hintsas

Well this is only the millionth thread like this but I figure I might as well give it a try as well.

I'm going to be updating the audio in my 2011 Scab in the next couple of months. I've been reading threads and doing a bit of research lately on what I want. I will need quite a bit of help/direction from everyone for the end product and what exactly I will need.

I need some help deciding on basically all of it and I would like suggestions on everything, recommendations for what will work better etc etc.

I'm not very informed when it comes to audio, car audio or anything else related so feel free to correct anything you see wrong along the way. My budget (or lack of one) kinda reflects this as I'm not totally sure what it is. I'm sure i'm overlooking some things that are necessary so it's hard to set a hard number for a budget that I cant go over. If i could do it for under $2000 great! If it's only going to cost $1200 for what i want, even better! I'm young and I have a good job, so cost isn't a huge make or break in this system.

My Truck- 2011 F150 XLT -no sirius, no navigation.

HU
-Ultimately I would really like to keep the stock HU and work with that.
There are a few reasons for this:
1. Keeping the factory look greatly reduces my chances of getting broken into. Not that I live in a bad area, but it could happen.
2. I really like having sync along with the steering wheel controls etc. I know you can get a hu with bluetooth and handsfree etc, but I already have it and it works well for me so why change it for something else that probably wont work as well?
- I know there are adapters to keep my steering controls and sync so if i were to go aftermarket it would have to be in a way that SYNC and my steering wheel controls worked exactly as they do now. But this is something that will probably end up costing more money and it's not something that i really want that much so why do it? Only reason I could see is that i'm missing something and that the sound quality is going to be so much better going aftermarket that it would be a mistake not to.

I am not totally opposed to getting something aftermarket but again i want to keep my sync and steering wheels controls as they are. If i did go for a new HU i would probably consider something along the lines of these:

Kenwood ddx418
Pioneer AVH-P4300DVD
-open to other suggestions.

Navigation is not that big of a deal to me and is something I would probably only end up using a few times per year. It seems that having the Nav feature really increases the price of the units that i've looked at so Nav is probably out as i just dont need it or really care to have it that much. Again, if i'm missing something here and it really isnt that much more expensive i'll listen.

If i dont go aftermarket with the HU i believe that means i will need something like a JL audio cleansweep or an AudioControl lc61. Are there other alternatives? Do i not even need this at all? I'd really like to not have to install additional volume **** on the dash etc, I'm not sure if I have to or not.


Speakers

Components up front--I already have a set of polk db571's that are in the front doors that I will move to the rear doors for the end product so I dont need to purchase rear speakers.

-ones I've seen people suggest around here and elsewhere:
- Polk db5251
- Polk MM5251
- Infinity Kappa 680.9cs
- I'm open to any other suggestions, from what i've looked at i can presumably get something very nice for under $300.
- know of a pair that will sound better than any of these choices? lets hear it.

Subwoofer

When it comes to subs and such i'm pretty much lost so really i'll take suggestions here. What I want for sure is something that will fit under my backseat (or anywhere else that wont take up seating/storage spaces.) Remember, we're working with a 2011 SuperCab.

I was thinking one 10" sub. Will that be enough? Should I go with two 8"s? two 10's? what do you think? I think that one 10" should be enough for me, but hey you can talk me out of it if you want.

From looking around it looks like there are tons of subs for around $100 or less but again i'm not quite sure if those are nice or not. I wouldnt be apposed to spending more, but if it's not necessary then lets save the money.

-maybe i'm way off base here, maybe you can't get anything with any quality for less than $200, $300, that's fine too.


AMP

Pretty lost here, although from the looks of it this will be the most expensive of all the purchases.. Will I need just one 5-channel amp? Will i need two seperate amps? (a mono for the sub and then another 4-channel to power the speakers? )


I tried to be pretty thorough but i'm sure I left something out or am completely missing something.

