Is that market dead?  Tell me who makes the good stuff anymore.  I'm thinking of getting a different vehicle that isn't quite the luxury ride mine is and I would want/be able to upgrade the head unit and everything else.

All the big $$$ seems to go into boat stereos now.

With an "average" budget?
Alpine head unit
JL amps, speakers, and subs


ETA: What do you expect out of it and how much money do you want to toss at it?

I hate the design of Alpine and Sony head units.

Kenwood has always been a bit more understated while still looking decent.   Kinda ArtDeco or just simple.    Sound quality and power output are good enough for rear fill.

Amps and component speakers I prefer Polk.     For subs, I buy whatever is cheap after having blown everything under the sun including JL Audios that could handle 400w rms.    If your power drops and you start clipping your subs are toast.   So if I am gonna burn up subs(tried a new alternator and ran into qc issues) you might as well melt the coils on a cheap sub versus an expensive one.

I have killed a set of subs on average about once every 2 years.   Trying a 2 farad cap acitor now but it will only help so much.

A) Alpines quality (build, functionality, and audio) beat all else by miles.

B) If your system is setup properly you will NEVER blow a sub. Case in point: I've been running the same JL 12W3 for over 12 years with ZERO problems.

How did you set the subwoofer amplifier gain?

You should be able to easily hear clipping and turn it down.

I've been ordering things from Sonicelectronix or Woofersetc both have worked out well and have great prices.

I just put a pair of Sundown Audio SA 8v3 in and they are pretty impressive for 8's.  You can find youtube videos of guys hitting 145+db with the Sundown 8's and one guy hits 161 with a single Sundown 15".

I've got American Bass, fantastic quality but a bit pricey

For a starting point, let's say $1K.  I have all/most of the interconnects and wiring I would need already (Stinger that I never used some time back, I assume it is still GTG).  This would be in a 2-door Wrangler. Sirius, bluetooth, speakerphone, USB.

I preferred Kenwood myself.  Alpine was always nice, but Kenwood just seemed more user-friendly.

I added Focal components for fronts and JL audio amp and sub for the rear to my factory Honda touch screen head unit.... it sounds fucking amazing.

I think it cost around $2500 with labor and some dynamat.


Bri

I couldn't tell you.  I had to get a JVC deck put in my navigator recently as the clarion unit that was in it when I got it shit the bed.  It's awefull, sounds like crap and the screen is to dim for the back up camera.  Sad thing is the shop suggested it over much more expensive units.

One of these days I'll see if I can find an OEM stereo to go in it.

Two 6" speakers, 40mm ammo can, some MDF board for sound insulation, bluetooth stereo and amp, 12 volt battery, cheapo step down voltage controller to act as an ersatz trickle charger.

Whole thing for less than 100 bucks.

I like Pioneer and Kenwood decks. For coaxial speakers Infinity and JL have been my go to depending on budget and if going with external amp or not. Subs JL and Alpine both have pretty decent quality. For amps it's what ever you can afford.

I've got a pioneer 80prs, front and rear Alpine type r coaxials on a ppi p900.4, and a FI SP4 15" sub on a Sundown SAZ3000D for about 5 years now, all still going strong. My other car has a Kenwood deck, Infinity Reference coaxial front and back on the stock Monsoon amp, a 10" Dayton Reference HO sub on an Alpine 500w amp. A lot simpler and I enjoy just as much.

JVC is absolute crap.  I bought an expensive marine rated JVC to replace the head unit in our hot tub when the factory unit went tits up, remote, bluetooth, all the goodies.  Damn thing died 3 weeks later after actually being used twice for an hour or 2, and never being the slightest bit wet.  Fortunately I was able to RAM it via Amazon and get a refund.  
Spent $35 on a knockoff, non-marine spec basic head unit, that is still working fine over a year later, even though it's not rated for outdoor use, though it is under a somewhat weatherproof cover on the east side of the hot tub where it's not subject to direct driving rain.
JVC can suck my furry balls.

Wrangelr adds new variables...

Is this gonna be off-roading or exposed to rain or other high moisture situations?

