I've got a head unit I like, but since I drive ~45-50 miles each way every day to work, I'd like to get something that makes the drive a bit more enjoyable.
So, starting with the Pioneer 7500 head unit, what would be some good, basic upgrades? I'm not looking to enter any shows or anything, but I'm looking for good SQ on a budget. Suggestions?
It may seem like a big step - but honestly, a clean subwoofer setup will probably make the biggest difference in your music. You'll find yourself going through your entire collection listening to everything again to hear all the sub-bass parts that normal speakers can't play and you've never heard before. Fills out the bottom end & just makes everything better.
But on a small(er) budget, finding some nice front component speakers that will run well off the head-unit would make a good difference as well.
__________________
--- This message was not sent from a phone ---
one more suggestion (content) I would get Sirrus or XM if your doing 50 miles a day... I do about 36 total in a day ... much better commute with Sirrus.
__________________ WWDFD?...
Quote:
Originally Posted by thegamettt
I fap to most of his threads.
"Pretend that every single person you meet has a sign around his or her neck that says, 'Make me feel important.'" - DF
I gotta disagree with the sub suggestion. My front stage plays much of the bass in the songs I listen to (country/rock) very well. Sometimes I almost forget I have a sub in the trunk until I put in certain CDs (i.e. Black Eyed Peas). It really depends on listening preferences. I would only do the sub first if all you listen to is rap, dance, and other types of music with heavy bass beats and not much detail elsewhere.
A sub will only cover the 20-100Hz frequencies, your front speakers are responsible for a muuuuuuuch broader range (100 - 20,000). The most bang for your buck will be to improve those frequencies. It'll bring more clarity, depth, warmth, and an overall good sound to your music. If your main speakers are good enough, you'll notice a much bigger difference with them than you will with a sub. Nothing improves SQ as much as a good set of speakers.
It also depends on the speakers. If you're using cheap 5.25" speakers, you probably don't get much bass. If you're using good 6.5" speakers, you CAN get a considerable amount of bass. My front components play well to about 60 Hz, enough to cover most country, rock, etc.
I DO recommend satellite radio. I put mine in 2 months ago and haven't gone back to FM yet. The music varieties are great, the sound quality is much better (though not as good as a CD), and no commercials is awesome. You can probably by a tuner that integrates invisibly with your current head unit.
I have to agree with Daemione on this one, amp and subwoofer.
For most people, an increase in bass response equates to better sound quality. There is a whole level of sound that you are missing out on, without a sub. Go into a stereo shop and listen to some speakers alone. Then listen to those same speakers, but with a decent subwoofer added to the mix. (not a block rocking thunderbass sub setup) You will be amazed. Take your favorite music with you when you go, if you need more convincing. If you're not looking for anything too crazy, I'd go with an entry level to mid level 10" subwoofer and a small amp matched up to power it. A single 10" will give you good bass without taking up too much real estate in your trunk. If you have a rear strut bar, a single 10" enclosure will fit perfectly underneath it/behind the seats. (custom built of course) Once having the subwoofer, you can adjust high pass filter on the interior speakers on your DEH-P7500 (great deck). That would allow your interior speakers to focus on playing only the mids & highs that they are really designed for. The sub would take care of the lower bass. This lets your speakers play more efficiently and enables you to turn the volume up louder with less distortion.
mciampag- The main reason I disagree with you is because he has a 5th gen, which is (for the most part) limited to 5.25" components with limited mounting depth. You, on the other hand, have the Koda beasts running off of 100~ watts each. You've got awesome midbass that dips down into sub frequencies with those babies. But there's no way in hell those speakers would fit in his car.
For the price of a good set of components, an amp to drive them, amp kit, etc., you could spend around the same amount on a subwoofer setup. You'd have more dynamic sound for a similar price. That's why I say subwoofer.
But everyone has their own approach to upgrading their sound. There is no one right way.
__________________
Quote:
Originally Posted by ExodusFX
It doesn't matter what kind of icecream you get in Mochi. Why? Because Mochi is icecream wrapped in awesome.
I see you're point, but disagree still Listening to speakers in a stereo shop with and without a subwoofer isn't the same as listening to stock speakers vs. listening to good speakers. It's terribly easy to A/B the subwoofer (or lack of), but you can't do the same comparison with stock vs. new speakers. It's a skewed test.
Even without my Kodas, a solid midrange should be achievable in a 5G. Granted, I don't know his budget, or how much work he's willing to do to squeeze speakers in the car, but I still think a set of JLs or Infinity's would be a significant improvement, even run off the HU. But there's still music preference to consider. Not all music needs a sub.
The only stuff I've ever found that wasn't vastly improved by having good sub-bass is acoustic guitar & piano . . . .
Classical, jazz, pop, country, oldies, rock (all 900 genres of it) . . . it's all got quite a bit of sub-bass that usually just gets lost.
The stock speakers in the 5th gen are surprisingly clear & crisp as-as, with the exception of everything below about 100Hz. I don't think the improvement/cost ratio you'll see upgrading the front speakers is as good as it would be getting a nice tight 10" subwoofer.
__________________
--- This message was not sent from a phone ---
I see you're point, but disagree still Listening to speakers in a stereo shop with and without a subwoofer isn't the same as listening to stock speakers vs. listening to good speakers.
Of course I agree that you should address the speakers first if the stock ones are crap. But Preludes have a really good setup, stock, compared to a lot of cars. So unless his are blown, he'll probably be fine. I remember how my car sounded stock and when I get into my gf's integra with its' front coaxials, I want to cry. She'll be getting some better speakers soon enough though.
