New speakers for my 06

[willied]

I don't really care about transferring it to another car, so that's not really a problem.

 

[jrowe6]

that deck would work just fine. it has all the rca outs you would ever need.

i was just thinking....if you plan on a sub at any point you should consider getting a 4 gauge wiring kit. that way you wouldnt have to buy new wire if you decided to add a second amp for the sub. you can get a power block that you run the main wire into then can run out from that block to multiple amps. makes for a very clean setup. and then get 3 sets of rca's (most kits come with 1 set, maybe 2) that way all the wires are setup for the second amp the first time and you wont have to rip your car apart to re wire everything.

 

[willied]

Alright...I want to make a list of things necessary for install (possibly planning for a sub in the future):
Head Unit
Amp for 4 speakers
4 Speakers
Wiring Harness for HU
Dash Kit
Antenna Adapter
Speaker wire? What kind should I get?
What else am I missing?

 

[617ricky]

What else am I missing?

Depending on whether or not you install the amp yourself, you'd need an amp wiring kit of the proper gauge.. 8g wire is good up to 300w rms I believe, then there's 4g or 2g kits too.. If you just bring it somewhere, you're probably just better off having them provide the wiring, cuz they're charging you alot for labor regardless, and it may even be included in the install price.

 

[willied]

I'm planning on installing it myself.

 

[jrowe6]

you will want an amplifier wiring kit. if you want to prewire for a sub then get a 4 gauge kit.

like this one

http://www.sonicelectronix.com/item_3934_Kicker+PKD4.html

this is a perfect kit for a multiple amp setup. it does not come with RCA's so you would need to buy those seperate. you will need 3 pairs of RCA's, front/rear/sub.

speaker wire

http://www.sonicelectronix.com/item_15853_StreetWires+SCP1450BL.html

14 gauge wire would be best. depending on where you plan to mount the amp you may need more wire. 50 feet should be enough tho. that gives you a good 12ft per speaker. i have my amp under my rear bench seat. i suggest you put it somewhere out of site, but with good ventilation. you cant cram an amp behind a panel where it will get zero air flow. amps need cooling.

 

[617ricky]

http://www.sonicelectronix.com/item_3934_Kicker+PKD4.html

this is a perfect kit for a multiple amp setup. it does not come with RCA's so you would need to buy those seperate. you will need 3 pairs of RCA's, front/rear/sub.

I'm sure that's a nice kit, but that price is alot IMO, esp. since there's no RCA's.. I got my 8g kit on fleabay for $25 total, and there are 4g kits in the $35-40 range (shipping included).

 

[willied]

Thanks guys. I'm going to try and get most of it on eBay.

 

[jrowe6]

you dont have to buy that specific kit, i just wanted to show a kit with all the pieces you would need for a nice clean set up that will be easy to work with. doing things right the first time with the right tools and parts makes install sooooo much easier. being halfway done and realising you need something to finish the job always blows.

i dont suggest flea market wiring kits. but if you go that route the kit will likely come with just 1 set of RCA's. use those for the subwoofer amp. then buy a 4 channel pair of RCA's to use for the 4 channel amp. super cheap RCA's kill sound quality, for a sub that doesnt matter too much, but it will be noticable for the door speakers.

how about this

http://www.sonicelectronix.com/item_18038_Earthquake+AK-5000.html

and add these as your 4 channel amp's rca's

http://www.sonicelectronix.com/item_18854_Monster+Cable+401+XLN+4C+4M+-MPCI401+4C-4M-.html

with this kit you do not get the power blocks so if you get a second amp you would just need 2 power blocks to tie in the new amp. which would be easy and you can get blocks for like $10 a piece. that kit has a huge fuse so it would be more than ready to supply more power for another amp. if you get a kit with a smaller fuse you might need to replace the fuse block if you add an amp. if you get a kit with a fuse over 100amps you should be fine.

 

[willied]

Sounds good. Thanks for the recommendations.

 

[Przybysz]

Alright...I want to make a list of things necessary for install (possibly planning for a sub in the future):
Head Unit
Amp for 4 speakers
4 Speakers
Wiring Harness for HU
Dash Kit
Antenna Adapter
Speaker wire? What kind should I get?
What else am I missing?

You dont really need an amp for your speakers if you want to save some $$ because the HU would have a built in one that works pretty good. And the wiring harness should come with the HU you buy.

 

[Przybysz]

Thanks guys. I'm going to try and get most of it on eBay.

And MAKE SURE that if you buy it off ebay they have a GOOD return policy. I made that mistake once, but luckily it all worked out

 

[617ricky]

doing things right the first time with the right tools and parts makes install sooooo much easier. being halfway done and realising you need something to finish the job always blows.

100% agreed. I remember my very 1st deck, being unable to get it hooked up, and at this kid's house like 3 hrs later begging him to help me cut and splice my factory wires lol.. I will say that even though ebay can definitely be a jip-joint, the amp kit I got was definitely legit.. It was Power Acoustik?, and tho I've never heard of it, it definitely seemed good quality, and I saw the same ones at the install place I eventually went to, after finally throwing in the towel and giving up, ha..

 

[willied]

First I'm told that I should get an amp and now I don't need one? Come on guys, stop confusing me. I might go with an amp, but I'm still not sure.

 

[617ricky]

No if you want bass, you gotta get an amp... The built-in one in the deck should be good enough for the door speakers, but if you wanna really feel the music, throw in a decent amp/sub combo... I got mine used on craigslist for $90 and it was well worth it - such a different listening experience IMO... A decent 200-300w rms amp powering a well-matched sub should be enough for ya..

 

[jrowe6]

your deck will put out 15-20 watts RMS. those speakers can handle up to 60RMS, and that amp puts out 60 RMS. you will without a doubt get much more volume as well as fuller and deeper sound from those speakers with an amp. the real question is do you care? amp or not the new deck and speakers will blow away your old system.

 

[jrowe6]

you might consider a used amp/sub combo instead of the 4 channel amp. i think thats the sound most people want and expect. im an audiophile so keeping all the sounds and frequencies perfectly balanced is key for me to be happy with my music. most people are not like that. my friend had 8 speakers running off his deck and then 2 10" subs in the back running off a 500 watt amp. to me it sounded horrible bc it was missing all the midrange power, but to him and everyone else it was sweet. so yea.......do what you want. if you hate it you can change it, you can always upgrade or add on later. what you do now it not a forever thing so just start experiementing and see what you want and need.

 

[617ricky]

im an audiophile so keeping all the sounds and frequencies perfectly balanced is key for me to be happy with my music. most people are not like that. my friend had 8 speakers running off his deck and then 2 10" subs in the back running off a 500 watt amp. to me it sounded horrible bc it was missing all the midrange power, but to him and everyone else it was sweet.

completely agree with this.. i've heard so many systems with amps/subs that just sounded kinda gross... i actually remember 1 in particular, it was ALL bass from the subs pretty much.. he had just these tiny crap speakers connected to a really old mid-80's stock deck lol..

i'm really happy with what i have right now.. it's a 180w deck putting out 20w rms to the stock "premium" ford speakers.. that alone sounds good, but i added a single 10" sub getting 240w rms, and it complements it perfectly.. the bass is definitely powerful, but you can still FULLY hear the mid's/hi's.. For those speakers, i have the bass at 0 and the treble at 7, and though it doesn't sound ideal w/o the bass, when it is added it's great.

 

[willied]

I am going to go ahead and get an amp this time around...If it's that simple to get better volume and sound, then why not? (Well, other than cost, of course). I just have to make decisions on what I want to get!

 

[jrowe6]

have you bought anything yet?