Hi guys, I just had a few questions about getting a stereo for my 1999 Mercury Grand Marquis. I'm looking to get some speakers and an amp for my car. I want it to sound good playing all kinds of music such as rap, alternative, rock, and even country. I'm not going to play it a lot because I don't want it to tear my car up, but when I do play it I want it to be loud as heck. I have about a 1000 dollars to spend. I was thinking about buying the parts online, then letting a professional company install it and build the box. I know how to install it and stuff, it's just that my car is in such good condition I just don't want to mess it up. So that may need to be included in the 1000 dollars. Any advice?
Replies (9)
UKinstaller on 07/28/2004 22:14:03
do you already have an aftermarket head unit?? if not, then i would definitely invest in one. upgrade your front and rear speakers, get a couple 12's for that loudness you crave, and a good amp, and you'll be good to go. if you REALLY want it to scream, add a 4 channel amp to your front and rear speakers, it makes them much louder, and the treble can be heard at much louder volumes. but after that, it might be above your budget. you can always add later.
as far as brands go, i love eclipse products, but they are pricey. alpine makes good stuff, but again pricey. if you are looking to keep it under 1000, then plan on about 200 bucks in installation just to be safe. also, i recommend buying cheap wires because they sound just the same as the expensive crap.
other speaker and amp brands to check out that are less expensive include polk, pioneer, mtx, and rockford fosgate. STAY AWAY from brands such as pyle, boss, verge, esa, audiovox, and (in my opinion) sony because they are all crap, although sony does make SOME good stuff.
if properly installed, you can play your system as often as you like without fear of destruction, except you might wanna keep your subs down every once in a while because they can rattle your trunk pretty loose.
finally, some of this stuff you can do yourself, especially the radio and front and rear speakers. the radio uses ford keys and is very easy to install. you have to gut the backseat to get the 6x9's out of the back window, but it's only a couple bolts, nothing too bad. we can help you out.
good luck, and let us know what you are checking out before you buy it and we'll share our opinions.
-UK
aposynthesi on 07/28/2004 22:35:25
I have a 1996 Grand Marquis - my stereo consists of an Alpine CDA-9835 Head Unit (you could go for the lower model - 9833 to save about $50 maybe more, Alpine Type-R 5x7's up front, and Type R 6x9's in the rear. They get very loud.
The rear speakers can be replaced by removing the rear-dash, I didn't remove the back seat... it's much easier. You'll have to go in the trunk to wire them. I love how huge the trunk is.
If you need any help with this install, I can help you since we basicalfÕTÁave the same car.
This totalled to about $550 so far.
UKinstaller on 07/28/2004 22:51:13
95 you don't have to remove the backseat. i believe it's 96 or 97 and up that you can't remove the rear dash without taking out the back seat because the front part of the carpet is tucked behind the back seat. the carpet can't be pulled up without removing two plastic pegs that can only be accessed by removing the back seat. that's on a crown vic, though, i just figured it was the same because they are practically the same car. but hey i could be wrong.
-UK
aposynthesi on 07/29/2004 01:44:46
You're right... I got it out with minimal effort though. It may be easier to take out the seats for some people... but I didn't really care if the 1/8" fiberboard ÐÙ5Q broke or not (it cracked, didn't break totally).
UKinstaller on 07/29/2004 02:13:41
yeah. it's only two bolts to get the seat out. i can't break stuff or else i'll get fired, but next time i'm working on one i'll definitely try that out, could save me about 10-15 minutes each time, which really helps when there are people waiting and stuff.
-UK
aposynthesi on 07/29/2004 03:08:02
Yeah, well make sure you have everything snaps off, off first... like the covers for the seatbelts and the rear mirror. I shouldn't have to tell you that, but just incase. GRIN
aposynthesi on 07/29/2004 03:09:01
Whats up with my posts? All of this junk - ÐÙ5Q ÕTÁ
audionewb on 07/29/2004 07:14:25
I have a pioneer DEH-8400 cd player in my car, so I don't think I need to upgrade my hu. I think I'm just going to keep the factory front and rear speakers in there for now, since I'm satisfied with them. Unless they sound like junk after I get my stereo in. What size speakers do you think I should get for the applications I am wanting to use them for, and how much power you think I should have for the amp, and what kinds of stuff?
aposynthesi on 07/29/2004 12:15:20
I'm assuming you're looking for subwoofers (bass), since you already have the head unit (stereo), and you don't want to replace the speakers you have.
I would go with brands such as Alpine, Phoenix Gold, Audiobahn or MTX. Around 300 watts would be plenty for your application since you're keeping the stock speakers, they wont get that loud, so you won't need a subwoofer that goes louder. One Alpine Type-R or Type-S 2-ohm sub being powered by an Alpine MRP-M350 amplifier.
Both of those subs put out 300 watts rms, and have a peak around 1000 watts. The sub has a rms at 2 ohms of 350, and a peak of 700.
