Audio Upgrade

hey y'all, looking to upgrade my sound system, and finally be able to play my own music, stupid stock HU. Anyway, I don't need a touchscreen(would like one but dang they are expensive), and my buddy is going to let me have his sub setup with amp and box for cheap. So really all I need to upgrade are the speakers and HU. How does this build look right here? I want Bluetooth, don't care about steering wheel controls though. I'm going to have it pro installed so it will be right around my 500~ budget. If anyone has any suggestions about different speakers or a different HU or maybe I should get an amp for the stereo or really anything, let me know please! http://www.crutchfield.com/cart/default.aspx

 

Crutch field is expensive. However that price isnt bad...

Check out http://www.sonicelectronix.com/

They have some good stuff for good prices.

Depending on what kind of music you listen too will depend on the set up you should get.

I listen to everything.... speakers with paper cones sound the most natural to me. I went with hybrid audio speakers... they are pricey, however the sound is amazing!

Sound is relevant to the person listening to it... Some people are happy with walmart speakers, some want JL audio, some want Alpine.... and so on. Its all preference so get what makes YOU happy.
Things to pay attention to...

How may watts the Head unit pushes to the speakers, and how may watts the speakers require. Sensitivity also plays a part in the sound but that is a bit advanced. If the door speakers are not getting enough power then the sound quality will not be there and you will feel like you wasted money. Ive been there...

Another thing you will need is door speaker adapters...

You may save some money by having a shop install your headunit, or just have a shop make a wire harness for you, and have them run the speaker wire but not install the speakers. Speakers are easy to install, its just attaching the speaker wire and mounting them with screws. There really isnt much to it. And removing the door panels is very easy and there are videos on youtube.

I honestly dont like shops installing my equipment because they never ask you where you want stuff mounted and they dont always do the best job. When i do it i know that i am satisfied with the work that was done.

Either way its your truck so do what makes you happy! Good luck with the build. Let me know if you have any questions.

 

If I was you I wouldn't worry so much about the rear door speakers. Look into the JL audio TR series. They have a seperate tweeter and it worked really well in my 2014 Taco in the factory tweet mount. Not sure if the 07s are like that or not.

I second Sonicelctronix. They are a decent store and way cheaper than Crutchfield. Sounds like you know a thing or two about audio and you can save yourself some bucks there.

 

which headunit from sonicel would yall recommend? im looking to upgrade my newly bought 09 in a hurry. also, amps, speakers, etc.

 

Head units in the 100 dollar range, meh, your Kenwood should be fine. I got a Clarion, the cheapest of the Double DIN touch screens and I regret it. I wish I would have got a nice Single DIN, or a double DIN Alpine. I put a Single DIN Alpine in my brother's pickup and it's a GREAT deck. Just get something with Bluetooth and the USB on the front, something like the CDE-163BT


Doing an Amp is a whole other thing. You have to pull power from your battery, ground it close, and pull all wires for speakers. Great for sound, but a real pain in the ass to install.