Sound system suggestions

I just got a new 2000 Integ LS, stupid mom wouldn't buy a GSR!!!, but the first thing i want to get is a good sound sytem that would make my car go b00m b00m, but not cost an arm and a leg. I'm kinda new at this. What do i look for in subs and decks and amps and speakers? do you have any suggestions? please help

this topic is too much to discuss in one post:p i'll come back tomorrow to help you with some of the things when i'm finish with school. i'll start with the headunit so no one take my topic!!:devil:

anyone care to fill in while i'm gone?

i would get everything cadence they have every thing but the headunit.

You want boom boom for cheap.... Well, do you care about sound quality, or no. Do you want just lows? Or do you want your highs to sound good too? if you want boom boom for cheap you could just buy 2 cheap 12's or 15's and a shitty amp, and it'll go boom boom. Does not mean it will be a clen sound though.

I just got a new 2000 Integ LS, stupid mom wouldn't buy a GSR!!!

And, damn, I would just be pretty damn happy if my mom bought me a 1990 teg ls, let alone a 2000. Beggars can't be choosers.

sorry for the long delay, but i had some stuff in the way:D

anyways, there are lots of things to look at when buying a headunit. first off: l

CD S/N ratio (aka signal to noise ratio):
the higher the dB, the cleaner the sound will be. typical CD player will have a S/N ratio of around 90dB. Tape players on the other hand will be mostly around 60-70dB. hence thats why a cd has better sounding in them then tape does.

wattage:
most headunit you see from the stores are rated at around 50x4watts. this is the MAX power that the headunit will produce. don't look into this spec when choosing a headunit. the headunit will almost never produce the max power rating. Look more into the RMS (root means square; or in another word, average power). most headunit will operate around 20x4 watts. the more RMS, the cleaner the sound and your speakers will operate more efficently. most of the time you will not notice the difference between 20x4 and 23x4. depending on how you want to run your speakers, it's best to run them off a separate amplifier if you want your speakers to play better. the reason is because the internal amp in a headunit is most likely going heat up pretty quicky. heat can actually decrease the headunit's performance in sound quality. if you're just want them to play normally, then it's ok to run them off the headunit.

Features:
for this stuff, it's all in the personal preference. different companies offer different features. features like a simple equilizer, loudness button, visual display, and many more. for security reasons, some headunits have detachable face plate. that means you can take off the front cover when you're not listening to the radio, CD, etc. this won't help a lot but it's better than nothing. you can take them off so that when theft comes by and look at your deck, they won't be able to see much and thinks that you don't have a deck. but then again, the detachable features been around for quite some time already so thefts should know about it by now. there are endless features out there right now. it's best if you try them all and see what you want and what you need.

brand:
looking into brand name is also important. what separates one company from another is the built quality. you can get an audiovox headunit (no offense to them) that may last for about a year or so or you can pay a little extra for that pioneer headunit that will last a longer time. cheap companies will usually have cheap plastics for the use of their buttons. for instance, have you ever felt the volume knob of an Aiwa deck? and have you felt the volume knob of an Alpine? see the difference? the cheaper ones will get worn out pretty fast and you'll end up with some buttons missing. brands like pioneer, alpine, nackamichi, eclipse, JVC, clarion, rockford fosgate, and many more are usually higher quality than your cheap brands like pyramid, pyle, crunch, and etc.

Preouts:
these are what connects your amplifier to your headunit. most headunit, if not all, should come with at least a pair of preouts. the higher the voltage, the more cleaner and less interference you'll get. it's also a good thing for an external amplifier because that way, you won't have to turn the gain up so high on an amplifier. when the gains are higher, more clipping or distortion will occur. (distortion=bad). some headunit may come with more than a pair of preouts. some may even come with a sub preout that is dedicated to the sub amp. this usually have the same volts or more than the regular pairs. if you don't plan to buy an amplifier, then you shouldn't be worried. i saw 4volts should be the standard when looking for a deck. 2volts are fine, but i like 4 volts and higher:) i think sparq has a deck that comes with 6 volts!:eek: and yet, its a Jensen:D

thats all i have to say about the headunit. if anyone would like to add, you're more than welcome to;)

SPEAKERS:

size: look for the right size for your vehicle. i've seen too many people put 6"x9' in a 4x6 hole.

power rating:
there is a max rating and a RMS rating. again, don't worry too much about max rating. the higher the RMS rating, the more power it can take in. the more power you send the speakers, the happier it'll be and will produce better soundings. but when i say the more you send it, i don't mean you can stuff 1000watts in it and think it will sound better. actually, the closer you are to the RMS, the potential of the speakers are to the max. don't overpower them too much. too many blown speakers coming from people complaining.

Coxial, Triaxal, and components:
coxial speakers are usually referred as a 2-way speakers. they consist a woofer cone to put out the lower end frequency and a tweeter to manage the high's. triaxal's are 3-ways hence the prefix tri-. a third tweeter is added for more details than the coxial. some speakers are 4-way. they have 3 tweeters on them. coxial, triaxal, and 4-ways are a big step up from factory speakers. they will improve the sound quality 100% better. but for the best possible sound quality, a component set sound be considered. some are 2,3, and 4 ways also. the difference is that components have separate tweeters instead of coxial which lies on the speaker itself. the separate tweeter is a big up because now you can mount them anywhere for best imaging. plus, you get a fully develop speaker cone to put out that midbass that was always missing from factory systems. regular speakers have tweeters mounted in the middle which means that the midrange cone have a hole in a middle. so the midrange cone is not fully developed. also, components have crossovers to come with. they direct the right frequencies to the right speakers. for instance, the crossover will cut out any bass that goes to the tweeter so the tweeter won't have to try to put out and bass. this is also the key to sound quality. directing the right frequencies to the right speakers. you wouldn't want your midrange to put out high notes. trust me..i've been there before.

brands:
again, look for a reputable brand. higher end brands will usually have better material. a cone on a pioneer speakers are made out of injected mold paper. this is more stonger and durable than your plain average paper cone. a reputable brand will often make listening more worth while. if you got the money, invest in brands like MBquart, CDT audio, Focals, Polk audio, etc.

OVERALL:
to sum it all up, no one can tell you what speakers you have to buy. u may get suggestions but no one has your ears. best possible advice is to go out and try each speakers see which one sound the best to you. i may like focal speakers and tell you to buy them, but you may think the tweeters are a bit high and think they suck. of course, everyone is different:silly2:

thats all for me right now. gotta do my homework.