-Finally i know everyone will probably argue with this but i'm going to get it professionally installed somewhere. You dont need to take this into consideration when dealing with prices/budget. It'll just be an additional cost in the end. I have no experience with this and have no intentions of taking my truck apart on my own with absolutely no experience. I just dont want to do this and would feel much much better getting it professionally installed. Only way you could probably talk me out of it is if you are willing to donate me a Saturday of your time and services

Bug Bunny

Well, I'm definitely inexperienced but I'll tell ya what I'm doing in my build and you can kinda compare. For me, losing as little underseat storage as possible was paramount. In fact, I desperately wanted to not do a sub but I got enough opinions that I bit the bullet. Here's what I'm doing. . . . .

Infinity Kappa 680.9cs for the front doors
Infinity Kappa 682.9cf for the back doors. . . I liked the infinity for the fit because no adaptor plates are encessary so the most speaker for the space allowed. . . .
4 gauge amp wiring kit from Crutchfield
MTX Thunderform 10" sub
JL Audio XD700/5 amp
PAC Adaptor so I can keep factory HU which was important as well.

Have the amp and PAC, all other components will be here this week. I'm going to install before deciding whether to do a digital line convertor. I bought the amp from a fellow member, sub from sonic electronix (who price matched so got the sub for $259) and rest from Crutchfield. Buying from an authorized dealer was important to me in case of future warranty issues, however, on these particular speakers, Crutchfield was actually pretty competitive.

Total for what I have (all bought new except amp) is still well under $1000. Looking at $200 for the install so I'm going to be just over $1000 total and I think I'll be happy as my goals was to be the least intrusive, and as close to stock looking as possible.

Hope this gives you a good starting point!!!!

Also, if you are wanting higher end for the sub in a great looking enclosure, look at the JL Audio Stealthbox. A bit pricey but everyone seems to LOVE them!!!

hintsas

Thank you for the input and recommendation on the sub. I will check that one out... I take it that Pac adapter is something similar to the cleansweep? Something that allows u to upgrade while keeping the factory hu.

chris_bryan_89

I would say that you should be just fine with a single 10" but ultimately it's your preference on how much bump you want. If you're looking at shallows I would recommend taking a look at the memphis sclass subs. Arguably the best performing shallows available and play clean... and loud. I would also recommend looking at Alpine SPR series speakers. Affordable and amazing. The Kappas are nice but a little bit too bright for my taste, and the I like the alpines because they are much more of a natural sound. But like I said it's all personal preference and what kinda sound you are after because all speakers and amps are gonna sound different, but those would be some of my recommendations. Let us know what you decide on, and good luck

hintsas

Thanks for reading my long post and for the recommendations. It helps a lot hearing what others like as I don't have any experience yet.. I'll look over all the recommendations and see what I think.. I'm more or less looking for reassurance on the one sub thing as that's all I think I'll need too so it's good to hear from others that one will be enough

Tallyman89

He is referencing the PAC AOEM FRD24. It is a line out converter and a simple PNP install. I too have the factory HU. Installed the PAC for input to my sub. I went the Polk MM6501 front door and Polk db571 for rears. No amp to door speakers at this time. So far I am happy with the sound. Like was said earlier, how much sub is personal taste. I have a single 10" and it is plenty for me.

Bug Bunny

If you are concerned one 10" will be enough, I think the JL Stealthbox is like one 13" sub. Like I said, pricey but I've not seen a single person who is disappointed with it!!!

raduque

This is why I would never put Infinity speakers in any of my vehicles. The highs are very harsh on me, as my ears are sensitive to high-frequency noises. It could probably be EQ'd out, but I'd rather have as flat an EQ curve as possible and let the speakers play how they're meant to sound.

You'd really have to listen to the speakers to see if they have the sound you like.

KingRanch4Life

iTrader: (2)

Car tunes in Atlanta charged me $680 to install my pioneer navigation... Then it was 40 per door speaker.. I'm sure they saw me coming and took advantage but navi's cost a lot of money to install when there is nothing special to do besides finding a spot for the gps puck..

chris_bryan_89

Agreed. If you can go to a local shop and have a listen to some speakers that would be the best bet. I would also encourage you to listen to the kappas before you purchase because of the fact that their highs are a bit harsh. Some people like them but most don't, so you may wanna double check before you commit.