Loaded question since so much of car audio is ridiculously over-marketed lies (1000W amplifiers?). Man what a mess the car audio market is.
Okay, here are my thoughts on the car audio thing, ignore at will. Unlike a home audio system you cannot move the speakers around to suit your taste and more importantly the speakers really do make the biggest difference. Check out Focal and maybe some of the higher end Infinity speakers to get a feel for what's possible. You'll need discrete subwoofer(s) but like a good audio system adjust them so they blend nicely with the speakers in the car. I said blend, not boom. Add some dash mounted tweeters, they will make a big difference to your perception of the sound.
The head unit is a tuner and control center, don't get carried away spending a bunch of money on it. The amplifiers matter since a) they are WAY over spec'd and b) need to drive a bunch of speakers simultaneously. Get TWO amps and divide the load reasonably evenly if you can. The CD changer? Get something reliable and matches your head unit for easy hook up (I prefer Pioneer over Alpine for reliability). Wires? Get some 12 gauge from Home Depot, they'll do nicely. Finally, make sure your battery can handle the draw, nothing worse than sitting at a light and your tunes cutting out cuz your battery can't keep up.
Is it worth it? To me it is, I love good music when I'm toolin' down the highway at less than the legal limit. Many people will argue my choices were not ideal, but check out my "systems" and click on my Supra for some ideas. All bought on Ebay BTW. Happy listening, Jeff
Okay, here are my thoughts on the car audio thing, ignore at will. Unlike a home audio system you cannot move the speakers around to suit your taste and more importantly the speakers really do make the biggest difference. Check out Focal and maybe some of the higher end Infinity speakers to get a feel for what's possible. You'll need discrete subwoofer(s) but like a good audio system adjust them so they blend nicely with the speakers in the car. I said blend, not boom. Add some dash mounted tweeters, they will make a big difference to your perception of the sound.
The head unit is a tuner and control center, don't get carried away spending a bunch of money on it. The amplifiers matter since a) they are WAY over spec'd and b) need to drive a bunch of speakers simultaneously. Get TWO amps and divide the load reasonably evenly if you can. The CD changer? Get something reliable and matches your head unit for easy hook up (I prefer Pioneer over Alpine for reliability). Wires? Get some 12 gauge from Home Depot, they'll do nicely. Finally, make sure your battery can handle the draw, nothing worse than sitting at a light and your tunes cutting out cuz your battery can't keep up.
Is it worth it? To me it is, I love good music when I'm toolin' down the highway at less than the legal limit. Many people will argue my choices were not ideal, but check out my "systems" and click on my Supra for some ideas. All bought on Ebay BTW. Happy listening, Jeff