[chaz]

anyone know the watts per channel of the stock tuner(not the fosgate)
i am looking at some alpine speakers from best buy (SPS-600)6 1/2 round)
and amp (MRP-F300)200 w 50 per channel,question is can i get the speakers now and then add the amp later when i get the extra money.
thanks all

 

[Mylt1]

i have seen factory outputs as low as 8w and as high as 17. its a crap shoot. safe guess would be 15w. if you want the best bang for buck get a better deck then worry about speakers and amps. plus it makes it so much easier to wire everything up.

 

[chaz]

really dont want to tear up the dash with somthing that might not fit that well or look like it does not belong,i have seen some units but are very pricey like 800. + -
thanks for the reply i will continue to weigh my options

 

[Mylt1]

another thing you need to realize is the sound coming out of the stock deck is going to sound even worse if you decide to amp it. one of the reasons an aftermarket deck sounds better is not only the extra power but the signal is a LOT cleaner. an amp is just going to amp a poor signal and you will notice it.

 

[reckless]

if you put a speaker in that is a higher wattage then the unit puts out you are actually causing the speakers to work harder. then when you put the correct wattage in it will cause the speakers to fail. I would suggest not doing the speakers till you have the right amp. ill do a disclaimer here that they may never fail from it but the only thing making the sound is verry thin copper wire that uses the wattage to chage the way it reacts to the magnet driver.

 

[chaz]

the aplines i am looking at are rated a 80 watts,so they most likely would not have enough power to sound proper,jus a few more weeks and i will buy it all,
my lt 1 thanks for the reply about sound quality,it seems like i may have to change the head unit,but i think i will go with the speaks and amp first,then take it from there.

 

[ffips]

Leave them in the box until you get the head unit. No sense ruining them with impatience.

 

[trfisher67]

Yes, you can buy the sprs and install them now and ger the amp later. However, my suggestion is to skip Best Buy and go to crutchfield.com and speak to an advisor there. Their # is 1-800-955-3000 or go to their site. I reccomend them because when you buy from them, you will recieve the wiring adapter for free. This will allow you to plug the new spkes in with out cutting off or "Tapping in" to the OEM wiring. Unless you live in Virginia, you dont even pay tax on your order. The new spkrs will NOT have the clean sound they will once you amplify them Also remember, the OEM head unit does not offer good clean sound to your amp or spkes. So, in essence once you amplify them, you will be amplifying crappy sound. Unless youre adding a sub, I would suggest you changing the head unit and save the money on the amp untill youre ready to add a sub system. I also suggest a component spkr set up over coaxial (2 way or 3 way). Sound seperation is MUCH cleaner and the provided crossovers give crisp highs!

 

[Mylt1]

you can take my advice or leave it, its your choice, but you would be happier with a deck change now than with the speakers and amp. with an after market deck the factory speakers will sound 10x better. with an amp and door speakers on the factory deck all your getting is the same sound louder. of course there is always a 3rd option. just buy what you can and wait to install it all at one time. oh and at 50wRMS you will also want to run new speaker wires from the amp to the door speakers so the adapter from crutchfield really wont make a difference. buy the speakers you want online for less unless CF has a smoking deal on them.

 

[chaz]

the spkears are 99.99 on crutch and on sale at best buy/did not price out the amp.
i do intend to up grade the wires.
now if i change the head unit and get something with lets say 35/45 watts per channel
wont that make my stock speakers start smoking.
thanks

 

[reckless]

if run at normal volumes you can get a few years out of them before they die. if you crank the vol knob till they distort the sound near max vol you'll get about 30 seconds. for example for my pro audo gear I use on bands I have a speaker that is rated for 1200 watts. I normally power them with an 1800 watt amp. now the same type speaker was being used for a show by a good friend. his normal amp was messing up so he ran the show at 1000 watt per speaker and half way through the speaker cought fire.

 

[trfisher67]

A new head unit will make your OEM door spkrs sound better period. However, Your OEMs can only go so far in sound reproduction. In other words, they will only sound as good as the speaker is made. A OEM co-axial (2 way) will sound much better than the "Wizzer cone" paper spkr. Simply put replace the stock deck and spkrs as your wallet allows. The guage of the stock wire is NOT a concern unless you get into amplification. Then raise it up to a 16-14 guage wire for resistance reasons.

 

[chaz]

good info ,now i cant decide what to do ,think i will amp / speakers ,then have it all ready ,wire etc.when i get taxes back , decide on a head unit.

 

[ffips]

As others have stated (repeatedly) You would probably be better off to get a head unit before speakers and amp. The stock speakers will sound better with a better head unit.

