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Hi everyone,

I'm new to this board and I have been reading a lot lately, and soon I wish to upgrade my audio from my stock 04 Civic si sedan (Civic ex in the US). I have been shopping around these days and here what I have been offered.

Alpine MRP-T220 Amp
Alpine 12 inch X 1 SWE-1241 Subwoofer
JBL GTO606C component speakers (front)
JBL GTO626 speakers (back)
Panasonic CQ-C5410U HU

including tax and installation is $1300CAD ($972USD?)

I initially chose the Alpine CDA-9827 HU but the sales rep offered me the Panasonic HU at the same price, and should be better (performance-wise).

I can choose to upgrade the HU Alpine CDA-9831 (which I was told to be more or less the same to the Panasonic) but it's $150CAD more expensive. Is it worth to upgrade? Or should I keep the Panasonic and get more bang for the buck?

About the speakers, the rep offered me the JBL because he explained that it has the same specs and made exactly like the Infinity REF6000CS (99% same). The Infinity speakers were my first choice, but they cost $50+CAD more than the JBL, should I keep his advice and get the JBL, or does the Infinity really makes a difference?

I could also choose the Alpine SPS-171A + SPS-170A (for cheaper), but I think it doesn't perform as well as the Infinity or JBL I chose. Unless I choose type R, which would cost significantly more.

And finally, is the total price fair? Or should I keep looking around, perhaps buy HU on Ebay, or used parts?

Or could anyone suggest me other parts from other brands?

Thanks for all suggestions.

 
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I'd personally stick with the Alpine HU. I've never heard those JBL's in person. I know the same company makes/owns them, but I have never compared them. I take it you're running the components/2/3 ways off deck power. And, I also don't particularly fancy Alpine woofers. Their Headunits are impeccible. Their amps are pretty darned good, but they never sold me on the woofer line. The price is pretty much middle of the road though, assuming it includes install.

 
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newCivic04Guy

If you use MSN Messenger, add me, my e-mail address is rollz2low_420@hotmail.com. I will be more than happy to go over anything you would like to know. I think we could get a lot more accomplished a lot quicker talking on there than on here.

Ciao

 
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well..alpine hU..is a must...their amps...is a must....and woofers...hmm..i like audiobahn myself..i got rockfords cause thats what i can afford. hahaha.....but since it looks like ur doing pretty well for yourself....get some nice subs...jbls are usually aright..but get JLs instead..those hit NICE and CLEAN...also.......WELCOME!!!!!

 
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i won't tell you what to buy. no one has said buy what sounds best, so let me be the first. also this IS something important to consider: while every business wants to make you a satisfied customer, every business also wants to make money. who do you think is higher profit, alpine or panasonic? alpine has much more price control than panasonic does. i used to be able to buy infinty products direct, and while speaker markup is huge, it is not as huge on infinities as it is on other brands (this has just been my experience). so please just remind yourself that part of their job is turning a buck, it will serve you well.

infinity reference speakers are more bassy than any other infinities, jbl has always seemed kinda bassy to me, so they might not be far off there. again, they may just be steering you away from alpine, but go with your ear.

doing it on ebay will save you $ for sure. but if you are the type who needs a warranty, then i wouldn't. you have plenty of options, and you just got the car, don't rush into something.

 
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I'm taking my time to do further research before I purchase anything. Even though it's a brand new car, I consider the audio upgrade as a long term investment, and I won't change anything for the next 3-5 years (till my car dies or something). I want something that outperforms the stock system by far far ahead. Something in the upper low-end or mid-end, with around $1000+CAD budget, something decent.

Thank you again for the suggestions, it sounds like there's no doubt in Alpine's quality when it comes to HU and amps, so this is what I'm going for, hopefully I can get a HU at a decent price.

For the speakers, I could choose the Alpine SPS-171A + SPS-170A (Type S?) but I haven't heard of them in real life, perhaps someone could tell me how they compare with the Infinity REF6000CS/JBL GTO606C. Or should I spend more to get the type R speakers instead... but it would costs more, worth it?

I personally listen to vocals, and softer music. Therefore I am looking for something that outputs more sound clarity/fidelity than bass. I'm not the guy who pumps hip hop 24/7 with max bass and volume (windows opened...) So that's why I can perhaps save a bit buy getting a cheaper subwoofer, and spend it on the speakers? You guys think this is a good choice?

 
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So your a sound quality guy eh? Me too.

Don't bother w/ the rears and get an amp for the front speakers. It will sound way better due to a better soundstage and imaging. Even a small 50 watt amp will make it sound way better than deck power. Decks output 50 watts @ 5% distortion while amps output 50 watts @ 0.05% distortion. IMO 5% distortion is unlistenable. Mathematically the amp will have 100x less distortion than a HU outputting 50 watts. IMO an amp on the fronts is a must.

The Alpine T-220 is a great little amp. I have it powering my JL XRs in my truck. I like it just as well as my Kicker 150.2 in my car.

Also if your not a huge bass fan you can easily get away w/ a single 10" and have nice bass. I have a Alpine M-350 running a pair of JL 8" subs. I would recommend that amp for sure. Any class d amp would work and give lots of power for a sub. The JBL 300.1, Kicker 400.1, JL 250/1, MTX 250d, etc... would be another fine choices.

 
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Don't bother with rear speakers (as Joe said), unless there will be people in the back a lot.

