I am looking to get a new sound system for my 2000 Honda Accord EX I-4 Sedan.

My price range is anywhere from $500-$1000 total.

This weekend I am planning on doing the BIG 3 upgrades with 0 gauge wires.

I am looking to get new speakers, a head unit, a subwoofer and whatever else is necessary.

I listen to a huge variety of music, but mostly rap/hip-hop.

If anyone can give me guidance on what name brands work best, where to purchase these items, and most importantly, where I can find the sizes for my speakers and whatnot, it would be greatly appreciated!

 

So, what do you all plan to buy with the 1000?

 

Well i would say go alpine on the headunit( great for iopd too)... As for the sub i would def. say JL audio.. if u can, id go with 2 12's if ur into the bass.. then a memphis amp would push them real well... crutchfield does a good job of telling you what fits.. and again JL is a lil expensive.. but you are paying for quality.. why buy it twice? JL also makes amazing speakers... 6 `1/2's n 6x9's

 

I did not need a headunit kit for my 99, but I had the single DIN tape player, no CD. Is the Honda CD player double DIN?

You can getsome Alpine Type-S, Alpine Type-R components, and Alpine amp and an Alpine headunit for around $1k if you do your internet shopping right. Plus like $20 for a Wal-Mart wiring kit...

 

If your budget is 500-1000 for a system you do not need the "big 3". The stock battery/alternator in your car provides more than enough power for a "low budget" system.
Alpine does make quite nice head units though some Pioneers get high marks also. Alpine and Pioneer seem to get the most nods regarding their ipod interfaces.
I have the Alpine iDA-x001 and find it an excellant hu. It comes with both a usb and ipod connector which connect to the back of the unit and can be placed conveniently in your cars cubby or glove box...lol "glove box", does anyone ever store their gloves in it? Shows my age too I guess. The latest Alpines x100, x200 are also quite nice. The x001 went for $450 or so but can be had for much less. The x100 goes for $400 and x200 for $300 retail but can be had for less online.
Speakers are such a personal choice that it is very difficult to recommend them. I have always liked MB Quart. They have a great mid range and are very hardy for car environments...my son inherited my 7 year old basic Discus co-axials and they still sound quite good though the basket is showing a bit of rust lol. Currently I have the JL XR650-CSi 6 1/2" components. They have a very tight mid range but I did not like the tweets...a bit to hard for me...I replaced them with Memphis silk dome tweets and I could not be happier. The total cost was around $300...tweets run for $90 retail and the JL's around $250.
I am using a Memphis Audio amp as well. The 16MCA-3004 (paid $300). It is a very nice amp with ample power and low distortion for my tastes and needs. Memphis amps are also not that costly compared to others...JL amps are very very nice but much more costly. Paid $210 for the JL speakers.
My system is rounded off with a 12" Memphis Power Reference sub. It is a basic level sub, meaning not expensive. Paid $90 for it and placed it in a bandpass enclosure.

This system ran around $1100 total, including install. I have neither the time nor desire to install my own stuff anymore and if their is a hardware problem it is much much easier to return a piece of faulty gear when it is installed by a shop installer. I also have a pretty good shop and installer.

My system runs off the stock battery/alternator and does not require 0 guage power wire. It also runs very loud when I want and the bass (when I crank it up)can/does get the "double take/wide eye" look from kids when they have their rattle cans next to mine at a traffic light and annoy me with their rattling.
I have the amp running the front speakers on the front channels and the sub using the rear channels in "bridged" mode...230 watts bridged is plenty of power for my sub. The rear speakers...factory stock at the moment...are powered by the head units amp...just a few watts lol.

Cruthfield is a great online/catalog supplier. I have used them many times for gear for my kids and wifes cars. They carry around the same variety of geat that a good shop carries (no supplier or shop can carry every brand out there so shop around) and their prices are good. They also provide some excellant niceties that you don't get elsewhere...connectors for speakers, great instructions, tech support/advice, etc.

With a bit of shopping and negotiating you can easily get a great system for your car and listening requirements for less than $1000 but I suggest you leave the big3 to those that are running much more power than you have the budget for.

Keep us informed with your progress and I hope this info has been a bit helpful.

 

That's spectacular! Actually I have to replace my battery, I just changed my oil and goodyear said it tested weak.
I'm going to getOptima-yellow top,as I know they have a solid reputation.

However...


**** it. I just got a motorcycle cop ticket for going 75 in a 35.
2 weeks ago I got a motorcycle cop ticket for going 17 over in a 25.
I'm tired of those little fat ****ers hiding in the bushes doing nothing with their life.
75 in a 35 in a 4 lane ****ing highway who invented that speed limit?
Everyone was going at least 50.
I have no money for car stereos I need a good traffic lawyer.
Anybody know any good traffic lawyers in Virginia?
Commonwealth where the **** the people over.

Maybe when I get over all this **** I'll refer back to this thread.

 

Ummm if the cops are bad in your area how about not speeding? I don't really have that bad of cops in my area and I still never really go 15 over. If your going 75 in a 35 I don't care how big of a highway that just not very bright. Obeying the law pays off in the end no matter how stupid or even wrong it is, and I'm not a big fan of most laws.

 

damn dude, yeah i think that's mostly your fault... 5-10 over the limit, ok could have just been a "in the moment" thing.. but 40 over? that's a bit much...

anyway, as for the headunit, i absolutely LOVE my JVC... it has some of the best usb support, which meant a lot to me.. no more burning cd's!

 

Whew that fast is dangerous.
Speed limits are there for a reason. My advice...don't speed !
I would agree with klrspz regarding JVC. I had good luck with my JVC but I had some issues with it as well. I had the KD-AR770 with usb support. I worked fine butttt it would not read all usb drives and has a size limit though with usb drives that is not an issue currently. My JVC would not read the latest PNY Optima usb drive no matter what I tried. It is a speed limitation holding thehu back. My Alpine not only reads that usb drive but also reads my Western Digital Passport 160gb hard drive...now 160gb of songs is a lot of songs. My music collection fills over half of the8gb PNY usb drive I am using but it is nice to know it can read a large hard drive...the JVCwould not read it either.

My advice...pay the fines, beg the judge/magistrate for mercy...not kidding...and do not speed any more. I have no sympathy for you.That much over the speed limit is just reckless.

 

Just out of curiosity, how much does it normally cost to get someone else to install it?