Opinions..well, money too(but don't we all :rolleyes: ).

Anyone with experience or knowledge please feel free.
Keep in mind I set a 1000.00 target amount.
Pioneer DEH-P3400 (H.U.).................................. ..............230.-
PhoenixGold XS-130 (5.25 door components)....................150.-
Clarion SRW2081(subsmounted in the rear corners)...........250.pair
Clarion APX200.2 or APX400.4................................ ..........340.pair
'parts' & installation............................ .............................200.-
total................................... ........................................ ..1170.-
discount cost.................................... .............................1050.-

Any pros or cons and teachings are much appreciated! :yesnod:

 

Overall I think that you will be very happy with the setup ... but you may want to reconsider the Clarion Amps ... the rest of the parts seem like they are of higher caliber than Clarion's Amps ...

Just my Opinion ...

 

Actually, the Clarion amps are very clean for the price but they are not very powerful. You may want to look at the 400.2 instead of the 200.2. Also keep in mind that those amps are last years models so you should try to get a little more off of the price.

 

Well, i won't break it down into specifics, and this is just my personal opinion so take the following that way.

I really think that if you want the best sounding system for you money, find a dealer that sells Alpine and A/D/S/. An Alpine head unit with Alpine or A/D/S/ amps and A/D/S/ speakers will definitely give you the best bang for the buck. If you are not familiar with A/D/S/, they have been into high-end car audio for years. Their lower end component sets are VERY impressive for the price. I think you could easily get into this system for around $1k. One thing to keep in mind, is that my suggestion is for more of an audiophile type system. It won't be real loud if that is what you are going for.

That being said, listen to them yourself and see(hear) what you think.

Please let me know if i can be of any more help.

Scott

 

I would upgrade to the 4300 pioneer at least. Remember, you are paying retail here. You can get a Pioneer 7400 for 175$. You may want to look for a good shop that will honor online prices if you buy and install from them.

 

I think your speaker choices are not too good and too much money for what you are getting.

 

To those who posted positive and/or constructive viewpoints...thank you.

Since I am not familiar with all the electronic jargon, I was hoping your opinions of choices would clear things up. I plan to continue shopping, but a this point it appears that most people seem to be partial to what they own or sell. I was hoping someone could help with a true comparison. I appreciate the upgrade suggestion for the head unit, however, to my knowledge, the only difference is greater expense for unnecessary features (remote control, MP3, etc...). Continued input is always welcome!

As for Forum Member 99HT: I respect your electronic knowledge. I have asked many times for your suggestions, yet all you care to do is tell me how poor my choices are. If you have nothing constructive to add, please tell all the other Forum members, that have door mounted components, how poorly you think of them and their choices. No flame wars intended.


[Modified by NRage, 7:03 PM 4/4/2002]

 

O.K., I will expand more on your choices. I don't like clarion, I really think their components are mediocre in quality. Haven't heard the Phoenix Gold. Pioneer is makeing some good headunits lately. I would still look at Alpine though.

Some other thoughts about choosing a dealer. Take some of your cd's, and make them connect all the components in their demo room that you are interested in. Take 10-30 mintues (without them present) and listen to it. Try other combinations. Different people like different things, especially in audio equipment. Make em work for their money! :) Try as many dealers as you can(minus the circuit citys) see what different dealers can do for you. A good dealer can do a LOT with cheaper components. Sometimes you can get a beter idea talking to the installer instead of the salespeople. They know how to fit the right components with the right car. How do you know this about a dealer? GOOD QUESTION. Make them show you some of their customers car and see how you like their work.

Hope that helps some more.

Scott

 

Is there anyone you know who has a similar setup? Your being able to actually listen to the system will really help you make up your mind. If it sounds good to you, that is the system you need.

NO BS!

:D :eek: :D

 

I agree with this ... but if you cant find someone ... some audio shops should have a good setup so you can mix and match , and listen to different speakers, HU's, and toys... my local shop has everything hooked up to a small switchboard and all he has to to is click a few switches to connect different combos of stuff... I have seen this is the smallest shops ... so you may want to try it out ...

 

Be carefull with cheap (inexpensive) stereo products. With your budget I would just add an amp and a sub. If your going to replace the deck and speakers purchase quality products.
good luck :cheers:

 

Actually, the main reason to upgrade to a 4300 or better is that the 3400 is lacking the RCA connectors for more than two speakers worth of amp. If you plan on having amps power all your speakers, and this is highly recommended and how you have planned out your system, you should get a deck with 4-6 RCA outputs. This way you can balance your system right to left, front to rear, and if you have a sub, turn that up and down from the deck. For the upgrad from 3400 to 4300 its only about $25. Well worth the money. Here's some prices I found to show you what I mean: http://www.pricegrabber.com has the:
Pioneer 3400 for $127
clarion SRW2081 for $55 each
clarion apx 201.2 for $129
clarion apx 400.4 for $219
and http://www.sounddomain.com has the PG x130 for $89 a pair.

The Pioneer deck and clarion amps and PG speakers are all going on sale or on sale as they are old stock and about to be replaced by the makers with the new models so you should expect a deep discount on them. The pricegrabber has the 4300 for $144 also.
It should cost you 4-5 hours in labor to do the install and $100 for wires/parts. Sounds like you're getting ripped.
Also, PG makes good wire and amps, not speakers.
Clarion makes good decks, not amps or subs or speakers. If I were sticking to the shop you have, I would ask for upgrades to a 4300, a pg amp, and better speakers for that price. (ps I was I high end installer for almost 4 years)
Hope this helps


[Modified by 92TripleBlack, 8:35 AM 4/5/2002]

 

NRage:

You car screams, but you do need a rockin sound system. Don't skimp. You didn't on your performance mods, so don't cut corners on the tunes either.

