Amp, head unit suggestion

first of all, i'm new here, so hello. :)

secondly:

warning: i'm gonna mention audiobahn and boss, but please bear with me.

i'm getting ready to do my first install. this is my third system, but i'm tired of having other people do it and i really want to learn, so i'm doing it myself from scratch this time.

don't laugh, please, but i'm about to install a boss head unit and and audiobahn amp. why? for one, this is my first try so if i blow either, so what? secondly, the head unit i got for a few bucks because it was repaired (and a piece of crap really...) but don't pray for me yet, it is just a placeholder. what i want to know is what would be a suitable replacement for this head unit? the only requirement i have is that it be double din. that is also the third reason i reluctantly bought this unit, it was one of few double din's i could find and again it was only a few bucks.

i'm installing in a 1990 caddy deville, and a single din would look a bit tacky. i don't want a pioneer organic elcrappo display in my caddy, i want a nice, classy looking unit.

now, i'm more than willing to sacrifice cosmetics for quality sound, but i'd like to at least keep it pleasant on the eyes. this is a beautiful car, i want a beautiful system too. i've owned a sony xplod head unit (i was 16, first car, 50wx4 cool! you get the idea), a pioneer organic thingy (again, 17 and chicks dig the dolphins...), and when i got a little older, i got an alpine (22 if anyone is wondering). the alpine was pretty nice, but pretty pricey. i think it retailed at $550 - CDA 983somethingorother. i can handle paying for quality, but i want to ensure i get my money's worth.

that is all the experience i have, which is basically nothing of quality. all i know is stay away from xplod's. what would be a good unit to go with for a nice system? do i pretty much need to abandon the double din stance or can i find a quality unit of that size? car audio companies seem to cater to those ricers who like shiny stuff instead of good sounding stuff, so i'm struggling to weed through the crap and find that diamond in the rough so to speak.

on to the amp. i bought an audiobahn because it was rated at about the same rms per channel as my subs are, and it was $100 bucks. this was a few weeks ago before i heavily researched the issue (apparently i spend more time researching audiobahn amps than audiobahn does) and its unreturnable. so now its a placeholder until i get a real amp. a lab rat if you will while i learn to install without destroying components. anyway, i'm wanting to run 3 12" Kove KLD series II subs, rated at 250 rms each. i believe they are 6 ohm dvc. i've had these at 2 ohms before, and they sounded as good as you can get with a sony amp (please, stop laughing). so, i assumed i was set on subs (should i buy new subs too? I'm kind of fond of these, but i'm a newbie).

i'm not looking to shatter windows, but i want it loud enough to really get me into the music and also to keep me awake on the trek to work every day. will these subs be enough? if so, what kind of amp should i run? i was looking at phoenix gold, but i'm really not sure.

i've got infinity perfect components and a set of infinity reference 9063i's and i'm very happy with them. i'd like to get a smaller amp that can handle them but not destroy them. in the past i've run a crossfire vr302 to them (300w, not sure on any other specs) and i've also had a 300w mtx thunder amp on different components. both did the trick well enough for me. should i just get a similar amp or does it get better without spending tons more? the mtx thunder i had was old school, probably can't find any more of that model :(

my budget is pretty much unlimited, but i'm not looking to compete or impress anyone, i just want a great sounding stereo because i love great sounding music. i don't need 2000w and 15" subs.

any help would be greatly appreciated, and please forgive me for what i am about to install... even if they are just place holders, i feel dirty.

Look at Nakamichi decks, very classy.  You can use a Metra kit to install it in the dash.  And the PG Tantrum amp would be a good choice.  Now, your next post...500 words or less!

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Build the box so that it performs well in the worst case scenario and, in return, it will reward you at all times.

