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Well I have an 04 civic. One speaker sucks cause of what I think is a bad saudering job. The sound that's coming out of my system is terrible anyway and the max volume is pathetic. So I just can't put up with it anymore and I have decided to get a sound system. Now I was thinking of just starting out by getting a new deck and front/rear speakers to not spend too much money but people have said that I should get an amp too but I want to wait until closer to the summer to do that. So I'm kind of stuck on what to do. Also I'm planning on doing it all by myself. Would it be easier to do the whole thing at once or the way I want which is the speakers/deck and then later add the amp and sub.

 
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if your going to do it do it all at once and a word od advice run the amp power wire on the opposite side of your speaker wire and by some all new panal clips because they will become loose and some will break causing panals to rattle. also get some foam shrouds for the door speakers because water will get in and rust terminals i just had to take mine out and get the corrosion off.

 
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Alright, I guess I'm doing it all at once then, can't the sub be put in quick though. Cause I might just skip that for now and get the amp in. Unless I find a good deal on the sub.

 
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not really wires have to be run which means panals have to come back of if you dont want to see wires.your going to want a separate amp for the subs and a cap to stop the dimming.

 
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I just wanna see if I like the system without subs first before I spend the money on them.How long would a fully charged 16/20 volt cap help out until it would ware off and lights start dimming again?

 
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Just start off with a new deck and speakers and see how you like it. Make sure the deck you get has at least 2 sets of RCA's for a future amp. Also, do not cut the factory harness, get a wire harness and match it up the radios wires and plug it in.

 
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I agree. If you run an amp to your speakers with no sub you will have no bass at all. I wa amazed when I first ran an amp to my speakers. I had to buy a sub for bass. there is none is none, or you can barely hear it if you do not have a sub.
Start with a deck and speakers, and see how it goes

 
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Getting the whole thing at once seems way easier cause I can do it all in a weekend and I won't have to worry about getting all the new parts. Subs are easy to plug in though aren't they? Isn't it just about running wires from the amp to the sub? Someone said it took a lot of work.

 
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if you would like to buy a new deck i'll buy your se radio off of you

 
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if you have never done it before its alot of work almost all the panals have to come off to get to the rear speakers running the wires is fairly complicated and getting them threw the fire wall is a bitch if its heavy gauge wire and like i said you want to run the power wire on the opposite side. also mounting the amps and caps in a good place its alot harder then it looks.

 
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I just wanted to say that he is right. How ever you could get componet systems and not have to worry about the sub or an amp.

 
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Lowlife9 That system looks pretty sick do you mind me asking about the build???

 
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Nice Setup Lowlife! Makes me want to do something with my audio. I wonder if there is a safe amount of room under the drivers seat for an amp?

 
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not at all the whole setup took me and my friend about 9 hours to do the hardest part was positioning the amps and everything to fit and be able to independently close each seat here is the rest of my setup. . i also have a big 3 ground wire upgrade.

 
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I completely forgot about this thread so I didn't reply. I just want to give a quick update.
Well Im almost finished ordering my system. Getting a deck, speakers/tweeters/crossovers, two amps, and one 10" sub should be lots to start. Do you really need the capacitor lowlife? I thought you could run the wires under the trim instead of taping them on the door frame like that. Those tweeters and crossovers must have taken a while to put in. What type of battery are you running?

 
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I would get the capacitor just to have enough output when max power is needed. Looks like he's running a Duralast Gold battery from Autozone. Those are the best batteries on the market in my opinon, Consumer Reoports agrees

 
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lol the duct tape was just temporary because it wasn't done in one day so i kept tem in place while the panels were off . and i would recommend the capacitor it keeps your lights from dimming when the bass hits but before you install it you have to charge it properly or you can damage it. and yes its a DURALAST gold top its the largest one that will fit in the engine bay if you want the item number let me know. installing the tweeters wasn't that difficult i used a hole saw the hardest part was running the front component wires to the trunk were my cross overs are located you can see my front cross overs in the picture.

 
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good ol duct tape. anyway I thought you can install the crossovers in the door panel? if i get tweeters im probably gonna put them on the sail panel instead of cutting through the door panel. well what iv heard is that optima are the best so duralast is second best? what speakers did you put in, you forgot to include those. i think i might just run a stock power supply at first and then if lights dim too bad ill think about the capacitor and new battery, how do you hook up the capacitor anyway? i know i wont get it done in like an hour, im taking a whole weekend off for this stuff.

 
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i would have put my tweeters there if i had power mirrors. and optima is not what they used to be if i was going to spend that kind of money i would get SVR,shuriken,kinetik. at the time my battery was done for and i needed something quick and cheap i did some research and ended up with duralast its the best bang for your buck. and i have 5 1/2 MB QUART reference series front and 6 1/2 round MB QUART reference series rear.this is a diagram of how to properly charge and install a capacitor alot of people dont realise they have to be charged and end up destroying them they can also explode if not handled correctly and also electrocution.
http://www.caraudiohelp.com/car_audi...stallation.htm

 
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That clears things up a LOT. Where did you ground it to though? Luckily I have power mirrors so I can put the tweeters makes sense getting the duralast then if your battery was dead, did your battery die from using your system or was it just old? not many people use the MB quart around here, are they decent?

 
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it could have been from the system but im not sure i had it tested and it wouldn't hold its charge. mb quart are some of the best component speakers you can buy they are hand made in germany. well actually the newer mb quart have been bought out by Maxxsonics and im not sure if they are made in germany anymore. im lucky enough to have real mb quarts i probably wouldn't by the newer models.

 
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So there a high quality brand that aren't really mass produced? Where did you end up ground your capacitor to? And are you using a two-channel amp or mono amp for your sub?

 
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mine is grounded to the frame in the trunk . im using a 2 channel kenwood bridged.

 
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Im gonna be installing on the first weekend of may if all goes as planned. Ordering this system is taking way longer than I first thought. But I gotta make sure everything works together. Now all I need to figure out is the 2nd amp.