summer project

i'm looking for a project this summer and have a little spending money. i'm currently running all pioneer speakers (which is why i want this project) off of a pioneer deh-1400. which has a single set of 2V preouts. should i upgrade my headunit before moving on?
for my frontstage, i was looking at elemental design's component setup. never had any of their stuff, but heard fantastic things.amp? stick with eD? i don't want to over/underpower anything because i would love for this setup to last for quite some time.
substage. Kv.2 was my initial idea. 10 or 12 though. i'm a modest person. i also believe that your stereo system should be built to impress yourself, not anyone in a 3-5 car radius of your ride. all i'm looking for is the most frequency response i can achieve for minimal out of pocket. i would be looking to do the install myself. amp? stick with eD? i don't want to over/underpower anything because i would love for this setup to last for quite some time.
on another note, dual 2 or 4 ohm sub. any differences/advantages, for a single sub setup? if any of the aformentioned components of my system might suit me better with another brand, please feel free to voice your ideas.
i believe that covers everything.
thanks, michael

Since you are looking primarily for excellent sound quality, here are my recommendations:

1) Upgrade the reciever, the 1400 you have is just the entry level reciever. Depending on which route you wanted to go you could do a few different things.
-Pioneer decks have the really cool feature of being able to adjust the EQ independently between front and rear speakers, but any resonably priced reciever will only have 2.2V preouts
-Alpine Decks (especially the ones with the V-drive 60x4) have awesome internal amps, and most have a 4V preout. however, these tend to be a bit more pricey, and you will need to get an amp wiring kit to power it.
-Kenwood decks (though not my favorite) have the highest preout voltage at 5V. so if you were going to amp everything, you may want to think either alpine or kenwood.

2) while not necessarily the 'most powerful' speakers out there, Infinity's are arguably one of the best for sound quality, especially when looking into their component systems. while apline speakers also sound very nice, in my opinion, you tend to pay for more than what you get with most alpine stuff.

3) since i get the impression you are just looking for a little uumph the the bottom end of your music instead of ear-splitting bass, I would suggest maybe one 10 or 12. the 10 will have a crisper sound, while the 12 would be louder and hit deeper notes. I think your best bet would either be Infinity Kappa or ALpine Type-R

Infinities are definitely NOT the best for sound quality, not even remotely close. I hated the way my infinities sounded and I would never buy another pair or recommend them to anyone. Alpines are decent, but there is so much out there that is better that it's not even funny.

:twak: ouch lol. ive never had a problem with them myself, but like i said, thats just my opinion.

what do you suggest sr20de4evr?

Actually what he came up with on his own should be a nice setup. I can't really comment on exactly how it would sound since none of those are out yet. Ben has said the comps should sound similar to the CDT HDs (in fact they worked directly with CDT when they made these comp sets), but only time will tell. Other brands to look at for comps are Crystal, Diamond, CDT, Focal, JL, and Image Dynamics. For subs, the Alpine type-r is good for the money (ebay price, not retail), not the best, but they are good, Resonant Engineering, Adire, Diamond, Crystal, and ID are also good sub companies.

The amp selection should come after the speaker selection, but in the mean time check out Soundstream, DEI, Hifonics, JBL, Phoenix Gold, etc.

It's hard to build your first system since there are just SO many choices out there, especially for the price range that it appears you're looking in. I know how it is and I've been dealing with the same crap recently as I've been putting together my new system. Just take it slow and keep your mind open (it looks like you are already just by reading your post, which is good). Don't rush into it, it will take you weeks to come up with the system that will suit you best, I think I've been planning mine for the last 3 months or so ;)