__________________
Quote:
Originally Posted by ExodusFX
It doesn't matter what kind of icecream you get in Mochi. Why? Because Mochi is icecream wrapped in awesome.
The only stuff I've ever found that wasn't vastly improved by having good sub-bass is acoustic guitar & piano . . . .
Classical, jazz, pop, country, oldies, rock (all 900 genres of it) . . . it's all got quite a bit of sub-bass that usually just gets lost.
The stock speakers in the 5th gen are surprisingly clear & crisp as-as, with the exception of everything below about 100Hz. I don't think the improvement/cost ratio you'll see upgrading the front speakers is as good as it would be getting a nice tight 10" subwoofer.
Well said.
Vapor, I proceeded in the direction you did. I first started with a nice Alpine head unit, which dramatically changed things. Then, i added a 10" sealed sub in a .5cu ft box, which is suprisingly small for nice low end powered by a simple mono sub amp mounted to the side of the trunk opposite the jack. I chose a high end sub, but you could probably get away with a lower end one and still see dramatic results.
Finally, the components in our cars are decent and really don't distort if you leave the bass setting on flat, even powered by headunit wattage. And upgrading the components leaves so much hassle to be dealt with that I just stayed away from it all.
I began with replacing my fronts with 6.5" CDT comps run off an external amp (these things are eating 90watts RMS each if I remember correctly). I wish I could say that the effect was staggering, but honestly it mainly just let me play at max volume with zero distortion (granted, I'm not 100% happy with how they're mounted yet - not terribly solid). I've very recently bought an Alpine HU, and daaaaamn what a difference in terms of clarity. Note that the clarity is almost certainly a combination of the HU and comps - I don't think the improvement would be anywhere near as great if I had stock comps...
Finally, I have an infinity basslink 10" sub coming in soon, which I'm really looking forward to installing. For some reason I didn't feel like I was lacking bass with the stock HU, but with the Alpine the missing frequencies are really obvious...
well, I'd like to give a budget, but I don't really know what to set aside for this. 500-750? For right now I suppose.
What about a 5 channel amp and a 10" sub? Just something to fill the low end. Is it possible to run the stockers off an amp, to allow for future upgrades?
If you install amp and sub, you will want more. I started out with the same deck and ended up spending hundreds on components and amps. I even upgraded my battery for all that power I was putting my old battery through. Whatever you do, start out with something kind of nice. Don't go cheap and have to rebuy again.
You always want more. Audio upgrades seem to never end
Plan for the future, if you intend to upgrade in phases. The 5-channel amp is a good idea, it sets you up nicely for upgrading your speakers. Only problem is that most 5-channel amps I can think of are either awfully expensive, or low power. You could also consider a 4-channel amp, bridge the rear channels for your sub, leave the front channels for your front speakers, and run the rear speakers off the HU (or remove them entirely, which is the path I chose).
You can get good subs for less than $200, decent subs for less than $100. You can get good 4-ch. amps for less than $300, cheaper still if you buy online without a warranty. You can get good component speakers for ~$300. For less than $300, a 4-ch. amp will get you about 80Wx2 + 250Wx1. $500 gets yo 125Wx2 + 500Wx1. A 5-ch amp for $500 will give you 50Wx4 + 200Wx1. For the money, I'd go 4-ch and bridge the rears for a sub. All prices are new from Crutchfield, if you shop around you can do better, but may void the warranty.
Now i'll bet 125W blows your stock speakers, but you can dial that back with the gain settings so you don't have to worry about damage. Most good component sets ought to be able to handle 125W. Mine are getting 150 and don't distort.
Ditch the rear speakers and get a sub - the Prelude is a pretty small car overall. I doubt you'd miss the 6x9's that much. Much easier to set up a system too when you only have to worry about a 2ch amp for the comps and a small mono for a hi-sensitivity sub.
if you really get strapped for cash, try the civic woofer upgrade like I did- hard to find nowadays but only costs $40. You could get by with those and a good sub until you can afford hi-end components and a strong 2ch amp.
Ditch the rear 6x9s. Take them off or just leave it stock.
Get quality front components 6x5s, and get a 10in JL sub.
Not to loud, excellent SQ and bass response will be acheived, with help of definite SPL from the sub.
It doesn't get much better then that for low-cost, basic setup. then again.. quality 6x5 comps and jl sub cost alot. -_-;;;
JL stuff is expensive, if you want a warranty and a well-known name. You can buy better stuff for less. Think Image Dynamics from websites like SoundDomain. They're also great for very small-box applications so the sub doesn't consume half your trunk space.
keep an eye out in stores now too, things will start to go clearanced over the next few months to make way for the newer stuff
personally on a budget I'd get 4 infiniti or polk speakers and a 10 inch pioneer sub and bazooka amp
and that will sound pretty good and not set your wallet back to much
you're radio is good enough to run the interior speakers
__________________ shoRt-scott!
RIP Guru
2008.5 Titan
1990 240sx
The AutoGuide.com network consists of the largest network of enthusiast-owned enthusiast-operated automotive communities.
AutoGuide.com provides the latest car reviews, auto show coverage, new car prices, and automotive news. The AutoGuide network operates more than 100 automotive forums where our users consult peers for shopping information and advice, and share opinions as a community.
WWDFD?...
Listening to speakers in a stereo shop with and without a subwoofer isn't the same as listening to stock speakers vs. listening to good speakers. It's terribly easy to A/B the subwoofer (or lack of), but you can't do the same comparison with stock vs. new speakers. It's a skewed test. 
She'll be getting some better speakers soon enough though. 
Linear Mode
