What are good car speakers and amp?

[Jeff Matthews]

Got a Hyundai Sonata with 4 6" door speakers and 2 even smaller dash speakers. The stock radio doesn't jam. I want to jam.

I don't need stuff that rattles the trunk and glass. I want it to be clean. It's been so long since I bought car stereo stuff, I don't know what is what anymore.

Many years back, I had a 100 wpc Kenwood KAC901 amp, and it was GOOD! Pic here.

I paired the amp with some Pioneer 100 watt 6 x 9's. I remember them costing somewhere around $200 for the pair back then.

If anyone is familiar with the type of equipment above, what would you say is comparable that will go in my little Hyundai? It doesn't even have to be as good as that, but I definitely want it to jam.

Frankly, that little $165 Klipsch computer speaker set (with the 2 side speakers and 1 powered woofer) is good enough for the task. Too bad Klipsch doesn't do cars. But this leads me to believe that nowadays, car equipment is less expensive than it used to be.

Edited December 18, 2013 by Jeff Matthews

[jcmusic]

You can never go wrong with an Alpine head unit, for 6" door speakers I highly reccomand JL Audio or Hertz Audio speakers. I got a pair of the Hertz 6" or 6 1/2" for my wifes truck they actually sound better than my JL Audio's.

[wuzzzer]

I always used Alpine back in the day. I always ran Rockford Fosgate but JL Audio would get my nod as well.

[Jeff Matthews]

Thanks for the brand recommendations. What models would fit the bill as described in my OP?

[twistedcrankcammer]

Alpine and Rockford Fosgate is what I used to run.

Roger

[jason str]

I ran a Pioneer head unit and passive EQ ran to my amps. Kappa Perfect 10's and Infinity Kappa speakers.

Your best choice is to go out and listen to some different brands.

The most expensive stuff is not always the best sounding IMO.

[wstrickland1]

I put JL Audio ZR 650 csi components in my new car and they are fantastic. I run them off of a JL HD 900/5 amp. I'm also running a pair of subs in a JL Stealthbox that resides in the trunk

The ZR's are a little hot on top but it's a convertible and with the road noise I really need it, whether the top is up or down. I stayed with the factory head unit simply because it performs many functions and is integrated very nicely with onstar, bluetooth, pandore, XM, etc. It sounds fantastic.

[SuBXeRo]

i decked out my 2012 challenger a bit. I am running some KAR series ARC Audio amps which are hybrid class A/B G/H amps which are running an IB 8" dayton audio sub in my rear deck and i have my Hybrid Audio Imagine series 6x9's running active and component style for my front stage (i dont have any rear stage bu the IB sub). I have a Pioneer DEH-80PRS deck which allows me to run a 3 way active network.

I am quite happy with what i have chosen especially when it comes to my amps. They are dead silent when it comes to floor noise, super efficient and sound excellent, well worth every dime. The Hybrid Audio Imagine 6x9's are excellent well rounded speakers with a great low end. HAT is a good company and makes a top notch speaker albeit their site kinda sucks.

[Jeff Matthews]

You folks have too much money. I want a nice set up for $300. Not $3,000.

[mustang guy]

You can get a decent pair of component 5 /14 or 6 1/2's for the front doors and dash for about $60. You can get decent rear deck 5 1/4 or 6 1/5 for about $50. As for the head unit and dash kit, etc, that would run about $100 minimum. This system would cost about $200, and would be a big improvement. Build a small sealed enclosure, and a mono amp and a wiring kit, and spend about another $300, and this system would slam. IMO, a sub is a prerequisite for a half decent car system. Figure the sub, the amp and the pretty expensive wiring kit will set you back about $300-400.

Total cost at minimum $200, and maximum $600.

This is not going to be a $6,300 B&O custom system, but it will be impressive.

Shop at crutchfield.com

Good luck,

Craig

[jason str]

If you have a small budget i recommend upgrading your front speakers and getting a small subwoofer & amp.

