Cheaper audio upgrade options.
 

Hello all. I'm looking to get my new FR-S in about a month or so and am going to be looking to upgrade the sound system. I don't think the stock sound system is going to cut it for me coming out of the car I currently am driving, so I've been reading up on all of the different audio options and builds that the fine members of ft86club have been doing. I've seen a lot of great stuff, but I feel like the whole audiophile set-up that many people are going for isn't really what I'm looking for and is probably out of my price range. Therefore, I ask you for suggestions on a system that will give strong bass and reasonable output for decent money. Just as a reference, the vehicle I am coming from is described below.

The car I am currently driving in an 02 Accord coupe EX (has the leather interior, if that matters for sound quality???) with:

-Pioneer 1-din headunit (reasonably old, still has to have the ipod converter box thing, which I do have installed for my Ipod nano)
-Pioneer 3-way component 6-1/2" door speakers
-Pioneer 3-way component 6x9" rear deck speakers
-Stock tweets in the dash
-Kicker S12L5 12" square sub in a vented enclosure
-Boss audio CE1002 1000W amplifier to power the sub

I spent ~$1000 total on this system over time and am very pleased with the performance. I'm going to see if the sub and amp can be put in the FR-S, but after seeing the difference in trunk size between the accord and the FR-S, I don't think it's going to fit.

FYI: I generally like to listen to my music reasonably loud, just enough so I can feel the bass hitting and the music drowns out the road noise for long trips. I'm happy as long as it stays clear and the bass hits nicely, and the rest of the speakers have enough output to not get drowned out by the sub. I typically listen to pop/top 40/dubstep/hip-hop type music.

So what would you suggest for the FR-S to give me a similar system for about the same price? I'd like a 2-din stereo, but it's not really necessary since the whole nav/dvd screen isn't really too important to me. I just want to be able to listen to my ipod music and have it sound loud and clear.

:thanks:

Well, the factory head unit will definatly suffice for now. Which head unit are you getting, the default or the BeSpoke. It makes a difference.

Your Pioneers should drop right in to the factory locations just fine. What are you planning to use to power them? The factory amp?

If I were going to spend money on anything up front, sound treatment. There's numerous threads on here about how to do it and for less than $200 you can make a massive improvement to the overall sound quality by just doing that.

if your looking for that price range I would no look into swapping the HU. Leave the factory unit in since it will play your ipod and anything worth upgrading to would knock out a large portion of your budget. (I have not personally used the FR-S radio since I have a BRZ, but I havent heard anything about it being absolutely necessary to replace)

If you feel the need for a sub try and use the one you have or sell it on craigslist and find something cheap to put back there, its a small car and doesnt need much bass especially if the seats are folded down.

Spend a majority of the money on the front speakers since that will net you the greatest benefit. The pioneer 6.5" you have will work for the doors then get a nice set of 3.5"-4" components for the dash. Note that 4" will need a bit of trimming and you should try to find a slim speaker to make sure it fits.

I would start with this:

http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=28506

^^^^^this

I would not use a 3 way 6.5 in the doors and a tweeter in the dash also, i would get a 6.5" component set, 3 or 5 channel amp, and subs are personal preference but a single quality 10" is all you really need.

Thanks for the suggestions. I'm looking to get new stuff for the FR-S (except for the sub if it fits) since I'll still be keeping the accord for the winter and don't want to tear the sound system out of it. Is sound deadening really that important for this car? I never did any sound deadening in any of my other cars and haven't had anything to complain about.

Oh by the way, I ordered the car with the regular (non bespoke) head unit, since I figured I would be replacing it anyway.

Sound treatment is important in any car honestly. I've heard factory systems that sounded 300% better just by applying some sound treatment in the correct places.

Agreed deadening and sealing a door makes a huge difference. You dont have to go crazy and cover every square inch, you could do squares and space them out to save on weight. Tho you do need to cover any holes that would allow back wave to come in contact with the front wave.

Only thing I've never really noticed anything from is the mats that go behind the speakers. Some people think they work, and the logic is there for why I just never personally noticed anything.

I'm getting the default head unit. Is an aftermarket amp required for the front speakers, or do you think the factory amp will work fine? In my past cars, I just wired the aftermarket speakers into the door using the factory wire and never added an amp.