Car Audio Questions...

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So let me be the first to say, I don't do car audio. All my brothers and several of my friends do...and up 'till now, the stock radio and speaker have been fine.

Well...awhile ago, I spilled some soda down the front of our VW Jetta's radio, which made a few buttons sticky. Today, my wife must have been in a very bad mood, because in a fit of rage, she literally punched the radio. Now it's all sorts of f***ed up. Sometimes the display is upside-down and backwards, sometimes it's just fine, but most of the time only the backlight comes on. The CD player only works 20% of the time too.

Since the car isn't under any warranty anymore, I went out and bought a new radio. It was a choice between an Alpine and a Clarion deck...I ended up getting the Clarion DXZ785USB for $185. Our Jetta has a problem though...it came with a "premium" Monsoon sound system, so I'm going to have to pay more than double what most people pay to get the system installed.

Anyway, there are a few things I have questions about.

#1: About mid-December I'm planning on replacing all the speakers. Our car has four 6.5" speakers and four 1" tweeters...all 8 speakers are in the doors - the main speakers are on the bottom of the doors, while the tweeters are on the top by the dash. From what I understand, if I buy a 2-way or 3-way speaker, the tweeters in my door will have to be disconnected. If that's the case, should I buy a 2-way/3-way speaker, or a "component" speaker set?

#2: I'm thinking of getting Infinity speakers...are those any good?

#3: I'm also thinking about getting a *single* 10" subwoofer. I don't want to be one of those cars that you can hear thumping down the road, but I do want a little extra "bump" in my music. I'm thinking of a Kicker Solo-Baric L5 since my brother has 2 of them, and I like how they sound and look. My question is, what type of enclosure should I get? I listen mainly to heavy metal, but I occasionally listen to some hip-hop, and the wife likes some R&B. So what kind of box is best for both types of music?

#4: I realize the Sub will need its own amp...but should I get another amp for the 4 main speakers? If so, what wattage should each amp be?

Also, what about all the extra junk that the installers always try to push...like 1-2 farad capacitors, power distribution/fuse blocks, bass blockers, special batteries, etc, etc...

 

Whenever dealing with audio or electronics on a car I recommend going to the specialist.

Your deck you purchased is a good brand. It should list the output wattage to the speakers. This is important because most after market deck require higher wattage speakers as the orginal ones are weak

Aftermarket for speakers may need an amp, which most subs require. I prefer compents as they offer the best sound. Most new cars are setup with compents in the front and a single, two or three way speaker in the rear. I would stick with the setup your car has so the speakers look stock, better trade in value down the road.

As for the Sub and the box, talk to the professionals as they will give you great recommendations based on your budget.

Most car batteries can handle a single sub, amp and 6-8 speakers. If you go all out crazy than maybe you should listen to what they recommend. Most installs that have a sub and amp will require new wiring to the battery and/or fuse box; this will ground and protect your system/investment.