Car Audio Newbee

I dabbled too much in car audio when i was younger...3 different cars and a boat...hindsight being 20/20 as they say...I wish i had found home audio sooner cause the car stereo stuff sure was a waste of money.

now the question is...how high end do you want to go...i have had Sony, JVC, Alpine Denon & Nakamichi head units...for me...the Denon was the best...the Alpine was in an 18 foot boat and had no problems skipping...the Nak...well...they just aren't what they used to be.

amps I have had were from Nakamichi (good sound but problematic) Soundstream (Also good) Rockford Fosgate

speakers...Infinity, Boston Accoustic, Soundstream, Nakamichi, Polk Audio etc etc

you can go overboard in car audio just as you can with home audio.

My best advice here...keep it simple...4 channel amp run in 3 channel mode...2 channels for the mids & highs and one bridged channel for a 10" sub...don't drive yourself crazy either...that is what Audiogon is for. ;o)

Just a note about speakers. My favorites were Focals(expensive JMLABS) and MBQuart. Component(separate tweet and mid) give you quality and flexibility usually. They even make tube amps for cars--Butler Audio. Infinity seemed too tame to me. Boston Acoutics were etched. Of course any speakers are definitely personal preference. Heard good things about Pioneer Premier line as far as electronics go. Also Eclipse. Good luck Dan

I can also vouch for the Focal & MBQuart speakers as many of my friends had them...the Bostons I had in my boat were the Pro Series (seperate mid/tweet)...and I have also had their plate speakers in another car...their high end stuff definitely sounded better than the plates which as Dlr states were etched. My infinity's...that was just in the beginning and as Dlr also says...too tame. The Polks were by far the worst to my ears...OUCH!

this was also all 8+ years ago...so my answers may be completely outdated.

Hey just get the new tube player from Panasonic, and then throw in the Eminent Technology car speakers and your new listening room will be your garage lol!
I just pray your sweet spot isnt on top the gear shift, can I get an ouuuuuuuuuch brutha?

Chad...you're one funny mo fo