Car audio help if you please.

[marqmajere]

Well it's tax season again and this year I'm getting a rather healthy return. I've decided to put some of the money to buying a new car stereo and speakers. Problem is, I've been out of the car audio loop for so long, I don't know what's what anymore. Do I go Sony (which I've run up to this point)? Kenwood? JVC? And once I choose the head unit I'll need a good set of speakers that complement it. I'm only looking to buy the head unit, 6x9's and front speaker. (This is for my 95 Neon) Also I only want to spend around $200 for the deck and about the same for each set of speakers. I'm not worried about subs or amps yet (need to save a bit for those :) ). ANY advice would be great.

[jAkUp]

imo... for speakers the best you can get are infinite's... i have 4 of them and i think they are amazing. a little on the expensive side... since i paid about $130 a pair... but im sure if you buy them on the net you can get them cheaper. i swear my car sounds like it has a sub, but its just the infinite's... from what i have heard on friends cars, the sony's are not the greatest... particuarly the xplosion speakers... i also have a pioneer deck that i think is great too... but from what i hear from friends the alpine deck is the best

[Sazar]

Originally posted by marqmajere
Well it's tax season again and this year I'm getting a rather healthy return. I've decided to put some of the money to buying a new car stereo and speakers. Problem is, I've been out of the car audio loop for so long, I don't know what's what anymore. Do I go Sony (which I've run up to this point)? Kenwood? JVC? And once I choose the head unit I'll need a good set of speakers that complement it. I'm only looking to buy the head unit, 6x9's and front speaker. (This is for my 95 Neon) Also I only want to spend around $200 for the deck and about the same for each set of speakers. I'm not worried about subs or amps yet (need to save a bit for those :) ). ANY advice would be great.

for the deck you can't really go wrong with alpine's... my m8 just bought one and it is phenomenal... he had a real nice kenwood deck before but the alpine appears to sound much better :) and has far more functionality...

but for decks can't really go wrong with kenwood/alpine/sony/pioneer just make sure you find out the specs and the output.. the head unit makes a difference to sound quality as much as speakers... and for $200 you can get a real decent unit :)

[styles-T]

I recently bought a kenwood KDC-MPV619 deck for about 300$ that plays CD's and MP3's...If your into mp3's i would definitely pick one up..I can fit about 120 songs @ 192Kps and it sounds incredible..best thing Ive done for my car so far..

Look into it..I had circuit city install it for an extra 50$..

[Sazar]

Originally posted by !plonk*
I recently bought a kenwood KDC-MPV619 deck for about 300$ that plays CD's and MP3's...If your into mp3's i would definitely pick one up..I can fit about 120 songs @ 192Kps and it sounds incredible..best thing Ive done for my car so far..

Look into it..I had circuit city install it for an extra 50$..

installation is a breeze on most cars :)

the only thing really needed is the proper harness and a few tools to help with the installation... but nothing overly special...

but thats a nice deck for sure...

still most of the mp3 playing units are reasonably cheap... going for around $130-150 for a nice deck... my housem8 bought a kenwood though not as nice as yours... his was around $180... dunno model number off the top of my head...

[intercede007]

I would avoid JVC and anything with a detachable face for that matter.

I went through 2 JVC decks in my Camry before I got fed up and went with Eclipse. I haven't had a problem since. You pay for it, but you really can't go wrong with them. Awesome warranties and customer service. I suggest steering clear of a places like Circuit City and BestBuy. When it comes to car audio, your local shops are the experts. And they usually will work with you much more when you have a problem.

Eclipse if you can, Alpine if you can't :D

[Sazar]

Originally posted by intercede007
I would avoid JVC and anything with a detachable face for that matter.

I went through 2 JVC decks in my Camry before I got fed up and went with Eclipse. I haven't had a problem since. You pay for it, but you really can't go wrong with them. Awesome warranties and customer service. I suggest steering clear of a places like Circuit City and BestBuy. When it comes to car audio, your local shops are the experts. And they usually will work with you much more when you have a problem.

Eclipse if you can, Alpine if you can't :D

a good eclipse deck for $200 ?

:D I would love to get one..

[marqmajere]

Alrighty. How does this setup sound (no pun intended).

Deck- Kenwood KDC-322
6x9- Kenwood KFC-6907 x 2
6.5"- Kenwood KFC-1677 x 2 (see a trend here?;) )

Will worry about the subs later. All componants are reasonably priced and have a decent range.