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New Silverado, ideas on sound system

13K views 9 replies 6 participants last post by  camfire87 
#1 ·
So I just got my first car and its an 04 Silverado 1500 Extended Cab. I plan on getting a sound system in it soon. I just want to ask everyone on here what they have in theirs and a little review of it. I want to know all the things I need, like an amplifier, what kind and size of speakers, and kind of size of subs, and if I'm missing anything. Help is much appreciated:)
 
#2 ·
Well, I have had over the top sound systems for over twenty years and unless you want to learn the hard way I would suggest getting a budget in mind by using Crutchfield dot com as a good starting point, great place to purchase from as well. If you are truly into sound quality you will find many options available to you. If you just want to blow the doors off with some rap or hip hop, just head down to any old car stereo shop, they will happily fill your car with unintelligible audio at a very affordable price. I love the rap and hip hop at times but a system that can do country, vocal, jazz, and other types of music is much more enjoyable if done right.

I personally enjoy a great sound system, not to be loud enough for the neighbors to sing along (ok maybe sing along a little) but loud enough to reproduce the music's dynamic range as it was intended. DON'T skimp on the speakers. You can have budget oriented decks and amps but you listen to the speakers. I've seen top of the line Alpine decks with sound processors hooked up to crap speakers. Pointless and a waste of funds. With anything you get what you pay for and hind sight is 20/20 for sure. If you set your sights with the "better" in a good-better-best scenario you will not be let down. That doesn't mean good speakers and the best sub, unless that's your thing. But just better along the entire curve and you will get years of great sound. Trust me I have had the huge systems and they are fun but they get old fast. I can't tell you how many times I have had people comment on the quality of my sound system, and from people I least expected. Your system can engage your listeners and yourself or assault them and yourself. I've had systems that have won SPL contests, yea... I love systems that can engage the listener and evoke the emotion the artist intended.

One more thing, if you intend on using an ipod, try to put higher quality bit rate files on them. It might take up more space but you will hear a difference.

Just my two cents

Cheers
LGSONE
 
#4 ·
Well, I prefer the Alpine decks but I have a kenwood NAV deck now. I use JL amps and subs. Speakers are very subjective. Boston Accoustics, Memphis Audio, JL, Polk, the list goes on and on. I use Audio Control signal processors to get a system tweaked. Using an RTA and sound processors allow the vehicle to be tuned flat. Once a system is flat you can add some base or treble to your liking but a flat curve in a vehicle is the key. Years ago I had a shop try to sell me the EQL's from Audio Control into my system. Thought is was a waste of my time and money, well they said they would put them in and tune the car and take them out for free if I didn't notice a difference. Well, it was a no brainer. That was 24 years ago. I have had AC in every car since then. You don't NEED that gear but if you want the best sound your equipment can deliver these products do the job. Many new decks have parmetric EQ's built into them that will work just fine and many company's like Fosgate and JL have similar sound processors. Every shop will have a favorite and if they have the gear (RTA) to tune them you will not be disappointed. Do your homework on the shop, check out there other work, fit and finish are key items to look out for. What supporting hardware do they use, dynamat, power distribution, soldering, etc. If you haven't noticed I'm a bit type A with this stuff but I can tell you it is worth it if you enjoy your tunes. You will learn alot on Crutchfield, they have been doing it for some time. Have fun with it and don't take yourself to seriously, What sounds good to some is.... well I'm sure you get it.

Favorite system, Alpine deck, Morrell speakers, JL subs, 1500 Watts of amps, all custom installed with AC's DQXS. That system was awesome. Even the wife loved it, she would bring her favorite tunes just because of the sytem. Thats when you know its all good... AND even my mother would bring her classical to listen to.

There are some car audio guys on here that can inteject with their insight I'm sure.

LGSONE
 
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#6 ·
Sp let's say you're on a budget like I am. What are the essentials to not go cheap on, and to put good money into? And what would be a good setup for someone on a budget like me?
 
