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New Stereo..

Discussion in 'Audio & Video' started by LOWLO7, Jul 18, 2009.

  1. Jul 18, 2009 at 11:15 AM
    #1
    LOWLO7

    LOWLO7 [OP] Well-Known Member

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    Lauren
    Bakersfield, California
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    2008 lifted, white tacoma
    6" Fabtech lift, 17" Moto Metal rims, 33" Nitto tires [grille coming soon]
    Hey guys, so I'm going to look at stereo shops today and was wondering if anyone could tell me what brands are good for the deck, subs & amps.

    and also, for those of you who have systems, where did you have everything installed in your truck? I was looking around in my truck and it doesnt seem like there is alot of room to put stuff..

    Thanks guys,
    Lauren
     
  2. Jul 18, 2009 at 11:26 AM
    #2
    norcalbb11

    norcalbb11 Nor*Cal

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    Can't wait to hear it when your all done, what kind of deck are you looking to get? like just a cd player or nav and dvd or what?
     
  3. Jul 18, 2009 at 11:32 AM
    #3
    montgomery_30824

    montgomery_30824 Well-Known Member

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    Lee
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    K & N airfilter, custom built 10" sub boxes, pioneer head, mag-lite mod, Blue LED dash lights, custom painted engine cover, mud flap removal mod, alarm/remote start installed,
    I have a pioneer deck, sony amp and 10" JL Audio subs. had to build a custom box but you can buy them if you want. there really isnt much "wiggle" room per say. everything is a tight fit.
     
  4. Jul 18, 2009 at 11:36 AM
    #4
    LOWLO7

    LOWLO7 [OP] Well-Known Member

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    i want a touch deck, i saw one that looks like a regular cd player then you push a button and it pops out into a touch screen with dvd and nav and all that good stuff!

    yeah, thats what i figured..
    do you like your set up?
     
  5. Jul 18, 2009 at 11:39 AM
    #5
    norcalbb11

    norcalbb11 Nor*Cal

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    oh nice, i love my kenwood dvd and nav havnt had any problems with it, i like pioneer as well, i would look for a kenwood or pioneer, they are pretty reliable.
     
  6. Jul 18, 2009 at 11:41 AM
    #6
    montgomery_30824

    montgomery_30824 Well-Known Member

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    K & N airfilter, custom built 10" sub boxes, pioneer head, mag-lite mod, Blue LED dash lights, custom painted engine cover, mud flap removal mod, alarm/remote start installed,
    yeah i love it. hits pretty hard for 10's. the only thing i want different is a dvd/nav deck but thats it. oh and upgraded speakers in the doors.
     
  7. Jul 18, 2009 at 11:55 AM
    #7
    LOWLO7

    LOWLO7 [OP] Well-Known Member

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    ok sweet!! I want something that will hit hard when ever I listen to rap but then I want it to sound good when I listen to rock, and Im a big coutry girl so it cant hit when you listen to that haha! I guess I'll just have to look around! lol
     
  8. Jul 18, 2009 at 11:57 AM
    #8
    Ese Loco

    Ese Loco Taco Man Sam

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    Legal Florida Tint all-around, 1.5" add-a-leaf, bilstein 5100 rear shocks, Light Racing Coilovers, Removed secondary air filter, K&N airfilter, Amsoil 100% synthetic motor oil, Amsoil synthetic severe gear in rear differential, Differential breather mod, Painted rims and logo's black, amsoil oil filter
    deck: alpine or pioneer, if you want a touch screen i'd get a double din touch screen instead of one of the popouts, thats just me.
    speakers: infinity, alpine, focal, hertz, polk, just remember you get what you pay for
    Subwoofers: Fi, Image Dynamics, JL, Focal, Diamond Audio
    Amps: Hifonics, Alpine, Rockford Fosgate, US amps, Zapco

    when shopping don't pay attention to MAX Watts, RMS wattage is really the only thing that matters when you lookin for the right speaker and amp mix.

    Go to *********.com to find mounting brackets for speakers, sub boxes, and headunit mounting brackets if you want to do it yourself.
     
  9. Jul 18, 2009 at 11:58 AM
    #9
    montgomery_30824

    montgomery_30824 Well-Known Member

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    K & N airfilter, custom built 10" sub boxes, pioneer head, mag-lite mod, Blue LED dash lights, custom painted engine cover, mud flap removal mod, alarm/remote start installed,
    yeah. i am a country boy myself and i love to listen to all types of music as well. sounds great whether i have slipknot or mudvayne in or some george strait.
     
  10. Jul 18, 2009 at 12:13 PM
    #10
    RDAY

    RDAY Well-Known Member

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    from what i hear kenwood is the way to go with the navigation I like the double din ones myselft better than the flipout ones they look more stock imo.
     
  11. Jul 18, 2009 at 12:16 PM
    #11
    jtav2002

    jtav2002 Kenny Fuckin Powers

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    Don't have my Taco yet so nothing there yet, but in my Impala I have a Pioneer deck(double din touchscreen) and one JL Audio 12" with an Alpine amp. Always been a fan of JL subs myself, and I've been more than pleased with my Pioneer HU. I've also used Alpine HU's in the past and have never had a problem there either.
     
  12. Jul 18, 2009 at 1:05 PM
    #12
    jacob_wood

    jacob_wood Well-Known Member

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    I had the Pioneer-AVICF7010BT which is a in dash nav system and all that jazz and I was NOT pleased with it. I still have the dash thing if you do get a nav system I could sell ya for cheaper but it was spray painted black ha.
     
