i have a 2007 f-250 cc and i was just wondering if alpine was a good brand to go with. also do they make good head units?

 

Yes, Alpine makes good speakers. Same with head units. Bottom line:SHOP AROUND.
Now, if you are interested, I will get on my soap box on a solid subject. Read on if you truly want to save money. Some of the things to keep in mind about speakers:
A brief history:
Humans are "capable" of interpreting the audio frequency spectrum of 20hz (low end) up to 20khz (high end). Don't kid yourself, nobody is capable of these levels, but it gives us a target. Most people hear from around 250hz (just north of subsonic) to about 14khz for men and 17khz for women. Most of this diminished capacity is caused by long-term exposure to loud noises, environmental issues, genetic limitations, and the occasional pissed off wife.
Speakers are designed to play specific frequencies. Sub-woofers are designed to play the frequencies from 20hz to about 300hz. Keep in mind that true subsonic sound is not heard, but felt in the stomach lining and jaw bone. This is why a sub's location is not critical. All you are trying to do is shake at extremely low levels. With that said, check out the specs on the speaker. It should range from the low to mid 20hz level up to around the 300hz level max. Anything above that level should be left for the woofer or mid bass drivers.
Another spec is Sound Pressure Level (SPL). Since sound reproduction comes from the movement the air, how little energy used by the driver is measured and recorded as SPL. The measurement is taken by pumping 1 watt of white (sometimes referred to as pink) noise thru the speaker and measuring the decibels at a distance of 1 meter. This is critical because if you have an inefficient speaker, say 85db, your amp will work very hard to give you the same loudness that a very efficient speaker will give you with an SPL of 97db. You can get a crazy speaker that handles 1200 watts but has a SPL of 85 db. Another speaker with a handling capability of only 800 watts with an SPL of 96 db will play far more efficiently and louder with less input volume.
This brings me to another issue: Watts. Don't be fooled by wattage. As I have indicated in a previous thread, wattage, or power, is the rate of doing work or, how much energy is being converted to heat. True "loudness" is measured in decibels. The rule of thumb is that for every three decibels, you must double the wattage of the amplifier output.
So with all that said, you need to balance amp ratings with speaker capabilities. In an
F250/350, you are in a pretty confined area with little wiggle room for subs. Something will either have to give (removal of the back seat), or you might have to give a little in your expectations. As posted in yet another thread, I am putting a 10” Scosche sub in the center console between the front seats. I am rebuilding the console, firing the sub downward, and giving up all the space inside.
When it comes to speakers or head units, go online and check EBay, amazon.com, or a multitude of other speaker outlets. I just installed a Kenwood head unit that does GPS, MP3, DVD/CD, AM/FM, USB, IPOD, Bluetooth, and Sirius/XM, and probably a few other things. I paid around $450 from Amazon, bought the installation kit at Crutchfields, and was up and running in under two hours.

Finally: When it comes to sound systems, speakers have the largest mark-up (comes from years of being at the bottom of the food chain as a car stereo salesman in my teens). Don’t be fooled by name, rather, pay close attention to specs. Besides, people rarely watch subs, they experience them.
Good Luck,
Spencer

 

I've had Earthquake, MTX, Kicker, Memphis, JL Audio, Alpine, and Infinity speakers and subs in various vehicles over the years, along with some I'm probably forgetting. For a small physical package, the Kicker L5 solobarics in a truck box are sweet. If you've got lots of room (like you don't mind removing the rear seat) there's better options, but the Kicker is tough to beat in the size vs. performance department.

 

I'll throw another Kicker vote out. I used to have two 8 in. L7's, now I have 3 - 8 in. L7's behind my back seat in a custom box I built myself. The two 8's sounded really good, but I wanted a little more, the three 8's really pound! I also have a crew cab. If you want the specs for the box I built I'll be happy to supply it to you.

 

I would be interested in the specs on your box. pm me with them if you can. I'm running a single shallow mount 12 right now. Looking to change it up a little.

 

I'll just post up the dimensions.

Length = 50 in.
Height = 16 in.
B. Width = 7.5 in.
T. Width = 3.5 in.
These are all outside measurements. I also made everything out of 3/4 in. MDF. I think this will net you approx. 1.9 cu.ft. I'll also try to remember to snap a few pics of it so you can get a good visual of it.

 

I vote digital design..... They are good speakers and not as mainstream as others.... Like the sct tuners some times you don't recognise the name but you remember the performance

 

i have got a single jl audio w1 8" in a wedge behind the back seal (no room). it sounds great and its just enough bass for me. Its clean, clear, and crisp. i dont go up and down my block with the windows down and my **** blaring thought. if thats what your into then its not a good choice.

 

i currently have a kenwood headunit, amp, and 10" sub sitting in my truck.

about to upgrade the doors with memphis power reference or Mclass speakers.

so those are my favorites.

but to the original question. Alpine is a very good brand for audio and yes, they make real good headunits.

 

Here is what I did and I can't say enough about how great my system sounds, hope you get want you want too.

Front and rear doors: Polk Audio db571's. 5"X7" for my '08. $125 for the 4 from Crutchfield.

Behind rear seats: Kicker 10" sub and enclosure. Top depth is 3.25", bottom is 6". Fits perfectly behind rear seat but just barely. The thing sounds incredible. I think it was $125?

Under rear seat, Sony xPlod 600W amp, WalMart - $99.

Head unit is factory and the door speakers are not powered by the amp.

The Polk's have un-matched clarity in the high's. The tweeters just blow me away, the mids are very solid, voices and instruments really have superior imaging. (sounds like the singer is in the truck)

It's not a "professional" set up. Very budget friendly but it just plain rocks. The head unit is a little lacking in the Sirius radio audio, kind of dull but I think it's the broadcast and not the radio. iPod stuff and regular FM stations just sound incredible. CD's too.

I would recommend this setup to anybody unless you are into real high end stuff or if you want to be heard 100ft. away. I can't do the bump thing cruising around the mall. If you want pictures or more info just ask me and I'll get real specific with you.

 

thanks for all the replies.
the place that im going to use said its going to be a fiberglass bois that a good or bad thing.)

 

DDs are awesome but they are big. I think the only sub they make that would fit is the T1510. Not much space behind the rear seats of a CC.

I'm running 2 eD (elemental Designs) 10"s. Very good quality and affordable.

 

Fiberglass is good if they know what they are doing. If not it could look like crap. But you probably wouldnt be buying from them if they didn't look like they know what they are doing.

 

Interesting comment on the SPL, but I have found that many speakers that are more efficient and have a high SPL are also more prone to distortion at high volumes. I found that out on my last set of speakers. The speakers were doing fairly well at being loud at lower amp levels, but beyond a certain point they failed to produce more sound and instead would buzz and distort. The new speakers I have a much higher peak volume.

 

Please tell me where you got the kicker 10" and enclosure from. I have an 07, will I have to take the tray out from behind the seat to get the box to fit? Thanks for the good post.