#7 ·
All depends on your budget and if you want alot of bass or just a little. I like kicker for subs and for speakers there are many you can choose from i like kicker, powerbass, jl audio.
 
#8 ·
In my 2009 Silverado Extended Cab I got DXI 650's (6 1/2's) in both front and rear doors. I want to keep my factory head unit, since it has MP3 Player and XM Radio. My next step will be a custom box for underneath my back seat (will prob be 2 - 8 inch subs, just for a clean punchy type of bass) ran by an am mounted behind the back seat also I will have to install a "line in converter" so I can AV jacks for the amp. Also I researched "Q Logic - Q Forms" they are replacement Kick panels and you can then mount 6.5's in your kick panels also ( so when i finish I'll have either 9 or 10 speakers (still deciding on a single sub or 2). Attached below is the site for the Q Forms. But, I plan on going Polk Audio all the way around just because it sounds good for what I listen to.

Q Forms:
http://www.qlogicdirect.com/index.php?m ... &cPath=222
 
#9 ·
I'm with LGSONE on this one. I've had some ridiculous loud systems that blow the windows open and destroy ear drums...but unless you're competing with it, it gets old fast and is pretty much useless. I like to have a really high quality sounding system that is crisp, clear and full. My basic setup that I've done in the last few trucks I've had is to keep the speaker arrangement basically stock (believe it or not, GM put a little bit of thought into speaker placement and size) but I'll go and buy high quality speakers to replace the stock ones. You basically get what you pay for, so don't be afraid to spend a little extra on your speakers. Alpine makes a fine product that isn't terribly expensive, but if you're willing to spend a bit more, then Boston acoustics or Polk Audio have some really nice speakers IMO. If you're just replacing the stock speakers, chances are you won't need to add an extra amp for them, but if you get into the really high end stuff, you won't use their full potential unless you add an amp ( most cases you won't really need more than 100w/speaker). That alone is a really decent place to start, and will get you a nice crisp sound even with a stock deck.

Next thing I do is add a subwoofer, since stock systems are generally lagging on the low end of sound. For years and years I had a single Pioneer Premier 1200w 12" shallow mount sub. It was excellent because I could put it in a small box that fit very nicely under the seat and didn't take up a massive amount of room (I used a sealed box because I like a tight bass sound rather than a loud boomy sound). I had an 800W JL amp that had a low pass filter built right in and worked great. I could crank the bass up and it would pound the hell out of the truck, but if I wanted it to it still sounded great at low level. Nowadays I run a Pioneer 10" (Pioneer has some of the tightest sound, as far as budget woofers go IMO) in a sealed box that tucks right under the back seat no problem. Don't be afraid to spend a bit of cash on a box either. A great sub in a crappy box = a crappy sub. I run mine with a Sony amp that is built to be mounted in tight locations (I recommend this for a truck because a lack of airflow is deadly for an amp). Even though Sony is not my favourite brand and they tend to XPLOD just like the name states, I have found that if you mount it properly so it isn't vibrating all over the place, and don't have it cranked up to 11 all the time, then it will last a long long time...oh and a word of advice, more watts doesn't necessarily mean more sound. An efficient woofer of half the size can do way more, way better than something huge and crappy.

As far as a Deck goes, it all depends on what you want. Right now in my '12 silverado I just have the stock deck in place because it plays the satellite radio, has a USB port and works really nice and clean. However, if you've got an older truck and want more options than you've currently got, you can look to add something in. You can get IPOD ready decks, touchscreen, satellite radio ready, double din units, TV's, NAV units....all depends on what you figure you want. I will warn against no-name decks though. Some folks might have good luck with them, and they're awfully tempting because they seem like such a good deal...but I see them crap out all the time, and even when they're working they just don't seem to be that great. Alpine makes a good product, and as you may have guessed, I'm pretty partial to the Pioneer stuff as well.

So in a nutshell, I'd say spend half or more of your budget on replacing the stock speakers, and then divvy the rest up between an amp/sub/box, and a deck if you figure you want one.
 
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