Sound Questions
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Senior Member
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 2,881
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From: Huntsville, AL
Vehicle: 2001/Hyundai/Tiburon
I'm looking to upgrade my sound system, but wanted some advice first. I really don't want to spend much at all (I know, get what you pay for...), and I don't want an all out system (subs, amps, blah blah blah)
I've researched, searched and read for the last couple hours, and found some terrific information, but still have a few more questions, particularly on some specifics.
Head Unit:
Found a feature where you can put a USB drive in it, and I really want to get one like that!! First saw it on the Boss HU, but then looked and found it on a Kenwood and a JVC. I'll probably end up getting one of those 3, but which should I get? I've heard Boss isn't the greatest, but has USB and SD card; Kenwood has the USB port in back (??) but is quite reliable; and the JVC is a little pricey, but has the USB in front. Color matters a little bit, I have an all blue interior and want to continue that; Boss and Kenwood is mostly blue, but JVC is a bit more red. I've heard that people put in something like a 30gb USB hard drive and it takes about 2 minutes to index the files. Would that occur if I just put in my 2gb jumpdrive?
Here's the links to the 3 of them that I'm thinking about:
Boss
Kenwood
JVC
Thoughts?
Speakers:
Still in the research stage on these, and again, I really don't want to spend much at all. Just enough to get decent quality and a bit of power, but nothing to raise the roof.
I was looking at the Boss ones, they have a nice looking set, but again, I wonder about quality. However, the price is unbeatable: Boss 6.5in Boss 6x9in
I think I would prefer JL or something a little more quality, but the price goes up so quickly. Would these above speakers put out enough for me?
Power:
For powering aftermarket speakers, since I don't want a bunch of power, can I simply wire them to the stock wiring that I have? I don't have to get any other auxiliary power (amp, caps, etc) if I just want to keep it simple, right? If the power on an aftermarket HU is 4x50watts, and the speakers are rated up to like 250 watts, I won't have any problem, will I? Sure, I wouldn't be making the use out of all the power in the speakers, but I don't mind that.
Basically, is replacing stock speakers with aftermarket ones a simple plug-and-play job or is there more to it?
I I upgraded my HU and kept stock speakers, would that do much for the sound quality? Vice versa: if I upgraded my speakers without the HU, would that do a thing?
Wow, that's a lot of questions, sorry!
I've researched, searched and read for the last couple hours, and found some terrific information, but still have a few more questions, particularly on some specifics.
Head Unit:
Found a feature where you can put a USB drive in it, and I really want to get one like that!! First saw it on the Boss HU, but then looked and found it on a Kenwood and a JVC. I'll probably end up getting one of those 3, but which should I get? I've heard Boss isn't the greatest, but has USB and SD card; Kenwood has the USB port in back (??) but is quite reliable; and the JVC is a little pricey, but has the USB in front. Color matters a little bit, I have an all blue interior and want to continue that; Boss and Kenwood is mostly blue, but JVC is a bit more red. I've heard that people put in something like a 30gb USB hard drive and it takes about 2 minutes to index the files. Would that occur if I just put in my 2gb jumpdrive?
Here's the links to the 3 of them that I'm thinking about:
Boss
Kenwood
JVC
Thoughts?
Speakers:
Still in the research stage on these, and again, I really don't want to spend much at all. Just enough to get decent quality and a bit of power, but nothing to raise the roof.
I was looking at the Boss ones, they have a nice looking set, but again, I wonder about quality. However, the price is unbeatable: Boss 6.5in Boss 6x9in
I think I would prefer JL or something a little more quality, but the price goes up so quickly. Would these above speakers put out enough for me?
Power:
For powering aftermarket speakers, since I don't want a bunch of power, can I simply wire them to the stock wiring that I have? I don't have to get any other auxiliary power (amp, caps, etc) if I just want to keep it simple, right? If the power on an aftermarket HU is 4x50watts, and the speakers are rated up to like 250 watts, I won't have any problem, will I? Sure, I wouldn't be making the use out of all the power in the speakers, but I don't mind that.
Basically, is replacing stock speakers with aftermarket ones a simple plug-and-play job or is there more to it?
I I upgraded my HU and kept stock speakers, would that do much for the sound quality? Vice versa: if I upgraded my speakers without the HU, would that do a thing?
Wow, that's a lot of questions, sorry!
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Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 11,732
Likes: 5
From: Leesville, Louisiana
Vehicle: 2001 Hyundai Tiburon
Usually the indexing is just for ID3 tags. dont put 2 gigs of music on there and it won't take forever to index. The flash drive concept is so you can download some music at home and take it with you really quick. I have a SDcard reader in my deck. I have 2 cards i rotate, one in the car and one in the house. I don't keep much music on them, i just listen to new stuff. Once in a while I transfer all of my music to my iPod. My deck has touchscreen iPod access. I am really fond of my setup.
The JENSEN VM9021TS (my deck) needs a better audio processor, like a crossover or external amp.
I can't tell you much about the best speaker out there. But yes, they should be able to hook up pretty easily. If you can't get one that has the stock hookups, you should be able to pull the connectors out of the jack and use them seperately.
Speakers have RMS power ratings as well as impedance ratings. You need to match those up. RMS = root mean square and it is where the speaker was designed to run optimally. If you run a speaker higher then RMS it will not sound right, lower is fine. Impedance must be matched up or it will not sound right at all. Max power is where your speaker will blow up. 4x50RMS = 50WRMS each speaker.
You need to look at RMS as the value you should use to choose your components and ohms is what will make them work right. Max is just for flappin' your dick around and saying i got a 1400W max speaker!!!!
How big is yours?
The JENSEN VM9021TS (my deck) needs a better audio processor, like a crossover or external amp.
I can't tell you much about the best speaker out there. But yes, they should be able to hook up pretty easily. If you can't get one that has the stock hookups, you should be able to pull the connectors out of the jack and use them seperately.
Speakers have RMS power ratings as well as impedance ratings. You need to match those up. RMS = root mean square and it is where the speaker was designed to run optimally. If you run a speaker higher then RMS it will not sound right, lower is fine. Impedance must be matched up or it will not sound right at all. Max power is where your speaker will blow up. 4x50RMS = 50WRMS each speaker.
You need to look at RMS as the value you should use to choose your components and ohms is what will make them work right. Max is just for flappin' your dick around and saying i got a 1400W max speaker!!!!
How big is yours?