 4 car amplifier
http://www.crutchfield.com/S-2vGGPMVSbtH/cgi-bin/ProdView.asp?s=0&c=3&g=120&I=218OCR504&o=p&a=0&cc=01&avf=N&search=4+channel+amplifiers
Shopping around, I find this price for same:
Phoenix Gold Octane-R 5.0:4
1PG-R5.0:4 $174.99
Where: http://www.justamps.com/
See, saving $75.00 on this amp just by a quick web search. Crutch wants $250.00 for the same amp. You can get price matching at www.sounddomain.com for this product as well. They will match Yoshi's price... Crutch will not.
Finally, power consumption is going to be an issue to consider while developing your system integration strategy. Find out what size ALT and BAT are in the vehicle now. Just call a good autoparts store like Auto Zone and ask what size ALT is used with that engine package. If you have >100A., ALT already, adding a few modest amps will be possible without MAJOR electrical upgrades.
However, if you opt for a decent 4 channel and a larger sub amp, some tweaking will be needed. The BAT is usually the first thing to upgrade. A stock BAT for your vehicle is about 550-650 CCA (Cold Cranking Amps) Upgrading that to an 850 or higher CCA rating will help a lot with large sub amps.
Comments?
Swez
EN on 06/4/2004 20:50:30
Thanks Swez. When you say that you guys can help me with equipment choices and installation, does that mean I should just post another topic on this forum, or is there another part of the website I should go to for that?
swez on 06/5/2004 09:02:31
Just post new topics as you prepare for the next phase of your install project. Those with experience in that area will reply.
BTW, does this vehicle have the Infinity Gold system in it now? You'll know as the speaker grills in front doors will say so.
Swez
EN on 06/5/2004 13:19:38
I didn't see anything on the speaker grills.
Replies (7)
uochronos on 06/3/2004 04:48:25
500$ for all that is a bit tight of a budget.. if you want Head unit(HU) amplifier, speakers, and sub. you arnt going to get low bass or real boomy from door speakers without distortion. here is what i would suggest
a set of components for the front 6.5 or 5.25 woofer and 1 inch tweeter. 100-150$
a decent HU pioneerpremier, kenwood, etc with the options you want alot of times you can get one 100$ cheaper by droping a model and not losing anything you actualy use. 150-250$
a sub alpine typ R, alpine type s, elemental designs, and infinity all make good reasonable subs that are good for sound quality 100$
and then a modest amp for the sub say 300watts JBL makes a 300.1 you can usualy pick up for 130$
then a set of decent rear speakers infity, alpine, cdt 30-80$
thats right around 500$ give or take a bit
swez on 06/3/2004 10:13:53
The initial budget number should get you a good HU and interior speakers. The HU needs to have at least 2 pair of RCA outs for amping. A Sub out would be a good idea too. Alpine, Pioneer, JVC and Clarion all have good HU designs. Avoid the glitzy models with all the added gizzmo features as the price just goes up with the extra toys you may not need.
As your taste for louder, cleaner sound increases... adding external amps and decent speakers will become phase II of your journey. A set of quality Components in the front, and decent pair of coaxials in rear will do a fine job. From my notes, this vehicle has a pair of 5-1/4" in front doors and same in tailgate. A good start for mids/high here... but a sub will bring the lower octaves (40-100 Hz) of bass to life.
May I suggest you start with a good HU and interior speakers first. The Aftermarket HU will definitely be more potent than your stock radio system... but you may want even more power later. Adding a wiring kit for 4 channel and sub amps, installed for now.... should hit your budget number with a little pocket change left over.
Once that's done, regroup, look at your next step to add amps and a sub. CK can walk you through the steps of the install and save you several $$$.00 bucks this way.
What say you?
Swez
EN on 06/3/2004 19:47:05
Thanks for the replies guys! The $500 budget is just a ballpark figure- I won't know for sure haow much I'll be able to spend for a couple months. The main place I have been browsing for the equipment is Crutchfield.com. Do you recommend shopping here, and are their installation instructions good? Also, I'm still a little unclear on sub-woofers. What's the difference between the tube style and the other ones (not sure of the real names). One more- what kind of amp would you recommend for powering the mid-high range speakers; would there be any issues with my Jeep being able to power the amp?
swez on 06/4/2004 10:04:31
Crutch is a great place to browse and get details on the gear they sell. Not the cheapest prices on the web, but they offer excellent technical support , very good warranties and solid application/install guides. They are probably the best in the business for customer support before, during and after the sale... but you pay a bit more for these aspects. Is is worth it? To many... yes. To the super bargain hunters abd folks on a super tight budget... maybe more shopping is better.
Sub enclosures come in many styles, shapes and sizes. The shape is not that important. But the internal air space for the sub(s) used is/are. We can help you through that maze of choices when you are ready.
As for amping the interior speakers... the new Aftermarket HU will have notably more power (SPL) than the stock factory HU. Better than stock speakers will also make a big difference in how your truck will sound later. Amping the interior speakers will do even more to boost SPL and Sound Quality (SQ) of your entire system. Just depends on your budget, choice of gear and install techniques.
A modest 4 channel amp (50 -75 watts x 4 RMS) will draw close to 40 amperes of current at full power. Nominal power draw is more like 25-30A., at normal listening levels.
Here's a very good amp choice... but shop it hard to get the price down where you want it. Phoenix Gold Octane-R 5.0:4, 50W x 4 car amplifier
http://www.crutchfield.com/S-2vGGPMVSbtH/cgi-bin/ProdView.asp?s=0&c=3&g=120&I=218OCR504&o=p&a=0&cc=01&avf=N&search=4+channel+amplifiers
Shopping around, I find this price for same:
Phoenix Gold Octane-R 5.0:4
1PG-R5.0:4 $174.99
Where: http://www.justamps.com/
See, saving $75.00 on this amp just by a quick web search. Crutch wants $250.00 for the same amp. You can get price matching at www.sounddomain.com for this product as well. They will match Yoshi's price... Crutch will not.
Finally, power consumption is going to be an issue to consider while developing your system integration strategy. Find out what size ALT and BAT are in the vehicle now. Just call a good autoparts store like Auto Zone and ask what size ALT is used with that engine package. If you have >100A., ALT already, adding a few modest amps will be possible without MAJOR electrical upgrades.
However, if you opt for a decent 4 channel and a larger sub amp, some tweaking will be needed. The BAT is usually the first thing to upgrade. A stock BAT for your vehicle is about 550-650 CCA (Cold Cranking Amps) Upgrading that to an 850 or higher CCA rating will help a lot with large sub amps.
Comments?
Swez
EN on 06/4/2004 20:50:30
Thanks Swez. When you say that you guys can help me with equipment choices and installation, does that mean I should just post another topic on this forum, or is there another part of the website I should go to for that?
swez on 06/5/2004 09:02:31
Just post new topics as you prepare for the next phase of your install project. Those with experience in that area will reply.
BTW, does this vehicle have the Infinity Gold system in it now? You'll know as the speaker grills in front doors will say so.
Swez
EN on 06/5/2004 13:19:38
I didn't see anything on the speaker grills.
Copyright ClubKnowledge 2009 * All Rights Reserved
