4runner4lyfe

Hey people. couple of questions.

I need to totally replace my sound system. I was thinking of going completely Rockford. With a Rockford Headunit, Rockford component speakers, and Rockford subs, Rockford Amps, and possibly Rockford 6x9's.

What I need to know is, well would that be a nice setup, with all rockford stuff?

And, where can I get a good component system to replace ALL my stock speakers (It does not have to be Rockford, but it would be nice)


Thanks
Kyle

Bumpin' Yota

Rockford stuff is ok IF you can get it for cheap. Otherwise, it is grossly overpriced and personally, I'd avoid it. (Cheap meaning dealer pricing which is 1/2 - 1/3 of what it's listed for in crutchfield.) Crutchfield also likes to butt rape you on price as well.

Ebay is your best friend, but be PICKY and be patient for the correct seller to come along.

Personally I'd opt for a set of Orion HCCA 6s or A/D/S/ 336i, or Focal Utopias, or ID Chamelions, or MB Quart Qs, or CDT's top of the line in that order. Power them up with a separate amp whatever you do and run a MINIMUM of 100watts a side to the components.

As far as subs, unless you get the Power HX2's or Team RF (very very limited) I'd look elsewhere. Even though Alan Riley is tearing up the spl world in ss5-8 with rockford, DD (Digital Designs) STILL has more wins and world records across the board than any other sub manufacturer. I have a set of 9515s and a set of 9915 (very very limited) I can say with confidence you CAN'T kill a 9515 even with a wall socket. You simply can't go wrong with ANY of their subs. www.ddaudio.com They are also 100% made in the USA (Oklahoma to be exact.)

Steve

OneTrickToy

NO NO NO NO NO!

Hope you can understand that..... NO!

Rockford's quality has gone downhill since they were bought out or something like that. They used to be hand built very high quality... now they are quite cheap. You want the best? Here's a good recipe.

Nakamichi head unit
MB Quart mids(front) really clean sound
Eclipse mids(back) really good mid bass
Audiobhan mids amplifier
JL W7 sub(s)
JL 1000/1 amp

Or substitute with
Eclipse sub(s) and amp.

Of course that will be on the high end side.

For more budget.....
Pioneer deck with 3 preouts
Audiobahn mids amp
Boston Acoustics mids
JL W6 sub(s)
JL 500/1 amp

4runner4lyfe

well..see heres the thing.

im 15 and no job as of yet, but i am however willing to save because i know if i buy the best the first time, i wont regret it later.

so no rockford stuff? the only kind of speakers ive found htough that replace the stock 4 in speakers in my dash are rockfords.

4runner4lyfe

what about mostly audiobahn stuff? first off im looking to replace my stock speakers..less chance of those getting stolen when compared to a headunt or subs..

Los Gatos?

Rockford is a little pricey, you can get better stuff for less money. There's no advantage to having everything from one brand. If you really want a "one brand" system, get Alpine. They make (arguably) the best headunits in the world. Their subs (type R) are very nice, their component speakers (type R) are very nice as well. Their amplifiers are decent. I say get all Alpine if you want just one brand.

OneTrickToy

I have to disagree. I went and did some listening last week to different brands... and Alpines mids were not too good. Very disappointing. As for all the same brand.... I think the best quality in all areas, would have to be Eclipse. I really like their new rotary nobs. Soft rubber grip feels very comfortable.

If you are worried about everything getting stolen.... then you might be best off buying an alarm first. I personally bought the alarm last, just barely saving my stereo. I had come out to my car to find the locks screwed with. Luckily they didn't get my system. Buy a Sidewinder alarm(same company that makes Viper), and install it yourself. Definately not easy to install, but doable, and will save you at least a $100. BTW, I'll walk you through any areas that you have questions.

As for your stereo.....
Start out with a Pioneer deck. Good power, lots of controls, won't break the bank. As for speakers, pioneer makes some decent ones. I just put some temporary 6x9's in my truck(pioneer) until I get my sub box and my custom door skins built. They sound pretty good. I am totally impressed. I truly couldn't have gotten better speakers for the money($100).

You could probably get away with just a new deck and 6x9's for awhile. For a split second I contemplated selling my subs and just keeping the 6x9's. But then I realized I'd rather have a loud system than an extra $1,000 in my pocket. I'm a really big audiophile.

Anyways, hope that helps.....

Los Gatos?

It's all about the install. I don't know where you listened to this alpine stuff, but install is the most important part of any system. If you listened to it in store then you have no idea what it sounds like in car. I'm not saying you're wrong, I'm just saying until you hear it in a 4Runner you don't know what it's going to sound like. There are many factors in how something sounds.

Andrey

I would recommend to stay away from Rockford Fosgate as well. Their stuff is ok, but definitely nothing to write home about.

If you want something that will last you for some time, for deck I would recommend Pioneer or Premier head unit and for speakers go with either Infinity or MB Quart. For amp my personal choice will be Phoenix Gold, Power Acoustic or Auidobahn brand. You absolutely don't have to stay with the same brand for all your audio, mixing different brands provides much better results. Certain companies are the best in decks, but their speakers and amps suck (Pioneer), while other make really good amps and their speakers are just okay (Phoenix Gold). At the same time certain companies just specialize in only product (Infinity), and that's why they know their stuff and make extremely well designed products.

Keep in mind that components mentioned above are some of the best you can get for a decent price, but they will cost you more than average Wal-Mart $10 speaker. So, if you want to get the best and something that will last you for 5-10 years, those components are the ones to get.

