Need some help with speakers!
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Senior User
Joined: Apr 2006
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Need some help with speakers!
I have a regular cab SD and it is time for a sound upgrade. What do I need? Just the speakers, or do I also need a radio? I have been told to use Kenwood in the doors and Polk in the back for a little base? I realy have no clue, but I know the stock setup is crap. Thanks for any suggestions!
Posting Guru
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 1,719
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From: PA
I also have a Regular cab SD. I use the stock speakers with an alpine head unit. I also have a 12" subwoofer and enclosure behind the seat. The radio/headunit by far makes the biggest difference IMO. The stock one sounds like crud compared to my Alpine. Your choice for speakers aren't bad, but you can do better. I have JL Audio in my car, and i have been completely satisfied with them. really, it is all about how much money you are willing to spend. I have found that you get what you pay for, the hard way. It ended up costing me more money upgrading from one system to another, than if I just would have bought the good stuff from the beginning.
Senior User
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 441
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From: Cave Springs, AR
I would do; Headunit first, music speakers second, sub w/ external amp third, and finally an external amp for the music speakers. Also remember if you're going to do a "system" (stage 3 above) the foundation stuff will come into play. Dual batteries, high quality cables and interconnect, additional sound deadening, etc. That will drive the cost up but it's well worth it if you're going to go that far.
I think Alpine is near the top of the industry right now in all their products. JL Audio is also up there. Sony is crap now compared to where they used to be(That's coming from a long time Sony fan). Kenwood, Pioneer, Clarion, etc all have their fans. If you do replace the headunit really spend some time playing with it in the store first, some don't have the best layout for their controls.
-Jay
I think Alpine is near the top of the industry right now in all their products. JL Audio is also up there. Sony is crap now compared to where they used to be(That's coming from a long time Sony fan). Kenwood, Pioneer, Clarion, etc all have their fans. If you do replace the headunit really spend some time playing with it in the store first, some don't have the best layout for their controls.
-Jay
Posting Guru
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 1,737
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From: Republic of Texas
Check it out . . .
You can use the stock Head unit if you get a power amp to drive your new speakers. You might move over to the FTE forum that focuses on this.
https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/forum60/
https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/forum60/
Senior User
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 473
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From: Flagstaff, AZ
I put in a Kenwood deck in mine with Infinity speakers in the doors. Infinity makes a line of powered subwoofers called Basslink. I got the Basslink T for mine, it is very narrow and should fit behind your seat with no problem. Any aftermarket deck you get will be much smaller than stock, they sell kits to go with them that will cover up the gaps. Some even have slots for cd storage. I think I spent about $1000 on my whole setup.
Freshman User
Joined: Jan 2004
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I was looking into upgrading mine when the factory CD player went out so I had to replace the headunit anyway. I went with a Pioneer hi-power (nothing too fancy), Pioneer 3-ways for the front doors and kicker 2 ways for the rear (extended cab). As far as fitting the dash opening, I ordered everything from Crutchfield and they included the install kit, headunit wiring harness, speaker harnesses, install instructions etc. Everything plugged up right out of the box. It took about 45 minutes in all to get everything swapped out. It sounds 100% better than the factory setup.
