Audio/Video Q&A Thread

[lilmalu]

Coool. I plan to keep the stock h/u in place and keep the touchscreen in the cubby

[rich]

i used a LOC (line out converter piece that lets you hook up amp to factory radio)...i wired that from the speaker output from the factory radio and the rca side is going into the Auxiliary in (rca to mini adapter) on my pioneer radio. so i still have factory XM & factory 6 disc changer as audio sources and it's louder too

[lilmalu]

Are kicker, jbl or jl any good for subs?

[timot_one]

Of those 3 choices, I would go with JL Audio.  That's just my opinion though.

[Mike]

In past vehicles i've had some kicker stuff, and i've been nothing but, please with it.

[unclejud49348]

2 Questions Tim,

1. What speakers would you suggest for the front of my 05 EX Sedan? It's stock right now and I'd like to upgrade them in the near future.

2. If you have subs in the trunk, should they be pointed towards the front of the car or towards the rear?

Thanks!

[timot_one]

1. What speakers would you suggest for the front of my 05 EX Sedan? It's stock right now and I'd like to upgrade them in the near future.

I've answered this question before in the past for other people, but I'm not sure if I've answered it in this thread yet.  Anyway, it really comes down to your budget and what sounds good to you.  I can't exactly tell you what brand to purchase.  I could recommend what brands to stay away from.  If I worked for a car audio shop, I would end up pushing whatever we sold.

Here is my advice.  Figure out what you're willing to spend on new speakers.  If you're buying front and rear speakers, your budget should be split 80/20, meaning you should spend 80% of your total speaker budget on front speakers.  When you've figured out what your price range is, go out and listen to the speakers in your price range and buy whatever sounds best to you.

2. If you have subs in the trunk, should they be pointed towards the front of the car or towards the rear?

That depends on where they are located in your trunk.  If they are near the front of the trunk, I would fire them towards the back of the trunk (where the tail lights are).  If they are in the rear or the trunk, I would fire them forward.  You basically want the longest path of travel for the sound wave.  If they are near the front of the trunk, they will reflect off the interior of the trunk and fire forward.

[unclejud49348]

Thanks Tim. I'm gonna go check out some speakers for my car at Best Buy (probably), but if you would suggest some brands to stay away from that would def. help out.

[Bwek]

No, you would completely disconnect your OEM h/u and use the IVA-W505 to power your speakers, or you could run RCA's from the IVA-W505 to an amp to power your speakers.  Your OEM h/u would be completely disabled and basically become a clock.

i have my factory head unit in my car still working and the double din going into the Aux-in on my Oem head unit, i still use the stock head unit for the am/fm, 6 disc and when i want to listen to my harddrive or watch a movie i turn on the double din and turn the radio to the aux-in/cd changer setting

 my main volume control is still through the factory radio, and i didn't loose my steering wheel controls

to me at least it works very very well the sound quality is pretty good

also the install was very clean i didn't have to use a y harness i just spliced a few wires on my adaptor that plugs into the head unit so it was an easy install as well

[timot_one]

Why did you do it like that?  The aftermarket h/u will have better sound quality than your OEM h/u.

[Abailey4]

Why did you do it like that?  The aftermarket h/u will have better sound quality than your OEM h/u.

That's how it is in mine even though it wasn't intentional.  It's convenient for when I dont feel like switching out cd's every 20 minutes.  However 95% of the time the Ipod is hooked up to the aftermarket HU so I dont have to worry about that problem.

[Bwek]

Why did you do it like that?  The aftermarket h/u will have better sound quality than your OEM h/u.

I get to keep my steering wheel control, and 6 disc and as far as sound quality goes its sounds awesome when I am using the double din for my mp3s or movies

i've had aftermarket radios in all of my cars and the sound quality is easily as good as any other of the systems i once had

[timot_one]

You do know that you can get an adapter to control your aftermarket h/u with your steering wheel controls and they make multi CD changers for aftermarket h/u's, right?  I guess it just seems counter-intuitive to have an aftermarket h/u if you're running the audio through your OEM h/u.  Maybe I'm a snob, but my system beats the ever living shit out of the OEM h/u in sound quality, functionality, and every other aspect.  To me, what you're doing is like buying a sports car that you will only drive in the snow.

[Bwek]

yep i know i can get an adaptor i just prefer it this way works well for me

[timot_one]

So, what's the point of getting an aftermarket h/u if you're just going to keep using the OEM h/u?