Factory car audio upgrade, worth it?

Hi all,

I am possibly thinking of upgrading my 1999 S-10 Extended Cab's factory audio as my door speakers are pretty much shot. However, I can't quite decide if the speakers and headunit I'm considering are worth the purchase price or if there is something better out there.

My truck can hold 4x6 sized speakers in the dash and 6.5 inch rounds in the doors. Right now, I am leaning toward a set of Pioneer's 6.5 inch TS-A1681R (for my doors) and 4x6 inch TS-A4670R (for my dash speakers). If I opt to replace my headunit, it will most likely be Alpine's CDA-9856 due to the fact that it supports Apple's iPod.

Is this a decent performing setup? I don't intend to run a subwoofer or amplifier right now as it would be too expensive. Also, I don't need a high powered system as I only want something that I can listen to mostly Rock and Roll at manageable levels. My max budget is around $500 or so.
 
I did a quick look around and Kenwood and Pioneer also have head units for around $200-300 with iPod connections.

As far as the speakers, You are almost always better off upgrading factory to aftermarket. That said, I didn't come across much that had better numbers on crutchfield.com than what you posted. Then again, I can't way I know all that much about car audio. I will throw in that you'll more than likely need a mounting harness as Chevy's have a larger radio than most aftermarket models.
 
Since you wont be adding subs or amps, the set up you are thinking of purchasing will be fine. It will be a HUGE improvement over the stock stereo. It is also a straight forward install. You could probably have it all done by yourself in a couple hours.
 
TB
I did a quick look around and Kenwood and Pioneer also have head units for around $200-300 with iPod connections.

I talked to someone at my local Best Buy about a Pioneer headunit (DEH-4800P) and the Alpine unit I am considering. He suggested going with an Alpine headunit due to the fact that it would actually cost more if I were to go with Pioneer's DEH-4800P due to the fact that their iPod adapter kit costs over $120 (versus $30 for an adapter with the Alpine headunit).

I actually do like my factory radio, but since it does not have the ability to connect to my iPod I want to replace it.

As far as the speakers, You are almost always better off upgrading factory to aftermarket. That said, I didn't come across much that had better numbers on crutchfield.com than what you posted. Then again, I can't way I know all that much about car audio. I will throw in that you'll more than likely need a mounting harness as Chevy's have a larger radio than most aftermarket models.

I guess I intend to purchase those Pioneer speakers considering I cannot find anything that sounds any better (unless someone has a better recommendation). Down the line I may add a subwoofer and an amplifier, but for the time being this should be plenty.
 
Pioneer 4-way speakers for around $100 would be pretty hard to beat. It looks like a good setup and sounds like you have checked everything out.

I do have one question, though.... Someone at Best Buy was actually helpful and knowledgeable? :eek: I am truly amazed. :lol:
 
TB
I do have one question, though.... Someone at Best Buy was actually helpful and knowledgeable? :eek: I am truly amazed. :lol:

Yep, he explained, showed, and recommended the pioneer speakers to me. He also explained the difference between the two headunits I was considering and answered a lot of questions.

Now I have to decide if I want to install it myself or have it professionally done. I'd like to save some money by doing it myself, but I don't think I could install everything with the same level of quality that a professional installer can.
 
If it was anything more than just a head and speakers, I might be inclined to say let them do it. Since it is just those 2 things, I say go for it. The wiring (except for the connection to the iPod) is already there, so there is nothing that needs to be "hidden". And there is always the great feeling of knowing that you did it yourself. :)

Personally, I've installed a head unit in a '92 Blazer, a head and 6 disc changer (in the trunk) in a '97 Neon and an AutoStart in our '99 Grand Prix. The AutoStart was the most difficult, but even that one wasn't too bad. All you really need to do is make sure you have everything you need before you start, but it also doesn't hurt to have a vehicle at your disposal for anything you may have forgotten.

Edit: Don't forget the pictures. Before, during and after. ;)
 
Now I've got a few more questions...

1.) Is it better to place sound deadening products such as dynamat only around a speaker or over the entire door? I'm only planning on sound deadening the doors at this point.

2.) Are foam baffles really worth the money?