I've been using Pioneer head units since the 1980s and don't plan on switching anytime soon.  I'll be installing a double DIN media player (can't play CD'S) in a family member's truck in the next few weeks.

For speakers it varies widely.  I'm running JBL in my truck and my wife has Phoenix Gold and Crescendo Audio in her car.

I'm also the same way with subs as I am with speakers.  I've collected about 20 over the years ranging from 8" to 21".  The car has a Diamond Audio 12" with a custom recone from Pink Star Industries (aka PSI Car Audio). I haven't finished the subs for the truck but my goal is to be able to switch them as needed in case I need the back seat.  Dual 15" TC Sounds model TC 3000 with titanium cones look and sound great.

I have a collection of PPI amps from the 90s for highs and Powerbass for the car sub.  I got a great deal on a 1600w Car Audio Bargain amp for the truck.  As long as the sub amp is Korean and class D I'll use it.

Lightly off-roaded, bikini top at the most exposed, hard top the rest of the time.

Then you could likely get away without going marine grade.  To meet a $1k budget we'll modify the plan a bit.

This would be the ideal HU:
CDE-SXM145BT

Or this with an add-on Sirius module:
CDE-HD149BT

Both come with hands free that sounds pretty good. I have the CDE-HD148BT in my daily driver and it's frickin awesome.

To keep in your budget, I'd go with Alpine Type-S speakers (Type R if and ONLY if you plan on running them off a good amp as they are power hungry and don't come alive at stock HU wattages).

JL makes enclosures specifically for Wranglers:
JL Wrangler box

BUT.... its only a W1 series sub, so its only good to 300W RMS. Or you could do a 10W3 or 12W3 in a traditional box...

You could do a 5channel Marine amp:
JL 5 channel


Or just do an Apline MRV-500 on the sub only:
MRV 500

Theres a bunch of ways to skin this cat....

I am quite aware of what causes subs to blow.

However finding the right fucking alternator without spending a goddamn mint for it hasnt been easy.    So I am stuck with the 80 amp alternator for awhile.

I went to replace it with a 120 amp Denso(factory supplier) and it was DOA not even putting out 11.5 volts.    The 80amp is at least 13.8-14.1 except for when I am killing it running the system at max.

I have checked ground cables.   I have run through the terminals.   They are good.

Also batteries are collosal piles of shit these days apparently so when I wind up with a battery problem I develop a clipping problem as well.

The days of quality Optima batteries are gone.   I dont really feel like buying a 250-300 dollar AGM for my stupid Tacoma that I have to make custom cables for.


I have had systems in other vehicles that pull more RMS than my Tacoma eithout issues.   But am not really in the mood to talk about it.

And fuck Alpine.   They look like shit.    I really dont need .02% better signal to noise ratio when looking at their god awful face plates cause me to want to toss the thing in the street.

Same thing with why I took my Tacoma's instrumentation out and ripped all the red LED's out and replaced them with a much more soothing less rage inducing blue LED setup.

Personal preference.   90% of the Alpine stuff I have ever laid eyes on looks like shit ot is trying to stuff 50 pounds of "style" into a tiny 3x8 inch space.

Yup, Optima of legend is gone since moving production to Mexico (damned shame. They were like alien technology). Interstate Megatron is what you seek.

It is a variable that seems to be tied to electrical on the supply side and weather.

We hit 30-40 degrees in the winter here and 100+ in the summer.

My gain on the amps is usually set at a mid point to closely match the voltage output of the preamp rca line.

I then turn it down slightly more so that I can run at max volume.    Then depending on the track I am playing I will usually turn the bass down on the EQ a few points or back to zero.

I generally set for sound quality but 2 12s at a good 250w rms is gonna make anything sound lively.    Running about 50-60w rms for the front stage.

I have gone entire 2 hour drives with the stereo running at near max without the amp ever going into protection mode once.

Then other days shortly after starting(so battery recovery after start up) the amp will kick into protection mode at a lower volume output than previously used.

Like I said, it is probably electrical being alternator and/or battery.

