Car Audio Newbee

I can also vouch for the Focal & MBQuart speakers as many of my friends had them...the Bostons I had in my boat were the Pro Series (seperate mid/tweet)...and I have also had their plate speakers in another car...their high end stuff definitely sounded better than the plates which as Dlr states were etched. My infinity's...that was just in the beginning and as Dlr also says...too tame. The Polks were by far the worst to my ears...OUCH!

this was also all 8+ years ago...so my answers may be completely outdated.

Chad...you're one funny mo fo

I dabbled too much in car audio when i was younger...3 different cars and a boat...hindsight being 20/20 as they say...I wish i had found home audio sooner cause the car stereo stuff sure was a waste of money.

now the question is...how high end do you want to go...i have had Sony, JVC, Alpine Denon & Nakamichi head units...for me...the Denon was the best...the Alpine was in an 18 foot boat and had no problems skipping...the Nak...well...they just aren't what they used to be.

amps I have had were from Nakamichi (good sound but problematic) Soundstream (Also good) Rockford Fosgate

speakers...Infinity, Boston Accoustic, Soundstream, Nakamichi, Polk Audio etc etc

you can go overboard in car audio just as you can with home audio.

My best advice here...keep it simple...4 channel amp run in 3 channel mode...2 channels for the mids & highs and one bridged channel for a 10" sub...don't drive yourself crazy either...that is what Audiogon is for. ;o)

the 6x9...or i guess 6x8 will most likely leave you "underwhelmed"...most of them left me that way until i ultimately switched to plates or separates...possibly something to do with round vs. oval drivers...who knows...I'd definitely consider ditching the stock car speakers.

for a list of what can fit in your car, crutchfield shows what speakers will fit in the factory cutouts...however...every decent sounding car system I have ever heard had the door panels butchered so that the better aftermarket speakers could fit.

bazookas are ok for the price

I like alpines...it would rarely skip in my boat

not a big fan of alpine amps...although the last one I heard was the V12 i think it was called...there are better amps out there for the money.

just my opinion though.

hope i'm not adding confusion

honestly I am so dated on car audio that it would be like asking me a question about home audio and I would then recommend the best stuff from 1987-1994...I can say one thing though...the Levinson system in the Lexus LX 470 is pretty dismal compared to "real" car audio systems in my opinion fwiw. I haven't heard the McIntosh car stuff but I'm gonna have to say that those thieves are pretty savvy these days...who knows...they might look in your car...see McIntosh...and say "oh yeahhh....I'm gonna git me a whole lotta crack"...lol

I have no idea where you live...but I would recommend going into a good car audio place where there are rooms of varying levels of equipment...skip the el cheapo room...get an idea of what sounds good to you and just try to keep it simple.

All I had in my Boat (I'm using that particular system as you have a convertible) was an Alpine Head Unit, Soundstream 4x50 amp, 1 pr of Boston Accoustic pro6.1 which was a 6" mid and a separate 1" tweet...and dual 10" subs (can't remember brand) in an isobaric chamber (refers to how the enclosure is built...like a bazooka...but with another sub behind the one that you see...or so said the guy who gave it to me) 2 channels ran the mid/highs and the other was bridged to run the sub. Whole setup ran me less than 2k.

It got plenty loud and was clean also...I could even hear it while wakeboarding....now my neighbor...he was the guy that installed the system...he had a 13k system in his mastercraft...you could listen to that one while parasailing...lol...boy the neighbors were glad to see him move!

wish you luck on your hunt!

oh...ok...one other bit of advice...sorry about the long windedness...one way to avoid having your system stolen...is turn it down a few blocks before you park your car...wherever...i speak that as a former victim myself...twice...lol...and being that I was auto insurance adjuster and dealt with tons and tons of stolen stereos...make sure that you get the special rider on your policy if needed...the company i worked for...one of the big uns...didn't cover aftermarket stereos that weren't installed in the factory locations...so that amp under your seat or in the trunk...your sub...or anything else that wasn't in a "factory" cutout wasn't covered.

and don't think that it won't get stolen...cause it probably will.

you suuuure you wouldn't rather just upgrade your home rig? hehehe

EXCELLENT POINT Blblues...completely overlooked in this thread...my bad.

Installation is important...even if you don't purchase your gear from the best installers...it is worth it for them to do the install on your gear...even if it costs more than the "free" install services offered by the big chain stores.

I tried my first install also...as you say...like an idiot...it wasn't bad...but it wasn't the greatest...and it took a long time just for the deck install. Give it to the pros for a day and you'll be glad you did...well worth the money...how much you ask?...depends on the installer...get quotes...ask to see the installers system...then ask what it will take to have as clean an install as theirs as they are usually the best ones.