First Time Upgrade

Inuzukakiba2 · 10-04-2009, 11:53 PM

Hey, I'm new to the forum and I just got a new car. It's a 2005 Chevy Aveo.

I know

, but I'm only 18, still in high school, I have no job, and this is my first car. It is completely manual except for the transmission which isn't the greatest but we all have to compromise at some point. The car is basically the cheapest version of the budget version so obviously the speakers are below sub par. It doesn't even have a cassette player or anything, just a rudimentary radio (it was owned by my deaf aunt, long story). I want to put in some fairly nice speakers and definitely a cassette player, cd player, and maybe an adapter for an mp3 player (I have one of those cassette to mp3 adapters, but I would prefer a real mp3 adapter). I build pc's but I have no experience with cars and I don't know the first place to start with a car audio system but I'm more than willing to learn. On a side note, there's a lot of scratching of the dashboard and passenger airbag. Anything you could recommend to take out the scratches? Thanks in advance.

Polygon · 10-05-2009, 01:04 PM

Well, for starters, what do you have to spend?

PaulD · 10-05-2009, 06:08 PM

start by forgetting about cassette, at your age I'm suprised you even know what they are. Look for a CD player that will allow MP3 and then get some upgrade speakers.

Inuzukakiba2 · 10-05-2009, 10:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Polygon

Well, for starters, what do you have to spend?

I would prefer to spend around $200 or less if possible.

Quote:

Originally Posted by PaulD

start by forgetting about cassette, at your age I'm suprised you even know what they are. Look for a CD player that will allow MP3 and then get some upgrade speakers.

Lol, yeah. Cassettes are pretty old. The only reason I mentioned it is because of my mp3 player converter.

I found this guide on mounting a stereo and it turns out it's the exact same model and radio as my car.

PaulD · 10-06-2009, 05:47 AM

it has good instructions on how to remove the radio, might save you a lot of headache

Inuzukakiba2 · 10-07-2009, 12:48 AM

I'm not sure what to purchase, so I'm typing up a list of some possible items and I need you to critique/criticize it.

Head: I need a cd player, AM/FM, and MP3 AUX. This model looks promising.

Speakers: The speakers in my car are 2 x 6-3/4" and 2 x 4" I have heard great things about Profile in terms of their price vs quality. Here is their website. These are a few possible options I have considered: CX420 4" 2 Way , PS4420 4" 2 Way , PS6530 6-1/2" 3 Way

Butt Splices: I think I can pick these up a local store.

Wire Harness: Here are two that should work, but I'm not sure if they are made to connect aftermarket heads or just to the car's cable. Metra , American International

Installation Kit: Universal Kit that fits my model

One thing I'm worried about the current setup is that the speakers have a much higher wattage than the head can provide. Does this mean I should go with a little more powerful head or just use what I've come up with? The head is 50 watt per speaker, but the 3 way 6-3/4" speaker is 180 watt max, the 2 way 6-3/4" speaker is 100 watt max, and the 2 way 4" speaker is 100 watt max. I am not one of those people that bursts his eardrum with speakers, but at the same time I don't want really weak speakers.

What about my current speaker wiring? Do I need to be running some new cabling?

Probably a dumb question, but do I need to get a new battery or another battery for the system?

Galuple · 10-07-2009, 01:17 AM

Most head units will only provide ~18 watts RMS per channel. However you still probably want to find speakers that fall in that range.

The wire harness is pretty simple. The stereo when you get it will have some wires behind it. Just match the wire colors together, and use butt crimps or solder or w/e and plug it into the cars cable. You'll be using the car's speaker wiring so you don't need to run new lines

Inuzukakiba2 · 10-07-2009, 01:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Galuple

Most head units will only provide ~18 watts RMS per channel. However you still probably want to find speakers that fall in that range.

The wire harness is pretty simple. The stereo when you get it will have some wires behind it. Just match the wire colors together, and use butt crimps or solder or w/e and plug it into the cars cable. You'll be using the car's speaker wiring so you don't need to run new lines

I made a few corrections and additions. Any speakers you could suggest? Thanks.

Inuzukakiba2 · 10-08-2009, 06:14 PM

Bump, I still have lots of unanswered questions.

PaulD · 10-09-2009, 05:10 PM

which questions are still not answered ...........

Inuzukakiba2 · 10-09-2009, 09:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PaulD

which questions are still not answered ...........

Sorry to not make it clear.

Any speakers you could suggest?

I would really like some suggestions on a HU as well. Thanks

PaulD · 10-10-2009, 08:17 AM

If you don't have a lot of money, look at name brands like Alpine, Kenwwod, etc .. I paid $50/pr for the front 6 1/2's and rear 6X9's for the gf's car. She's happy as a lark with them. Look for sales online or at a local shop.

A headunit with MP3 adapter in that price range may be hard to find, you will just have to start googling. Remember you will need a wiring harness adapter to wire the headunit to the car's wiring harness and will also most likely need a mounting kit for it as well.

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