A real rookie looking for advice

So i have never bought/installed any part of a car stereo before in my life not to say that it hasn't been something that has been quite interesting to me I just never persued it and now i have the time and the money to work with but i need some help with the knowledge.

Ok i am real green so i am looking for any advice and some pointers when shopping, what to look for...good from bad.... I was out looking at stuff this weekend and just so many numbers and terms that i am not understanding in the specs sheets for the amps in particular.

So i was browsing through some of the other strands you guys have going here and unless you are all really good at b.s.ing you know what you are talking about so if you could point me in the right direction and clue me in a bit to your world i would love to listen and learn.

Thanks for your time,

Roscoe

Well first off what's the year/make/model/stereo option of your vehicle?  2nd, what exactly are you looking to do?  Do you just want to put a CD player in?  Or were you thinking about replacing speakers instead or in addition to that?

Also if you haven't already, definitely check out the Crutchfield web site.  They've got a LOT of good info about all different kinds of aftermarket equipment, as well as what each spec. means, and what to look for.  Also they will filter out equipment that won't fit your vehicle.

Thanks for the quick responses guys, I got a 93, pontiac, sunbird, and the stereo is an after factory that came with it when i bought it, it is a Pioneer 45w x 4 channel.  And as far as what i am looking to do with the stereo, I am not looking for the loudest stereo on the road, I just love loud music, one of my favorite quotes is from the movie Air Heads,  "If it's too loud, you're too old."  I am just looking to make a loud stereo that sounds golden.  I am not sure it would hurt to put a new head unit in i am not a big fan of the way this one works but... oh and the rear 6x9's are after factory 150w kenwoods and that is all i know about them (they came with the car too).   By the way thanks for the link to Crutchfield that did open up some info, I'll keep reading its good laymens term stuff.

Roscoe

I would recommend upgrading your front speakers next.  Going from factory to aftermarket speakers is usually the easiest way to get significantly better sound.  Once you have all aftermarket equipment, then you start looking at higher-end stuff to make it sound a lil bettter/louder/deeper.

When you say loud, do you mean you want a lot of bass?  Or just the whole thing to be loud?

you already have a nice head unit. what i would suggest is better speakers.  go listen to other brands and see what right for YOU.   when you do listening tests bring YOUR OWN demo music and make sure the stereo DO NOT have the bass, treble, or loudness turned on.   as you play your own music, then you could adjust bass, treble, as necessary.   all your best speakers will sound great with a LITTLE adjustment.

if you didn't want newer speakers but just the bass, you don't need an amp for the front and rear speakers.  you will be surprised how much the bass adds to the volume and quality of what you have.

i've installed for 12 years and your going to get a different opinion from everyone.  so keep in mind, the final decison rests with your ears.  different manufacturers will sound completely different and even sizes and models will sound different.  you can get great sound without spending alot of money.

if you get fatigued from listening to your existing stereo, it's your speakers that need changing out.  making it louder is only going to make your problem worse.

btw, i running nearly 500 watts in my truck with most of the power going to two 8 inch subs.  even driving 13 hours from denver to phoenix, with high music levels, not once was i fatigued by the stereo.

loud is very nice, but clean, clear sound is far better.

another question what does the two way or three way refer too on speakers.

and how do channels work on an amp more channels, more speakers can be wired to it?? or more channels allows you to group your speakers differently (i.e. subs on one channel, front and rear on another)?? or have i missed it all together

two-way means that the speaker has a tweeter that is mounted with the woofer.

three-way means that the speaker has a midrange driver, and tweeter that is mounted with the woofer.

just because a speaker has more drivers - 3 instead of 2, doesn't mean it sounds better.  it could handle more power from an amp but that's about it.

if you ever check into the better sounding speakers, a 2 way sounds better 95-99% of the time.

with seperates, it just means the tweeter is mounted seperately from the woofer.  by mounting the tweeter higher in the dash or door could give you better sound.   i said COULD because, if you mount the tweeter too far away from the woofer, your ears will hear the highs coming from one place and your woofer from another place.  that's what i call a 'detached' sound.  with seperates, there is always experimenting on placements on what will work best.

now with the question on channels, your second answer is correct.

usually one pair of speakers will go with one pair of channels (left and right).  when you bridge an amp, it 'combines' (term used loosely) the two channels into one.  it gives you more power but doesn't give you stereo playback.

as i said before "you will be surprised how much the bass adds to the volume and quality of what you have".

try listening to a car in which the subs can be turned off.  listen to the sound system with the bass off, then with the bass on.

the bass adds alot more presence to the music, but it also should not be 'one note - boom,boom only'.

here's what other people have said also:

https://www.the12volt.com/installbay/forum_posts.asp?tid=15001&PN=0&tpn=1

if you've got any more questions, post it here and i'll get back to you.  later.