-- Andrey

4runner4lyfe

so what i am getting from this thread is. NO ROCKFORD!!!! correct?

also- im also getting this...

Headunit- Pioneer or Eclipse
Mids- Infinity or MB Quart
Amp- Phoenix gold or Audiobahn
Subs- Infinity, MB Quart, or JL


thats helps me out a lot. im working on dressing up the outside right now. over the summer i will hopefully get into the inside,

Bumpin' Yota

I forgot to mention Eclipse. They are my absolute #1 pick in head units. #2 would be pioneer premier 9 series. A VERY distant #3 would be Alpine...I've had two and been very dissapointed in the sq or should I say lack there of....

I got a set of old eclipse 88150.4s (aluminum cone) to a 153.8 db legal, not outlaw, at 38hz in my 4Runner.

Steve

Cebby

Old Rockford=Good, New Rockford=Bad. I have 2 Punch 60 DSM and a Punch 4040 DSM that I've been sitting on waiting for the time to get them into my Runner. These are the good Rockford amps. Everything after the style known as the infamous "waffle-iron" is junk.

As far as electronics, Alpine is still top shelf. Get their higher end stuff though, not the stuff you can buy at Circuit City. I have been using Alpine gear for about 15 years now. NEVER a problem. I used to compete with Alpine stuff also - a testament to the sound quality. The only stuff I like better is Nakamichi. (This is my opinion - no flaming!!)

As far as speakers go, go with a manufacturer that specializes or got their start with speakers IMO. Focal, Dynaudio, Eton for high end $, MB Quart, Boston, Infinity, Polk for mid $. Subs are another animal altogether. I'm not up on the latest subs - I don't have an opinion other than I've heard good things about JL and Image Dynamics (they still around?)

4runner4lyfe

hey..i kinda dont wanna go over $200 for a headunit. $250 is probably my absolute max.

Cebby

What happened to this statement? You won't get much for 200-250 (new). That's just the way it is. Maybe check with some shops that have guys that compete - they are always upgrading to the latest and greatest. You can probably get a good deal on something slightly used, but still a good quality piece. Just a thought.

4runner4lyfe

i opened my wallet :beaver:

trangk

If you want to save some money I'd recommend hitting up Ebay for all of your stereo equipment. If you don't want to spend over 200$ for a headunit, then look into older models like the Eclipse 5303, or the 5504/5506 (or the revised 55040 and 55060). You can pick these headunits up for around 150-250$ now and they are absolutely amazing (I owned a 5504 for a few years before upgrading -- personally I like the older Eclipse stuff better than their current offerings)

For subs, look into Image Dynamics IDQ series. You can pick up a 10" or 12" for less than 100$ on Ebay and they sound great. Mids, you can get good results from Focal Polyglass series for about 150$ (or spend a bit more and get the Polykevlar series).

Zapco's older reference and studio amps (the white ones) as well as older Xtant amps can be found for around 100$ - 250$

Point of all of this is, you can definately get a very kickass system for cheap. Just do some research.

ATC

Hey I just replaced my Alpine headunit, CD changer & amp tonight. If your interested in it let me know. The headunit is the CDM-7871, changer is the CHM-S655RF & the amp is an MRV-100M.

It is all in perfect working oder & I'll sell cheap simply because I don't want it sitting around. I have all the original boxes & papers as well. email or pm if your interested & we can go from there.

Oh yeah I also have an Alpine CDE-7859 that came out of my wife's car after she totaled it.

Todd

Rymin929

I like that Cebby! I would have to agree with almost everyone in this post. Being that I've been in the industry for the past 11 years and have even been part of several Rockford demo vehicle in my time the latest one within the last year. IMO there overall quality has gone way downhill with the changing of there marketing going from smaller shops to every other chain store in the world stratigy. There are even different versions of the same models for many of the different chains.

My personal choice for head units is Alpine, Eclipse, and then Kenwood (Excelon) and yes in that order unless your looking to spend bucks on a monitor/dvd head unit. Depends on what features you want. As far as Mid's and Highs and the amount of money's you have to spend as with everything MB Quart, Eclipse (point source), Diamond Audio, then maybe Focal (still not quite convinced with them yet kinda new to them myself). Amplifiers JL, MTX, Xtant. Subs JL, Eclipse, MTX.

Kinda like Bumpin said Rockford still owns more SPL records than any other company, but there are plenty of other less expensive options than Rockford. Alot of the recommends that Bumpin had for mids and highs (Quart Q's and Focal Utopia's) MSRP is over $1000.00 per pair, granted a Q and Utopia's sound fenominal a set of Hex Diamonds if set up right sound just as good for half that price.

If you do find grey market stuff as with anything make sure the brand(s) your getting are comming from an authorized dealer you can loose out on some really decient warranties if you buy from someone who's not, and if you don't know or if it's in question most companies have a phone # you can call to find out who is an authorized dealer.

Hope's this helps somewhat, it's all JMO

4runner4lyfe

well considerin you've been in the buiz for 11 years, and me..maybe 11 months..i think your probably a pretty reliable source. i may be purchasing ATC's alpine head unit..even if it isnt top's its a hell of alot better than that POS stock toyota one i got now.

thanks
kyle

Los Gatos?

I'd say for headunits....


Alpine, Nakamichi, Pioneer (premier), Eclipse, Clarion (they occasionally have quality control problems, but their units sound great and have nice features!) then everything else behind those....I have a panasonic that I really really like because of the touchscreen.