First of all like John said, your stock headunit cant power anything that can produce bass, so there is no point. You can upgrade the headunit, which will have more power (although not much) which will make your stock speakers run a bit better. Also, the speakers you mentioned, Kappas, Diamonds, Quarts, all require amplifiers, so your 300 dollar budget is impossible. Just get a nice headunit for not. Its pretty much the most bass youll get.

 

For bass, without changing much (keeping stock HU, speakers, etc.) consider a a bazooka sub, or any self powered sub. It's not ideal, but you will get much more for the money as far as bass response than from a better pair of fronts.

http://www.crutchfield.com/S-hHe8ajXRpbF/c...&search=bazooka

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by jwocky
Anything up to $300 or so I guess.

 

it's going to be hard to get bass from that setup...

for that money? i'd swap out the OEM HU for something better. possibly a V-drive Alpine... it's not a whole lot more power, but it's probably the best you're going to get from an HU alone. i suspect even more power to the OEM MY02+ speakers will help a great deal.

next would be a recommendation for a high sensitivity component set... Infinities are generally not the 'bassiest' of speakers. you could try the Focal Access 165A's they are alright, and are fairly high in sensitivity.

but now, w/ the HU, a DCI and the speakers, i've spent over $500.

TR-S2K's suggestion for the Bose sub and Willie's for a bazooka are also both cost effective solutions. you can also consider the Infnity BassLink... but be aware - the Bazooka and BassLink will be awkward fits in the trunk.

 

jwocky,

I was very much like this at one point. Hoped that some new speakers up front would add some nice bass to the stock 02 system. I didn't want to change the HU. I didn't want an amp. I didn't want a sub or rear speakers really either. But everyone in this forum insisted I would need to install many of these things for a real sound change.

They were right.

I've gone piece by piece over the last 2 years upgrading. By no means am I an audiphile (not like some of the guys who have already responded) but I do like my music to sound good.

It will take more than $300 to get good sound, especially bass, in a car like the S2000. It's just not on a level playing field with other cars.

I hate to tell you to raise your budget but you'll be a lot happier with the results. Personally I'd rather spend $600 on something that sounds good than $300 on something that sounds a little better.

If you will be doing the installation yourself you can save some $ there. If you are comfortable with not having any warranty on the things you buy you can save a substantial amount by buying off eBay or from other non-authorized online retailers.

W.

 

Yeah, that seems to be the consensus. Thanks for all the input!

 

If I inserted a 10" sub with an amp in the trunk (which can also drive the front speakers), and then swap out the front speakers, will this be enough to give me a good system, or do I definitely have to swap out the stock headunit?

 

Yes, yes, 1000 times yes.......check it........



Alpine 9827 (2004model) $200 bucks
http://etronics.resultspage.com/display.ph....x=0&image1.y=0


Soundstream EGA2300
150wrms x 2 @ 4ohms
300wrms x 2 @ 2ohms
http://www.millionbuy.com/souega4220.html $130


Infinity Kappa Perfects 6.1
$215 (etronics.com)

or

Infinity CS6000 components
$115 (etronics.com)

Finally, an Infinity Basslink for a little bass (you can get a WLAURENT box and an 8" sub instead)
$210 from etronics.com

Total of.......
$755 with Perfects
$655 with 6000's

I would rather get a real sub and a 4 channel amp for SQ, but if you like just a bit of extra bass, then the basslink should be more than adequate.

 

Thanks for the reply. My question was if I could do without upgrading the headunit, but adding a sub+amp+front speakers.

 

Yes, but I would never recommend this. The sound quality will NEVER, and I dont care what anyone says, NEVER EVER EVER EVER be as good as with a headunit. There will always be a slight hiss, and not nearly as clear. If you cant afford it all in one shot, skip the sub for now, and get a headunit, then when you have some spare cash, get a sub. Those hi/low converters are pretty crappy as far as sq goes. I just installed a system on an m3 (almost done, just customizing the trunk now) and since my friend had a stock navi, he wanted to use the stock headunit. While it sounds good, it would sound much better with a headunit. There is simply no replacement.