I have 4 vehicles total and getting onto a stupid electrical gremlin just isnt a priority.    If I kill some subs every so often so be it.


At some point I would like to do a second battery and better alternator for being able to run accessories easier.    I fly RC drones and can currently only run 1 12v charger for charging batteries when I would like to run 3.     So at some point everything will get upgraded.

Problem is it is so far down on the priority list that it is just so much more simple to replace subs every now and then.

Thanks for the research man!  After doing a little looking around myself, I think I would have to increase my budget to really be happy.  Mind if I hit you back up if/when I change vehicles?

No problem. I've been out of the game (professionally) for 5 years, but have installed literally thousands of systems, and still love doing it for fun.

Unless you're runnin a 800W RMS amp or bigger I really don't think its your alternator/charging system. You'd be doing yourself a favor by getting access to an oscilloscope. You ought to measure the ripple coming off your alternator to see if the diodes fried and then use it to see if your HU is clipping at max volume (FYI, Alpines don't ). Then, with your HU at the max un-clipped volume set your amp gain to max un-clipping. Also, run your signal as flat as possible (no bass boost,  no excessive EQ settings,  no Loud, NOTHING you don't NEED). Also, install a digital Volt meter reading the input of the amp. Mount it visible from the driver seat. This will tell you IF you actually ARE getting voltage drops. If you ARE monitor other spots like BEFORE the fuse under the hood. I've seen shity Chinesium fuses that LOOK good but have actually melted in the tip of the cap and cause serious voltage drop.

It's been a decade or so, but the alpines I owned were always a pain to operate while driving. Multifunction buttons stacked too close together. I'm a Kenwood and Clarion fan.

Good component speakers (the more aimed at the listeners head the better)

A sub

amplification for all speakers.

The ability to time align the speakers and set crossover points (either via headunit, amp, processor or a combination thereof)

That's all you need to be better than most. After that its sound preference and tuning.

I'll give ya the stacked buttons gripe*, but they've quit doing that. Clarion stopped being good about 15 years ago (i had thier last good deck: the DRX9575rz, which was a $1000 pre-amp only HU). Kenwoods are alright, but their iPod/iPhone interfaces are poo compared to Alpines.


*I really disliked the volume knob that, if pressed, would access the sub control. If you hit a bump while turning the volume up, you'd all of a sudden find yourself turning the sub up.

Here it is installed in my Caprice I had (with PS2 in the glove box. This was before in dash screens were really a thing):
Attached File


And the trunk. Clarion 12disc, hidden DPH7500z audio processor, 2 Cerwin Vega V124s (note the license plate) and 5 MTX amps (one for each front door, one for the rears, and one for each sub:
Attached File

If you're interested I have an Eclipse 8051 HU in storage Ive been meaning to put up for sale.
I don't like dealing with selling stuff so never got around to it.

I also have a SoundStream Reference 604 and some audiocontrol stuff. Probably other things I forgot I have.

Very solid advice. Almost all Alpine HUs have time correction, sub/main x-overs, and multiband EQs built in. Even before they built that all in they had an Audessy sound processor available.

I'm running a 10 farad cap and it barely helps. 

Like I said, I usually use the deck to turn the bass line out down from zero.

Rarely if ever do I dick with the eq.   If I do it is a point or two towards mids/treble but I usually just fade to the front stage more and turn down the bass instead.

And yes...

I AM GETTING VOLTAGE DROPS.   Been there done that with the digital volt meter.

As for an occiliscope?

Please I dont give enough of a shit.   Otherwise I would have fixed it nearly 8 years ago when I blew up the JL subs.


I pay just enough to get me into the bottom tier of Excelon decks.  Then I use the hell out of the remote.

My 95 Cobra, 05 GT, and Tacoma all have a kenwood deck that was put in within the first week of ownership.

Wish I could easily replace the shit ass "premium" stereo in my 2015 GT.   Want to talk about shitty audio quality, look no further than the current Ford systems.   They are too integrated with bullshit for me to want to deal with the mess that is my 2015's sync bullshit.

That's one of the myriad reasons I got out of car audio.

