I want to do some minor upgrades to the stock system in my '00 Expedition. I don't really want to change the Head Unit (It's not a Mach system) right now. I think I'd really be happy with just a speaker upgrade and a subwoofer. I have much more $$ and research tied up in my home theater system, but want to keep it simpler and less expensive for what is basically a work truck. I think I'll probably just switch to some decent 2-way speakers for the doors (Infinity and Polk make some 5X7 that should install pretty easily) I'm NOT looking for earth-shaking bass, just a little more low end response that a pair of door speakers aren't capable of.

So my questions;

Can I keep the stock H.unit but still add an amp and X-over for a sub?

What produces more/better low end bass, a pair of 8" subs or a single 10"?

The simplest way to add the sub would be an Infinity Basslink 200W / 10" sub. I have one of these in another of my cars (a BMW with very good insulation between the trunk and passenger cabin) and it really doesn't do much if you're not listening from the trunk. I figure it might produce pretty well in an open SUV cabin. Any thoughts on the Basslink? I guess I could just try the one I have and see how it works.

Thanks for the help.

 

Most of the time a 10 inch will beat a 8 inch on frequency, 10s go a little lower frequency. So since your not looking for a really loud system the 10 will be fine. You can install an amp using the speakers' wires, you have to get a special adaptor, but i havent done too much of that. (Ill let someone else explain instead of me confusing the heck outta you) Subs are alot louder in an open space compared to a trunk, so you wont have any problem not hearing it.

 

In my Ram I added a 330watt rms amp and a 10" dual voice coil 4ohm Kicker Comp VR the new ones and left the rest of the stereo stock as it wasn't my daily driver. Suprisingly it sounds pretty good now. It had decent highs and mids but the lows sounded like crap everytime the bass hit. With the sub it really sounds very good. I didn't think I would be impressed as my other two cars have all aftermarket setups. The main reason I didn't get rid of the HU in the Ram is that I wanted to keep the steering wheel controls but didn't want to buy the $70 adapter and I just haven't gotten around to upgrading the speakers.