Suggestions for P5 stereo setup for a car-audio newbie???
 

ok, i'll be picking up my '03 P5 in a month or so and i plan on upgrading the "poor" sounding stock system shortly after, and was looking for some advice...i want something that will sound good while keeping my stock head-unit (this is a MUST, as i am paranoid about attracting thieves...my Civic was broken into 3 times!!! :mad: ) will this be a huge problem???...i plan on replacing all the speakers, amping them, and getting a sub...

i've been looking at (and have heard great things about) the Infinity line of speakers and have been eyeing the Reference series in 5.25" components for the fronts and 6.5"s for the rears...can someone recommend a good amp to power all of these?...oh, and are the Kappa line of speakers much better than the Reference ones?

as for the sub, i'm looking and something like the Infinity Basslink or a Bazooka tube, as i don't want to loose too much truck space...i've heard the Basslink in a friend's car and it sounded really good to me...how do these two units compare?

what would be the expected price for all these components, preferably in CDN dollars? how much approx. for the install?

sorry for all the questions, but like i said, i'm a newbie :o :)

thanks in advance

congrats on your future buy, what color are you getting if you don't mind me asking?

as for spkrs, keeping the stock hu would be fine, and upgrading to infinity's all around would be a good choice (including the basslink). however, since you won't be getting your ride for a month, i'm sure you will change your mind on brands a few times. i cannot help you on cad since i'm familiar only with usd.

if you are intrested, maxxbling is making a custom sub enclosure geared towards the p5 for us pro-clubbers. should be space efficient and the cost looks reasonable.

just throwing out suggestions for ya. and welcome to the club! :)

Hello and welcome!!

I'm in the same boat as you so to speak. I just picked up my P5 last week and so far it's a great
car. However like you the stereo is a little weak to say the least. I'm looking at two possible
options at my end.

1-upgrade the HU and speakers and add a self powered sub to conserve space. I'm not looking to spend a shit load of $$ as I just need a really decent sound not an earth shaking sound. I figure something like a JVC/Kenwood/Alpine/Pioneer head around the $250.00 to $300.00 dollar range combined with either 6.5 speakers from the same manufactures as the deck costing around $120.00 a pair. I figure that should give me decent sound and then toss in the 8 inch Bazooka sub for $299.00 for the lows and I should be ready to go.

2-Leave the stock HU and go with new speakers and a power amp and sub. Again I think the first option is the best route as any HU should give a better sound than the stock HU. Plus the newer after market ones have decent enough power to power the highs and the mids and even some of the bass. Again considering space is of importance as well, I really can't see not going with option one as long as you don't go overboard with gear.

Again I'm still looking but so far option 1 looks like the best deal for sound, price and space go.

I had a Honda civic as well that was broken into and well this is one of the reasons I refuse to
blow a ton of money on a mega system. Alarms don't work no matter how expensive they are. It's basically buy a system and hope you don't get ripping off nowadays.

Well I hope this helps shed some light on your options here. Keep the system reasonable and
keep it small enough so it doesn't have the "look at this system written all over it" and say your prayers. Hopefully everything will be
ok

When I figure out what route I'm taking, I'll get back to you and let you know how it turned out sound and cost wise unless you beat me to it, then you can let me know *lol*.

thanks for the welcome guys... :)

i agree that i new head unit would be nice and add some good flexibility and features, but to me it's not worth the headaches involved...i just want a nice sounding system, something to enjoyon those drives to work and on road trips...i don't need anything earth shattering or a "show winner"...

i think i'll still end up with the Infinity's when i get my car because i had them in the Civic and they were very nice...i'm still wondering though about the Basslink vs. the Bazooka tubes? are there HUGE differences between them?

onehawaiian, thanks for the suggestion about the custom enclosure, i'll have to look into that...and as for the colour of my new P5, it's gonna be Laser Blue :D

I forgot to tell you the last time that your P5 will come with odd size speakers unless this changes on the newer models. The front door speakers are 5x7's and the rear speakers are 6.5's. It's kinda backward from the usual set up but what the hell.

When I change my system, I'll start with the speakers and go from there. Next will be a self powered sub to conserve space (6 inch Bazooka subs are pretty cool as well) and give me a little more low end. If after that I'm still not completely satisfied, I'll change the head. I want to make it small enough to not be an attention getter, yet something that puts out decent sound at a relatively high volume.

I to am concerned about keeping it real so to speak. Getting your stereo ripped off is just not very much fun, so keeping it simple and effective is my goal here.

click on my www button to see my setup!, i think the inifinity line is great! i have heard them personaly on another car (civic), as for amping your speakers and subs im not so sure about the stock unit idea since the stock cd player is a POS. high level inputs are horrible for noise and distortion since you are amplifing already distorted power (HU is around 5% THD), also i have seen this on a prelude, you can keep your stock deck but disconnected and have your headunit/cd change/etc in your glove box, but at the cost space. you will have no glove compartment to put stuff in.
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Concord

Went to the good ole Walmart and purchased Pioneer 2way speakers. Helped some, just not enough power in the stock head unit. I just ordered a Blaupunkt HU for $130 from www.millionbuy.com It comes with a free remote and removable faceplate. Think it might be good, I liked the price! Will let you know more when it comes in.

There are some good threads on installs if you do a search in the audio section. You will enjoy your economy sportwagon! I do!!:D

There's nothing wrong with the stock HU that an amp won't fix. The numbers for things like signal/noise and channel separation in the CD player are comparable to aftermarket HUs. The problem with the stock HU is the amplifier section, not the CD player itself. If you're trying to do this modestly and not attract thieves, I think keeping the stock HU and adding an amp (and new speakers, of course) is the way to go. Of course, I'm biased, because that's what I did.

As pr5owner mentioned, there is an issue with high-level outs, but that can be solved by dropping the HU's output to line level with a line output converter (LOC).

Oh, and one other note on speakers. Yes, the fronts are 5x7's, but with an adapter you can pretty easily drop 6.5s in the front doors, too. I think rounds sound better than ovals, so don't rule out your favorite 6.5s!:)