Need help picking out audio-system for my car

hey, that setup sounds pretty good (providing that you're just looking for something to jam to some tunes on). It's not strong in any certain field, but decent for a first setup (I'm assuming). although, I think that you could do a lot better in the trunk for the same dough.

140 - box, 120 -subs, 200 - amp...
for 460 bucks, you could get a much better thumper setup online and it wouldn't be hard to hookup by yourself. If you wanna give it a go by yourself, just let us know.. we'd be happy to save ya some scratch.

ps... we were all noobs when we started.. fuggetaboutit..

 

the funny thing is, since your a ford, everything is MADE to fit your car perfectly. But that whole setup kind of sucks. The MTX subs are the best out of that setup. The best woofers Circuit City has are Alpine Type R's (which is discontinued supposively). The sony amps have a bad rep for cutting out when they get slightly hot and the radios i would just not reccommend what so ever. I guess everything just depends on your spending budget though.

Circuit City has some stuff worth looking at like the Infinity Reference/ Kappas, and Polks for speakers. They also have some nice Panasonic Decks and Pioneed decks for the radio. Spend the extra money and get their audiobahn intake series amp for your bass amp. Also, check out a sealed box since a vented box makes no sense since you own a convertable.

 

- whether you're about saving money, or getting a better setup for the budget you have allowed, you can do much better if you shop for your stuff online. Stores like circuit city, etc.. are not going to have a lot of the better stuff that guys like us like, and thier prices are generally higher. It all depends on what your biggest priority is. You want something to listen to right away with no waiting, then have CC do it. If you're patient, don't mind doing your homework, and are willing to do a little comparison shopping, you can get much better equipment for a lot cheaper than what you want to spend on your sony stuff.. however, CC will bite you if you ask them to install something that you bought elsewhere, and even if they do it, they won't usually offer any warranties on the work. If you'd like to learn about car audio and take a stab at doing it yourself, then there are a lot of us here who are more than happy to lend an ear and some expertise. It's not as hard as you think to hook up your own stuff, and I think that (I hate to disagree, guys) with having a small convertible, you should use a bandpass box instead of ported or sealed. Bandpass boxes have a flatter response curve but a much broader one, and they really come alive in a small trunk, and since it's in a trunk, you would miss out on a lot of the benefits of a sealed box since it's not right there to pound you in the face. Let us know what you're priorities are, and you can count on all of the help you need.. If you'd like, I can get a sample system together for you using the $700 budget that you outlined before. either way, keep in touch and welcome to the site..

 

pioneer is great entry level equipment.. you will be happy with your jams.. as long as you're not hoping to win any competions with the deh4800..!

I have 6" pioneers in my doors and I love them..

My suggestion for the thumpers is to go to ebay and search these items exactly. shipping will put you a little over budget but you won't be sorry that you bought the name brand stuff.

NEW KENWOOD KAC-9102D MONO BLOCK SUBWOOFER AMP 1400W
10" Plexi-Glass Bandpass Enclosure Subwoofer Dual Boxes
New Pair MTX 600W 10 Inch Subs 10? Subwoofer MZS1004 NR (or)
TWO 2 JL AUDIO 10W1V2 10" W1V2 4 OHM SUBWOOFER NEW 2005

and.. a one channel (mono) amp is perfect for subs, usually easier if the amp has dual outputs, though!

ps..guys..don't hate on me for not suggesting the really good stuff, he's on a budget and he's a first timer..

 

OMG , please don't buy a plexiglass box, thats the stupidest idea i've ever heard. they rattle and sound terrible.

Rap= ported/vented box
Rock = sealed box

I agree with spending a little more money for name brand stuff. You'll be thankful down the line.
I recommend Infinity stuff.

 

I am new here and definately don't want to step on any toes but have to disagree with some of the points made.
Do not buy from the internet! The prices may be great, alot times below dealer cost. But you will not get any kind of warranty whether claimed or not. Reputable companies like JL and Arc strictly prohibit sales of their equipment online. It destroys the "brick and mortar" car audio shop and puts equipment in the hands of amateurs which in turn makes their product seem much worse than it is. I really don't want to preach but it affects me directly being the owner of my own store. I recently stopped carrying Hifonics because of rampant internet sales. Warranty matters! Feel secure about your investment, pay the extra.
Not a day goes by when I don't have to test somebodies amplifier or troubleshoot a smoking deck. These people are truly upsetted by this. When they think they have a warranty and get absolutely no response from the internet retailer it turns them off to audio altogether.
I could fill pages of how I feel about this. But that is unnecessary.
I would steer clear from anything Audiobahn makes. The failure rate on them is the highest in the industry.
I agree, a bandpass would be the way to go if you can fit it. But if I remember correctly, not much of anything is going to fit well in the convertible version of that car. And being that a bandpass is one of the largest enclosures you can select for your woofer I would doubt it will fit.
In this scenario, small sealed with alot of power, and definately rear fire the subs. Sealed can take more abuse than any enclosure and you can get just as low with forced beta.

 

first of all, no matter whether you're new here, or old here, you're opinion and expertise are absolutely desirable to me, as long as it's friendly and helpful, and I thank you for doing so, cory. And I agree with you about buying products from reputable dealers (as long as you have one local), and I personally prefer dealing with "local" - or "privately owned" audio shops anyday over the big chain stores.

This is where I didn't mean to step on any toes: As I understand it, you as well as some of the other esteemed members of this site own audio shops, and I thank you for doing so. All of us guys count on guys just like you for advice and help when we're trying to do something audio related. Without expert guidance, we'd all still be newbies. I absolutely recommend dealing with local, reputable companies, especially when making a large purchase that you'll want to enjoy for a long time to come.

There used to be a shop here in my town that was a wonderful business, friendly and knowledgeable in all things audio (you know the type) and very popular. They were recently put out of business because they started carrying "cheaper" products in an attempt to compete with the large retailers. eventually thier business dropped off because thier reputation was tarnished, and they still could not compete. So the hardcore guys around here have to travel long ways to get what they want, or find it on the net. Furthermore, the mid level audiophiles are increasingly dependent upon the chain stores for what they are looking for, and they just don't typically carry a lot of great products at these stores. I like to go in sometimes, and just listen to the salesmen try and convince me that they know what they're talking about. - it's a hoot.

now all of the novice and mid level guys realize that they bought junk when it catches on fire, and no one i've ever met at a chain store could help me troubleshoot a smoking component, they just don't usually feel the need to hire qualified experts. As far as warranties go, walmart or CC will usually be happy to exchange an item for another, so you can sit back and wait for it to start smoking, too.

You have to understand that I would rather see a novice spend his $700 dollar budget on a reputable brand and on good high quality equipment, and probably not need to seek warranty assistance or repair, then I would see him spend the same cash on lousy merchandise with a good warranty. I guess for me, the biggest reason that I would suggest online purchases would be because I no longer have the resource of a good hometown audio store.

So everyone, please make no mistake.. when I suggest online purchases, it is definitely not being recommended so that you can save twenty bucks over your local audio store's price, (if you have one in your town) because the help, guidance and expertise from privately owned shops is in my opinion, 'invaluable'. I think I may have been giving advice as if you were in my town, so any who are offended, please accept my apology. We need as many "brick and mortar" stores as we can keep, and please support them.

But if you are circuit city, then you can kiss my butt . I miss Doctor Dashboard, and you will never see my money.
- sorry about the rant