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i wanted to write up something for everyone looking to improve their stock audio system and get good results without spending alot of money. As most of you know, the stock paper speakers and weak receiver barely put out 10w of total system power. thats about the same as a pair of cheap computer speakers. not very good for an auto environment where you need to account for excessive noises.

one thing needs to be made clear: you do not need to spend thousands and buy the best of everything to have great sound. I have been in cars with massive amounts of money put in and also cars with lower end brands, and i can tell you that more expensive does not always mean better. Im gonna be saying this alot throughout this post, so here it is for you to remember-INSTALL IS EVERYTHING!! Do not get the idea that you can merely throw equipment into a car and have it sound good, that is like hoping for gold coins to rain on you. Brands and quality components do matter, but not as important as how they are installed.

Now first and foremost, you need to decide what YOU want in a car stereo system. If you think this through and not rush into things, chances are you wont waste money going through 2-3 different sets of parts before you like how it sounds.

1. what kind of music do you listen to? dont say all kinds, nobody listens to everything. narrow it down to the basics, do you like rap and hip hop? or are you mainly a trance/techno person? what if you only listen to classical? country? hey it could happen right? the type of music will determine what kind of speakers you decide to include.

2. pick a receiver. this is prolly the easiest part. you goto the store, see some flashy decks with pretty colors, and get the one that looks best. well alot of people who know nothing about car stereo will just upgrade the deck. this is okay. while it wont dramatically improve the sound of stock speakers, it often offers many more functions such as cd/mp3 ability, ipod controls, hi def radio, along with many different tuning options. each brand usually has a few things it will do better than others. alpine has always been known for having a unique and desirable sound processing capacity. pioneer became known for having beautiful displays and just about every sound processing option you can imagine. while there is no deck that will disappoint, wait there is, do not ever get a sony. you will regret it. and stay away from cheapo stuff like aiwa (are they even around anymore), that brand they sell at costco, etc. get something that you will like to look at and also has some of the features you would like. its also important to get something that has enough rca preouts for what you want to run as far as amps and speakers. this depends on the next step.

3. pick speakers. contrary to what most people think, you do not "need" a subwoofer. depending on the music you listen to, you may even be better off without one. now if you are one of those people who want a system just for the booming bass, they sure go for it. but for sound quality, you really only need a big 12 incher if you like rap and other music with heavy, low frequency bass. for most normal music like top 40 and popular, a 10 inch will do just fine. two subs is not always better than one, and alot of times a good install with a single sub can sound just like a bad install with two subs. choose wisely. if you listen to alot of music without much low frequency bits like techno, you may be able to get away with passing on the sub and focusing more on the rest of the speakers.

subs aside, you need to choose the speakers for the heart of your system. our civics have two speakers in the rear deck lid, and two in the lower front doors. for the rears, you will mostly need speakers for mid bass, not so much for mids and highs. for the front doors, you want some sort of setup with tweeters. just replacing door speakers will not do much for sound. they are too low to provide a proper sound stage. there are a couple options. many packages come as components, meaning there is a mid range woofer and a tweeter as a set, powered by a small crossover to ensure each speaker gets the proper frequency of sound. alternatively, you can buy tweeters separately and use them with ordinary 2-way speakers in the door. the setup will depend on the amps you choose next. note: DO NOT buy aftermarket speakers if you are not amping them! big nono. if you think a new deck will be able to give them the power they need, think again. most speakers require at least 30w rms of power. most aftermarket decks barely provide 15-20w. it is like powering 12v halogen headlights with a 6v battery. you will have dim yellow light that barely lights up the road.

choose the amps: if you choose subs, you need amps for them. if you choose aftermarket speakers, you need amps. the amount of speakers determines the amp. there are many different configurations, and i wont go into all the types here, but remember the main points: amp rms wattage per channel needs to be at least 1/2 as much as the max rms power that the speaker can handle. that means if your speaker can handle 60w, you need an amp that can give it at least 30w, but better if its closer to 45-50w. you do not want to overpower speakers. if you are amping four speakers, you need a 4 channel amp, and a receiver that can support all the rca connections. you may also choose to run separate tweeters straight from the receiver, this is sufficient in many cases and could save you from getting amps you dont need.

so you got all the stuff, now what? goto circuit city and best buy to install it? wrong. that is the absolute worst way to do it. if you dont know how to remove various car panels, now is the time to learn. its like legos, just pull, pry, and unscrew and everything comes off.

now comes the most important part, the installation. this can make or break your whole project. those expensive boston accoustics you just bought could end up sounding like cheap walmart speakers if youre not careful.

