OT: Car audio

[AngryScientist]

The stock stereo in my Jeep is miserably bad. I dont consider myself an audiophile, but i do want to be able to hear music clearly when i'm driving down the highway with the windows open. with volume maxed right now the sound is distorted and can barely hear it over wind noise.

anyway, i have been out of touch for decades on car audio, since i was a broke college kid really.

is alpine still good?

i'm thinking of ripping out the stock receiver and putting in 2 sets of door speakers and a head unit. i think this can be done for about $300 and be a decent upgrade. again, i'm not looking for "awesome" sound, just much better than what i've got with the stock components.

this is the head unit i'm looking at.

must haves:

a) a real knob for the volume
b) absolutely no touch screen controls
c) physical buttons for radio presets.

https://images.crutchfieldonline.com/ImageHandler/trim/620/378/products/2016/6/500/g500UTE62BT-F-1.jpg

[ultraman6970]

LOL funny... exactly what I miss from my new minivan... darn screen so much cr@p going on...

THere's still radios as you want in the market, they still make them, the only thing is that they dont have cassettes anymore :D and some straight dont even have a CD player, so you might need to use a USB card or something.

[fmradio516]

I had the old, old version of that Alpine in my BMW that I sold. Had the old school ipod data/charging cable in the back of the head unit so I snaked a cable to my glove box and stuck an old ipod classic in there. Never took it out. It was a great HU.

[AngryScientist]

great. yea, alpine has always been pretty solid i think.

i'm surprised how the cost of car audio seems to have come down. i'm looking at crutchfield, since they will supply all the correct dash adapters, wiring harness, etc and the cost for a decent head unit and two sets of decent speakers is under 300 for sure. that seems cheap compared to what it used to be?

[FlashUNC]

Not sure if this is an option for you -- when anyone says Jeep I think Wrangler -- but I improved the audio in my Jeep by mounting some 6x9s on the roll bar in the rear. Needed a small amp to drive them, but infinitely improved the sound in my TJ.

[harblhat]

If you're not too picky, often replacing just the head unit makes a good enough difference. If you want higher max volume, you may want to look at an amplifier too.

Alpine, Kenwood, and Pioneer are popular brands. I use a Kenwood with stock speakers and it was a great improvement.

[woolly]

great. yea, alpine has always been pretty solid i think.

i'm surprised how the cost of car audio seems to have come down. i'm looking at crutchfield, since they will supply all the correct dash adapters, wiring harness, etc and the cost for a decent head unit and two sets of decent speakers is under 300 for sure. that seems cheap compared to what it used to be?

Which model Jeep do you have?

What you're describing is exactly what I did with our old 2004 Wrangler that we use for fun. I picked up one of the higher-powered "digital media" receivers on sale for like $70, and four pretty efficient Polk Audio speakers for something similar per pair. So my total cost was closer to $200 than $300, and I've been pretty happy with what I got for what I paid. The Crutchfield kits make the install a relative breeze too.

Now, compared to the mega-watt, multi-amp, high-end multi-$K systems I've had in some previous cars, this has "no bass". But again, it was like two hundred bucks and a couple hours of my time (max). I also don't worry about leaving it parked in the parking lot with the top off. And for this vehicle especially, I don't miss having a CD player at all. I can "hear" the music while driving on the highway with the windows down or the top off, as much as I can hear anything in this rolling billboard of wind-whipped fun. And a BIG improvement over the stock head unit & crapped-out speakers.

[AngryScientist]

great input.

this is a Compass (long story...) that i'm driving for a while until i can find something i actually want, so yes, not spending too much for a decent improvement over stock is what i'm after.

[sc53]

Nick, make sure you call Crutchfield to hear what they recommend. They really don't try to upsell you, in my experience, but one thing you haven't mentioned is installing an amp to drive the new speakers. Replacing the head unit and speakers is fine, but without an amp to drive the speakers the sound is still going to be crap. In my car, I just left the factory head unit (VW Golf Alltrack) but had a shop replace the factory speakers and install a multichannel amp and a small sub plus amp for the sub. Sound is really good and the amps were installed under a floor panel in the back end of the car so they are invisible. Amps can also be placed under the front seats or in the trunk or in other hidden locations. Anyway, talk to Crutchfield and you will be happy.

[velomateo]

I've used the Crutchfield site to purchase new head units for both of my sons cars. They offer a good selection, and sell all the wiring, connectors and mounting plates for your specific vehicle. I found the installation very easy and it looks "factory".

[choke]

It's probably hard to go wrong with any of the better known brands.

FWIW, my preference for the last 20 years or so has been Sony head units and Infinity speakers.

[eippo1]

Nick, make sure you call Crutchfield to hear what they recommend. They really don't try to upsell you, in my experience, but one thing you haven't mentioned is installing an amp to drive the new speakers. Replacing the head unit and speakers is fine, but without an amp to drive the speakers the sound is still going to be crap. In my car, I just left the factory head unit (VW Golf Alltrack) but had a shop replace the factory speakers and install a multichannel amp and a small sub plus amp for the sub. Sound is really good and the amps were installed under a floor panel in the back end of the car so they are invisible. Amps can also be placed under the front seats or in the trunk or in other hidden locations. Anyway, talk to Crutchfield and you will be happy.

This, get in touch with them. What they provide in terms of help is way beneficial over whatever couple extra dollars you might spend. If you're getting mid to low range speakers (still leaps and bounds better than factory), you probably won't need an amp, though.

