Sound System Recommendation('03 accord)

[Slaynish]

Eh. Well a friend of mine is getting a 03 accord. He and I want to know what exactly would be a good system for his car. Where he can buy it (website, if possible), how much the box would be, how much wiring would be, and what Receiver should he get?

Any other ways to pimp-out his car? He already has '18 inch rims on it.

Thanks guys!

Slaynish

[TwinTurboBliss]

Peoples taste's in music differ so their needs for a sound system will differ. I have 4 sony xplode 6.5" speakers, 2 infinity tweeters hidden in the door vents, and audiobahn 10" sub in a custom box along with a rockford 600W amp. It's all controlled with a poineer headunit. I will never win any db drags but it works well for me. I'm extremely happy with it.

BTW> save your money and install/wire it yourself, it's pretty easy to do.

[Ghalos]

Indeed, I've got all alpine so far, no problems. Two tweeters in each door (go figure), and twin 8's in the rear. I also have two more 8's I've yet to put in the middle/back area. Not sure if i will though.

[shanemb3 (USA)]

Your question needs to be more specific. My advice is to go to different audio shops and listen for himself. Have him bring his own music to listen too.

What I learned:
You dont need thousands of watts to run a sub. Big speakers REQUIRE alot of power, they dont necessarily handle it. That means bigger amp = alot more money
Max power is NOT important...RMS is.
Excellent soundstaging is the hardest thing to acheive in a vehicle.

I personally like the infinity Kappa perfect 10.1d subwoofer. 18-200 hz. Doesnt require lots of power. Utilizes a very small sealed box (0.6 cubic ft) Sound very good. Plays tight quick beats very well. It can handle bass sweeps better than most subs Ive heard. And they are not expensive.

JL has always been a solid company. Their midrange and tweeter speakers are very nice too. Their amps are oustanding.

I like the Alpine and Clarion head units. I cant say how they have changed over the years. Big companies (ie, DEI) have bought out many of the main stereo manufacturers and they quality may have gone up or down over time. If you are on a budget some of the Pioneer/Premier is nice.

I personally have a JL audio 300/4 amp on my JL 6.5's coaxials. Personally I wouldnt run components unless you have the ability, time, and need to set up your soundstaging correctly. Coaxials are easy and forgiving. They have a more "ambient" sound to them.
I have a Mmatts Pro Audio 700 watt amp at 4 ohmns powering 2 Infinity Kappa Perfect 10.1d's in a sealed enlcosure. The Mmatts amp is nice b/c its only 9x9" and fits under the seat easily. I am also running a Kicker RMB 8 midbass speaker in the sub enclosure. The headunit is a Kenwood Z828. The internal amp is lame. But with an external amp it works very well. Its old now and the CD player doesnt work well anymore but it still plays MP3's fine. Overall my only problem with my system is the soundstaging. I cant help that much unless I deviate from stock speaker mounting locations which I didnt want to do. So the front soundstaging is rather weak. Some kick panels would be nice but they just wont fit. This all fits nicely in my Dodge Dakota unseen from the outside. The only thing that gives it away is the 1.2 farad capacitor and its digital display. Its kind of bright but I had no other options on where to mount it except in a somewhat visible spot.
http://gallery.turbotime.us/albums/shane/aal.jpg
http://gallery.turbotime.us/albums/shane/aam.jpg
Other brands I like:
A/D/S
Earthquake
Eclipse
Precision Power
Audio Control

Disclaimer: I havent built a system in a few years. I cant personally say much about the newest stuff.

[Sebring_168]

You need to be more specific on what you want.

You could go to http://www.scosche.com to look for dashboard and wiring kit for the mounting of your stereo.

If you would prefer sound quality and economy, dynaudio or focal 165 k2p for separates is the way to go. JL Audio subwoofers are good but require bigger enclosures compared to focal subwoofers. Enclosures for focal subwoofer ranges from 0.8 to 1.2 cu. ft. depending on the size of the woofer. I personnaly prefer Steg as amplifiers for this kind of system. Pioneer and alpine head units are fine. But be very diligent in installing sound proofing materials and wiring of your system, it will help destroy or improve your sound system. Transparent speaker cables are highly recommended.