first off, i'm new at this car audio thing. i just bought a 2003 maxima se w/sunroof. didn't get the titanium package cuz i thougth the bose sucked. i would now like to upgrade the stereo system. to begin with i figure i would get an amp and sub. is it also necessary to change the speakers and the stereo itself or are those ok? i mainly listen to hard music like rock, rap and techno so i would like some bass.

 

This is more something to post in the audio forum, but if you play harder music you'll want new speakers to start, then move to new amps and HU if you have the coin. Eventually you'll have nothing left of the factory crap and happiness follows shortly thereafter

 

You are definitely going to need an amp to power the Sub. If you plan on upgrading the front and rear deck speakers later on, I suggest a separate amp to power those also.

 

buy the headunit first. that will improve your peak distortion level, also get clearer sound due to better signal/noise ratio. and from there you can start upgrading piece by piece.

 

NUFF SAID (ALSO THE PRICE YOU PAY REFLECTS THE PRODUCT YOU GET)

 

whoops sorry didn't see the audio forum.

hmmm i was actually thinking about replacing the head unit last since my priority is bass...i was thinking sub&am, speakers and then head unit in that order.

 

I don't like the look of aftermarket decks, so I swapped out all of my speakers (including tweeters) and added a 12" sub. Sounds awesome. It's definitely not an IASCA SQ winner or anything, but it gets the job done.

 

I like the look of stock too so I have an aftermarket deck behind the stock face. Can use the remote right through it and no one's knows it isn't stock unless I reveal the goodness beneath. More fun to be retarded anyway

 

Your website is amazing! But it doesn't show any pics. Do you have any? Also, how do you access the CD's? Or do you need to get a changer?

 

i like the stelath look of the stock non-bose hu, but i have my amp hooked up to it powering my 2 10's, and on certain songs if i put it on volume 19 it completey stops sound. however, it is still on, you can cnahge the bass, treble, etc, and you can change stations and volume, but their is still no sound. its the weirdest thing. but once i start the car again it plays fine. so eventually im gonna have to buy an aftermarket hu. my dealer cliams thr amp is drawing too much power but i said then why doesnt just the subs stop playing, and the mids and highs keep playing. he had no response but to go and buy an aftermarket hu.

 

Thanks, I'm making a custom one for my ride as we speak, something with some flava. Taking some new pics this weekend, I'll post em for you guys on Sunday after a little polish/wax/caliper paint.

To access the cds I pull the face off at the moment, I'm working on a motorized system to actuate it up, may be more trouble than it's worth though

Here's a pic I have here at the office. The vinyl looks better than in the pic, but I'm going full fiberglass next month.

http://www.selfactualized.com/seats/stealth1.jpg

 

What a great idea. You should post some how to's / pics. Looks great!

 

The how to for the vinyl version is pretty simple. It's just some added holes in the stock metal bracket and the deck mounted further back on the bracket, the stage 2 version I'm working on means grinding down the bracket carefully, fiberglassing a front fascia, then reinstalling the unit. Getting the IR to go through the stock face is pretty easy depending on your HU. Mine will sense in the middle so I took off the cassette swing door and you can see the EQ bouncing at night. I love that and the remote works fine. I'll post some build pics so you can see the mess I make with all this stuff