Incremental audio upgrade - 1998 Ranger XLT regular cab

[Apollo-Soyuz 1975]

I've been looking at feasible audio upgrade paths for my truck (M100 cassette deck head unit, front door speakers only, rear speaker wiring runs to empty speaker mounts behind seats) since I bought it. Because I'm a part-time college student my budget is very tight, so I'm trying to sketch out a plan to upgrade my audio system, one component at a time.

Right now I want to buy a set of new speakers for the front doors and move the factory door speakers to the rear; down the road I would like to install an amp under the front seat, then purchase a really good set of component speakers for the front doors (I would move the first set of aftermarket speakers to the rear at this time and ditch the factory speakers), then get my hands on a really good head unit, and hopefully down the road swtich to bucket seats and try to build a center console enclosure for a 6.5-inch sub (I need to preserve the cargo space behind the seats).

Right now I'm torn as to what speaker set I should buy from Crutchfield. Since the rear speaker mounts require a shallower mounting depth than the fronts, I'm limiting my search to rear-compatible speaker sets. I see that there are some affordable component speaker setups available (this set in particular), so I'm debating whether to get one of those and surface-mount the tweeters. And since I'm keeping my stock head unit for the time being, the first set of speakers has to run on very low power, to boot!

Any advice you guys can send my way will be appreciated.

 

[RangerFabWorks]

Those components you linked are garbage. Get the Phoenix gold rsd6cs system and you will be very happy. Those will sound good on a stock headunit and great with an amp.

 

[Original_Ranger84]

Also I wouldn't get components.. Seeing as you are going to swap them to the back after a while you will not hear any audible differenece from components and a good set of coaxial... Personally I'm running 4 Pioneer Premier 6x8's and I love them. It was like 150$ a pair and I am running them just fine without an amp. I am actually going to add an Amp today I hope.

 

[RangerFabWorks]

If you heard those comps. You wouldn't wanna upgrade them. There really nice

and there 59 a pair. Then he just gets the matching coaxs for the rear and an amp and he's set.

Just my 0.02$

 

[strvger]

i'd shop all the stores and listen to as many as possible in your price range. get the ones that sound right for you. they will sound somewhat different in your truck, but you'll be comparing them on an equal playing field in the store and you should come pretty close to getting the sound you want. just my $.02. good luck to you.

 

[Original_Ranger84]

If you heard those comps. You wouldn't wanna upgrade them. There really nice

and there 59 a pair. Then he just gets the matching coaxs for the rear and an amp and he's set.

Just my 0.02$

No well I meant if he was going to swap them in the rear it would be pointless to get components now and then move em back later...

 

[RangerFabWorks]

No well I meant if he was going to swap them in the rear it would be pointless to get components now and then move em back later...

valid point

 

[Apollo-Soyuz 1975]

I guess I didn't make it clear, but I intend to put a set of good comps up front when I move the "starter" set to the rear. It might sound weird to put components in the back, but I got the idea that I could just mount the tweeters up high enough to have direct line-of-sight to my ears when I move them. I listen to a lot of acoustic jazz, so I would like to have a greater emphasis on highs than most people would bother with.

Thanks for the Phoenix Gold recommendation; I just linked the Kenwoods because they were the least budget-busting of the Crutchfield search results I found (I should have suspected something was up since they were cheaper than Sound Ordnance, lol). Now I just need to find out which speaker harness connector to find... I'm getting three different suggestions depending on which website I visit

 

[Original_Ranger84]

I guess I didn't make it clear, but I intend to put a set of good comps up front when I move the "starter" set to the rear. It might sound weird to put components in the back, but I got the idea that I could just mount the tweeters up high enough to have direct line-of-sight to my ears when I move them. I listen to a lot of acoustic jazz, so I would like to have a greater emphasis on highs than most people would bother with.

Thanks for the Phoenix Gold recommendation; I just linked the Kenwoods because they were the least budget-busting of the Crutchfield search results I found (I should have suspected something was up since they were cheaper than Sound Ordnance, lol). Now I just need to find out which speaker harness connector to find... I'm getting three different suggestions depending on which website I visit

You'd actually be amazed at the amount of people here that aren't after just bass... I go one 12" sub that turned down... It thumps on the songs it should and gives good backround to the other. A really good set of coaxials are not bad at highs if you tune the stereo and amp right. But Components I will agree are much more suited for your application of music

 

[tylork92]

Ive ran coaxials and components and i much rather have components in the front and coaxials in the back. HOWEVER you will be better off saving a bit and buying a NICE set of component speakers now and just running one set up front and not worrying about the rears. a NICE set of components and a lil 2 channel amp for them would do you wonders.