EDIT:

I'm stuck deciding between two model speakers for my dash now. I can't decide between the 3-way 4x6 Pioneer TS-A4670R or a 4-inch Rockford Fosgate T142C. The TS142C, while smaller in size, is a 2-way speaker with an RMS of 40 and total max watts of 80. However, Pioneer's TS-A4670R has a higher max watts of 120 watts but a lower RMS of 20 watts. I can't decide which is better, higher RMS or higher total watts given the two models. Both sound equally good.
 
Stop buy a Bestbuy or a Car Toys, and they can hook you up with a decent setup. Aspen sound is a good car audio place, but I don't know if they have any in Indiana. Just ask a sales rep what they got to offer.
 
I finally decided on a setup... Here it is...

Final Setup:

Headunit: Alpine CDA-9856
iPod Cable: Alpine KCE-422i
Door Speakers: Pioneer 6.5 inch TS-A1681R
Dash Speakers: Pioneer 4x6 inch TS-A4670R
Bass Blockers for 4x6 speakers (A pair for the 6.5 inch door speakers will be added eventually.)
Dynamat
2 sets of speaker harnesses, radio harness, antenna adapter, etc.

Total Cost: Far too much... (Just over $600 due to necessary parts).

I've opted to have it professonally installed this coming Sunday due to the fact that I have no experience installing an audio system in a car. I can't wait.
 
Allright, Matrixhasu77, you've had it in for over a week now. How does it sound?
 
TB
Allright, Matrixhasu77, you've had it in for over a week now. How does it sound?
It sounds so much better than my factory audio ever did! I apologize that I did not see this post until now though. However, it's missing that low bass punch due to the fact that I do not have a subwoofer and amplifier. Right now it's geared more toward high range frequencies. I am starting to look at amplifiers, subwoofers, and enclosures. However, I am confused about something...

For an amplifier, I am leaning toward Rockford Fosgate's 4 channel P4004 running in tamdem with a tri-way crossover. However, is it possible use a tri-way crossover to run a pair of speakers alone rather than with a subwoofer? If it is possible, I'd like to run a pair of speakers off of the tri-way crossover, two speakers on separate channels each, and a subwoofer on a separate channel.

I have yet to decide on a subwoofer, but do want a single 8 or 10 inch.
 
If I had seen this thread before you got your current setup I would have steered you away from the pioneer 3-way or 4-way speakers. No need for all those little tweeters, plus there are way better sounding speakers than pioneer and sony. My stereo system setup in my camaro consist of...

6.5" 2-way Memphis audio speakers in the doors and over the back seats. Powered by Lightning audio amp 50x4 watts RMS. And a 10" Crossfire sub powered by a 250watt RMS mono amp. The H/U I have is a Pioneer DEH-P6700MP. I'd pick their amps and H/U's but not their speakers!
 
Josh_101
If I had seen this thread before you got your current setup I would have steered you away from the pioneer 3-way or 4-way speakers. No need for all those little tweeters, plus there are way better sounding speakers than pioneer and sony.
Actually, they don't sound all that bad, IMO. Today, I bought a sub box. I guess I'm buying the rest of my system as I see it to be feasible to do so. I splurged a bit and bought Q-Logic's QLT-.6510BS for $84.99 from Best Buy. It's a really solid box. The installation of a subwoofer I received from a friend was actually easier than I thought it would be.

I really want to hear the subwoofer but I can't because I don't have my amplifer or amplifier wiring kit yet. :(

I've finalized the amplifier down to Alpine's MRP-F450 because of size constraints (the P4004 was too darn big). Alpine seems to build quality audio products (albit expensive!) too.

Attached is a picture of the installed subwoofer and sub box. I'm rather impressed with the build quality of the box.

 
A 400W sub is plenty for an S-10, those cabins are loud in general. But when you got to install the amp, I've seen them put behind the jump seat to keep it out of the way, you might want to try that route. But now that you have a system get a car alarm, trust me. A sub is a theif magnet.
 
Oh yeah, that amp/sub combo is plenty loud enough. My friend has a '94 S-10 single cab with a 10" sub, 300W mono amp just for the sub, some Pioneer headunit (50Wx4) and four Pioneer speakers. Ouch. You have to put the windows down or you'll end up with a headache after about 10 minutes.
 
