[JKG08]

ok so heres the deal....i'm 16 and work a **** job so i dont have much money.....i was woundering if people can give me a good idea of how i can put together an effective sound system for a firly cheap price......like i said i'm 16 so i do want it to be loud but i dont wanna spend too much......I'd like to try and keep it around $100 -$150 ($150 is the MOST i would spend)......i'll prolly go with a 10' sub and i'd like to hear ur opinion on speakers and all that.......thanks for the help

 

[JKG08]

and i forgot to say I'd liek to try and do as little custom work as possible so plz try and keep them about the stock size,,,,or at least something that will go in fairly easy

 

[ComposiMo]

Much like racing, where you have the old saying:

"Cheap, Fast, Reliable... Pick any two"

In car audio, you have:

"Cheap, Loud, Quality... Pick any two"

So... for $150, you could buy a used sub at a pawn shop or something probably, and maybe an amp in the same place.... you may be able to get it "loud", but it will sound like crap, and probably not move nearly as much air as you want (i.e. not mcuh "bass"... won't have the movement)... the amp also won't sustain it for too terribly long more than likely.

I'm not a car audio expert or anything, and frankly have no desire to be.... but i know when i hear a crap system, and so will anyone else who is forced to listen to it with you at a stoplight... My advise? Save up your money, and do it right. Buy good components, have an amp for your mids and highs, and a separate amp for the sub, properly sound-deaden the chassis, get rid of all the squeaks and rattles that the car will have, and get a box that is designed for the space within a CRX, and the exact sub that you are using. Plan on maybe having closer to $1000+ into something VERY basic, and you'll wind up with a lit better of a system that you can actually be proud of playing loudly. Realistically, if you want to impress anyone, plan on having even more than that into it.

Hate to be blunt, but its just my $0.02

 

[zerocool1014a]

yeah i gotta say your in a tough spot if you only want to spend 150... you will be lucky to score a decent head unit for that if your not using the stock head.. and if you are then that 150 could be eaten up by either your front or back speakers alone.. and if your front and back speakers are good then well.. you could go really cheap and get roadmaster, rampage or pyramid.. i really wouldnt suggest it.. or going with sony for that matter.. i was looking last night i want to put two 8 inch subs in my car in truck boxes.. one behind each seat a decent pair of 8 inch subs is going to run me 105.00 of ebay (kicker c8 200watt) and a cheap pair of truck boxes 9.99 each plus 20.00 shipping each.. which brings just the subs up to 165ish.. thats subs alone and those arent very high end they are pretty much your run of the mill introductory sub but they sound good.. i guess what im trying to say is.. if you want to put a decent system in your car.. save your money.. and do it in pieces.. i would say 200 on a head unit 400 on door and back speakers if you can find a deal and about 3-400 on your woofer/woofers&amp/s so i guess what im saying is what most anyone else would tell you if you want a good sounding system your going to be spending at least 1000 but if your budget doesnt allow like it sounds like it doesnt either stick with sock or visit your local autozone, kragen, or pepboys.. they are sure to have some bargain basement equiptment that may be loud but probably wont sound very good...

-James

 

[jfrolang]

With a budget like that, I would only recommend saving up some more.

 

[JKG08]

ok....I can see i am going to have to spend more but i already have a head unit.....and i know where i can get a sub thats not great but good enough for me......can u guys at least give me so selections on door speakers in that 100-150 price range....i'm aiming more towards quality then loud

 

[jfrolang]

can u guys at least give me so selections on door speakers in that 100-150 price range....i'm aiming more towards quality then loud

150 for just the front speakers is more reasonable. I was able to score some JL Audio XR650's for $150 shipped a ways back. You can get Alpine Type-S 5.25's for about $90.

 

[zerocool1014a]

okay well that makes more sense i totally agree with the alpines they always sound good but i would also recommend rockford fosgate they can be purchased fairly cheap and are of decent quality but produce really clear highs mids and lows

 

[bobski]

Like I said in an earlier thread, I would go with Blaupunkt for decent sound on the cheap.

 

[rex2nr]

The best part about a system is it can be built over time. I would definitely get some regular 6.5 speakers. I have Polks on my car, well, now in my truck and they have pretty decent sound in the small spaces.

 

[downest]

A good setup for cheap (what I have):

2 JBL 6" 75W speakers in the rear: $free from my parents when they sold the old car

Alpine 2 channel 400W amp (forget the model offhand): $free on loan from a friend who has some serious audio equipment

10" 100W sub: $free, I built it as a fun project a few years ago, Optimus cone I got for free when I worked at radio shack because they were throwing it away

Also have free monster cable everything is wired with, found it in the doors of my car

Honda OEM stereo block-off plate: $free (thanks Dodo)

Creative Zen Xtra 40GB mp3 player: $250 last year (didn't buy it for the car)

Maybe not the best setup in the world, but good enough for me, clean enough and loud enough to hear over the drone of my airplane-sounding motor. It's also nice because I can pull the amp and sub out in a minute, so it's perfect for autocross. I was surprised the sub sounds pretty good, I made the cabinet exactly to match my roommate's Infinity sub in his RSX. He has a really nice setup, I prefer to spend the money under the hood, not the hatch. I have a couple of kicker speakers in my old car that I can take from Jared sometime, they are in the doors, but I don't want to run the wire, and what I have works for me now.

 

[toxiclows]

i have an earthquake br 15 dual voice coil sub that i will let go for 50 plus shipping... it is old but pounds like the day it was new... i had 2 of them in my rex and then cut the box down for only 1 15 in my del sol so i have it left over... . hit me up if you are interested.. .
if you have the head unit you are off to a decent start.. .
if your stock speakers are ok.. . you can get by with a sub and an amp and just tune it so that the bass going to the speakers is down and have the amp cranked up and it will thunp a little with out having it sound like total crap..

ideally though. . you are going to want to have 2 good front speakers 2 good rear speakers a sub an amp a dcent head unit an amp for the mid speakers and a crossover.. . . . just tot start. . .

let us know if you need any more help..

 

[JKG08]

i'm thinking i might get the Alpine Type-S 5.25's that someone posted earlier......and i can get a sub from a fried that he only had for a short time before he wrecked his car (the sub completely uneffected though).....and if i do get the alpines then all i should need after that is rear speakers and an amplifier.....so i'll need to save up for a couple of weeks and hopefull have what i want sometime in the next mont or two....but i am still open to suggestions on rear spekers and apms for when i am ready to buy those and thanks guys for ur input....i dont know a whole lot with the car audio yet