Best brand of aftermarket stereo/speakers?

[HerrStig]

Originally Posted By: michaelluscher
Infinity/Kenwood speakers are quite good.
The headunit/Radio Control Unit's in most Ford's are pretty good stock, It's just the speakers that let it down.

I would put the money towards the speakers vs stretching it across buying both.
Crutchfield offers instruction's and wiring connectors for free when you order from them, I'd suggest them.
Interesting, isn't it, that the OEM electronics are often pretty good but the speakers as cheap as they can get them.

 

[HerrStig]

Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Originally Posted By: HerrStig
There's no magic to this stuff, bigger magnets and better quality voice coils and cones make the difference, as well as MORE POWER.

More power? Did you mean the ability to handle more power. It's the amp that generates power, not the speaker.

As for low end aftermarket brands, I've had good luck with Pioneer Elite. Infinity, Polk, Alpine also make decent stuff.
I have a pretty good handle on the DB scale, audio and RF, got a 1500 watt RF amp sitting right here on the desk. CLEAN power with maybe 3db of headroom for a given SPL in the cabin and a good damping factor is as important as is as are good speakers if you want to overcome a lot of road noise, but most OEM stuff these days comes with a decent amp section, IC lump output stages with specs as good as high end stereo gear of the good old days are not very expensive. With an entire stage on one die, symmetry is easy to come by. My suggestion is to change the speakers first, then think about more power if system doesn't sound the way you want it with road noise present. A powered subwoofer will take quite a load off the rest of the system. Inexpensive filters will pick the bass signal off the speaker leads and allow one to drive a sub while avoiding dumping more bass into the rear deck speakers, for example, then they can do justice to. Car streo, like the home variety, gets into a mode of throwing more and more buckaroos at smaller and smaller increments of improvement very quickly.

 

[HerrStig]

Originally Posted By: 123Saab
Blaupunkt has always worked well for me.
I had Beckers in a couple of Volvos at the "dawn' of the good audio in cars movement. Blaupunkt is a Bosch brand I believe.

 

[HerrStig]

Originally Posted By: NHHEMI
Originally Posted By: Jimmy9190
Originally Posted By: NHHEMI
Originally Posted By: renegade_987
Hey all, looking to replace the stock radio and 4 speakers in the F150. They sound pretty bad and I'd like to be able to hook up my phone to play music. Looking to do it for $200 or less. Brands I'm looking at include; Kenwood, Pioneer, Sony, Dual, JVC, and Clarion. Which would you guys recommend? Thanks!


You are not going to uupgrade the head unit and speakers, and have any kind of quality, for $200 or less. Just not happening. Go to Crutchfield and use their "What Fits My Vehicle" section and then read the reviews on the head units and speakers that comne up as fitting.


Sorry NHHEMI but I disagree...Just a quick check on the Crutchfield site shows they have 6 or 8 Sony, JVC and Pioneer CD/MP3 decks from $69.00 to $89.00, all of which will do a good job and have quality sound. I don't know the exact size of speakers in OP's F150 but if they are 6x8's like every other F150 I have seen then Crutchfield has Pioneer, Sony and MTX 6x8's starting at only $39.95 per pair, and any one of those speakers would likely sound good in OP's truck. Crutchfield also has free shipping so OP could effectively buy a good system for right at or less than his $200.00 budget.

Crutchfield has some good choices for decks at the $99.00 price point too, they have a few JVC, Kenwood and Pioneer decks that will interface with Iphones and Android phones, but I really don't know much about that capability. I personally do not have a smart phone and never will own one because I really have no use for that or Blue Tooth either. OP could call Crutchfield though, they have very good reps on the phone who can help him get the right deck that will do what he wants and also help him with buying speakers as well. Crutchfield may also send OP free installation hardware and radio, free speaker wire connectors to take the guess work out of connecting everything, and they also send a free master sheet to help OP with the installation and their technical support is excellent if OP needs help over the phone.

I did not check the Sonic Electronix site but their prices will be similar. I think Sonic sends free installation parts too but I may be wrong on that. One advantage with Sonic is they have a bigger selection in a wider price range than Crutchfield.


Disagree all you want. That is your right. A $70 head unit is not what I would consider quality however. You and I clearly have a different view of what quality is.
Change the speakers first and THEN make the decision about "head units".

 

[HerrStig]

Originally Posted By: Jimmy9190
With speakers it is best to audition them in a store like Best Buy or maybe a good independent car audio store. You have to pick the speaker that sounds best to you that is also within your budget. Take a flash drive or CD loaded with music you like and listen carefully to each brand of speaker. Make sure the speakers are only being driven by a head unit comparable to what you might purchase. If the display uses an amplifier the speaker will not sound the same in your truck as it does on the store display board. If a speaker sounds good in the store, chances are it will sound good in your truck. For head units, you need to shop features. Most name brands nowadays are very good, but they all have their different features, functions, benefits and methods of control. For me the main thing with a head unit is how safe is it to operate while I am driving. I also look at the online reviews to see if there are problems reading the display in sunlight. Then comes USB/Ipod control capability.

