Newbie audio question

[elrothir]

I haven't seen something this basic covered before, so I thought I'd post. I have a '98 Explorer with the factory stereo. I've got two questions. I've seen a lot of posts where people say that stereo is crap, but what exactly is crap about it? I'm not a huge audiophile, but the sound seems fine to me. I'm worried I'm missing something. Second, I'm interested in getting a little more advanced with the audio. I still have all of the factory speakers and was wondering, would it be best to add a subwoofer to the system or an amp or better speakers? I'm pretty technically inclined but am a little overwhelmed by the different configurations and don't want to fork over the cash for a sub if it's not necessary. I've seen a sub at Dead Link Removed and thought it would be perfect since it wouldn't take up space in the back. Can anyone suggest a good starting point?
Like I said, I'm not a huge audiophile and I'm looking for something to give the system some more 'Umph!', so that's why I was thinking subwoofer.
Thanks for any suggestions!
elrothir

 

[03ExplorerSPT]

For the money you would spend on that you could do a lot better. I have the JL Audio Vantage that is pretty much the same thing except it lets you pick the sub you want in there and your own amp to power it. JL also makes a Stealthbox with a sub in it. It's pretty much like the MTX Thunderform. Q-Logic makes a box like the JL Vantage that lets you pick the sub and amp for it. All of them fit behind the panel perfectly. I have pics of my install if you want to see. Just click the link in my signature. Good luck.

 

[elrothir]

Thanks for the reply. Is the JL better than the Q-Logic? Will I have to get an Amp AND sub? Will my factory stereo & speakers work okay with one of those subs? I'm leaning toward the 10" sub, is that a good choice or is there not much difference between the 8" and 10" in this kind of setup? My factory stereo is the 'premium' stereo that has a CD and cassette in the unit itself and then there's a 6 CD-changer in the center console. It's one of the units that has the infamous disappearing displays, though I fixed that myself. Thanks again for the suggestions!
elrothir

 

[davesexplorer]

I haven't seen something this basic covered before, so I thought I'd post. I have a '98 Explorer with the factory stereo. I've got two questions. I've seen a lot of posts where people say that stereo is crap, but what exactly is crap about it? I'm not a huge audiophile, but the sound seems fine to me. I'm worried I'm missing something. Second, I'm interested in getting a little more advanced with the audio. ------------------
Like I said, I'm not a huge audiophile and I'm looking for something to give the system some more 'Umph!', so that's why I was thinking subwoofer.
Thanks for any suggestions!
elrothir

If you are not a huge audiophile then, thats why you dont understand... j/k, but it comes down to personal opinion, if you like the stock stuff then dont take everyone else's advice about changing it, but when ppl want to improve upon stock setups the best route is to make some larger changes... Not saying thats the only way to do it, but depending on how more "advanced in car audio" you will become, you may see the point.

 

[elrothir]

I appreciate your candor. While I am currently happy with the factory equipment, I guess my most basic question really is: If I add a sub, will I see any noticable difference if I keep my factory equipment? I'm trying to avoid spending a lot of money trying all kinds of different scenarios since I'm sure a lot of the people on here have already gone through a lot of that pain. And I'm hoping to learn from other people's experiences. I'm sure I'm on the lower end of the spectrum, since I'm not looking to put $1,000+ into my audio system. I'd just like something with some more punch and wasn't sure whether my dollars would be best utilized in buying the sub, or an amp, or new speakers or a new stereo. I understand that a lot of this is completely subjective. I'm just hoping to find out what the best first step is. Can I keep the factory equipment and add anything to make it have more punch? Or to get the punch, do I need to first replace the speakers. Or the stereo(am I correct in interpreting other posts that the stereo is the 'head unit'?). Or can a sub on its own provide that punch? THANKS!!

 

[chuggy]

I recently replaced all 4 5 X7's in my 94, i went with rockfords that i found on IKESOUND.com, i believe i paid less than 100 bucks for all 4. Immedietly i noticed a significant difference. So next i went out and bought a new deck, a nice JVC with motorized face, mp3, graphics, etc, used the amp bypass kit to make the deck power my rockfords instead of the factory amp. I again notice a significant difference in sound quality, especially in the amount of base that was moving (IE: i now saw my rearview vibrate) now recently i got a 10" JL audio sub, and a sony explode amp. I would never recomend sony in car audio, but the package was free. Look on ebay, or ikesound, and take it all one step at a time. Dont be intimidated by doing all the work yourself either. If you take your time you will learn a lot, and save a large amount of cash!

 

[chuggy]

i wouldnt add a sub to your factory speakers, it would be like putting a professional guitar player in a 12 year olds garage band. Head unit is the stereo, like i said above I would start with you factory speakers, and work your way out from there. Good luck

 

[davesexplorer]

but a tip, no 5x7 coax, I dont care how well made it is, or how much power it gets... will deliver the "punch" you seem to be looking for. If you like the highs as is, sure a sub will deliver the low end that the factory lacks, the "punch". Unless your "punch" lies somwhere other than the subwoofer frequencies, like if its more midrange punch you desire, then by all means I'd upgrade the speakers first.

In every vehicle that I've installed coaxes onto the factory head unit, I've lost low end from the system (speaking without subwoofers).

I term "stereo" as the complete stereo system, and the head unit/reciever/cd player as the source.

 

[elrothir]

Thanks guys! If my Explorer didn't come with a sub, will it still have an amp somewhere? Is there somewhere that explains how I'd hook up a sub to the factory stereo(which wires go where, etc)? If I don't have an amp, can/should I add a sub w/o an amp?
When people replace their head unit or say that the factory HU is crap, is it the wattage that's crap or what? Since my Explorer came with the 'premium' receiver, is it an acceptable HU? I like the features and fit&finish of the factory HU, but if it's way underpowered, I'd look into replacing it.
I'm sorry if these are really basic questions. Is this covered anywhere else? I didn't see any other posts or links geared toward the true beginner.

 

[davesexplorer]

The factory head units are lower power than most mid-upper level aftermarket ones out there. I wouldn't want to run normal aftermarket coaxes off the factory HU for an extended period, but no harm comes from it. Your amp is located behind the passenger side trim panel back in the cargo area, the factory HU up front is more like a reciever and it sends everything out back to be amplified, then the amp'ed signal is then sent back up front to the doors/side panel if sport. I really dont know how much the factory unit puts out, maybe 10-13 watts rms, I dont know. The factory speakers are maximized in terms of output for this little power and their location, which is why usually aftermarket speakers off the factory unit aren't the greatest sounding units. Kinda like a stock honda 1.5 liter with a 3" full catback turbo maximized exhaust? But what is acceptable to you, can be absolute crap to someone else, another subjective opinion. Your call, none of us on here are gonna listen to your stereo day in and day out, so really just take our advice as just that, advice.
I'd reccommend giving your local stereo shop a visit as well, a lot of places are very reputable and wouldn't mind explaining things to you in person. Which does help, especially when concerning tech stuff. Demo some equipment there, listening in a closed room isn't the same as in your car, but It will give you some idea of a certain products features and such.

Most ppl that want to just add a sub to their existing system look into the line output converter, which takes speaker wire signal from the factory setup, and converts it to a low level signal ran through RCAs. But some amps come with "speaker level inputs" which means basically you can tap into say your rear speaker leads and run them directly into the amp for signal input.

Lastly, while I dont consider myself a beginner, I'm in no way an expert.. and ask questions myself sometimes, so dont be sorry thinking you're questions are too basic.
Whew this looks like a novel.