monqy

ok i'm pretty new to both maxima's and sound systems in general...but i'm learning really quickly and i think i have a pretty decent grasp of things. please bare with me and any help at all would be greatly appreciated.

i just got a used 97 gxe 2 days ago with the bare bones am/fm/cassette receiver and speakers in it. i am looking to replace the HU and all four speakers with new units.

i need to keep the entire thing under 400 dollars though so i can't afford to go all out or even semi-all out. this means no amp, no sub, and that i am going to power all four speakers with just the HU. i'm looking for the cleanest sound possible within my price range and not really concerned with extreme loudness...the amp and the sub might come later on down the road.

what would ya'll recommend for the HU? i'm looking for something definitely under 200. the pioneer deh-1300 or something similar maybe? similar HU's run about 20-23W RMS/45-50W peak...is this going to have adequate power for the speakers?

as for the speakers, i went to crutchfield.com and got a list of speakers that would drop straight into the factory speaker housings...here's what i came up with...

pioneer ts-g1645 $35
ts-1620ii $69
rf frc1206 $49
frc2206 $64.35
jenson ks6520 $57.99
kenwood kfc-1738c $59.95
sony xs-f1721 $65.95
xs-v1631 $71.40
polk ex652a $68.25
infinity kappa 652.1i $89.89

the prices are what i was able to find by lookin around on the net...but they exclude ebay. does anyone know how good any one of these speakers sound when they are powered by just the head unit?

if somebody could give me any information at all in selecting the head unit and the speakers, it would be really helpful. also if anybody has any additional recommendations for speakers that will drop straight in with little/no modification, please let me know. same goes for the HU. thanks.

Micah95GLE

Don't believe any of the HU power ratings. They all put out 12-15 distorted watts. Look for 6.5" coaxials with a high sensitivity rating (90 or higher).

PrinzII

iTrader: (2)

You might be better off with the Infinity or the Polk out of the choices you listed.

monqy

yeah i was kinda leaning towards those two because i have heard good things about them...but i'm concerned that they won't have enough power and sound like crap if i am running them straight from the head unit.

maximadave

iTrader: (10)

Best bang for the buck: Eclipse 54400 and 2 prs of 82641
6" coaxials sound the best for the price. lots better
than sony, pioneer, etc. The cd plyr has a 3yr warranty on
it and a 1yr theft protection policy. Check it out........

Maximadave

KCTYPHOON

well.. ill tell ya this much. stay away from infinty... trust me on this one... if you want my honest opinion if you only have 400 to spend rite now just get a head unit... and later one get two component sets, and then amps and subs... ive had mad systems before, so i can tell ya its alot cheaper to do it rite the first time then to do it 2,3 and 4 times over cause you WILL want to upgrade and you WILL grow tired of havin half assed stuff in your car.. as far as head units... i duuno... i bought the double din jvc and its ok.. but id like somethin else later on.. componets.. diamond audio all the way.. i have two sets.. ran me about 365 for both and ive never had a better componet set.. much better than infinity..diamond audio also make a double 12" box that i seen in a max with only a fosgate 800 pushin it.. the friggin roof was buckeling.. but here are some pics for your veiwing pleasure

monqy

thanks everybody for the input and everything. i really do appreciate it.

maximadave: i had previously checked out the eclipse stuff because i have heard them in action and they kick so much @ss, but i'm afraid they are way out of my price range.

kctyphoon: this is not my car...yet. it was my mistake not to mention this earlier. my dad bought the car so that i can drive it for the summer, but then i have to leave it in plano when i go back to UT Austin in the fall. my dad wants to play cd's in it, and he is mostly concerned about quality and not at all about bass. i want a system that i can live with for the summer, but will still sound pretty good. i'm planning to buy the car from him eventually when i save up enough money...maybe next summer. i would do what you said, but i think that my dad would have a little problem with me blowing all the money solely on a head unit. if i replace just that, then he is stuck with the crap-@ss stock speakers...which are about to give up, might i add.

well...after lookin around a little at best buy and circuit city and on the web, i think that i might go with the pioneer deh-p3300 for the head unit. what do you guys think about it?

as for the speakers, i'm leaning towards the polks based on the 94dB sensitivity rating(thanks micah) and reviews that i have read for it. ya'll have any more suggestions for anything that i should consider?

KCTYPHOON

yeah man.. i got somethin you should consider.. before you decide where to buy from and what your gonna get, i would suggest that you check to see what kinda of warranty the place is gonna offer you on the stuff.. cuase your gonna beat it up, and if it does happen to blow, you should see if they give you new stuff and install it for you, or is they jusy say too bad go scratch ur ***.. i say this cause the diamond audio's i got come with a 3 year waranty.. first time i got the fronts installed the guy told me id be better off not using the crossovers and just a small capacitor. about a month later both tweeters blew.. i went back, got 2 new tweeters and the cross overs installed .. no charge.. about 9 months later, got my car back from a shop, they blew another tweeter. went back to the installer, new one, free of charge.. installed.. you cant beat that kinda servie.. its worth the extra few bucks....