Many units nowadays have Blue Tooth and app controls that can sync with your smart phone. You just have to read up and do some research on what you want in a head unit. Crutchfield and Sonic Electronix are both great sites to get good deals and read customer reviews on car audio. They may even throw in the installation parts for free, depending on how much you spend. You may find a good deal online on a deck and 4 new speakers for $200.00. Crutchfield usually has free shipping. I have ordered a lot from Crutchfield and am very satisfied with their prices and customer service, and have ordered only twice from Sonic, they were very good too. Both sites have pretty much the same pricing, and Best Buy now price matches Crutchfield on the same item.

It amazes me how far the price of good car audio has come down. Car audio was very expensive back in the day when the best head units were made in Japan and the best speakers and amplifiers were made here in the USA. A good deck and 4 speakers would run you at least $500.00, possibly even more with installation labor and parts.
Clean amps with inverter power supplies are now good buys. What I ain't real fond of is the almost universal application of audio mashing compression programs, seems we are going downhill in the quality of source material. We have audio chains which will handle 10 hz all the way to 30,000 but the material is run through DSP systems to reduce the number of "bits" required by removing "everything you won't notice is gone" until you DO notice.

 

[SteveSRT8]

Buying speakers by how they sound in a huge open store is a bit off the mark. They are likely to sound completely different in your vehicle as the acoustics are just a little different!

You'll likely find the factory head unit adequate, buy good speakers with high efficiency not high power ratings. And note the advice given about return on investment.

 

[Malo83]

PIONEER and KENWOOD have been my favorites, replaced all the speakers in my wifes 2000 S10 Blazer with PIONEER and with the stock head unit they sound great, she was happy

 

[Clevy]

Alpine for head unit,kicker and mtx make good subs for the price. Mids and tweets I like alpine

 

[Jimmy9190]

There are lots of good choices in head units and speakers. OP needs to shop head units based on the features he wants within his budget. OP can read reviews online to find out whether a head unit is good, bad or indifferent.

Same for speakers. There are a lot of good choices. OP could even swing by the local Walmart and audition a few head units and speakers there. Walmart does not sell top of the line high-end audiophile decks or speakers, but they do sell some decent, basic Sony, Pioneer and JVC gear that might be within OP's budget. Pep Boys also has a decent car audio selection and a pretty good display board for a parts store. Pep Boys usually runs a $20.00 off $100.00 coupon on their web site. They may even have an electronics specific coupon online as well.

If OP or anyone else buys a deck or speakers and does not like the sound or operation of the system, Crutchfield has a 60 day return policy. Sonic has a 30 day return policy, and Walmart will pretty much let you return anything with a receipt. There is often a 10% off coupon on the Best Buy web site. I am sure Best Buy has a good return policy, and they sometimes run free installation deals. I don't know about returns at Pep Boys, I do not buy parts there.

Point is, buy what sounds good to you that is within your budget. Get the deck you can afford that has the features you want but you can operate it and change the sound settings, tracks, answer incoming Blue Tooth calls, etc all without putting the vehicle in the ditch. The bottom line is there are a lot of choices nowadays in the car audio world. The internet offers tons of reviews on car audio components and tons of opinions on what is best. The internet also has a ton of info on system design and installation techniques. Everyone has different opinions on what is best.

 

[grampi]

I used to be involved with car audio big time. I used to compete, and I can tell you, you aren't going to find the best sounding speakers at places like Crutchfield (though over the last few years they have started selling some of the higher end stuff) or Best Buy. Your best source from the experts is forums like caraudioforum.com. These guys can recommend audio brands not sold in the big chain stores, and most of time this stuff is the same price or less than the big store brands with superior performance.

At one time I was running a 750 watt system that included the top of the line (at the time) Alpine head unit, Phoenix Gold amps (the old school ones that were built like a tank), Audio Control processors, JL Audio mids and tweets, and Sundown subs (Sundown is one of those companies most people never heard of, but their subs are nothing short of amazing!)

 

[artificialist]

Back in 2005, Circuit City had a special, 4 Alpine 6.5 speakers installed for $200.
I had that put in my ION along with a Pioneer MP3 head unit.

It worked extremely well, I would recommend the combo to anyone.

 

[KenO]

Originally Posted By: grampi
I used to be involved with car audio big time. I used to compete, and I can tell you, you aren't going to find the best sounding speakers at places like Crutchfield (though over the last few years they have started selling some of the higher end stuff) or Best Buy. Your best source from the experts is forums like caraudioforum.com. These guys can recommend audio brands not sold in the big chain stores, and most of time this stuff is the same price or less than the big store brands with superior performance.

At one time I was running a 750 watt system that included the top of the line (at the time) Alpine head unit, Phoenix Gold amps (the old school ones that were built like a tank), Audio Control processors, JL Audio mids and tweets, and Sundown subs (Sundown is one of those companies most people never heard of, but their subs are nothing short of amazing!)



Grampi, whats your sn on CAF?? Old school CAFer here, kennyg. Is it 'Grampi' there as well, because I remember that sn from back in the day....