speakers or head unit?

[Ixse]

just a question that's been on my mind for a while now..
I'm debating if I should just keep the stock head unit and get some decent speakers with amp. OR just change out the head unit and keep stock speakers (cheaper overall?)
If anyone has done one of the above, please chime in with any detailed feedback if possible. thx O0

[anxiouz]

I had a 350Z before my Evo and the Z's speakers were ass.Â* I threw in a 10" sub and later wished I had just done components up front.

With the Evo I think some replacement speaker (no amp, no HU) will make a world of difference. I'm planning on tryinig to just swap out the rears and then the front to see what I end up with.

But the stock speakers blow. My exhaust is loud enough that I don't really want to deal with this though.Â* What's your setup?

Regardless, I would suggest speakers over a HU for starters.

[vial8or]

I have both.

Don't really see why you would upgrade one without the other

[Ixse]

^^ well some of us are confined by budget u know =P ofcourse I want to make my car 500whp daily driver right off the bet also haha

[Evolutionized]

i got speakers for sale!

haha Bran New

polk DB front and rear 160

[kimletrim]

This is really a loaded question as you'll get responses both ways. Â*In my opinion, it goes down to your weakest link in the system. Â*You can get the best speakers, but what good would they be with a mediocre source? Â*You can also get the best headunit playing through crappy speakers, but then you wouldn't be making the best use of the headunit. Â*I would probably do both, but if I had to do one first it would be a headunit with a good amp just because I like to start with the source.

[Ixse]

[i got speakers for sale!

haha Bran New

polk DB front and rear 160]

^^^ left you a PM about your prices on them.. seems unreasonable, when you can get brand new pair for 70 (including shipping) off ebay..

[Ixse]

This is really a loaded question as you'll get responses both ways. In my opinion, it goes down to your weakest link in the system. You can get the best speakers, but what good would they be with a mediocre source? You can also get the best headunit playing through crappy speakers, but then you wouldn't be making the best use of the headunit. I would probably do both, but if I had to do one first it would be a headunit with a good amp just because I like to start with the source.

exactly kind of input I was looking for.. ofcourse I know it'd be best to get both, but if you had to go one way what would u do, and If you already did, some reviews would be preciated =)

[vial8or]

^^ well some of us are confined by budget u know =P ofcourse I want to make my car 500whp daily driver right off the bet also haha

LMAO it took me almost 2 years to get 500whp :)

IDK, I got a hook up on my system from my friend who owns a shop.
I just couldn't see 1 without the other.
If it came to budget, I'd say speakers. I'd rather have clean sounding loud crisp music than a flashy unit and choppy sound

[Ixse]

^^^ yea.. i was just not so sure how much our stock head units can do..

[kimletrim]

Yeah, I don't like the "flashy" head units. I love the McIntosh head units but admittedly, they are a bit pricey. If I was in the market for a different head unit, it would have to be a high end Sony or Clarion unit, one without an amplifier section (or one that can defeat the amplifier section completely).

[xxxAce21xxx]

change out the headunit first right away ull hear a difference even with the stock speakers beleive me
the headunit is the first part u should be looking at if ur building up ur stereo

[Princess]

^^ well some of us are confined by budget u know =P ofcourse I want to make my car 500whp daily driver right off the bet also haha


owned vial8or. ;)

I agree with Ace...stock speakers arent that bad. The headunit on the other hand....bleh.

[Sr20kidD]

click on my sig ill sale you my aftermarket HU for 50 plays mp3's. only reason i upgraded is because i wanted one with usb input for my iphone

[Typerizzle]

i would go with HU first before speakers but if you got money to do both that would be best. I have an HU in my evo with stock speakers and the sound is better than i thought.

[white9]

HU would be your best bet... it will clear up MOST of the clutter that comes from the stock speakers. If you buy speakers first your stock HU is not going to utilize those speakers to there fullest.

[antics22]

Well, heres my personal experience on my old IX. I changed out the front speakers to mb quartz ($150ish off ebay) because I had them laying around. It wasn't an OMG-THIS-IS-BAD-ASS experience, but frankly it did make a significant difference to the point where highs were much crisper, and lows were a bit warmer (less hollow).

On another note, people that sat in my car ALSO noticed the difference and the most common question i got was, "how come my evo doesnt sound like this?"

SO, take it for what its worth. The trick to upgrading your speakers is to go with something that doesn't require a high RMS (constant power). That way, your wimpy stock head unit will be able to power them without a hitch. Dont focus so much on peak power, etc... for example, the MB quartz I installed had a peak of 80watts but an RMS of only 35watts..

Wasnt earth-shattering, but it definitely cleaned up the mudded sound.

If I had to do it all over again and I could only choose one of the two, id do the same. Speakers first, then head unit.

BTW, I worked at a car stereo shop in high school for 3 yrs, so I have some exposure to this.....

