Alright, so I am going to buy a new headunit and speakers for my truck. A few people have told me to go for Pioneer and someone else said Sony, but I wanted to know what you all thought was your favorite. I want to put some good money into them but not a fortune because I'll be upgrading trucks in a few years.

Thanks!

 

I got some Kicker door speakers for all four doors from Best Buy a year ago and have been very happy with them. I run them with a 12" sub in a sealed box under my rear seat. Once I tuned the subs and speakers together, I get zero distortion and a very good sound. I believe this is the speaker, don't remember though:

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Kicker+-...&skuId=1671453

 

That sounds great I am will be looking into those

 

Buying aftermarket speakers to run off a head unit without an amp is pointless.
You're stock ones require less RMS than aftermarket.
Aftermarket speakers require 50-120 rms. Headunits put out 15-25 rms.
Do not go with Sony.

 

x2. I have used two versions of Power Acoustik's Inteq system and I haven't regretted it. I've also upgraded my speakers and while they sound better even with the stock radio, they definitely need to be amplified. Lucky for me, I have one waiting to go in.

 

I did replace my head unit with a JVC at the same time. Sorry if I didn't mention that.

 

I've been happy with my JVC head unit - and I'm using the stock external amp. The JVC has enough voltage on the low level side to drive the external amp. I replaced my stock speakers with Rockford Fosgate Prime series (6x8) all around. In retrospect, I should have gone with bigger rear speakers, as there was plenty of room for adapter plates and the like. The doors give you no choice but 6x8's (as I didn't want to mod the door frame or covers. iPod controls on the JVC work well, and allow me to adjust the color to match the blue LEDs I've put everywhere in the cabin.

 

I went with Focal K2's in the front (Probably not a good choice for you). But the Alpine type R 6x8's are a good investment if you amp them.

A decent four channel amp would only run you about 125-175 on crutchfield and would give you exponentially better SQ.

JVC, Pioneer, Alpine, Clarion, Kenwood, all make good headunits. Just find one with the functions you like. Just make sure it has 6-channel pre-outs so you can expand your system if you decided to later on down the road.

 

My JVC head unit pushes my JVC 4-way 6x8's really well. I dont use them for bass, as I have a Rockford 10 behind my seat for that, they work very well for mids and highs. I get lots of volume with very little distortion.

 

I've had the same Sony usb head unit for the past 4.5 years in 6 or 7 of my cars and absolutely love it. I know the older ones were pretty crappy but every company has its problems during certain models. I know people that swear by Pioneer but I've seen plenty of them (and other brands) where buttons fade and peel, ***** fall off, etc. Honestly, go to Crutchfield.com and do some research, find a unit that fits what you need. Here's the newest version of what I have:
http://www.crutchfield.com/p_158GT70...D.html?tp=5684

As far as speakers go, aftermarket does not "require" a certain amount of power, they can handle a larger amount of RMS and peak power. Yes, depending the head unit's power rating and your factory speakers you could get away with good sound from them. Personally, I have always had better luck with aftermarket speakers mated to an aftermarket unit over stock. Going with an amp can have it's advantages too but requires more tuning, money, time, etc.

The real question is cost and what level of sound quality you want out of it. Just don't expect miracles from stock speakers without a head unit that has lots of tuning capabilities...