First rule for stereo quality. DO NOT buy crutchfield or any mail/internet order. All the high end companies do not offer warranties for mail/internet order. Eclipse is the best head unit for sound quality however it is expensive, has no "Features" like BS equalizers or cross overs and the displays are fairly plain (but go amazingly with iniglo gauges as it is the same color), and skip a little easier than some but they have really resolved that problem over the years. For amps eclipse make some very good ones too, very clean, extremely balsy and very good Xovers. Jl makes a hell of an an amp, usually more powerful than eclipse. Xtant used to be great but then their lead designer left and went to JL. Macintosh is amazing but not the most powerful and you have to win the lottery to buy it. For speakers MBquart is the most accurate but keep in mind that accuracy is not always what people like, while Quart is my personal favorite it isnt everyones. For those that dont there are Boston and diamond and JL in the lower priceline. Boston is usually for those that prefer rock and i cant tell you about diamond cuz i hate them but i suggest them because alot of people swear by them. Keep in mind when listening to speakers that alot of people say quarts are too harsh in the tweeter. This is because 1) stereo stores usally set the crossover for maximum tweeter cuz alot of people prefer this and 2) many people that install quarts do not know that when the Xover is set at 0db attentuation it is actually a 3db boost. For subs go read my post in the subs section. And for the sony xplod really does explode. Not just the subs but that amps too. The head untis sound horrendous. At the stereo store i worked at we replaced so much sony xplod that all 26 stores dropped the line.

 

I agree but realisticly Clarion is the way to go without breaking the bank. MBquart's true & true. Pheonix Gold is a great option. And just so everyone know they do make the best Comp. Hu Bar none Ive played with all the major brand's , heard them in various operating condition's and for the money Clarion. Problem is Alpine need's to try something new Everything looks and feels the same. Audiobahn is also great for speakers But don;t mix and match too much.

 

correction, high end car stereo companies don't offer warranties for mail/internet orders unless the place that sells them is athorized to sell them thru the internet, Crutchfield is an authorized internet dealer for all the brands they sell.


For headunits my personal preference is Pioneer, my first one I bought I had for 4 years and still worked perfect when I sold my truck, bought a new Pioneer for my current car, Pioneer also has the best looking headunits IMO.

 

what i was saying is that crutchfield is not high end. They sell midline at best. This is not neccesairly a bad thing though as not everyone wants to spend so much on their stereo. I was spoiled having worked in such a high end shop i guess. I would still recomend going to a local shop that has a good rep. A trained installer/sales rep can help you make a much better selection and teach you something about it. And you can hear what your buying. UNfortuanatly one of the hardest lessons learned is that as a rule the specs on a box are useless. Cheap manufacturers skew specs to sell their products, so you really should hear what you are going to buy. At any rate, take your crutchfield catalog with you and if they sell the same stuff have them price match it.

 

Little late, but good for those to see this thread again...

Also, like stated before:

http://myweb.cableone.net/grogers/abr.html


And, AudioPAHN is trash. ****ty, flashy, horrible sounding subs.

You guys got a lot to learn subwoofer and speaker wise
Plenty more out than the the over-priced mainstream garbage

NG

 

Your right everyone has a lot to learn including you thats what the electronic's game is they produce we compare and test . Although we don't sell Audiobahn at our shop, from all the testing Ive seen and all the db showdown's Ive been to they seem to hold there own for the average consumer. However if you want to tickle yourself. throw in some MBQuart's RE. series or how about some Pheonix Gold Ti's they are main stream let me tell you ,far from junk and in this case you get what you pay for.

 

No thanks, the only PG subwoofer I'd touch is the TI Elite...I liked last year's line-up of amplifier A LOT. As far as the MBQuart's, I'd rather go with many others for SQ, Adire Audio Brahma, Ascendant Audio Avalanche, etc.

NG