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    3rd gen stock sound system

    how good is the 3rd generation stock sound system? what part of it is the weakest link?

    i tried to do a serch for this but suprisingly nothing came up.

    #2
    Here is what I think. It is good enough until you have the money to upgrade. I was pleased with my stock system for awhile.

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      #3
      The head unit is a head unit. It is alrightr for everday use, but is very limited in many areas like upgradeability and power. The speakers suck! After market speakers will make it sound better, but if you want an overall better sounding system you will need to change the speakers and amp them. Many people have kept the stock HU and just used an Line-out converter to install an amp to power the speakers and as far as I am concerned, you need to eventually install a sub, even if it is a small 8" sub. It makes the workd of difference

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        #4
        A sub is a definate must, no matter the size. I took my subs out for awhile and decided I couldn't live without them. That was even with Polk components which produce decent bass.

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          #5
          the weakest link? all of it rider made some very good points. and definitely get at least an 8" sub. i've gone without a sub for over a month and finally couldn't take it. since i haven't finished putting the 8's in my front doors, i quickly built a box for them and put them in my trunk. i'm actually very impressed with the performance of 2, $32.50 each, 8's running off 200 watts total:p: definitely not my brahma, but suprisingly loud in most cases you can just use line output converters with a stock head unit, but i don't feel the protege stock HU is worth a damn even with LOC's. speakers are a must, and amping them is prefered

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            #6
            Originally posted by blue LEDz
            speakers are a must, and amping them is prefered
            If you ask me, amping the speakers is a MUST. I've paid so much for expensive speakers and in the end it turns out that I need an amp because my HU (Alpine 9807) isn't up to the task.

            What I did:

            - replaced my "original" Alpine 7833 HU with a brand new Alpine 9807
            - a month later I bought new speakers - Alpine Type-S - to replace the factory ones
            - 3 months later I bought a subwoofer and an amp (Elemental Designs e12K.44 and a Tsunami 1100d amp), spent quite some time and energy on box building and enjoyed my system for a while. then I noticed that my speakers distort the sound even at moderate volume
            -decided to upgrade to a set of $300 CDT Audio component speakers for my front doors (got them for $150). I was shocked when I observed NO difference in sound quality between the CDTs and the Alpine Type-S! It turns out that my HU is weak, not the speakers...

            Now my subwoofer malfunctioned and I've been listening for a week without it - QUITE a difference, and I can't wait to get it back!!! During that time it became very clear to me that I need to upgrade either my HU (to a one that has a more powerful amp) or add an external amp to power at least the front two speakers. The missing sub made it quite obvious that the sound isn't as nice as I'd like it to be. blue LEDz helped me out and I ordered a small amp for my front speakers. Meanwhile I ordered a HU that has a decent equalizer and crossovers built into it - the Alpine 9815.

            So I'm hoping to be pleasantly surprised this time around.
            I just wanted to give you my experience with this stuff. At first I thought "Nah, no need for an external amp", but now it seems - an amp is a prerequisite for good, clean sound.

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              #7
              of course it is intruder(needing an amp)... I tell you this stuff.. you just dont listen...4 months ago at pclub I said yay alpine and blue said alpines suck! now he has alpine R's.... I say better HU at pclub... looks like you are getting new HU... you dumb dumb people jk! LISTEN TO ME AND SAVE MONEY!

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                #8
                Originally posted by asylum24
                of course it is intruder(needing an amp)... I tell you this stuff.. you just dont listen...4 months ago at pclub I said yay alpine and blue said alpines suck! now he has alpine R's.... I say better HU at pclub... looks like you are getting new HU... you dumb dumb people jk! LISTEN TO ME AND SAVE MONEY!
                haha you never told me that I need a better HU you were telling me that the Type R sub is as good as the eD K in fact everyone was saying that I should keep the silver head unit. nevermind... that was my first audio set-up, and it was a learning experience. I worked very hard when I put that brown bread stuff in my car, built my subwoofer, amp rack, etc... all by myself. in the end I was just not getting what I had expected, so the natural thing to do is ... REFINE & UPGRADE till you're satisfied. there's a threshold for everybody. blue will keep doing it just cuz he's got passion for this. I do it because I want to have sound as good as when I'm at home listening to my Klipsch speakers. yeah...

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                  #9
                  so you built your own subwoofer eh? i guess i missed that in your 160 page thread. lol.... i never said it was as good... or better... I said you shouldnt listen to blue cuz hes a retard and I know what I was talkin about(even though I was pullin it out of my ass with some of the specs[they just happened to be right sometimes]) ok so maybe I was saying they were as good... but look at you all now "MUST GET ALPINE! MUST UPGRADE!" muhahaha I 0wne you all!