You don't need to go full bore, but skimping & cutting corners is just gonna cost you more in the long run, with lously music, breakdowns, repairs etc.

My advice if you are SERIOUS about this, is to buy a mid ranged head unit & cd changer, and buy my HIGH END, amps, speakers & subs.

I can save you big $$$, and you know you will be getting excellent superior quality equipment, that will make your head unit sound like a symphany.
Email me for particulars. It would be great if you could swing it. :yesnod:

 

You have sent me a ton of instant messages, some VERY long, and I gave my responses to EVERY one of them. My last response was to tell you that your latest instant message to me was too long and you should have asked all your questions in the open forum from the beginning, so that others could participate.

As for your latest choice of speakers, I told you it was a poor one, especially for the money spent. You say you have a budget, but you are wasting good money on tiny speakers that are mounted in poor locations. Originally you told me there would be no amp or sub in your system. I told you this was a bad idea. I see you took my advice and added an amp and sub.

I get sent many emails and instant messages from forum members. I don't mind the occasional email and instant message, but not ones that drag out for weeks. I would prefer that people ask their questions on the forum so that there is a permanent record and that others can participate. I don't spend any of my time worrying about what is the best head unit or latest speakers available on the market. What I can tell you is basic car stereo principles to achieve good sound.

Since the C5 has such poor speaker placement and speaker enclosures, it makes improving the sound a lot more difficult.

 

I can tell you what's good and what isn't from an equipment standpoint but for what sizes, locations, etc. for the C5 I prefer to defer to 99HT. He has far more experience with the C5 than I do. If I had the car in front of me I could easily make a recommendation but I stopped installing before the C5 was released and don't have the hands on experience with it yet. As far as 99HTs conclusions about your speaker and amp choices, I have to agree. It sounds like the place you are looking at is charging you almost retail on everything, most of which is old low line stuff that should be 25-50% off to begin with. I'd shop around for a better store in your area. Feel free to print this off to show the other shop.

 

Like I said: Take my stuff below, & add any head unit.......
Trust me.....
The stuff you have listed is old, out dated, low end, entry level "junk".

$2,000.00 takes:
Diamond Audio components in the fronts
Polk 2 way rounds in the rear
(2) 8" dual voice coil subs
Diamond Audio competition crossover units

Phoenix Gold ZX475ti (4x75) for fronts & rears
Phoenix Gold ZX600ti (2x300) for subs

Now add $300 for a head unit, & whatever for installation, and now you have an elite system for sure!!!!!!!!!

 

I have an MP3 player in mine now...let me tell you, it's the best head unit I have had ( and it's not even an 'expensive' model ). Trust me, I've had from $1000 Alpines to $300 Jensens, pioneers and kenwoods. I would recommend going with an MP3 player. I usually burn one cd with enough music for weeks of listening ( over 150-200 songs on one CD ).

Some people are critical of MP3 quality, but in a car, it really does not matter, and the specific model I have ( it's a Jensen ) has compensation circuits that make the sound a little sweeter, so it does have that 'sweet' sound that maybe some others do not have. This coming from someone like myself, who has tube preamps and amplifiers just for the quality...along with being able to show others the differences...even between CD's and Analog records...I will say again...MP3's are freaking great for car audio! ( plus, they NEVER skip ).

 

Gold stars for everyone. :)

SACARMIC.............I have plans to listen to some Alpine equipment. :yesnod:
NEWVETTELOVER..All the 'high end pros' here have the 'switch-board'. I was hoping the Forum could narrow the field.
NASTC-5..............I feel I can do better than just a amp & sub addition.
92TRIPLEBLACK....Wow, now this is just what I was hoping for as far as opinions and guidance. Thank you. :cool:
INDYPACE78.........Thanks for the 'screaming car' compliment. :bb If I invest in your system, will I too get in trouble at Carlisle? :lol: I will keep your offer in mind. :)
99HT....................Sorry, you could have easily told me you didn't want to be bothered in the beginning. How was I to know you had sooooo much mail. :rolleyes: Since you dislike the C-5 door speaker arrangements you could have offered an alternative. I should have posted on the Forum, that way everyone that has used the existing door area would know (as you have IM'd me) just how poorly you think of their choices. Now I totally understand your limited views and feel your opinions need not be wasted in any further replies to me :nono: Lets leave it at that..no flames necessary.

Thanks again to all those with positive and/or suggestive view points. I will continue to welcome further opinions as I continue to learn and broaden my options. :D


[Modified by NRage, 2:36 PM 4/5/2002]


[Modified by NRage, 2:38 PM 4/5/2002]


[Modified by NRage, 9:03 PM 4/5/2002]

 

It looks as though you have have heard from the best here...You just need to do some homework, take lots of notes..You really can't go wrong either way. Again it all depends on how much money you want to spend. Just like any mod for the C5, it takes money to get what you want.... :cheers: If you have an idea of what you want.....someone can make that dream come true.

 

as I am NOT big into audio i can't offer that much advise, but with your budget I would suggest that instead of buying everything at once, buy high quality components that you can build onto! get a good head unit that will do everything you want your dream system to do, and have a bit extra left over, then go to a GOOD set of speakers (I like bostons but they are pricey)if your budget allows get a amp for the speakers if not wait until you have more funds and enjoy the sound you are getting, I have done this with all my systems to date and found that i can improve it fast without alot of cash outlay and build it up as funds permit. Now when the kids pull up beside me with that really bad distorted bass i crank up the tunes and let it rip with crisp clear audio that out booms them, is tighter and crisper and still lets me hear those highs that there systems cant seem to do!