Need advice please

I just bought a 1998 honda civic ex 4dr.  Everything in it is stock.  I have about $150 to spend now.  How would I best upgrade my system?  I think I have these 3 options:

1.  Keep my stock head system and upgrade all 4 speakers (2 front door, and 2 rear window). $150

2. Keep my stock speakers and upgrade my head system. $110

3. Upgrade my head system and 2 front door speakers.

I think if I buy a new head system I'll just get a fairly cheap one that has auxillary inputs for my ipod . . . i couldn't care less about fancy display and such.  In fact, i think that all those fancy lights are ugly. 

Also, If i buy speakers I don't want to spend more than maybe $75 for a pair.  My front door speakers are 6.5" and my rear window are 6x9.  There's a deal right now at Circuit City where I can get half off my Sony speakers if I buy a Sony head system.

I listen to mostly rock, classical, country, etc.  I don't want an amplifier and I don't "bump" my system.  I just want a nice clear sound. 

So, since I've NEVER DONE THIS BEFORE, AND KNOW NEARLY NOTHING ABOUT CAR AUDIO, what do you all recommend?  Any input would be so much appreciated.

Hi gng007,

  150$ aint much to work with big guy. But I think your best bet is to look for a decent set of 6.5" coaxials for the front. Make sure they have a relatively high sensitivity rating so you can get nice and loud and still stay fairly clean off that stock head unit. I'd check out a few local stores, see what they have and listen to some speakers of theirs, dont be shy cranking it up high, then buy online after youve made a choice. You're going to get stuck with a pair for a while, you better see if you love them first!

In my opinion, that'd be the best bang for you buck upgrade. You can expect to pay a little over 120ish for a fair pair of 6.5 coaxials. Dont go by brands, go by ear if you can.

Best of luck,
Pzaul
 

Thanks PZaul,

So you're advice is that I'll see better improvement of sound by upgrading my 2 front speakers, rather than upgrading the head unit?  At least until I have another $150 for a new head unit?  Anyone else have a contrary opinion, or is PZauls response pretty much the obvoiusly correct advise?  Thanks again Pzaul.

 

greg

I tend to agree with Vjeko, but it depends on what you want out of the system, and what you dislike about it currently.

If you are happy with the current system, and just want to play your I-pod through it, there is this adapter for $139 that will work if the factory radio if it has a button labelled CD (for a CD changer).

If your current stereo has an AUX input, that might work without the adapter.

If you want the whole package, you could get either the Dual XDM6820 for $80 (with an aux input) or the Blaupunkt Silverstone C34 for $70 (and $20 more for an I-Pod adapter - this is a cassette radio, though), and then two sets of either Pioneer or Kenwood speakers for $49.99 each.  Total cost - $180-190.  Drawback to this is you are bottom line on all your components to save price.

Generally, if you have to do only one, I would upgrade the head unit first and the speakers later.  Aftermarket speakers will play cleaner and pick up a greater range of frequencies, but an aftermarket HU will give you more power, generally more presets, possibly MP3 support, CD playback, aux input options, etc.  

I like the $49.99 Kenwood speakers down the line regardless (aftermarket speakers make a big difference, but I don't recommend going for premium ones.

I guess I do not think 150 $ on a headunit is going to be enough to buy something decent, but it would be for a pair of coaxials. Down the road when he's had a chance to save up, if he went with upgrading the HU first, he might end up replacing it for a better one. If he went with coaxials first, or continued saving until he had enough for a nice HU, he'd be less likely to end up replacing these audio parts in the future.

 

Pzaul

Pzaul,

Depends on what you consider decent.  All of the HU's I am considering are in the sub-$200 range.

JVC KD-HDR1 - $160 after rebate
Pioneer 1900/2900/3900 - $99-$140
Kenwood KDC-X491/X591 - $180-$200
Alpine 9870/9852/9883 - $120-$200
Blaupunkt San Diego or Bahamas - $130-$160.

Sure I could spend more, but these offer all the functionality I need.

The original poster said this:

I think if I buy a new head system I'll just get a fairly cheap one that has auxillary inputs for my ipod . . . i couldn't care less about fancy display and such. In fact, i think that all those fancy lights are ugly.

So it doesn't sound like he's looking for competition level controls.

And there are two ways to look at value in HU's - features get better and prices get cheaper year after year.  On the one hand, buying a cheap unit that you are dissatisfied with now with the intent to replace it in six months is foolish.  OTOH, I am highly leaning toward the KD-HDR1, and as I said in my HD Radio comparison thread - it doesn't pick up HD4-HD8 subchannels, but for the price difference between it and a Kenwood or Alpine package, I would be money ahead to buy it now and then replace it in two or three years when there are more HD choices available.