[boost562]

Well, heres my personal experience on my old IX. I changed out the front speakers to mb quartz ($150ish off ebay) because I had them laying around. It wasn't an OMG-THIS-IS-BAD-ASS experience, but frankly it did make a significant difference to the point where highs were much crisper, and lows were a bit warmer (less hollow).

On another note, people that sat in my car ALSO noticed the difference and the most common question i got was, "how come my evo doesnt sound like this?"

SO, take it for what its worth. The trick to upgrading your speakers is to go with something that doesn't require a high RMS (constant power). That way, your wimpy stock head unit will be able to power them without a hitch. Dont focus so much on peak power, etc... for example, the MB quartz I installed had a peak of 80watts but an RMS of only 35watts..

Wasnt earth-shattering, but it definitely cleaned up the mudded sound.

If I had to do it all over again and I could only choose one of the two, id do the same. Speakers first, then head unit.

BTW, I worked at a car stereo shop in high school for 3 yrs, so I have some exposure to this.....




^^^^ +1000 on the speaker choice. MB Quartz is the way to go dude...

[HB Evo Owner]

i would do headunit. the stock speakers arent the best but they're fine.

i have a new pioneer HU and jl component speakers and my car sounds great, no need for a sub.

but my buddy bought just a HU in his evo and it sounds fine. alot better than stock. at least louder.

[CRX2EVO]

since this got bumped I'll chime in

I added an old school Alpine to my Evo with stock speakers. Sounds pretty good actually and the amount of bass from the rear speakers is impressive for what they are.

[328i-joe]

One more vote for HU first.

When I got my VIII I transfered an mid-range Alpine HU over from my previous car, sounded a lot better than the stock one. So much so that I haven't replaced the speakers even though it's been almost 4 years now. I do have an amp/sub though, sounds good enough to me.

[KarbonEvo9]

if ur gonna do it, do it right...

i say if ur gonna get a system setup... get the whole thing. even if you have to buy a HU, then rear speakers, then front components or what not... have it all done at once.. saves you on installation time and money as well if you are paying for it..

just my 2 cents

[Mr LanEvo IX]

THROW THE STOCK HEAD UNIT AWAY!! ITS POS!!! DO IT lol. yeah the headunit isnt so successful, and the speakers will fail with a powerful headunit. either way stock unit sounds crappy since evo isnt made for the luxery... anyways get yourself into someone nice, do it right the first time. if you need a nice amp or woofer =D lmk

[ev0ninerr]

I say HU. I was going to get one until my stock speakers started to go out. The point is that if the stock speakers are fine(and still under warranty) I'd change the source of my problem...the HU. If you adjust the settings just right, you'll get a decent sounding stock system with a HU. Then one day you can just change out the speakers and you'll appreciate changing them even more at that point rather than all at once or changing those first. Just my 2 cents.

[degooser]

Are double din's worth it especially since you either have to buy a kit that doesnt exist or do a hack job on your stock piece. What are some decent single din options or maybe even the pop out screens.

[EVO KING]

this my sound dumb but i love my infinity speakers with the sub of course so all i did was add the navi :smitten:

[KarbonEvo9]

save up your money and do it all at once! :grin:

[bluefire7002]

I added the double din headunit and rear speakers, with a sub. i like it but still cant hear that great with my loud ass exhaust on the freeway.. why??

because the stock speakers blow, need to replaced the stock fronts

[Ixse]

^^ exactly my concern atm.. I dunno if these "sound upgrades" will do much since our cars have bascailly no sound deadning capabilities.. and if you have aftermarket exhaust you have constant grawl doing 70~80 on hwy..

[mrobs15]

Buying a bunch of after market speakers and running them in the stock head unit is like buying a HDTV and running crappy regular cable through it.

It will just make the crap sound even more obvious because the better speakers getting a still crap signal.

[bluefire7002]

^^ exactly my concern atm.. Â*I dunno if these "sound upgrades" will do much since our cars have bascailly no sound deadning capabilities.. and if you have aftermarket exhaust you have constant grawl doing 70~80 on hwy..


LOL yea bro your right, which is why im really in no hurry to upgrade my front speakers.. not expecting much of a difference because are exhausts are soo fuckin loud doing 70-80 on the highway lol..

with my sound upgrades i will admit it does sound fuckin good when im washing my car.. but then again the car is off :)

[mrobs15]

just put your windows down and turn it up, the exhaust sounds goes away!

so does your hearing but O0

[anxiouz]

I replaced my HU the other day and the additional settings really made things sound better. Â*But the front components being swapped out would be all I would need to do to make it all sounds stellar.

I say HU first, front speakers second, rear speakers third, amp/etc last if at all.

[bluefire7002]

just put your windows down and turn it up, the exhaust sounds goes away!

so does your hearing butÂ* O0


LOL yea i usually have it up pretty loud on the highway so i can hear my music good 8)

[4_the_w]

Comeon...$300.oo End the H/U portion of the quiz!
http://i44.tinypic.com/xf6mbn.jpg

[henryvt]

i would go with the unit and leave the speaker untill they go bad, normall aftermarket unit gives a little more power to the speaker