Nakamichi won't dissapoint you. I had an "all-Alpine system", including my door speakers and sub and sub box even. I wont say it was terrible, but let me say I was not satisfied and could not enjoy the music when listening to it for hours without getting a headache. I now have changed everything in my car. (I don't have a single Alpine device anymore). Focal sub, self made box, Nakamichi HU, Nakamichi Amp, Nakamichi Sub amp and RF door speakers. I just sent back my HU because it came in defective (minor defect) but the sound did please me quite a bit! So yes, Nakamichi decks are some great sounding equipment and you wont be dissapointed. I dont work for that company but I can proudly say go for it.

If you're loaded i hear good things about a brand called McIntosh. https://www.mcintoshlabs.com/. also theres a brand called Celestra thats supposed to be right up there with those guys  https://www.celestra.it/eng/products.html.  But good luck finding dealers i hear these decks are pretty rare. 

hey guys, thanks alot for those suggestions! i looked into the nakamichi head unit and its exactly what i'm looking for! i'll check into the other suggestions as well. are the nakamichi amps as good as the head units seem to be?

It sound like you are interested in sound quality with some power behind it.  My first comment is that you don't need 3 12" woofers to do this.  They will be just fine.  Many members, myself included, just run a single woofer and have systems that are plenty loud. 

You can find a lot of quality 4 channel amps online. 

Nakamichi, Eclipse, Diamond, Memphis, Arc, Xtant, Alpine, Zapco, Audison, Linear Power, etc. are examples of quality amp brands that you could take a look at. 

Your Perfect components will really come alive with a quality amp behind them.  You don't need to kill them with power to make them sound good and very loud.  50-100w will do just fine.  If money dictates your upgrade path, I would put a quality amp on your mids and highs (the majority of your music) before replacing the subs.

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New Project: 2003 Pathfinder

Nakamichi is an excellent choice. If you want a little more flash without sacrificing too much quality check out Eclipse's high end stuff. For amps I too like Phoenix Gold's stuff, and if you want to go with them and price is not an object, go with the Titanium line of amps. Do not buy anything below the Tantrum line. Although if money were no object to me I would go with Xtant, Zapco, or Nak.  But have you seen the Soundstream Human Reign series? go to https://www.soundstream.com/sub/products_amps_human.html and check it out. Cool stuff with killer sound to back it up - for those who truly mean price is not an object (retails around $2300) 

As far as subs- I'd stick with what you've already got. Kove makes some really good stuff. You can hold your head up with those. Maybe you could build yourself a new enclosure to optimize them if the old one wasn't custom made to the speaker...

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You'd better get me out of this lord... or else you'll have me to deal with. -- Hunter S. Thompson "F.A.L.I.L.V."

 

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You'd better get me out of this lord... or else you'll have me to deal with. -- Hunter S. Thompson "F.A.L.I.L.V."

oops

thanks for the suggestions guys. i bought a nakamichi cd400, should be here soon! im thinking about all nakamichi, do they make equally good components/amps/subs?

I love Nak amps and Decks but the speakers have never really impressed me to much. I kinda view them as the same thing Harmon/Kardon did for home stereo. They made speakers just so someone could buy a complete HK home stereo for the people who believe everything must match to keep the universe alligned. For speakers I think your infinities are perfectly fine, esspecially if you throw an amp behind them, I also think your subs would be more than suffcient. Why dont you buy a Nak deck and a pair of Nak amps and hook them up to what you have. If you are happy with the sound than stop spending money. If you want something better than I can suggest looking at Focal speakers, Boston Pro's, Boston Z series, Diamond Audio or MB Quart. Those are just a few of MY PERSONAL PREFERENCES, they may not be to your likeing but most people kind find at least one set of speakers off that list that are apealing to their ears. For Sub woofers, there a ton of subs made by those same companies that would be good, I would also add in MTX, higher end Pheniox Gold and from what I understand Adire although I have never actually heard them before but Stephan is on here and is very knowleadgeable about them.

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double-secret reverse-osmosis speaker-cone-induced high-level interference distortion, Its a killer