The Front is where you want the soundstage and a subwoofer is a must have.

[jcmusic]

Get the Hertz Coaxial door speakers they are pretty cheap and sound awesome!!!

[Rhetor]

Check Hyundai forums . . . there is always a thread on car forums for upgrading the stereo on any budget.

[tigerwoodKhorns]

Jeff,

I have an old Rockford Fosgate amp and sub in storage. Send me an email. I think that I also have a brand new high end Sony head unit (never used) and CD changer that was a big deal back in the day, but you will want mp3 nowadays so that will not work. I can put that in my old truck if the radio ever dies.

In the 1990s I liked Boston Acoustics speakers with Fosgate subs. A good head unit to drive the speakers was enough, and just add a sub and amp for that and it was plenty.

I have a 21 year old friend that is as stupid as I was at that age. I was in his car and he turned up his subwoofer (that has more power and is bigger than what I use in my living room), the roots of my hair were vibrating for the split second. I was pissed. I really do not want to lose any more of my hearing, especially being one of these morons that turn up their one note subwoofers at a stoplight.

[Mighty Favog]

McIntosh makes car stereo too.......but bring your wallet!

[SuBXeRo]

If you retain your stock headunit, you can get a line out converter and then get an outboard amp and speakers or just get a new deck, retain the current wiring and power the speaker off the new deck.

$300 is a slim budget for a new deck and speakers. Can it be done? Yeah......but i think itd be really really tough. It sounds like you have components in the front since you said you have dash speakers. I would confirm that you actually have dash speakers first since a lot of cars have grills for speakers but it may or may not have it depending on the speaker package you bought.

You can buy authorized from say crutchfield or from sites like woofersetc which is more caveat emptor. Woofersetc will save you money but your warranty....mehhhhh, expect to not really have one unless they are actually authorized to sell certain products.

You need to be careful of the drivers you choose to use. A lot of OEM speakers are like mini-subs and hit lows that a lot of aftermarket speakers won't hit. Keep that in mind, its important because i dont want you to be disappointed.

[McMiRA]

I won't give brand advice, everyone has their own. Sold and installed the stuff years. some is better than others, but at the end of the day most of it is just the same ol turkey with someone else's name on it. There are actually very few companies that build their own drivers. Biggest upgrade will be your fronts, if retaining stock head unit go with something efficient, don't look for the largest magnet on the shelf unless you plan to feed it. Coaxials are sufficient, and the most accurate for time alignment. don't fall into the more is better with 4way and 5 way, strapping 10 tweeters to a midrange doesn't solve anything. To bring up the bottom end on a budget, a self amplified tube works wonders if placed correctly. If your feeling crafty build some stuff. mdf is cheap and forgiving. Don't know how your floors are shaped but something we used to do often for imagining is build a baffle in the footwell and install coaxials or separates in the floor aimed between the front seat headrests, just mind the pedals. The next step up would be custom kick panels. Or for the brave a high front stage off the glass is amazing with fronts and a pair of centers wired out of phase. Door placement is a horrible place for a speaker to live, just hanging their, firing at your knees.not bad for mid bass, but not good for imaging. these little projects are very simple and fun. and can be very rewarding. Now if you want to test your skill set you could always....

[seti]

How about some horn loaded car audio?

http://www.glasswolf.net/papers/horns.html

[McMiRA]

Image dynamics used to have some awesome horns. Only issue in automotive use is finding a location they fit. Most of them you saw installed on the bottom of the dash with their mid bass in the door.

[Wrench722]

In my 2010 Tundra Pioneer AVH-P8400BH head unit w/nav and HD, 4-JL Audio HD-600 2-JL Audio HD-750 amps, 2-JL Audio 12W6 2-JL Audio 10W3 subs, 2-sets Focal K2 165 KRX3 mid,s and high,s, 2-Audison Bit One digital processors.