I would definitely recommend an Alpine or Eclipse HU. I don't know anything about Panasonic, though.

I've heard good things about JBL, but don't know anything about particular speakers... general advice would be to stay away from entry-level anything, even if the company is supposed to be good. (An exception might be that Alpine amp -- MRP is their entry level IIRC --, as people seem to think it is good.) So if those speakers are entry level, I'd suggest upgrading or switching to a different company where you can get mid-level for the same price.

 
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Joe, brash:

The reason why I'm buying the rear speakers is since I'm upgrading the whole system, why leave the rear speakers stock? Why not invest in it and have it done in one shot? But as you mentioned, most of the time I do not have rear passengers, and it's mostly me and my girlfriend sitting in the front who will be enjoying the music. Which is a good point, because now I could consider saving the money from the rear speaker and invest it on a better front speaker (say from Alpine Type-S to mid-range Type-R 6.5" component). So thanks for pointing that out, and you are saying that I won't be able to hear much difference with/without stock rear speakers? Since most of the sound I hear are from the front speakers?

For the amp, I will stick with the MRP-T220 to start with. I suppose it's a safe entry level amp, and I expect having an amp makes a huge difference so I guess an extra $200 is worth the investment.

You are right that I'm not a big bass fan, so perhaps I could downgrade from 12" to 10", save the money for an ever better HU instead. Hopefully I'm making the right decision. Mostly I will stick with Type-E 10" sub, it should be enough for me.

My last question is concerning the HU, I thought about the Panasonic, but after reading many opinions on HU brands, I guess sticking with Alpine for the HU is a good choice. Now I can choose between 9827 and the 9833 ($150CAD more). If I'm getting an amp + sub, I'm better off to spend more and get the 9833 right? The store also offers 9825 and 9823 ($80CAD less), which is almost the same as 9827 but just an older model? So if I'm on a tight budget, I should forget about the 9827, and just go for the cheaper 9823? Or simply make up my mind and invest more on a 9833?

Choices... choices...

 
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Your buying into the myth that you need more than 2 speakers. Your car has four stock, so you must need all four right? Wrong.

Think about super high end $50,000 stereo systems. They have 2 speakers in front of you. Why? Thats where they want to simulate the voice and music from. Like a concert w/ all the sound coming from in front of you. Music is mixed in two channel stereo.

Now think of an equivalent Surround Sound System. They have speakers all around you. Why? To simulate effects all around you and give you the illusion you are in the middle of the action. Sound is mixed in 5 or more discrete channels; basically a channel for each specific speaker.

Now apply that theory to cars. We have 4 speakers like surround sound but always listen to music that was meant for 2 speakers. What I learned was that for voice to sound really good you need the voice to come from in front of you. For surround effects, like symbols in techno, you want the sound to come from all the speakers.

That being said, get the best speakers you can afford on an amp up front. Guaranteed you will be a happy camper. Don't even bother hooking the rears up ..... just 2 good amped speakers is all you will ever need .....


Now on to the HU. IMO Alpine and Pioneer make great HU's. Can't go wrong w/ any of them. As far as the different models they aren't much different. All will sound just as good as the other, your really paying for features.

9823 - 2 rca, front & (rear or sub switchable)
9825 - 3 rca, front & rear & sub
9827 - 3 rca, front & rear & sub, plus mp3/wma capability

If you want mp3's, the 9827 is the way to go. Otherwise the 9823 is setup to manage 2 amps while the 9825 is setup to manage 3 amps. IMO get the 9823, you'll probably only be amping the fronts and sub anyway.

 
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I agree with Joe about HUs, and his explanation of how many speakers you need is pretty good (although even in techno you don't get surround effects, only stereo (L/R) effects). If you have good speakers in front of you, there is just no need to have rear speakers. In fact, the more speakers you have, the more you need to worry about things like dead spots (where sound waves cancel each other out). (Not that you are going to get great audio in a car anyway... but more speakers can just make it worse.)

IMHO the only real advantage to rear speakers is so your passengers in the back seat get decent sound. If you've got a sub in the trunk, it is set so YOU -- the driver -- hear it correctly. Someone sitting in the back is going to get a bunch of bass, and a lot less treble than they should. Rear speakers can help with that.

Currently I have stock rears just plugged into the HU. I'll probably upgrade soon to some half decent aftermarkets (and still run them off the HU) just to get some treble back there (friends are complaining that the sound sucks in the back... ).

Also, you don't seem to have an amp for the subwoofer yet. Don't forget to add that in. If you go with that Type E sub (don't know anything about it), you should be fine with another T220 amp (bridged, the amp gives 140w, the sub takes 50 - 200).

Have fun!

 
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you guys type too much.
i read like half then i got too lazy. and skiped everything.

 
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IMO, a set of good front speakers are the foundation of the audio system. and, $ for $, one of the best improvements besides HU.

when i say bassy sound, i mean they are more bassy than many others. sotck speakers are kinda bass heavy, compared to many aftermarket ones. a sub remedies much of the lack of bass. infinity reference= bassy, infinity kappas and perfects are more highs. i got a set of type r's today, haven't put them in yet, but i don't think of any of alpine's speakers as SQ speakers. the type r sub is nice though. depending on your level of expertise, i say buy some stuff on ebay and do your own install. HU is cake, amp wiring medium, sub install is cake. component install is the trickiest, but still not hard. throwing you some ideas....