Good stereo systems

[~MRVIBE2006~]

I hate to beat a dead horse but I was in need of some opinions about a good stereo system. First, I'm not going to be installing it myself as that I don't have the time or knowledge to do so, so I will be having it installed. I was thinking about Best Buy to buy the equipment and do the work. Should I stay away from them? Also, any recommendations on a HU? I am kinda looking at a Pioneer unit (don't remember the model number) they have there for 229.99. All together, with speakers (4), possibly the little tweeters (2), and an amplifier with install should come to around $1,000.00. Is this too much? I haven't went stereo shopping for ages so any advice I can gain from here would be helpful. Thanks!

[ilangsfs]

.Quote, originally posted by ~MRVIBE2006~ »I hate to beat a dead horse but I was in need of some opinions about a good stereo system. First, I'm not going to be installing it myself as that I don't have the time or knowledge to do so, so I will be having it installed. I was thinking about Best Buy to buy the equipment and do the work. Should I stay away from them? Also, any recommendations on a HU? I am kinda looking at a Pioneer unit (don't remember the model number) they have there for 229.99. All together, with speakers (4), possibly the little tweeters (2), and an amplifier with install should come to around $1,000.00. Is this too much? I haven't went stereo shopping for ages so any advice I can gain from here would be helpful. Thanks!Well, it sounds high to me for just a HU, speakers, and an amp, but then that's my cheap-(removed) personality talking too. Unless you have the hookups you'll always overpay (IMO) when you have someone like Best Buy install for you. If you aren't mechanically/electrically inclined, don't try it. It's really not that hard though, and if you go through a place like Crutchfield (not meant to be a plug) they give you what's called "Master Sheets" which are essentially instructions on how to disassemble the doors, dash, etc and install your stuff yourself, thereby saving yourself some money. You mentioned that you don't have the time to do so, so this probably isn't what you are looking for. As far as equipment goes, I'm partial to Pioneer equipment. I think their headunits have the right mix of form and function. Same goes for their speakers. I think their speakers have good bang for the buck so to speak.Hope that helps.

[ilangsfs]

FWIW, I've had a Sony, a JVC, and a few Pioneer headunits and have always been the most satisfied with the Pioneer units. I'm really picky with my sound tune though. It has to be just right, and the Pioneer units allow for lots of fine tuning of the tone of the sound.

[~MRVIBE2006~]

I have done a little research and as far as the prices between Best Buy and Crutchfield, they are just about a dead heat as far as the components. I also researched Circuit City. Although they don't have as big as selection as the other two, they do offer free installation on some components over a certain price. I guess more research is in order. I would rather have someone install it as if there is any problems with the install, they could fix it. Thanks for the advice so far but any more suggestions?

[tribalman]

i am using a pansonic HU also. i like it. it's a cheaper version than they have listed. a 3333cu or some such. i like it. allows me to adjust bass, treble, sub plus normal front/back and left/right. also let's me use my ipod directly connected which gives better sound than those stupid FM thingys. i also find the sound is better than radio Or a CD. my whole setup of HU, cables, 4 speakers, sub, and amp ran me about 1k. as for best buy, i had them install a HU in my mom's 98 caravan no problem. but when i had the stuff installed on my vibe i have issues. firstly there was a different adapter needed, took them 3 hours to get the part down the road for the installer to finish it. a 1hr install took 4 and i was late for work. i found out this summer i also don't have the AM band at all. yeah, i could open it up and check the connections but i'm so lazy. i got the HU first at highly reccomended place, but once i got the rest of the money for the speakers/sub i when elsewhere. the wiring for that job is kinda iffy too. they ran a few wires into odd places, like along the door, just under that plastic threshold and it's kinda bent from the big cable that's not supposed to be there existing there. they didn't mount the fuse either, (removed)?. and the remote cable is a little long and will sometimes sag a bit low and i will press on it with my foot being located under the dash, right near the pedals. haha, now that i am writing this, i think i am pulling my set apart later today to fix these minor issues. in my experiances, best buy has decent HUs, but their speaker selection isn't that good. but then again the best buy is my area has a fry's electronics, circuit city, and a mall all within 1/4 mile giving competition so some of their selections in other areas are really light also.

[ilangsfs]

Well, did you decide on anything?

[lovemyraffe]

Speaking of beating a dead horse...I love love love Eclipse. Pioneer is okay IMO, but the sound quality isn't near what Eclipse does. Pioneer is great at reading scratched discs though. http://www.crutchfield.com/App...=5684About the same price as the pioneer you are looking at, but if you look on e-bay you should be able to get it cheaper than that. http://www.crutchfield.com/App...=5684This is what is being installed in my '05 Vibe this weekend!!!Just as long as you stay away from DUAL or Sony, you should be ok. I love Sony, except for the car audio. Hope this helps.

[ilangsfs]

I like the look of those Eclipse HUs, but it appears that they aren't XM compatible. I personally like XM over Sirius, but like most things in life, it's personal preference.

[lovemyraffe]

Eclipse has some that have XM, and some that have Sirius. Plus they have so much control on the sound.

[BobofTheVibe]

I can say my Alpine head unit has lasted a very busy three and a half years. I have seen older ones in cars working well too. Try to find a local stereo shop that you can trust to do good work. I have done a good deal of electrical work - including installing a full stereo in my car and soon a car pc, you do not want just anyone digging around in there. Plus, if you look at some websites, like woofersetc.com you can find great deals, and a local shop is alot less likley to give you a hard time about walking in with the stuff. But I am a fan of Alpines, my experiance has been good with them.

[Sublimewind]

Quote, originally posted by ~MRVIBE2006~ »I hate to beat a dead horse but I was in need of some opinions about a good stereo system. First, I'm not going to be installing it myself as that I don't have the time or knowledge to do so, so I will be having it installed. I was thinking about Best Buy to buy the equipment and do the work. Should I stay away from them? Also, any recommendations on a HU? I am kinda looking at a Pioneer unit (don't remember the model number) they have there for 229.99. All together, with speakers (4), possibly the little tweeters (2), and an amplifier with install should come to around $1,000.00. Is this too much? I haven't went stereo shopping for ages so any advice I can gain from here would be helpful. Thanks!Being a former installer, i don't like BB or CC or any of the "corp" companies, they tend to hire nit-wits that they can pay for crap and do crap work.... My opinion though, some have some really good installers, many DON'T... If i were you, i would do it in stages, it sounds like it doen't take 1000$ to make you happy... I recently installed my old Sony head unit (HU from now on) in my vibe and it made a world of difference... It doesn't compair to the "systems" i've had in the past, but, the Vibe is my DD not a show car so the stock speaker and the aftermarket HU seem to be doing me just fine for now... From my old Subaru, this is like 6yrs old now and most of it has been taken out...If you want to got that deep into it, you can, but, you should try a new HU first and see what you think, upgrades are EASY from that point... Let us know what you are thinking... And a simple HU install is EASY, espically if you decide to buy from Crutchfield as they give you everything for the install...