Since you are hell bent on speakers and amp before head unit, do yourself a favor and order two sets of speakers. Distortion is what turns speakers into paperweights. Since your stock head unit will have greater distortion than an aftermarket head unit, AND you plan to amplify that distortion via an amplifier, you will be doing damage to your new speakers.

I guess what I am basically trying to say is don't come back crying "my new speakers sound like crap." Several here might just reply "Told you so."

ymmv

 

[Mylt1]

i have been running a clean 25wRMS to my factory speakers for over 3 years and they have yet blown up. your not going to get a deck that is 35wRMS much less 45wRMS they just dont exist. most aftermarket decks are between 17 and 22wRMS and that will not damage your speakers.

 

[toryroyce]

Take it from someone who's been there, do the deck first. It'll give you the most improvement. I also agree the stock speakers are junk, but they'll survive on an aftermarket head without issue. I have a JVC KW-XG700 and my truck looks like it came from the factory with it installed.
I also agree with the Best Buy comment - most of the sale staff are idiots (sorry, it's true.) Crutchfield is the way to go - knowledgeable staff, great service with fast shipping, and no questions asked returns.
I started with the head and speakers which made a HUGE difference. I then added the Alpine amp you mentioned, which was a marginal improvement. When I added a sub and mono amp, that's when things started to really boogie. These stages worked great for me, no regrets.

 

[k_mcbride]

As everybody else has stated, youre going to be way happier if you start with a head unit. Just pay close attention to the installation kit you go with, some are alot cheaper than others. With the right kit you can accomplish a near factory look with no gaps or anything around the edges and everything will go back together right. As for an amp and aftermarket speakers, i would try the head unit first and see what you think. I have noticed that a majority of the time ppl who start with a head unit often decide not to add an amp cuz of the difference the unit makes. And if you do decide to go with an amp and speakers you will have time to save up for one and still have a much better sounding stereo. You will be very dissapointed if you just go with amp and sub, it will just make a bad sounding stereo louder. Just my 2 cents! Good luck

 

[trfisher67]

Stay away from a SCHOSCH install kit, the are really bad. Go to Crutchfield, the kit and interface plug are included free if you spend $130. Their kits are great! I have to agree AGAIN with the other replys. The head unit it where the sound comes from, NOT THE SPEAKERS!!!! Believe me!! I have attended the Installers Institute (ii) in Daytona Fl. and am MECP first class certified. This is what I do and have done since 1985. BUY THE HEAD UNIT FIRST and put 47Mfd (microfarad) capacitors in series on the positive wire of each speaker. This will not allow frequencies below 350 hz to pass the OEM speakers. This is achieved WITHOUT removing the door pannels, they are installed BEHIND THE RADIO WHEN YOU INSTALL IT. They look like a two fused firecracker, small. They will protect your OEMs untill you get apeakers. You CAN find a MOSFET 45 watt rms deck, but it will do you no good! Most Kenwood, JVC, ect. decks run a clean 22 watts. PLENTY!! Since it only takes 22 watts for earth to communicate with a sattlelite, 22 watts should work for you. SIMPLIFICATION IN ORDER OF SONIC PRIORITY: Deck, speakers, amp. Nothing more, nothing less.

K_mcbride Is 500% Correct!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[2WD_NISMO]

OK help an old guy out here, why is the factory head unit junk and deemed worthy of replacement? I have the 6CD model ("Premium" or whavere they call it [not Fosgate]) and it sounds absolutely fabulous (or I'm getting old?). I listen at normal volume but I admit that at loud volume I'm sure the flaws would be evident.

Not being argumentative here, but I genuinely want to know. that is...what am I missing?

 

[ToddG]

OK help an old guy out here, why is the factory head unit junk and deemed worthy of replacement? I have the 6CD model ("Premium" or whavere they call it [not Fosgate]) and it sounds absolutely fabulous (or I'm getting old?). I listen at normal volume but I admit that at loud volume I'm sure the flaws would be evident.

Not being argumentative here, but I genuinely want to know. that is...what am I missing?

First to answer the above.
Everyone's definition of a great system is different.
Some people just want it loud, some people just want it clean and then there are the one's who want both and know how to accomplish this.
Most OEM systems are lacking on the top and bottom end, meaning severe treble cut-offs, little to no bass reproduction.
OEM systems also often suffer from poor speaker placement and lack of proper controls to dial in all of the components (gain, crossovers, etc.).
Anyway 2WD_NISMO, if you are happy with your system that's all that matters.
I wasn't happy with the OEM system, therefore I replaced it with better equipment.

Now to address chaz.
Everyone that said get a headunit first is correct.
The worst speakers in the world powered by the best HU will sound better than the best speakers in the world powered by the worst HU.

Oh, and one more thing.
The factory speaker wires will do just fine for anything under 100watts a channel.
If you're going over that then yes, replace the speaker wires.