Update time! I finally broke down and purchased Alpine's MRP-F450 4 channel amplifier today. Quick question though for anyone who may know the answer...

For the amplifier, I'm planning to run my doors speakers as two channels and a subwoofer as a third channel. Now my question is, from the headunit to the amplifier, do you need to combine the output for the subwoofer (channels 3 and 4 from the headunit) into a single channel input using a Y-adapter (2 female to 1 male) when inputting it into the amplifier? I'm planning to bridge channels 3 and 4 on my amplifer for the subwoofer.

Otherwise, would it be better to run a single channel (channel 3, for instance) from the headunit to the amplifier using two Y-adapters? I have two two-channel audio cables; One of which is for my subwoofer input to the amplifier.

I hope that makes sense as this is the last issue I'm confused on.
 
Matrixhasu77
Update time! I finally broke down and purchased Alpine's MRP-F450 4 channel amplifier today. Quick question though for anyone who may know the answer...

For the amplifier, I'm planning to run my doors speakers as two channels and a subwoofer as a third channel. Now my question is, from the headunit to the amplifier, do you need to combine the output for the subwoofer (channels 3 and 4 from the headunit) into a single channel input using a Y-adapter (2 female to 1 male) when inputting it into the amplifier? I'm planning to bridge channels 3 and 4 on my amplifer for the subwoofer.

Otherwise, would it be better to run a single channel (channel 3, for instance) from the headunit to the amplifier using two Y-adapters? I have two two-channel audio cables; One of which is for my subwoofer input to the amplifier.

I hope that makes sense as this is the last issue I'm confused on.

Don't use Y-adapters to do this! Don't split a single signal to two devices with a Y-cable (well, you can, but impedances get all flaky, and the signal is weaker than you expect, not to mention the noise source. . .), and ABSOLUTELY don't mix 2 outputs to a single device with a Y-cable. Here are your choices:

1. Use ONE of the subwoofer channels from the head unit to the amp, bridge the amp. Ignore the other channel from the amp. If channels 3 and 4 are bridged, you only have to feed channel 3. Upside: easy. Downside, bass from one channel only may be missing part of the music. That almost never happens, in my experience.

2. Use both channels, leave the amplifier unbridged, and use a dual-voice-coil subwoofer. Well, now I see you already have your sub. Oops. I don't know if it's a dual voice coil, but that's what that means, one speaker can receive two channels of input. Upside, carries both channels, downside, needs dual-voice-coil subwoofer.

3. Use both channels, feed two subs, maybe in 2 boxes. Upside: more air being moved, bigger bass. Downside, need another box like you already have, or one big enogh for two drivers. Maybe this isn't a real choice in your space, but it IS one of the connection options.
 
wfooshee
Don't use Y-adapters to do this! Don't split a single signal to two devices with a Y-cable (well, you can, but impedances get all flaky, and the signal is weaker than you expect, not to mention the noise source. . .), and ABSOLUTELY don't mix 2 outputs to a single device with a Y-cable. Here are your choices:
Thank you a ton! I was seriously confused about this.

1. Use ONE of the subwoofer channels from the head unit to the amp, bridge the amp. Ignore the other channel from the amp. If channels 3 and 4 are bridged, you only have to feed channel 3. Upside: easy. Downside, bass from one channel only may be missing part of the music. That almost never happens, in my experience.
I'm going to have to use this since my subwoofer is a single-voice coil.

2. Use both channels, leave the amplifier unbridged, and use a dual-voice-coil subwoofer. Well, now I see you already have your sub. Oops. I don't know if it's a dual voice coil, but that's what that means, one speaker can receive two channels of input. Upside, carries both channels, downside, needs dual-voice-coil subwoofer.
If I replace my current subwoofer down the line with a dual voice coil subwoofer, I probably will use this.

3. Use both channels, feed two subs, maybe in 2 boxes. Upside: more air being moved, bigger bass. Downside, need another box like you already have, or one big enogh for two drivers. Maybe this isn't a real choice in your space, but it IS one of the connection options.
Definately not an option due to space constraints. I really appreciate your input on helping me figure out my setup. Now I can get it installed finally! EDIT: Once my second audio cable actually arrives via UPS, that is... Stupid backorder at Cardomain... (It was only $23.95 though.)
 
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