5th gen - how to beef up the stereo a bit?

[Clayq]

Hey guys,
First post, begentle

Just got myself a 5th gen si, nice car a real pleasure to drive although the auto spoils it a bit

Anyhow, I've found the stereo to be quite pissweak and wouldnt mind beefing it up a bit. I don't want to spend much cash (its only a daily drive) but I've been doing a bit of research and I'm thinking about the following:

Fronts - replace with cheap aftermarket 5.25" speakers
Rears - replace with cheap aftermarket 6" speakers
Deck - replace with cheap mp3 deck

Keep in mind that i would like it as easy as possible (no cutting metal/making spacers etc). I know the front speakers need to be 2" or less deep to avoid using spacers. I don't know a great deal about the best way to do the rears.

If anyone could add any information deemed useful that will make my install easier I would really appreciate it!

Cheers

Thanks

[boosted_andy]

Hey mate.

You can have a reasonable set up relatively cheap without going too crap in relation to brands.

If you just want some better sound, id reccomend going 6.5" 3 way speakers all round (X 4). At this time of year especially you can find some great discounts on some great brands as they are "last years models". For instance you can get some decent 360W Kenwood 3 ways for around the $70 mark (2006 model). These are a great bang for your buck. So 4 of these will cost you $140.

Then the headdeck. Well, great MP3 compatible headdecks you can find for around the $200 mark (sony's, jvc), which should suit the man on the budget.

So $140 + $200 = $340

and you have a nice and clear simple setup while being able to play MP3's.


Hope that helps

andy.

[IndoStyler]

Hey mate.

You can have a reasonable set up relatively cheap without going too crap in relation to brands.

If you just want some better sound, id reccomend going 6.5" 3 way speakers all round (X 4). At this time of year especially you can find some great discounts on some great brands as they are "last years models". For instance you can get some decent 360W Kenwood 3 ways for around the $70 mark (2006 model). These are a great bang for your buck. So 4 of these will cost you $140.

Then the headdeck. Well, great MP3 compatible headdecks you can find for around the $200 mark (sony's, jvc), which should suit the man on the budget.

So $140 + $200 = $340

and you have a nice and clear simple setup while being able to play MP3's.


Hope that helps

andy.

i agree with u there except for the rear speakers...i used to have a 5th gen si, and it had stock 6x9's for rear...i recommend to get another set of 3way 6x9's...u could easily pick up a set of pioneer ones for under 200 if that...and also with speakers just dont get sony xplodes...coz thats wat they do...literally...had a friends speaker in his car pop on normal volume

and as for head units, kenwood, jvc, pioneer should be all fine...IMO sony head units look ugly...hahaha

[IndoStyler]

ooo also forgot, i know it may cost u ever so slightly to do this, but maybe try to just upgrade ur headunit first and run ur stock speakers first just to see how they sound...prefferably get a headunit that has fair equalizer options so u can tweek ur music according to ur taste

[Clayq]

Cheers guys - I think my main focus is getting speakers to fit with minimal effort. I've heard if you go 6" in the front doors you may need to use trim rings/spacers and also cut some metal (not good, especially cutting the rear shelf - will fail engineering).

I've heard the easiest fit is 5.25" in the front and 6" in the back - the only thing you will need to do it wire them up and perhaps drill new holes.

I'm thinking kenwood or pioneer for the whole system and hopefully wont have to spend more than about 350.

Anyone have any experience with that wierd amp thing under the rear shelf that powers the rear speakers?

[Hans Bond]

pioneer is better for sure

[Clayq]

Not a bad idea, but from past experience the stockies will blow up eventually from that kind of power feeding them, and for 150 i may as well change them. I like your cost-saving attitude though

[Geraus]

Ive got a 5th gen, Im using my stock speakers.. with a nice deck and a amp and a sub. works excellent!

[Clayq]

Nice - will give that a go first, thanks

[Vinnie]

concentrate most of ur energy/money on ur front speakers, coz thats where ur sitting splits are better than coaxial and are preferable...

also, '3-way' is not neccesarily better and dont be fooled by the '350 watt' on the packaging, it does not mean they sound better. and ide avoid sony and kenwood altogther for speakers. pioneer i havent had alot of experience with but i consider them slightly better than those others. i had a set of kenwood 6x9's and they were utterly shocking.

if ur on a really tight budget 'jaycar' is prob worth a look tho and a cheap pioneer etc. h/u wood prob suit ur needs. with ur very low budget i wood not bother looking at an amp yet.

overall its better to spend more and purchase components one at a time instead of having to replace everything when it comes time to upgrade. but if ur never gonna spend money on audio again ide go with sum front splits, new h/u, and some basic but decent 6x9's (for bass, if u can fit them without too much trouble). might cost a tad more than $350 but itll definately sound better.

[Clayq]

Thanks for the advice. I picked up a JVC 50x4 mp3/wma headunit with detachable face and direct ipod connection for $245 today from JB Hifi. Really good deal, will probably chuck it in this weekend and then see how the stock speakers go. If they are unsatisfactory I will look at upgrading them

[Clayq]

Chucked in the new deck today, the difference is day and night. The stock speakers seem to handle it suprisingly well too. The rears do overpower the fronts a bit so I think I will change the fronts out for some cheap splits but apart from that its awesome - a good cheap upgrade.