first off, the car is not a very good place for speakers to work at their best. there is road noise, vibrations, resonace, and a bunch of other things that can make your speakers perform poorly. you need to improve on this. sound deadening is gonna become your best friend here. dynamat, brown bread, fatmat, whatever is cheap and does the job. they are all pretty much the same stuff, some tar based deadener with adhesive. some smell, some cost a small fortune. shop around and see what there is. if you are not willing to properly sound deaden your car, do not even bother upgrading the audio, it will not be worth the money and effort.

rear speakers: this is relatively easy, all you do is mount the speaker in the rear deck and add a layer of deadener around them and also in patches on the metal deck lid itself.

front doors: this is the most difficult. speakers mounted in the door need to be completely sealed arund the edges, to separate the front and back of the speaker. you also need to put some sort of damping mat behind the speaker to reduce back-wave distortion. dynamat makes a product called dynxorb, or you can use deadener and a layer of foam. put a layer of deadener on each door panel around the speaker, try to apply it anywhere you can and use a roller to make sure it is pressed firmly against the metal. air bubbles are not okay.

tweeters: fairly simple, you can put them anywhere near the top of the door panel, in the sail panel where the mirror is, or even in the pillars. you need to figure out what angle you want. it is easier to adjust this in the door panel with a pivot mount system. if you do not like too much treble, consider aiming them away from your ears.

what if you dont have alot of money? well i will use myself as an example. i have been through a few decks, two subs, then one sub, and finally no subs. it took me quite a while to figure out what i needed in a system based on the music i like. well here is what i have now and couldnt be happier. i have had people ask if i have a sub in the trunk, ive also had people ask what kind of speakers they are and why i would pay so much for "hi-end" car speakers. well many low end speakers can be made to sound quite good so long as you give them enough power and make sure they are operating in a proper enclosure. here is my setup that has been going strong for over 5 years, alot of this stuff you should be able to find much cheaper, i did not know much at the time and ended up buying most of my stuff locally:

alpine 9847 mp3 deck 18wrms x4 $200
6.5 inch infinity reference speakers (four) at 60w max each $200
alpine mrp-f240 4 channel amp at 30w per channel $200
amp wiring kit $60
dynamat sound deadening for doors, deck lid, and floors $150

so for well under $1000 you can have a great sounding system that far surpasses the stock setup with better bass and sound quality. dont be afraid of buying lower end products. i have been in stock cars that have bose, H-K, or other high end sound systems only to find that the sound is muddy and completely flat sounding.

this brings me to my last point, tuning. once you have all this stuff installed well, dont be shocked to turn it on and find out it sounds the same as before. dont worry, even the most basic of receivers have sound controls. turn up the bass, play with the EQ, adjust every setting until it sounds the way you like. hey you have the hardware, you have the install, so dont be afriad to turn up the volume. i promise it wont sound like the cadillac next to you where you can hear the paper cones smacking the car chassis when the bass hits.

 
Rep Power: 242

another great write-up!

 
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Good write up. I guess I've done everything right because everything you mentioned I've done.

 
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ok... see thats the thing... i actually do listen to all types of music, if u look at my ipod it supports my statement. Like one day i'll be driving fast and listening to rock/techno, then other days im on rap/hip hop, some Sundays i move to classical and gospel, then if my head is hurting i will listen to some oldies/country, and if i with certain friends then the Japanese and Korean music comes on!

For someone in my case what would you recommend. Like i even went to bestbuy today to price some 6x9 and 6.5 speakers, for my car but i was lost ya know. Like i have a alpine HU (i think the same one that u have gear, it puts out 18w RMS x4), and i was wanting to run alpine all the way around, but im not sure about all that. As for tweeters, i like the stockers i have now i guess so its all good. (i just dont wanna go with sony xplode, or pioneer)

As for my sound output now, i need some bass for certain songs that the stock speakers dont help with, i also need some better speakers for the high end when i play other songs, and then some times im driving with all windows down, and i need some better quality at a higher volume without the sound getting distorted. Like im just lost as to what route to take.

Let me re-read ur post, but what do you all suggest for me, without having to spend more than $650 dollars. I dont wanna go competition class sound, but i wanna be able to rock out lol when i install a ps2 in my car and im playing guitar hero

 
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Couldn't agree more, and the tuning is a huge part too!
For me when I first got my stereo, I knew nothing about wiring up the amp and sub so I took it to Custom Sounds (VERY good place around STL area!) When they did my vic somebody cranked the gain all the way up tho, when I had it at 0 in my old car.

Biggest thing for me and amps, DO NOT max out the gain or bass on the amp! It will ruin your subs/speakers fast. Mine is a notch above 0 and the subs have lasted over 3 years even in freezing cold weather, horrible roads, and extremely hot summers, god I love Alpine!