  13. Jul 18, 2009 at 6:35 PM
    #13
    Chad

    Chad Well-Known Member

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    Kenwood DMX-7704S Headunit -- Blackvue DR-470 Dashcam -- Pioneer TS-A1685R Speakers in Front -- Suntek CXP 40 Front Tint -- Access Vanish Roll-up Tonneau -- Wet Okole Seat Covers -- Fog Lights on Anytime -- PnL Powered Tailgate Lock -- DTRL "Stealth Mode" -- LED Footwell and Cup Holder Lights -- Map Lights ON with Dome Light -- Shorty Antenna -- AC Line Extension Mod -- Access Cab Rear Headrest Removal
  14. Jul 19, 2009 at 8:35 AM
    #14
    05TRD4WD

    05TRD4WD Well-Known Member

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    ; 17 x 9 xd revolvers wrapped in 295/70-R17, volant cold air intake, Gibson exhaust, BHLM, Yellow fog covers, access rollup tonneau, kenwood dnx-9960, all jl audio, jl stealth box, 900/5 amp, Fab Tech 6" lift
    can u still use the audio controls on the steering wheel with a new unit
     
  15. Jul 19, 2009 at 9:10 AM
    #15
    Ese Loco

    Ese Loco Taco Man Sam

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    You can get an adapter which will enable your steering wheel controls
     
  16. Jul 20, 2009 at 8:58 PM
    #16
    sweater914

    sweater914 Well-Known Member

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  17. Jul 21, 2009 at 10:15 AM
    #17
    Chickenmunga

    Chickenmunga Nuggety

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    All the normal TW BS
    If all you want is for it to 'hit hard',
    go to the stereo shop, find the rookie employee, or whoever is advising customers that 'this equipment is the bomb, this is bangin', I rattle windows". Tell him his duty is to grab two of the cheapest subs he has and one big mono amp and sell them to you.
    stop reading. You have accomplished your mission. Your truck will be loud at a sacrifice of all else, but you will save a bunch of money and be done shopping, right?
    Our trucks have limited space, and unless you are removing seating areas, you must make sacrifices. My old car will mow you down in quality and noise level with less money invested because I have more space.

    Instead, focus on ACCURATE reproduction. If you don't read anything else here, do this: go to the store and find the guy who plays the music most UNLIKE your own tastes. If he can make it sound good to the point where you are enjoying the music, where you are pumping Beauty and the Beast soundtracks and grooving to some Jazz impromptu session, buy that gear. I will admit that I bought gear because it made me like Alan Jackson's voice, and I hate country music.

    You've made it this far, so read on...

    The best equipment is the stuff that you hear in the shop and sounds best to your ears. Everyone fudges the numbers, so you really can't rely on them outside of a general ballpark.
    True, you should look at RMS watts, but they can be measured on two different 'standards', so don't let it be the be-all-end-all.

    After many years of hair pulling and searching, it comes down to the fact that audio is subjective. Joe Schmoe like Brand X, I like Brand B, Jim Jones likes anything with chrome and flashing lights.

    For head units, find what is the easiest to operate above all else. For what you want, I would look at the Kenwoods because their navigation is powered by Garmin - everything else so far as I've seen looks like it's a decade behind the times.
    Hook up an iPod and navigate through playlists and songs. Try to find a song that starts with an 'M'. Was it fast? Was it easy?
    Make some basic audio adjustments. Try to change FM presets. Was it fast? Was it easy?
    Most of all, how hard is it to turn off or mute in a hurry?
    You get the idea
    Next, check for the following:
    1. Preamp outputs. You need at least front and nonfade sub
    2. Filters: check for an adjustable high pass filter and low pass filter. They should have settings for 80Hz, 120Hz, etc.

    Amps
    The more power the better you will be
    The less space the better you will be
    If you can separate into a sub amp and a 2 or 4 channel amp, the better. This is because a sub amp has to do different things than a speaker amp needs to do. A 5 channel all in one amp isn't bad, it's just go to 'be' more things and makes sacrifices. Determine how far you want to go and whether it makes a difference to your ears.
    Generally speaking, 75W RMS to speakers will be fine. For subs, 400W RMS would be the very least I would want to feed one 10" sub geared for our trucks.

    Subs:
    For subs, I guess you could go off the efficiency rating if you need a number to compare stuff by, but again, not necessarily the defining factor. All about your ears again. Judge how accurate, sloppy, etc. the sub is. If the sub sounds like it's struggling or running beyond its means, it may be the store set things up wrong, but it might also mean you remove the sub from your list of contenders. Listen to songs you know and pieces that have some distinct sound you are looking to hear. Note that Country is generally slower, rolling bass notes. Rock is tighter, faster bass notes. Rap is going to generally perform the same as Country.

    Speakers
    Same as subs. Note that you can end up buying front speakers only and come out successful. I have my rears turned off and I'm very happy. Use the extra money towards better front speakers. If you can, get components. A dedicated tweeter that is higher up will sound better than having the voices firing at your calf. Listen for accurate voicing, fingers on guitar strings, "the dust floating in the room".

    When listening, try to remove as much extraneous variables as possible so the listening experience is all the same. Listen with the same exact head unit at each store, same volume, same amps, etc. Set all equalizer and gain settings to flat, sub settings to 1/2 power, etc. If listening to speakers, remove the sub at first, then add them in later to see how they complement.


    DO NOT let brand name fanboys steer you. The previous posts have already stated what I would consider very good equipment and very VERY bad equipment. Pick your equipment, post your findings back here, we can tell you how you are doing or some other things to consider.
     
  18. Jul 21, 2009 at 10:18 AM
    #18
    THXEY

    THXEY Panda Jerk

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    i have the pioneer AVH3100DVD deck and i love it!! its all touch screen and super easy to controll!
     
  19. Jul 21, 2009 at 10:20 AM
    #19
    THXEY

    THXEY Panda Jerk

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  20. Jul 24, 2009 at 9:03 PM
    #20
    Kappes03

    Kappes03 Legend of the UG

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