CatalystGod

I have enjoyed my RF system for the last 2 years. The evo was a big upgrade from the camry I had in every sense, and It has been awesome. But I think I realize now that I don't really appreciate "quality" of the audio as much. What I mean by that is the sound seems distorted and non-coherent. If I play the same music in my dad's Lexus with the ML 14 speaker system, it sounds so much cleaner.

Now I know the evo is no lexus and there is going to be road noise etc. But I compared the sounds when stationary. I don't plan to mount 14 speakers either . I am just trying to understand what can improve the quality of the sound. I am not trying to match or beat the lexus system either, just wish the gap in quality was not so wide.

I see that many recommend changing the Amp, but in my mind, changing the AMP has effect on volume levels, does it have any effect on the clarity of the tones? What about cabling/speakers. I was reading through one of the other threads and someone suggested the following:

1) change amp and stop modifying if you like it.
2) change front speakers and stop modifying.
3) change rear speaker and head unit also and stop.

However, I am a complete noob when it comes to talking Audio terminology. I understand Ohms and impedance etc. from a pure electrical perspective, I don't know how they apply to audio components though.

I really am looking for guidance, and guidance alone. No cocky responses please. If you do not have anything valuable to add to the conversation, I respectfully ask that you refrain from posting. Thank you.

btownsoccer22

iTrader: (6)

I would get front and rear speakers and a new headunit and an amp. Basically brand comes down to how much you want to spend.

CatalystGod

^^ whoa, I am not looking to rip the entire system apart if its not necessary. Lets just say I want about a 25% improvement in the sound quality right now. I'll bask in its glorious improvement for about an year and then look for another 25% improvement. I definitely want to take it in steps, not as a one time sledgehammer approach. I guess I should have been clear about that in my first post. Thanks for the input though.

Kracka

iTrader: (49)

I would start with speakers then.

CatalystGod

So everything else being stock, the speakers should clean up the tones?

Kracka

iTrader: (49)

They should, yes. If they don't return them for a refund. Crutchfield is great about taking stuff back if you decide you're unhappy with it.

CatalystGod

OK, thanks.

Spy007

Nope... wrong... seriously.

The reason everyone is swapping the amp isnt just to get rid of the volume limiting, but that the stock amp doesnt have a good enough RMS for the system. It has a high peak number, but the RMS is weak and because it also controls the audio system, it is doing way too much rather than just being an amp.

Once I swapped out my amp, it sounded 10 times better than stock and I am no audiophile. Next step is probably my deck and then the speakers and wiring just to finish it off. My objective however is a carputer so its all gonna take some time. First up though, you should replace your amp.

Spy007

Also buying from crutchfield is for people that like spending more money than they have to. I like them for information and reviews, and I would buy from them in the past for head units, but not for speakers or anything else. onlinecarstereo.com is a great website for cheap parts and free shipping.

artnsx

iTrader: (6)

swapping the speakers alone won't really help much because you'd just be trying to push nicer speakers than can handle more power with the same mediocre power output of the stock amp

I have the SSS package in my X and to be honest i can't believe that this can even be called a "premium" sound package. I have a pioneer in dash navigation wired in with the MITO-02 connector that utilizes all the stock speakers and subs in my X right now and its still disappointing ;the factory bose stereo in my rsx puts the rockford system to shame.

Considering all the money you probably spend on other parts of the car, try to upgrade the amp along with the speakers (which is what im doing now). I know you probably don't want to spend money on parts/upgrades you don't really 100% care about, but if you look around enough you can get really good deals on speakers/amps and probably do everything for under $400 (4 speakers and a great 4 channel amp) and the difference won't just be slightly noticeable, it'll be alot better than the stock sound system is (clarity, crispness, volume, everything).

Good luck

oftheheavens

iTrader: (1)

Experience: 11 years of stereo installation and competition.

While these guys seem to know what they are talking about I strongly recommend changing the head unit first. This will greatly improve your component (in cabin) speaker sound. I recommend a pioneer with a built in EQ (more EQ range the better) I personally like the new AVIC Z110bt or the soon to be released 120bt. This can be found on caronlinestereo.com for approximate 900$. YOU DONT HAVE TO SPEND THAT MUCH TO GET GOOD SOUND. but that is what I like. After that if your components are being run from a stock amp you can either

A: reroute speaker wires to the head unit to exculde the sub wire which would create a steady 50x4 rms stable. This would just cost about an hour of labor
B: replace with a good JL HD amp or even a 300x4

Lastly you would want to replace the cabin speakers. With the changes I mentioned above you would get a great improvement that would hold you over until you get bored again.

Please ask if you have more questions.

TJs98GT

what amp have people had luck with in these cars?

oftheheavens

iTrader: (1)

not about the car, it is about the brand of amp.

as I said, i prefer JL. There is many good brands, and they all give something better than the other and something worse. For sound i like JL and JBL.

mikevoviii

I say start with speakers and go with boston acoustics

TJs98GT

yeah but if they are saying the factory amp is under powered and doesnt provide enough watts to effectively operate the stock speakers then the amplifier is without a doubt the right place to start first.

other wise you will need replacement speakers that operate in a lower RMS than the stock ones to operate in the right range of the amp, making the overall system even less capable.

so id say try the amplifier first