 
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yup, and if you hear distortion, youre playing them too loud. i listen to mine fairly loud and they have held up fine except for a few tears in the rubber surrounds which dont seem to affect anything. ill prolly swap everything out when they start to sound bad but that hasnt happened and im too lazy to redo all that lol.

LT2004ever, thats a reasonable price to spend. i would recommend some infinity reference 6.5 and 6x9 for you, running an amp ofcourse. the rears are gonna give you the most bass which is good for rap and hip hop.

goto carmedia1.com and price out the speakers. keep the stock tweets and run them off the deck power. 18wrms is plenty for them esp if you have an alpine deck. now the speakers, you need to check their power handling rms wattage, and get a 4 channel amp that gives them a bit over 1/2 that wattage. the speakers should not be more than $200, amp no more than $200, and wire kit maybe $50-60. with the money leftover, get a dynamat 2-door kit and a wedge kit from the website above. dynamat the rear deck since its already open and youre putting speakers in, then do the front doors also. amped 6x9 is gonna give you tons of mirror shaking bass over the crappy stockers.

with the music you listen to, it will prolly require making bass and treble adjustments depending on the music.

 
Rep Power: 305

yea i have to change the bass and treble anyways from day to day anyways so that wouldn't be a problem.

ok for the amp, with a 4channel amp, if i ever decide on getting a sub down the line, would i still be able to use this amp?? or would i have to get another one?? i dont know how amps work, but i assume the 4channel only powers 4 speakers, so i'd have to buy another one?? Also when im looking at amps to see if its 1/2 the wattage what wattage do i look at Continuous Watts per Channel (4 Ohms) or Continuous Watts per Channel (2 Ohms) or the max power watts per channel?

also is it better to shop for a 3way speaker, or a 2 way 6x9 speaker? cause i keep seeing both.

Now last but not least, with the dynamat 2-door kit and wiring, i have no expertise in this area other than my fog lights, and my head unit. but is it pretty straight forwards??? from the rca plugs behind my HU to the amp, then all of the speakers to the amp? Like how do u run them? ok i dont think i left anything out, so... umm.. let me see other than dynamat install thats all.

 
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good write up gearbox!

im happy with what i have. i just picked up a pair of L5 Solobaric Kicker 12" subs so we'll see what they sound like first, and afterwards i might have them up for sale. anyone want sum serious bass...ull have them at a good price so pm me

 
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the 4 channel amp is only for the four speakers, and that stays with them. when you add a sub, you need to buy another amp for it depending on your setup. usually mono (1 channel) class-D amp is used for sub. the amp and speaker power ratings you look at are always continuous rms wattage. peak power means nothing. dynamat is easy, its like putting on stickers except you need a wood roller or something to press it firmly on the metal panel. and you prolly have to clean the panel with alcohol or degreaser first. you dont want the dynamat falling off.

amp wiring is fairly easy. you have rca plugs that take sound from the receiver and send it to the amp, then the amp makes it sound good, then you have speaker wires going from the amp to your speakers as output (usually, you can buy a single wire that has all the different colored small wires in it together so you dont have tons of wire everywhere. and you run all the speaker wire back to the front of the car and tie them to the stock wire harness. unless you really want to run all the wires directly to each speaker lol. oh yea and the amp itself needs fused power wire direct to battery, and also a ground to the chassis. and finally a remote turn-on wire connected from amp to receiver so the amp only powers on with the receiver.

 
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^ you should also mention running the signal wires down the passanger side, and the power down the drivers side, and why you do this.

 
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yea i completely forgot. you dont want noise in your system. run rca and speaker wire on one side of the car, run power wire on the other side. usually it wont matter with the new shielded cables they have these days, but better to do it right.

and even better, run new and thicker gauge power and ground wires for your receiver directly to battery and chassis. do not use the stock harness to power the new receiver.

 
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great writeup...im getting rid of my 15" sub and may just run amped interior speakers....

 
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awesome info gear! i'd rep ya if the system would let me!

 
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ok cool, well whats the deal with capacitors?? like someone told me that if i had after market speakers i should have a capacitor to save my battery.

 
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capacitor i didnt even mention. why? cause its not important. the only thing it does is cover up dimming problems you may have from running too many amps (alot of wattage). and the cap uses alternator power to charge itself too. so its a drain on your system and it really does not solve the dimming, it just covers it up. if you run that much power, youre gonna have to do the right thing and get a new higher output alternator.

 
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Alrighty then, thanx for your help gearbox.