Alpine 12" SWS-1222D subwoofer ($85):
http://ikesound.com/product-product_id/2110
Alpine 12" SWR-1221D subwoofer ($89):
http://ikesound.com/product-product_id/2027
Alpine MRP-M350 amplifier ($155):
http://purecaraudio.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=1825
For the wiring, everyone would probably recommend KnuKonceptz.com:
http://knukonceptz.com/productDetail.cfm?prodID=KOLAK8
From experience... spending $200 more on speakers will be well worth it.
Replies (9)
UKinstaller on 07/28/2004 22:14:03
do you already have an aftermarket head unit?? if not, then i would definitely invest in one. upgrade your front and rear speakers, get a couple 12's for that loudness you crave, and a good amp, and you'll be good to go. if you REALLY want it to scream, add a 4 channel amp to your front and rear speakers, it makes them much louder, and the treble can be heard at much louder volumes. but after that, it might be above your budget. you can always add later.
as far as brands go, i love eclipse products, but they are pricey. alpine makes good stuff, but again pricey. if you are looking to keep it under 1000, then plan on about 200 bucks in installation just to be safe. also, i recommend buying cheap wires because they sound just the same as the expensive crap.
other speaker and amp brands to check out that are less expensive include polk, pioneer, mtx, and rockford fosgate. STAY AWAY from brands such as pyle, boss, verge, esa, audiovox, and (in my opinion) sony because they are all crap, although sony does make SOME good stuff.
if properly installed, you can play your system as often as you like without fear of destruction, except you might wanna keep your subs down every once in a while because they can rattle your trunk pretty loose.
finally, some of this stuff you can do yourself, especially the radio and front and rear speakers. the radio uses ford keys and is very easy to install. you have to gut the backseat to get the 6x9's out of the back window, but it's only a couple bolts, nothing too bad. we can help you out.
good luck, and let us know what you are checking out before you buy it and we'll share our opinions.
-UK
aposynthesi on 07/28/2004 22:35:25
I have a 1996 Grand Marquis - my stereo consists of an Alpine CDA-9835 Head Unit (you could go for the lower model - 9833 to save about $50 maybe more, Alpine Type-R 5x7's up front, and Type R 6x9's in the rear. They get very loud.
The rear speakers can be replaced by removing the rear-dash, I didn't remove the back seat... it's much easier. You'll have to go in the trunk to wire them. I love how huge the trunk is.
If you need any help with this install, I can help you since we basicalfÕTÁave the same car.
This totalled to about $550 so far.
UKinstaller on 07/28/2004 22:51:13
95 you don't have to remove the backseat. i believe it's 96 or 97 and up that you can't remove the rear dash without taking out the back seat because the front part of the carpet is tucked behind the back seat. the carpet can't be pulled up without removing two plastic pegs that can only be accessed by removing the back seat. that's on a crown vic, though, i just figured it was the same because they are practically the same car. but hey i could be wrong.
-UK
aposynthesi on 07/29/2004 01:44:46
You're right... I got it out with minimal effort though. It may be easier to take out the seats for some people... but I didn't really care if the 1/8" fiberboard ÐÙ5Q broke or not (it cracked, didn't break totally).
UKinstaller on 07/29/2004 02:13:41
yeah. it's only two bolts to get the seat out. i can't break stuff or else i'll get fired, but next time i'm working on one i'll definitely try that out, could save me about 10-15 minutes each time, which really helps when there are people waiting and stuff.
-UK
aposynthesi on 07/29/2004 03:08:02
Yeah, well make sure you have everything snaps off, off first... like the covers for the seatbelts and the rear mirror. I shouldn't have to tell you that, but just incase. GRIN
aposynthesi on 07/29/2004 03:09:01
Whats up with my posts? All of this junk - ÐÙ5Q ÕTÁ
audionewb on 07/29/2004 07:14:25
I have a pioneer DEH-8400 cd player in my car, so I don't think I need to upgrade my hu. I think I'm just going to keep the factory front and rear speakers in there for now, since I'm satisfied with them. Unless they sound like junk after I get my stereo in. What size speakers do you think I should get for the applications I am wanting to use them for, and how much power you think I should have for the amp, and what kinds of stuff?
aposynthesi on 07/29/2004 12:15:20
I'm assuming you're looking for subwoofers (bass), since you already have the head unit (stereo), and you don't want to replace the speakers you have.
I would go with brands such as Alpine, Phoenix Gold, Audiobahn or MTX. Around 300 watts would be plenty for your application since you're keeping the stock speakers, they wont get that loud, so you won't need a subwoofer that goes louder. One Alpine Type-R or Type-S 2-ohm sub being powered by an Alpine MRP-M350 amplifier.
Both of those subs put out 300 watts rms, and have a peak around 1000 watts. The sub has a rms at 2 ohms of 350, and a peak of 700.
Alpine 12" SWS-1222D subwoofer ($85):
http://ikesound.com/product-product_id/2110
Alpine 12" SWR-1221D subwoofer ($89):
http://ikesound.com/product-product_id/2027
Alpine MRP-M350 amplifier ($155):
http://purecaraudio.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=1825
For the wiring, everyone would probably recommend KnuKonceptz.com:
http://knukonceptz.com/productDetail.cfm?prodID=KOLAK8
From experience... spending $200 more on speakers will be well worth it.
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