Im looking to upgrade my factory system with new speakers and a new receiver. Im looking for something that can reach the highs and lows with a little kick, but on a budget. I can spend around $500 now, but im planning to add subs and an amp later on down the road.
Any suggestions?
I don't like to recommend specifics as it's too subjective.
See my Don't Overbuy thread and also my headunit comparison.
Then post what you are considering and we will go from there.
Hope This Helps!!!
Anyone else have suggestions?
2002 Ford Focus Sony CDX-GT410u Sony XT-100HD HD Tuner Stock speakers, no amp, no subs
Thanks for the links those helped alot.
For the headunit i was looking at the Kenwood KDC-138 or the Pioneer DEH-11E
For the speakers i liked the Kenwood-KFC-1662S or the Pioneer-TS-G1642R
A good choice would be the Pioneer/Pioneer combo.
Budget build, huh?
Okay - normally, I'm all about saving money, but perhaps I need to expand some things in my "Don't Overbuy" thread.
Generally, I've had better luck with Pioneer (decks and speakers) than Kenwood - but it's also up to what you want!!!
First off - I am familiar with the 1994 Civic, but the 2001 seems a bit different. Normally (and also in your case), I recommend spending at least $130 on a head unit to get the free install gear - in your case, you will need this $20 Dash Kit, and this $13 Wiring Harness. That brings your cost on the less-expensive Pioneer to $113, so IMHO, you may as well spend another $20 and get a MUCH nicer radio.
Now - let's look at features - these might not be important to you, but ....
Neither radio that you selected supports iPod connectivity (other than the front AUX port). Neither supports satellite radio (other than the front AUX port). Neither supports MP3 playback (you can fit about 11 full albums in MP3 format on a single CD-R). Neither supports USB (you can about 80 albums in MP3 on a 4GB USB flash drive).
I recommend you look at these, but the Clarion and Sony wouldn't be my first choices.
The speakers are okay, but they only are rated for around 35W - recommend you listen to a few systems and decide if you will want to amp your main speakers, and if so, you might want main speakers with a higher RMS value.
Tiger pointed out the USB and its a feature i highly recommend. Those inexpensive flash drives make you never need or want to burn cd's again. They can't get scratched or skip, and they hold a bundle of music. Its a feature you can't go without once you've tried it.
J Ro:Those inexpensive flash drives make you never need or want to burn cd's again. They can't get scratched or skip, and they hold a bundle of music.
And they're re-usable. I have a 2GB one and I load about 40 albums on it, listen to it for about 30 months, and then delete them and put a different 40 albums on it.
With CD-R's I would be constantly burning CD-R's that I didn't want to listen to again, and then tossing them, or having them cluttering up the car.
Also - I've said this elsewhere - but when I bought my head unit - I figured "USB Input - neat feature to have, but I'll probably never use it ..." In fact, I never use the AUX input and almost never use the CD. The USB input gets more use than anything else, including the FM tuner ...