 
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Top notch and well done like most things of yours I've checked out. I agree with practically everything I see and have just a few minor tweaks I'd like to throw out there with the only hope it helps others and offers another way to see things.


If you're just doing a pair of speakers and using something like a dynamat speaker kit it is a real straight forward install and not time consuming at all compared to the speaker install itself.
On the other if you decide to rip every panel and piece of carpet out of your trunk and dynamat everything that will be anything but easy. And long before you're done you will wonder what you got yourself into. But if you give yourself enough time and use the right tools it isn't that bad.


First thing running new wires is a very real option for some people and it kind of comes down to one of those cost/benefit things as to whether it's worth it for any one person particularly.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with wiring a 4ch amp to speakers like that at all. I also have another way to do it I have used many times in the past and I personally find it to be a quick, cheap and overall great way to accomplish the same thing.

(Rear speaker wiring:
Run brand new speaker wire from the amplifier to the rear speakers, unhook the existing wire @ the rear speaker.

Front speaker wiring:
Run brand new speaker wire from the amplifier to the factory rear speaker wiring that you just unhooked. Go to your deck next, and connect your front and rear speaker wires on the harness that was purchased(white to green, white/black to green/black, gray to violet, gray/black to violet/black). What this does is send signal from the amp, thru the factory rear speaker wires to the deck where it is looped from the factory rear wires to the factory front speaker wires, and into the front doors and to the front speakers.)


In many situations a cap is not the correct solution for the electrical situation at hand. However, there are also times when it is an appropriate choice. If you are running a small single or small dual amp setup I think a cap can do a wonderful job of stabilizing the voltage that supplies power to the amp(s).

And absolutely, yes, as you move past this and start looking at huge monos or two amps (perhaps a decent mono and a large 4ch or whatever) an upgraded alternator is very important to look at and will do more than a single cap or large amount of caps could.

But looking at the smaller amp setup, the stabilized voltage the cap offers will allow the amp to not have to work as hard to attempt to stay linear in output. And not even to mention the fact 99% of amp installs in 7th gens don't really get considered electrically by the alternator due to the ELD and how it's setup. I think a cap can (not always, but can) be very useful with that and the particular setup in mind.


But again, very well done and covers the basics pretty thoroughly.

 
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thanks for the input! oh and just in case you took offense to my comment about installers not doing stuff the right way, i meant that unless you pay them more and have extra work done, the "standard" install will basically be throwing the speaker in which is not a good idea. but i did have a problem where circuit city did not know how to screw my spacer to the door metal and had made extra holes and also cracked the spacer itself which wasnt okay. also when i took my deck lid off, i noticed there was a tear in the rubber surround of one speaker. so sometimes they can get sloppy when they know the customer will never take apart and see what they did, or they have a deadline to meet.

 
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Oh well yeah I don't disagree with any of that for a second. I got love for the DIYers which is why I'm out here doing my thing.

 
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hey guys whats the deal with 5-way amps then?? like would this mean i woudn't need another amp for a sub?? or is it just for those cars that have like a mini sub under a seat, or in the rear deck like some Subarus and caddy's? http://www.crutchfield.com/S-FSuFEL6...0&I=500MRAF350

then last would baffles be a good investment. It says that they like keep the speaker dry and they also improve sound??

 
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A 5ch like that is meant more for surround sound in a car utilizing an actual center speaker. There are some 5ch out there that would be like 50x4 for the four speakers in the car and then 150x1 for the sub.

I'm not a huge fan of those baffles but they can have their uses. Whether or not they help the sound is probably debatable.

 
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yeah ive heard baffles, and often times it makes the bass muddy. i didnt like when i heard em so none for me. i think its better to just dampen the back waves (sound coming from rear of speaker) so it doesnt bounce off the panel and come back through to the front and ruin the good sound quality. and that can easily be done with a dynxorb pad cut up and put above and below the crash bar, or even some accoustic foam.

 
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What's the deal with Sony HU's. I hear a lot of people bash on them and say that they are crap, and I am just wondering why. Also why is it that you are completly against buying aftermarket speakers if you aren't amping them? What is the noticable sound difference?
Thanks

 
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the stock speakers were designed for only 5-10w rms power max, which is what the stock deck gives it. aftermarket speakers start at around 60w max, so if youre only giving them 5-10w, they are severely underpowered and cant perform how they should be. it can also ruin the speakers over time if you turn up the volume. you really need to supply them with the needed power, or they just wont perform. i had aftermarket speakers as my first audio mod and altho they sounded clearer than stock, the bass was almost nonexistant and the sound had no depth. which is why alot of people do the speakers first, dont really like it, and then start throwing subs in the car to try and fix it.

sony is garbage. their decks skip all the time, the smallest bump will make it mess up, ive even heard of some decks scratching cds due to their poor quality material, i know some that have melted or stopped working completely. when you use it, it has a very cheap feeling, pressing the buttons and they feel like theyre about to fall off. its just overall a terrible deck to have, and anyone that has tried one can tell you they will never go back.

