I know my husband loves to replace the sound system in any new car he buys. Is this the first priority for your vehicles, or do you shop specifically for a car that already comes with quality speakers?
gofar99 Messages: 1902 Registered: May 2010 Location: Southern Arizona
Illuminati (5th Degree)
Hi, I used to have that affliction. Now I seldom even listen to music in the car unless it is a long trip. The peace and quiet is nice. The biggest problem I found with swapping out the original equipment was the difficulty caused by the auto company and their sometimes rather creative use of wiring. Of particular issue was the way they grounded the systems. It was also lots of fun trying to get either one or two 12 inch subwoofers installed.
LeeLee Messages: 13 Registered: February 2012 Location: My house
Chancellor
I really do not care about the speakers in a car, when I am buying one. I just want to make sure the car runs. I can always replace the speakers later, if I do not like them.
I prefer to buy a car that has decent speakers. Then I don't have to worry about working on the sound right after I buy it. I don't always have the time for little projects like that, so I'd rather be comfortable doing it at my own pace.
Normally I would rather buy a car with a nice stereo already installed. However, I came across a situation last time I was car shopping where one car had a significantly nicer stereo than another I was considering, but because of this, it was priced too high and the salesman was unwilling to negotiate a more reasonable price, so I actually ended up buying the car with the sub-par stereo because of the final sales price. So now I'm going to buy a nicer set up and have fun installing it myself!
A decent stereo is a factor when I'm buying a new car. I'll typically upgrade the speakers down the line and usually the head unit when the warranty expires. Used cars get the switcheroo right off the bat usually. I don't get to listen at home like I want, so the car is more often than not my music time unfortunately.
Unless I just absolutely cannot afford it, I'll always buy a car with an upgraded sound system over one with factory-issue hardware. A bad stereo system is a deal breaker for me, because I travel a lot and spend a lot of time in my car.
24KPython Messages: 16 Registered: October 2012 Location: San Diego, CA
Chancellor
Oh hell yeah, it's worth the effort! Besides that, it's fun. Not to mention absolutely necessary to get anything remotely listenable to an audiophile.
Generally, my opinion is that the head unit is the least of the problems. The first thing I replace is the tiny cables with some quality 10-14 gauge copper - if not some high-end cables which are easy enough to DIY. Next up is to deal with the acoustics -- first by damping the ridiculous vibrations, so the car doesn't "fart" at every bass note -- and around the front speakers to tighten the imaging. Then to replace the front speakers and pad the under-dash area to reduce reflection. At that point, the sound should be "listenable".
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Besides that, it's fun. Not to mention absolutely necessary to get anything remotely listenable to an audiophile.
