Long Live Ennio Morricone

[jim falcione]

After three months I finally got to use the VX CD player for the very first time!!
My dear ex-wife finally came to her senses and kindly returned my Ennio Morricone CD Collection. The sound is incredible.
I can now die a happy man.;Dr;

[Moncha]

:dance:

[paultvx]

Just wait till you replace the entire factory system. Install a good head unit. Ditch the low quality factory front component speakers and replace the tiny rear speakers with a set of 5-inchers... while you're at it build and drop in a 12" sub in the back. You'll be amazed by the clarity of sound compared to stock.

Puts the factory system to shame. The factory system was sufficient... but muddy.

[jim falcione]

Thanks for the recommendations Paul. Since I'm not an audiophile by any stretch of the imagination, could you recommend a specific head unit and speakers?
I appreciate your input.

Jim

1999 Astral Silver

[Tone]

I strongly recommend adding a sub first to the stock system as that is what is missing most. Then do the whole thing if you are so inclined and have already installed a good aftermarket alarm to protect it.

[paultvx]

Originally posted by jim falcione
Thanks for the recommendations Paul. Since I'm not an audiophile by any stretch of the imagination, could you recommend a specific head unit and speakers?
I appreciate your input.

Jim

1999 Astral Silver

Tone is right. The stock system lacks bass. However, since you're not an audiophile... it's probably not that big of a deal.

I use the JVC Digifine SH-99D. It's a year 2000/2001 head unit. It's been replaced by a new version which means you should be able to pick one up on the net for a really good deal. It plays MP3 CD-Rs and CD-RWs as well. Others on the board seem to have had pretty good luck with the Pioneers. Headunits I have had in the past (in other cars) are Alpine, Blaupunkt, and Sony. The Alpine and Bau were at least 5 years ago. They were both great, but I really don't care for the way either lines of products look nowadays. The Sony was an ES model that really had no business carrying the ES lable. Lots of great features but sounded very tinny.

I got the JVC for my previous car, a 98 VW GTI VR6... moved it into the VX after I sold the VW. It's been great since day one. Hasn't skipped once and I had very stiff competition coilovers in the GTI.

As for speakers... the ones I have are by Diamond Audio. Nothing fancy. Their entry level 6.5" seperates in the front and 5" coaxials in the rear. The rears took a little work to fit, but nothing major... minor surgeory with a Dremel.

I've had pretty good experiences with MB Quartz speakers in the past. They sound good but will probably be too bright without a sub.

Check out sounddomain.com and look around. crutchfield.com is also a good site to get stuff from. Prices are a little high but their customer service is simply amazing. BTW, the Infinity Kappa series speakers are suppose to be very good. Not too expensive either. The Kicker spearkers both sites sell are suppose to be very nice too. The seperates have Titanium dome tweeters and a much different cone design for the woofer. Features normally found on high end speakers. The stats look really good too.

Once you have the speakers in and feel the need for more bass, you can always add a sub later on if you start with a decent head unit. The head unit would most likely have enough power to drive the speakers. All you'd have to do is get a inexpensive mono amp (or bridge a two channel amp) to power the sub. It isn't all that important to have a clean (expensive) sub amp unless you enter stereo competitions.

If you want to save some $, you could consider leaving the factory rear speakers alone and upgrade only the fronts. Rear speakers are really only for fill anyway. Not that important.

[jim falcione]

Thanks for the info guys. Mighty appreciated...

[Tone]

Especially for non-audiophiles I’d recommend adding a sub - why spend all the time and $$ when you will be amazed at what a sub does for the stock system. If you haven’t tried it before changing out the rest of your system, you could be wasting $$.