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                    #10
                    I built the box not the actual woofer you dummy
                    I've always been a fan of Alpine so don't use this "must get alpine, must upgrade" against me. I defaulted to Alpine cuz that's what I had in my car when I got it. I haven't had experience with other HUs, so I decided to stay with Alpine - as simple as that. Besides that, I always wanted the 9815 but I couldn't afford it in the beginning so I used the 9807 for a while.

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                      #11
                      Im just messin man and trying to prove to everyone that Im right... even though im prolly not someway or another even though i dont think I am... oh well

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                        #12
                        Originally posted by blue LEDz
                        the weakest link? all of it
                        This is really true. When I first got the pro I was planning on keeping the stock HU because I liked the way it looked in the dash. I had some 6x9's from my old car and I put them in, and it sounded a little better, but I could barely tell the difference cause there was so little power. So then I decided that I would amp the whole thing but still keep the stock HU. It added power in and was clearer, but there was still no bass, because it just didn't have the right balance and there was no bass boost of any kind. I ended up putting a new deck in anyway and now it sounds good, but I can't get much bass out of it unless I put all the power into the rear speakers. So subs come next, just to round out the sound.

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                          #13
                          Originally posted by asylum24
                          Im just messin man and trying to prove to everyone that Im right... even though im prolly not someway or another even though i dont think I am... oh well

                          lol, that's comedy i've never said alpine sucked, except their subs and a new HU was not needed, but an amp was and if you must get alpine, you "MUST UPGRADE" i'm already thinking about selling the type R's with the kick panels to buy some nicer ones i'm thinking in need something that'll handle more power, and possibly a horn tweeter:p:

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                            #14
                            My cheap two cents on the subject. The basic mazda protege sound system is better than many stock sound systems. The headunit is a fine signal source unit, it just doens't have much amplification to it. The speakers are Pioneer contract, and are made out of paper with light magnets. The wiring is adaquate for what the system is stock. For 95 out of 100 owners, this system will be just fine for thier daily use.
                            Mazda is a interesting company in that it does sell Kenwood upgrade speakers, they are better than the stock, but overpriced compared to aftermarket. They are a drop in, and supported by the dealers though.
                            The big weak link would be the paper cone speakers. It does become a slippery slope though- once you start replacing, you will probably want more!
                            Ultimaltely what to do in upgrades is a question of if you want out of a "better" system, which is a pretty intangible quality, how much you are willing to spend, and what type of music you like to listen to.
                            Personally I would suggest considering the replacement of the speakers first. It will give you a good bang for the buck. It is possible to find and install drop in fit speakers that will be a easy install. Many folks here prefer seperates, they are a touch more difficult as a first time install, but can still be done.
                            I would suggest focusing funds on the front sound stage first, use a 60/40 spending ratio with 60% of your funds going to new front speakers. In the rear speakers I would not be as interested in tweeters as I would be in decent bass. The front stage will be where you want to hear high frequencies, not the back.
                            Once you get new speakers, you will probably discover that the stock headunit is lacking on power, I benched a stock headunit and measured 8 watts before distortion set in, and 12 watts useable prior to the distortion becoming audable. The stock headunit does not have RCA out lines, but if you acquire an amp that accepts speaker level input, or use Line Out Converters (LOCs) you can continue to use your stock headunit with a enhanced system. Also look for an amp that an extra set of preamp outputs, this way in the future you can add a subwoofer to the system should you elect.
                            Many folks will encourage a new head unit, but I lean to keeping the stock unless there are additional features you want that the stock does not have.
                            So I would go front speakers, then rear speakers, then amp, then sub and amp for sub.
                            You would need to run new wiring for the amps, but go ahead and use the stock speaker wires, they will work for most systems.
                            One does not have to spend a fortune, or get everything at once. Upgrades can be reasonable, and done in stages to meet budgets.
                            Let us all know what you decide on doing- we are a curious lot, and will be happy to provide assistance in any way-
                            David A. Cameron
                            "People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men
                            stand ready to do violence on their behalf."

                            Ex Protege Owner- and I still love em!
                            2004 Cooperworks Mini
                            2003 Acura TSX

                            And I swear not another car until my daughter gets a drivers license!!

                            De Oppresso Liber
                            Sine Pari

                            Comment


                              #15
                              Originally posted by dacinokc
                              I benched a stock headunit and measured 8 watts before distortion set in, and 12 watts useable prior to the distortion becoming audable.
                              I'm sorry to be asking off-topic questions, but I would really like to know how you measured that. Thanks!

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