Got a new head unit,speakers, and replaced all the wiring in my wife's old car before it died with their help about 8 years ago. Also added bluetooth and speakers to my Honda a few years ago with their kit (dash system made it way too expensive and custom to mess with the head unit) and they were awesome in making sure I had everything.

[woolly]

Nick, make sure you call Crutchfield to hear what they recommend. They really don't try to upsell you, in my experience, but one thing you haven't mentioned is installing an amp to drive the new speakers. Replacing the head unit and speakers is fine, but without an amp to drive the speakers the sound is still going to be crap. In my car, I just left the factory head unit (VW Golf Alltrack) but had a shop replace the factory speakers and install a multichannel amp and a small sub plus amp for the sub. Sound is really good and the amps were installed under a floor panel in the back end of the car so they are invisible. Amps can also be placed under the front seats or in the trunk or in other hidden locations. Anyway, talk to Crutchfield and you will be happy.

You were able to do this within the $300 budget the OP cites? I completely agree that a separate amp system, including sub, is better. But what you're suggesting here is likely above that budget, possibly by a decent amount (especially if installed by a good shop). I was actually pretty surprised at the competency of the built-in amp in our little media head unit. Again, NOTHING like the Phonenix Gold amps in my prior systems, but for the money I was impressed.

There's always the option of starting with a new head-unit & speakers, then adding an amp & sub later, if desired. An aftermarket head unit will have line-out for the amp too.

[sc53]

No my set up cost more than $300! I was just recommending that he talk with Crutchfield to make sure that the new speakers can be adequately driven by whatever amplification is provided by the new head unit or else the whole mission of better sound (more volume and less or better still no distortion) will fail!

[woolly]

No my set up cost more than $300! I was just recommending that he talk with Crutchfield to make sure that the new speakers can be adequately driven by whatever amplification is provided by the new head unit or else the whole mission of better sound (more volume and less or better still no distortion) will fail!

Gotcha - and totally agree with this too. The component speakers I had previously took a LOT of juice to adequately push them. But the Polk's I got for the Jeep were astonishingly efficient, and paired well with the head unit's built-in amp (well enough, anyway). I absolutely agree with your recommendation to actually call Crutchfield & let them help guide - they're a wonderful resource & top-notch customer service, and will help work within whatever budget is stated without a bunch of high-pressure up-selling.

[makoti]

I have no clue about after market stuff, so I might be talking about something not available, but the system in my Golf, a Fender, is, to my ears, really nice. Good sound, excellent call quality. Very happy with it.

[AngryScientist]

wow.

i have to put in a plug for crutchfield customer service!

best i have ever had. rep was able to see my cart immediately, recommended some good speakers and a few other things. was super helpful and confirmed the head unit i wanted was a good choice for what i'm looking for.

very good!

thanks for the idea to just pick up the phone and call them!

[woolly]

wow.

i have to put in a plug for crutchfield customer service!

best i have ever had. rep was able to see my cart immediately, recommended some good speakers and a few other things. was super helpful and confirmed the head unit i wanted was a good choice for what i'm looking for.

very good!

thanks for the idea to just pick up the phone and call them!

That's awesome - glad to see they are still living up to their well-earned reputation!

[Peter P.]

I wouldn't bother with 4 speakers, but instead 2, and a subwoofer.

I bought my head unit from Crutchfield; a Sony that plays mp4 files from a USB drive or an iPod, either of which store inside the unit. I paid a paltry 100 bucks for it.

Get a powered subwoofer; either a manufactured unit such as an SAS Bazooka, or have one assembled with a pre-fab box and mount the sub amp to the back of the box.

[glepore]

Crutchfield has some focal speakers on sale at half price and they are flat out amazing. The little Sound Ordinance powered sub is nice too...

[Rpoole8537]

I've had four or five Alpines, and liked each one. When upgrading my stereo in my 97 4Runner, I bought a different brand. That was three years ago, and I do not like it at all. Big mistake. I later added an Alpine Amp so at least it sounds more like an Alpine. I'll change it out to Alpine if I decide to keep the 4Runner. It's kind of like an old pair of jeans now. :) I use it for my dog car, my camping car and my mountain bike car.

[OtayBW]

Alpines been berry berry good to me.

[Pinned]

Pioneer is better than Alpine these days, IMO. That's been the case for a few years - sound quality, ease of use, tuning ability, price are all better on the comparable Pioneer units. The Alpine stuff feels clunky by comparison. The Pioneer units tend to have a simpler faceplate, which I really prefer. I've had a DEH-80PRS and it's phenomenal, although a bit more than you're likely looking to spend.

All this said, if you're going to be using the amplification in the headunit rather than a separate amp you may want to try leaving the stock speakers in place and see how they sound after a headunit upgrade. You might be pleasantly surprised. The cleaner signal + additional power can make stock speakers sound so much better.

If you're going to do speakers, especially in a Jeep, you'll really want to do some sort of vibration damping / sound deadening on the doors. Audio sounds bad in cars by default because of how much road noise there is. The stereo is constantly fighting the outside noises. If you're going to pull the door panels off to do speakers I'd say it's worth spending the time and money to apply some vibration damping tiles (and other layers if you're up for it) to the door skins. That will make a bigger difference to the listening and driving experience than most people anticipate.

[acorn_user]

Crutchfield is 5 minutes from our house, and they support our local cycling community. Nice to see some Crutchfield love :)

I recall going to their outlet (when it was still open to the public) and drooling over a Sony ES cassette deck!