[thill]

Let me just preface this by saying that I know very little about car audio, but I know a lot about home audio and recently finished my home theater myself and built (from scratch) four custom 15" subwoofers (including designing them, and building the enclosures from birch plywood).

The one thing I have realized is that as good as your speakers are, it is even more important to get proper placement, and EQ to get the most out of them. In my case I am using Audyssey XT32, and REQ measurement software to measure and tweak the room.

My point in all this is that I am somewhat lost with car audio. I have spent some time tweaking the car's EQ in my BRZ, but you can only do so much with weak amps and speakers. The car sound okay, but I would like a little more. Bass is pretty weak and the tweeters seem to distort pretty easy and are not that clear. While I am a basshead with home theater, I am really not one at all for my car and just want something to play clean with a little more punch.

I have been to several local custom audio shops and am even more confused:

Option 1- Shop A recommends buying some good JL Audio 6.5's for the doors and JL tweeters (C5 series) for the dash. They recommend leaving the 3.5 mids in the dash and rear and getting a nice small footprint 4 channel JL amp with new crossovers and power the dash and front 6.5's off the new amp (he would scrap the crappy 2 channel OEM amp. Installed we are looking at over $1300. This place has been around awhile and the consultant I spoke with seemed to know his stuff. He told me to keep costs down a little we could go with C3 series JL speakers. I just think that is a lot for a 4 channel amp, a set of tweeters, and 2 new 6.5's. Install was around $300-400, so I would be paying about $850 or so for the amp and 6.'5's and tweeters.

Option 2- Shop B is recommending two options. The first is replacing the 6.5's and tweeters with Helix speakers. He recommends just getting rid of the 3.5 mids in the dash and then upgrading the rears with some 4" Helix speakers and building a custom 10" Diamond sub. All to be powered off a 5 channel Helix amp. Total cost (all speakers, sub , amp, install, tax, etc) is around $1670. To be honest, this is more than I wanted to spend. I could eliminate the rear speakers and have him use the stock ones and save about $300. I don't know much about Helix gear and Diamond subs and have no idea how this will sound.

Option 3- The other option Shop B is recommending is the OEM + 400 system that integrates quite easily with the BRZ. $1199 for the system and $175 installed (which seems pretty reasonable). On the surface this seems like a lot for a sub, amp, and two tweeters and not replacing any of the other stock speakers. But what I do like about this is the nice integrated sub which allows me to keep most of my already small trunk space intact. Even more, I like the DSP amp that has been tweaked specifically for these speakers and car. While the other systems may have better speakers, this system may actually sound better because it EQ'd and tuned specifically for our cars. OEM + is also coming out with replacement rear and door speakers that I could upgrade to later on...

I still don't know if I want to spend this much. I can get also go to a place like Best Buy and get a cheaper 4/5 channel amp and speakers like option 1 and have them install everything for under $1K easy and probably even add a cheap sub enclosure. I just don't know if I want Best Buy installing my speakers and at that point the OEM + setup is only $400 or so more. I will probably stop in at Best Buy and look around.

Another option is to buy everything online but I am not sure I feel 100% comfortable and knowledgeable enough to install all this myself. This would be the cheapest route and could probably get some good speakers, a 5 channel amp and build my own sub/enclosure for under $800.

What do you guys think? I have read some very impressive reviews on the OEM + system and it seems like a simple and clean solution, but is well over my $800-1000 budget I was originally considering.

I have scoured this forum and it seems like there is little information about simple drop in solutions that sound good. I do think I would have to replace the stock amp in the rear and I also wonder if good 6.5's off an amp would be enough or would an 8-10" sub be better for good bass (but not overwhelming).

Sorry for the long rant...