Looking for Opinions on Beginner Stereo + Sub + Amp System

Hey there, I recently looked into outfitting my car with some aftermarket gear. After about two months of research I've decided that to begin the customization process by buying a new head unit, woofer, and amplifier. I can wait on replacing my 6x9 and 6-1/2" speakers since my 4Runner came with a JBL Synthesis system.

I have $550 saved up, and the items below won't all add up to exactly $550, but I'm saving some space for wiring and enclosure cost. The following list has changed a lot lately, but I think it's as as close to perfect as I can get with my budget.

• Head Unit: Panasonic CQ-C7105U $200
• Panasonic CQ-5305U $170
• Pioneer DEH-4900iB $180
• Subwoofer: Infinity Reference 1252W $100
• Infinity Kappa 124.7W $200
• JBL GTO1204D $100
• JBL P1224 $200
• Amplifier: JBL CS300.1 $150

As you can see, I'm still undecided on the head unit and subwoofer. I'm not completely closed to any new items, but I do feel that my purchase will most likely include one of the previous four. Also, one thing I'm having trouble deciding on is how many and what kind of subwoofer I should get. I could get just one $100 JBL or Infinity, or two of them and be a little more stressed on cash (and also have to upgrade my amp). I could even get one of the better JBL or Infinity models and keep the same amp. Two $200 JBL or Infinity subs is out of the question.

So basically, what do you all think of this list. How would you improve it, etc.

Edit: Forgot to mention why it seems like I'm so deadset on a JBL or Infinity woofer. I went to a local car audio shop and compared them to other brands within the same price range (Kenwood, Pioneer, etc.) and liked their sound the best.

What kind of car do you have and what music do you listen to?

 

Pzaul 

2003 Toyota 4Runner SR5 with "factory" JBL Synthesis audio system, without the navigational system

Dance, Trance, House, Hip-Hop, Alternative Rock

I was going to try to help with the HU decision, but you have some varied choices there.

To me HU's come down to three factors:

Features - Pretty standard here - the Pioneer has an optional USB input, and a higher pre-amp voltage. The C7105U has a better (7-band vs. 3-band EQ).

Sound - Are you mainly looking for FM or CD performance? Personally, I'm highly biased toward Pioneer decks, and have not been impressed with Panasonic FM performance, but the sensitivity of these Panasonic's seems much better than previous models, so they may have upgraded their tuners. The Panasonic
CD section is better on specs, but I don't know that 2 dB S/N is that significant.

Looks - Here you've got a wide range - The 5305U offers about 7 display colors, so you can blend it in with your dash. The 4900ib has a nice clean silver and blue display. The C7105U has a
flashy animated display (in blue).

I went to another car audio shop today and tested out various head units. I was really impressed by the Alpine 9885. The two line display and non-gimmicky screen were two of my favorite parts about it. The graphical displays in higher end head unit models is a pretty big turn-off to me, but the Alpine pulled it off without cheesing me out. An employee at the store said to me that Alpine tends to focus more on sound quality than Pioneer, and that Pioneer is all about the graphics and bass control nowadays.

 The same guy also tried to convince me that a 10" JL Audio W1v2 in JL's custom built ported enclosure would blow the pants off any other 12" woofer I'm currently considering. I asked him about Infinity and JBL products, but he said he doesn't care for them because they are both owned by Harmon International, which is a Japanese company. Another way he tried to justify his opinion was because he didn't like Japanese engineers fine tuning his product when he'll be listening to American music. Sounded like some pretty lame excuses to me.

 
Overall, he suggested JL Audio for a woofer, Rockford Fosgate for an amplifier, and either Eclipse, Kenwood, or Alpine for a head unit. At this point I don't know what to think. :(
 

adamcollins:

I asked him about Infinity and JBL products, but he said he doesn't care for them because they are both owned by Harmon International, which is a Japanese company.

JL has product lines whose parts are made overseas and assembled overseas.

Pzaul 

Not to beat a dead horse, but the two sets of JLs I picked up today are both made in China

http://www.kaulaiscool.com/images/car_audio/jl_china.jpg

 

Pzaul 

Well, it sounds like you're building quite a sytem. I'm looking to build as well, but a bit more slowly than yourself. I did insrtll a 9885 over the weekend and I have to say, it is all it's cracked up to be. You were dead on about the display characterisitics, all business and the legibilty is very high. Your point about Kenwood/Pioneer interfaces is right on with my opinion as well. I also don't care for the non-black fascia's that many of the other units have, it's hard to match to a dash and black (most Alpine's) is far more OEM friendly.

The 9885 powering my 6 stock speakers blew me away, and I've had more involved setups in the past. I can only imagine the punch and clarity you will get with pontential system you are designing.

After playing with 9885 all weekend, I concluded that the 9887 is probably a bit of overkill for me, as the time correction and EQ were not needed. The Bass and Treble settings while basic are very effective, as well, the loudnes feature which I think replaced last yeaes "MX" feature, sounds cliche, works very well as advertised at volume levels under 10.

Good luck with building your system!

adamcollins:

I went to another car audio shop today and tested out various head units. I was really impressed by the Alpine 9885. The two line display and non-gimmicky screen were two of my favorite parts about it. The graphical displays in higher end head unit models is a pretty big turn-off to me, but the Alpine pulled it off without cheesing me out. An employee at the store said to me that Alpine tends to focus more on sound quality than Pioneer, and that Pioneer is all about the graphics and bass control nowadays.

Sounded like some pretty lame excuses to me.

Not taking anything away from the 9885 unit, but it's about $100 more than the others you were considering.  The 9883 is closer to your previous price point, if you wanted to switch to Alpine.

I don't buy the Alpine vs. Pioneer SQ stuff.  From other threads, and somewhat personal experience, Pioneer has a better FM tuner than Alpine (sensitivity, not necessarily image rejection).  Pioneer is more ergonomic, IMHO.  Alpine might have better CD sections and amplifiers and is likely able to be better fine-tuned for better sound, while Pioneer is easier to set-up and get sounding close out of the box.

Also - it's not always true, but often store employee's (I have worked retail), make recomendations on:
1)  What they personally like in the display (without knowing what reviews and users say).
2)  What they think you want to buy (and what they have) - good or bad - i.e. if you want clean FM, they might steer you rightly to Pioneer.  If they think you want a two-line display, they might mention Alpine or Kenwood, but they likely won't mention units by any manufacturer (say Blaupunkt or Clarion) that they don't carry.
3)  What gives the shop the best profit margin, or what give them the best commission.  Brand A is $200 but wholesales for $100, Brand B is $200 but wholesales for $150.  Brand A and Brand B are the same price wholesale and retail, but Brand A is offering 5% of total sales to the employee that sells the most of each unit.  Brand A will be every salesperson's "favorite" whether it is better than Brand B or not.