I just bought an used '02 s2k. It goes without syaing that everyone in this forum knows that the factory stereo is definitely lacking in quality. I want to upgrade, but keeps costs under $1000. Looking for the follwiing recommendations:

Receiver (single CD, with plans to integrate an iPod)
Amplifier (I've got a coupla phoenix golds, so these can be omitted if necessary)
Door speakers (components?)
Sub (one or two, mounting location)
Pod speakers (potentially)

And anything else one might recommend. I'm not looking to blow the doors of the ride, but just something that'll give me the clean sound I'm looking for, with a touch of complimentary bass

 

You're missing something important and not cheap. A good alarm. I suggest the Viper 791xv.

Definitely components. I would also suggest the Infinity Kappa's 60.5cs. I have these and with the right amp, they are awesome and they'll save you on price. Believe me, if you heard these up against the Perfects, you won't tell.

Alpine and eclipse seem to be good choices for head units.

As for amps. I would suggest Arc Audio, Precision Power, JL Audio, Audio Art, and Zapco. They are all clean amps.

A $1000 will be tough to do if you want quality. Ebay will be your best friend and install it yourself.

Good Luck...

 

Thanks for the reply Silverstone.

I wasnt factoriong in an alarm, cuz I got one of those comin anyway. I was hoping to pull it off with 400 for the headunit, 200 for the components, 200 for the sub? (one). I've got the amps already, so maybe if you could make recommendations on those things.

You know which stereos are good for ipod integration?

 

http://www.mmxpress.com/alpine.htm

For $1000, this is going to be tough, especially with a sub.

Head unit: Alpine CDA-9830 ($300)

Components: DEI Studio Neodymium 6.5" ($250)

For the sub, I'd measure the trunk and go with a 10" sealed box ( http://www.mmxpress.com/enclosures/universal_woofer.htm ). If you want it to fit into the jack kit well, you can probably find a box that fits in there. It won't be perfect unless you fiberglass something from scratch, but that's a PITA. There should be a box that fits fairly well in there possibly lying on its back and facing up. Some of these boxes aren't made as well as you could make at home, so what I'd do is silicone the seams inside the badboy when and if you get one. For the woofer, I'd go with an Image Dynamics ID10d4 v3 for just under $100. These guys make GREAT subs and don't get as much recognition as they should. They blow JL away in sound quality at a cheaper price. You're probably looking at about $150 for sub and box.

We're up to $700. $300 left to buy an amp, unless you want to use the ones you have. If you go with a new amp, I'd look at the JBL PX300.4 for $330. This puts you a bit over $1000 and with some quality wiring and RCA's, you'll probably be closer to $1100-1150.

Like I said, I don't know what kind of PG amps you have, but most of their stuff is quality. If you use them, I may think about spending a bit more on the components and get the CDT HD-62's for about $400. The DEI's are very nice sounding speakers. I've heard a system setup with them at a car audio show when they first came out years ago and they were impressive for the $$$. The CDT's are a better speaker though and may be worth the extra $150.

 

Alpine is coming out with a special IPod adapter designed specifically for their head units. It will be compatible with their 2004+ head units.

http://www.alpine-usa.com/products/leading...ch_kca-420i.htm