Customer: I'd like the put a new radio in this car.
Me: OK, come back in two years when somebody has cracked the LAN/BUS and created a dash kit wich will probably be $500. See ya then!!

It a sad day when a 95 Mach 460 factory system with ONLY an aftermarket head unit sounds better than a 2015 "premium" 9 speaker "shaker" system.

Same goes for a 2005 "shaker" with only a head unit upgrade.

Have had people move from one car to the next to the next playing the same source file and all have verified that the exact same thing.   The 2015 sounds like shit.   Must be using a 1980s chip set as a decoder for compressed music, turns 220+ bitrate files into 60bit rate sounding trash while making it absolutely lifeless.


One of my favorite songs of all time is Madonna's "like a prayer".   Most of her stuff from late 80s to early 2000s is recorded EXTREMELY well.    Can really bring out the highlights or the failings of a system.    That one song is great for showing the limitations of the factory 2015 system.

Currently my wifes Nissan NV has the best system in the family.
Factory Nissan Nav head unit
Audio Control LC7i
JL 900/5
JL 12TW3
Hybrid Audio components
4 dvd palyers.
It sounds amazing!
My Chevy SS has a powered JL Micro box with 2 8" it doesn't hit hard enough for me.
My old Silverado had a Kenwood DNX Nav, JL 500w amp, JL 6.5" components in Q Logic kick panels, JL coaxial in the rear doors, and a couple different 10" subs. At one time under the rear seat and then finally a JL Stealth Box under the center console.
F250 has the factory Sony with the sub, leaves much to be desired

JL makes nice stuff, usually can't go wrong there. The Hybrid Audio are awesome. Kenwood head units FTW.

Those old MTX amps bring back memories, I used to run MTX stuff exclusively back when I was into loud, offensive music.  

I've always been a fan of Sony and Alpine head units, MTX amps, Polk mids, and MTX subs....no idea how all that stuff compares nowadays, although I do still have Sony in dash DVD players in my car and truck.  Lately, all I really care about is a volume knob and the ability to play .mp3 files.

recommending audio products is imo a pain as everyone's opinions will be different. for subs tho look into the sundown subs and maybe emf swag coax speakers.

in my truck my setup is as follows:

HU - pioneer avh5500bhs
AMPS - ppi p600.2 and p1000.1
SUB - sundown sd3 10d4 wired to 2 ohms
Speakers - front - PHD fb6.1 pro rear - cheap pioneer coax
Wire - OFC 0/1 Knu duel amp kit.

I've been happy with 3 different pioneer double DIN touch screen models I've had over the last 4 years. I mostly got them for the bluetooth phone/music. I left everything else stock. 

Ive got a 2012 2 door wrangler that I ripped out the top end stereo that came with it and installed a new head unit, power system, amps and sub.
Its kind of a mess to do and I learned a lot along the way. My main thing was figuring out how I was going to be using the Jeep and what my expectations are. My jeep would be mostly hard topped but in the summer I would take off the top and run trails with it (lifted, tires etc and I like to rock climb with it). Problem with CO is that we can get rain at a moments notice. Marine grade vs standard, look up the actual difference. Oh and its not the same to each vender. Some head units will coat their circuit boards, use non corrosive materials, gold connectors etc, but the price difference is huge. Others will just do the bare minimum and some make the device so enclosed, any high level of power or direct sunlight and the thing is overheating.

1) I went with a Parrot asteroid head unit (dont recommend) because it was android based (before android auto) and I could customize it and tether it to my phone for GPS etc. Its touch screen filled the original touch screen gap (with a small filler plate on each side) and the screen was really clear in all lights. I didnt worry about water issues as if a storm was rolling through, I could toss a towel to cover the radio. If I was driving, water wouldnt hit it because it would be pushing towards the back of the vehicle.
2) Stripped out all the carpet. To hell with that stuff, it was horrid to clean when you have a dog and do outdoor stuff. Plus it made draining water more difficult + mildew etc. Now its bare metal with drain plugs and the molded floor mats.
3) Got some nice seat covers even though I had leather seats. I snagged the Trek Armor ones with the MOLLE backing so I can add storage.
4) Replaced the speakers front and rear (upper sound bar) with nice ones. I didnt worry about marine grade as they wouldnt see any water anyways. I didnt replace the tweeters and left them stock. I ended up actually wiring them to my CB that I installed in my lower center console compartment so I have external speakers on it.