Im running the above mentions Pheonix Gold RSDc6.5 set now and love em. There not bad but i would look into bigger names. Look into CDT, Crescendo, RE and DD.

 

[4x4fun]

ok the advise is given so far is very good. but im going a completly different direction.

first up grade your brain. get a new HU is the first thing you should do.
if you get new speakers your going to lose the bass/mid for better highs, and youll sound funny. getting a new HU will give you a clearer sound and slightly improve your sound in the stock speakers.

then start replacing your speakers. keep inmind anything you buy will need 50-100 wrms to run/ so crossref that with how big of an amp you would like to by later down the road.

also dont get one set and move them around. your front speakers are there to set up your primary sound stage. thats all the highs and mids. your secondary sound stage is your mids and bass.

your highs are "directional" like you will be able to tell if the tweeter is pointed away from you or towards you. having said this dont put tweeters behind your head. there are alot of other issues that can kill a system by doing this, but just take my word for it.

after you get a your fronts done, then move to the back holes. itws cool to just throw stocks in there and let them play. there free.

but your back speakers lose the directional ablitly cause it cant give you a line of sight. the seats in the way. (another reason to not have a tweeter) so the back speakers help fill in and create your secondary sound stage. they fill in the mids/ and some bass. they will fill in your music and give it a nice full sound. when you have a speaker thats going to be used for "filling" you want mostly mid and bass. kickers make good stuff for this.

then add your sub later. i would also look into a good 5 channel amp, if your going with a small single sub. less wiring very simple. and does both highs and lows and gives you cross overs.

but your HU is the brains it needs to be capable of controlling the parts that are later down the road. so get a good one. i didnt say spend $1000 i said get a good one that will fit everything you want to do later. and if tweeters are on your mind. look for something that has DTA setting

ill be around for 7 more days ask questions now

cheers

 

[Apollo-Soyuz 1975]

It sounds like the consensus is that I shouldn't bother buying comps now if I were to just move them to the rear mounts later on in favor of better door comps. Since my first speaker pair is just going to be a budget-hobbled starter, maybe I should just spring for a head unit & a decent pair of two-ways and save up for buying better parts in the future? My maximum price point right now would be maybe $150 for a head unit and $150 for speakers at this time.

 

[4x4fun]

Well don't Dont by anything you think is budget. You'll just waist money having to buy something twice. And ifyou shop online. 150 will get you alot of speaker. Even in a store. You could buy a good a good set off line for 75 ish. But creat a plan and stick to it. You don't havE to blow the bank. To get good quality that will last and be what you need. So get your first step. Tell us what your looking for. Well ask some Lil questions and then point you in the right direction.

 

[Apollo-Soyuz 1975]

Thanks... I think I'm just a bit flummoxed because I don't quite know what to expect to pay for everything.

As far as a head unit goes, I'm looking for something fixed-face, with the option of adding Bluetooth and HD tuner modules, and with front USB connector and AUX jack. I'd been curious about the new head units that discard CD/DVD readers for an SD memory card slot, but after seeing the price premium, I think I'll probably pass on that. I had my curiosity piqued after reading the How-To for adapting a stock dash center panel to fit a double-DIN head unit; I dislike the thought of trying to work a single-DIN HU in the dead of winter at 5:30AM with heavy gloves. I'm looking to see which HUs have DTA, but I'm not having much luck in the south-of-$300 price range.

As for speakers, I noticed that there's a 6.75" Boston Acoustics comp set for the low price of $700, lmao. Much closer to my budget, I noticed a set of Polk Audio DB5251s on sale for $135. As for looking in local brick & mortar stores, I'm not confident that I'd have much luck there; Toledo has only a couple Best Buy locations and a pair of regional car audio chains (TAS Electronics and Car Stereo One) that look like they mostly sell mediocre gear.

I realize that some brands generally sell cheap crap for people that don't know any better, but I generally have the impression that price point tends to matter more than brand name for electronic goods in general (digital cameras, LCD computer monitors, and the like). Should I consider audio equipment to be an exception to this rule, or are my instincts mostly on the mark?

 

[RangerFabWorks]

well, you have to ask yourself, what do i want out of my stereo system? what kind of music do you listen to? how loud do you like your music? whats your overall budget? do you want regular or component speakers up front? are you planning on adding a subwoofer? does your stereo need to have loks and function or just sound good?

theres alot to consider when upgrading your stereo system.

give me some price ranges and what kind of speakers and headunit your looking for and ill hook you up with good stuff.

and to answer your last question. just because it has a recognizable name on it, doesnt mean its good.

ill bet ill find you great stuff with name brands that most people have never heard of. and arent as expensive as you think just for a name brand.