 
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So under powering the speakers can make them die faster?

And actually I just wanted to get your reasoning before saying that I do have Infinity Reference speakers in the front of my car running off of....you guessed it....a Sony CDX-GT200 HU that I have had for a year and a half. My stock Honda HU would skip if you hit the dash with a decent force, and I can tell you that even hitting my dash as hard as possible won't make the Sony CD player skip. I have never had it skip to my knowledge.

It also feels a lot better made than the units on other cars I have been in (although most of those were JVC or Panasonic, I don't think those are exactly quality units), and it looks a lot better than other units at the same price. It is in the same condition as it was when I got it as far as wear and tear. The Sony can drive my aftermarket front speakers louder than I would ever want to listen to them, although the bass is a little lacking, but the stock rear ones cover up for that, and I just bought a 10" sub for the trunk which fills out the sound nicely and give me the lows that I'm sure are more than if I just had an amp driving my Infinity's.

I'm sure if I ran my speakers through an amp they would sound a little more full, but there is still a huge difference between stock speakers and aftermarket speakers in terms of sound quality even if you don't run them through a dedicated amp. I am very picky about sound quality as I spent $300 on Shure E4 in-ear headphones last year, and ever since them I have upgraded my car's sound system so that I can try to get the same clarity I can with those headphones.

 
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but what about aftermarket speakers with an aftermarket HU putting out say 50x4?

 
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you should know better! lol. unless you get that really old alpine hu that has a hi power internal amp, no normal deck is gonna put out more than around 20w rms tops per channel. i dont even mention peak wattage at all in my posts cause it is meaningless. 20w is still only 1/3 of what the cheapest aftermarket speakers can handle. its much better than stock deck by far, but still not comparable to a standalone amp. i guess im describing it like this because i have amped speakers and i can tell you there is no way i would ever listen to them without an amp for the power source. i only have mine maybe getting 1/2 their max power and still sounds awesome. prolly because its still getting about double the power that an aftermarket deck would give them. and amp will always provide a cleaner signal (using the rca preout connection) than any deck could. this makes the music sound better both at lo and hi volumes, and it really makes the speakers pound. even my 6.5s can put out some pretty decent bass for some songs. as for sony, maybe their quality is improving, idk.

 
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i do know better and you should know that! i was asking a question that i'm really surprized that noone had asked yet since i see it all the time.

 
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OK...
now this is what i saw the other day

Alpine F450 (4 Channel amp)= 70w(rms) x 4 = $200
Alpine SPR-69C (2way 6x9 speakers)=100w(rms) x 2 = $100
Alpine SPS-17C (2way coaxial 6.5) = 100w(rms) x 2 = $100
Dynamat Original 4 10"x10" sheets = $20
EFX 8-gauge Amplifier Wiring Kit = $40
Total = $460 (680rms)

IS this too much? im thinking so but i was basing it off the amp should be >1/2 the RMS of the speakers.

Also what if i bought an amp capable of 70x4 and speakers with 50rms?? is that bad, should one just downgrade the amp?

If that set up was way 2 much then what about
Option B

Alpine MRP-F250 4-channel Theater Amp = 40w(rms) x 4 = $150
Alpine SPS-69C2 2-way 6x9 Speakers = 50w(rms) x 2 = $70 (or SPS-69C3 3-way for $75)
Alpine SPS-17C2 2-way 6.5 Speakers = 50w(rms) x 2 = $70
Dynamat Original 4 10"x10" sheets = $20
EFX 8-gauge Amplifier Wiring Kit = $40
Total = $350 (360rms)

Then option C
Alpine MRP-F250 4-channel Theater Amp = 40w(rms) x 4 = $150
Infinity 6022i 6.5 2-Way Speakers = 60w(rms) x 2 = $70
Infinity 9623i 6X9" 3-Way Speakers = 100w(rms) x 2 = $90
Dynamat Original 4 10"x10" sheets = $20
EFX 8-gauge Amplifier Wiring Kit = $40
Total = $370 (480rms)

Like and theres another option, but i think it would be irrelevant to post it. It's the kenwood route, but they didn't have the listings of RMS, just the max...

 
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optiuon c will give you most bang for the buck/ for B, speakers are getting too much power, in A, seems fine but its alot more $