The tough part came with designing the subwoofer and amp locations.

At first I was going to get a kit that installed the amp under the front seats. It was a bracket that kept the amp about an inch or so above the floor but I figured it wasnt going to be high enough for any river crossings and didnt want to short it out. I also knew I wouldnt have backseat passengers so I took out my rear seat and built an amp rack. The timeframe I was in high school (90's), big stereos was thing thing and that included showing off the amps etc and my mind went there first. THe amp rack had the amps on top with a plexiglas top that would show them off. It didnt take long with the top off to realize this was a bad design as the sun was beating down on them... and with no top on and in a parking lot at a store or restaurant, it was open season advertisement for thieves. I also had built a custom fiberglas sub box for the back corner by the rear door, same location as the stock ones. It was ok, but it was firing towards the middle of the back seat area. This meant that with a top on it sounded fine, but with the top off... those bass soundwaves just dissipated into nothing. Plus again it was showing off a sub that could be stolen in seconds with the top off.

In the end I ended up with a sub box that spanned the back from the back of my front seats to about where the rear seat would be. Its flat on the top like a shelf and boxed in on the back with nothing showing. On the front (the side hitting the front seats) its open on the two outer sides and under the top lid is the 2 amps. I run 0 gauge wire to a power block and then wire to each sub from there. THe speaker wires either go through the molding on the door frame or the center console. The middle of the box is the enclosed sub box built for my 10W3v3. Its down firing and its off the bed of the rear by about 2 inches and a quarter of it is over the footwells. This allows the sub to reverberate and sound great with the top on or off as well as protect it from the elements and from theft. THe box itself is bolted to both sides of the rear of the jeep. I coated the wood box with epoxy and paint so that it wouldnt get damaged by water.
With all the wiring and amps, sub at the height they are I do not have to worry about water damage crossing rivers or water spray from it raining while I drive (the seats block that). The only downfalls is I cannot just recline the seats as much as I want if I need to lay back without scooting them forward first.
All in all I like the design. Id like to swap out the head unit for a real android auto unit as I am not fond of the Parrot and maybe even have the box moved back a little bit. WIth the Molle on the back of the seat plus the panel I have on the rear door, I have plenty of storage for my winch controls, straps, tools etc for on the trail while having plenty of room for my dog's bed for road trips. Top on or off the bass hits hard and rattles everything around. I insulated every bracket though so I dont get that cheap ass honda rattle but a nice solid hit.
I can take pics if you want.. but it isnt pretty. It gets the job done. I had more in mind to finish it off but I just kept it the way it is, functional.

Check out the Pioneer Nex line.

Great features, great quality and great price.

That's what I'm talking about. Been looking at some DIY speakers rings and cutting some new holes on my boat. Kinda hate to DIY on cutting the speaker holes - I'm scared ok?! But I want to add a sub, upgrade amps, and add a couple speakers.

Use a dremel with a fluted side cutting bit and a circle guide. Easy breezy.

@simplemitch

Love the plate.  Cerwin Vega is good shit!

Before they sold the company i was a total Cerwin-Vega whore.

Those V124s were brutally loud and efficient (94dB@1W/m!!!!). They literally destroyed the Ford Festiva they were installed in prior to the Caprice. They warped the roof, blew the windshield off the car (didn't shatter, just completely lifted off the frame), and rattled off more pieces than i could count. Even gave a kid a nose bleed once.

And of course we all remember the Stroker series.... ugly as hell with it's dual spiders, but completely redefined what LOUD meant.



I still have a bunch of SWAG the Cerwin rep gave me. When I first demo'd it for him he says, "Hang on, I have something for you..." He went to his car and came back with a big box of Cerwin branded earplugs.