System Recommendations
 

Hey Guys,
I have a 1997 Accord SE, I have about $800 to $1000 to spend on a good sounding audio system for my car. I was looking at the Boston Acoustics 6x9's for the rear, and the 6 1/2's for the front. Sound good?

But my difficulty here is what head unit should I go for? I normally hate aftermarket HU's because they always look so out of place. Anyone know of one that would kinda "flow" with my generation of accord's interior?

Also would I really want/need an amp since these speakers require such low wattage anyway?

You always want an amplifier if you can afford it - it will definitely increase the system performance. You could always save your cash on a head unit (and the steal me factor) and go with some components up front, sub in the trunk and one 4 channel amp to run the whole thing.

I despise rear speakers, but if you can't go with a sub, I guess they are the next best thing.

I just don't consider a system sounding good without some kind of sub - not saying you have to wake the neighbors...

How would the system sound if I kept the OEM Cd player and just picked up a good amp? Also, what do you think of perhaps mounting a smaller 8" sub between the rear speakers like some acura's/lexus' come with(I would make it look fully origional)? I like clearity with good bass...

Also, what amp would you recommend if I use the stock HU along with the Boston Acoustics 6x9's, 6 1/2's and an 8" sub?

Don't waste your time with the rear speakers - keep the factory ones and run them off of the factory head...

I'd recommend a 10" subwoofer in the appropriate box and a 50x4 or stronger amplifier...

whoa man. I dont listen to rap , I'm not here to vibrate my mind into mush with the extra hard thumps....I listen to heavy metal/rock/country..Like I said clearity, bringing out the vocals, the scream of the guitarre ect...

Anyone have any other recommendations more suited to what I listen too?

If I wanted to vibrate your brain to all hell I would have suggested something totally different.....what I listed is sensible for any daily driver.

This is why I recommended a single 10" subwoofer. Rap is not the only music with bass in it. If you go to a symphony, those instruments can reach down to 16Hz!! Country has lots of bass in it, and heavy metal with it's dual bass drum setups....

Remember, you control how loud the bass is - a larger cone subwoofer will be able to reach those lower notes with less power! This is really important because if you want that clarity at high volume, you won't find it by running a pair of components and some 6x9's full range. They will start to distort and get muddy in the bass regions if you want to turn them up. It's nice to be able to cruise down the highway with the windows down and be able to hear clear, clean music.

What I recommended will provide a nice, smooth blend for any style of music and will let you hear exactly what the artist intended, the whole song.

At least that's my recommendation. Good luck with whatever you choose.

I did a little looking, and I found you what I would consider to be a sweet setup that is certainly in your budget:

Pioneer DEH-P7600MP - it's not the best looking head, IMO, but it's packed with great features. It has a built in amplifier so you can run your factory rear speakers. It also has a built in crossover, so you can keep the bass out of those speakers and keep them from distorting. It also supports MP3/WMA playback. It has a sub level controller too so that you can turn it up or down depending on your tastes.

Price - $250
http://www.sounddomain.com/sku/PIODEHP7600MP

Phoenix Gold Tantrum 400.4 - Sounddomain is blowing these amplifiers out right now. This line has been discontinued by PG, but it's an awesome amplifier for a great price. This is not a flea market amp. Does 50 x 2 to your front speakers and 200 x 1 to your subwoofer. For only $40 more you can upgrade to the 600.4 - does 75x4 or 75x2 + 300x1.

Price - $200
http://www.sounddomain.com/sku/PHOT4004

Image Dynamics ID10v3 - It's no secret that I'm an Image Dynamics fan. They make one of the best sound quality woofers out there right now IMO. The ID series is very affordable and sounds great. They are also known for using very small enclosures.

Price - $100
http://www.sounddomain.com/sku/IDSID10V3D2

Q-Logic Enclosure - You gotta put that sub in a box, and this Q-logic is just the right size. It's very compact as well. You could always build your own, but if you don't want to, here's a good alternative. They make one of the more solid pre-fab boxes around.

Price - $55
http://www.sounddomain.com/sku/QLCQLH6510SE

Knukonceptz Wiring kit - At minimum, you will need a 8ga wiring kit to run the t400.4 (I'd recommend a 4ga for the t600.4). Knuknoceptz offers nice wiring kits at a great price. They are very reliable and reputable. This kit comes with everything you will need to get things started.

Price - $24
http://www.knukonceptz.com/productDe...prodID=KOLAK84

Now, all you have to do is add your front components. Sounds to me like you have done some listening and you like the Bostons.

If you take the list of products I've shown, you have a grand total of $630 + shipping. That should leave you plenty of budget to make some changes and to add in those front speakers. Another thing to keep in mind - everything I have listed is authorized and comes with a warranty. No refurbs, no b-stock.

If you still think a subwoofer isn't for you, then you could easily swap the ID10 and the box for your 6x9's.

I hope that helps you out. Again, good luck with your system.

as for the deck, i totally agree with you how most decks are way to flashy now, i hate it and unless you mod the hell outa your interior, they clash.

the pioneers are pretty nice thou, and aren't as flashy as the new jvc's, and others.

If you want to go with old tech, maybe the flat faced JVC El Kameleon LX30 or LX111, but they don't have all the bells that newer decks have now, and you'll most likely only find em refurbished.

Another flat faced deck is the Sony CDX-M8800, it just picked it up myself, and the difference from the OEM deck is amazing. Some people don't like sony's, but the ones who have this deck said they haven't had a problem, and the flat black face blends into the console nicely without clashing.