Hi, I'm currently looking to upgrade my stock sound system but am completely clueless when it comes to audio.

I am looking to spend around 2-3K for my setup. I know that isn't a huge chunk of cash to spend on a system but do you guys think that is enough to get a nice clean system going? I figure I can always upgrade parts later on down the line.

What I'm looking:

Couple 12" subs (heard JL w6's were the way to go) or maybe a 15"? Amp(s), HU and speakers/tweeters.

So what parts would you guys recommend? Any advice is greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

 

as far as amps i would recommend xtant or used mcintosh

for speakers look at focal, dynaudio, diamond audio.

a large part of the cost will go to a custom sub box, so a pre-fab one will save you some $$$ also

 

Diamond audio speakers are real nice. +1 on the sub box. If you make it yourself(not that hard) you can save a ton!

 

Like women and handguns you have to audition them yourself as they tend to be very personal.

What sounds good to me, with my music, and my years of listening might not sound good to you. As an example Bose (Better Off Sound Elsewhere) to me are over priced, over rated, under powered, and poor sounding speakers. I sold car stereo systems for four years before becoming a broadcast television engineer and somewhat of a snob when it comes to audio. We had a system called an ABX where you could audition any two pairs of headends, amplifiers, equalizers/processors, and speakers with the push of a button. Using the computer you could set up two different systems with any thing changed between them you wanted A and B. Then you could mash on the X button and it would chose one of the two at random, mashing it again would swap - you could then pick which of the two systems sounded best and the computer would reveal it. You could then swap something else out until you found a system that matched your ears.

You can do the same thing by listening to other folks Z's and finding a sound you like and then running with their equipment. I will tell you that there's not a whole bunch of difference in the sound of two nearly equal quality amplifiers (I use to run Zappo) or headends (Alpine) but the speakers have HUGE HUGE flavoring to the sound.

My Z is still new and I've only started in on the project. I'm laying sound proofing, upgrading the speaker wires, and running a large +12V power system into the trunk area. I'm not going to go full bore preferring to retain my spare tire and what little trunk these things come with.

Take your time and enjoy the shopping experience. Find yourself a store with several of the better brands and compare them side-by-side and pick the system that best fits your budget and ears.

One other piece of advice I would like to share with you if I may - buy your sound system with your ears ... not your eyes. The coolist looking plasma display isn't going to make up for a flat sounding CD player behind it. Buy your sound equipment for the music it makes, not for the bling-bling visual features, the color of the display, the number of *****, the shape of the unit ...

 

Very good advice Paul. I will be checking out a few local stores next week. For the people in southern Cali, do you guys know any good quality shops you can recommend?

 

Paul has given the best advice.

Basically, audio in general is a subjective sport at best. Listen to some speakers.

However, we can point you towards the right set up if you tell us what kind of music you listen to.

 

Sound Advice in Mission Viejo is the choice for the G35driver.com crowd I think.

 

i'm in the same boat, looking to spend around 2k-3k and mainly listen to techno/hiphop music. i understand i need to listen to the speakers and such but some recommendations would be great. I just want a clean sounding system with some nice base, nothing over the top. one 10inch or 12inch would probably be enough.

 

Paul is right, audition all the stuff in the store first, listen & compare then shop. It is good to find a good installer too, i went to audio advice in la cresenta. Devin does a really good job. He has done 350z and G35's.

You can also compare prices from the store and the internet. You could save a lot buying from the net but some products are not warrantied though.

Do a lot of research on the net and different audio forums and ask, ask, ask.
That's what i did. You could also go to audio meets, it's the best place you can see how different systems sound like.

 

I had my sound system replaced within a week of buying my Z a couple of years ago. You don't need to spend more than $2000 to get a clean sound that totally kicks the stock system's ***. I went with a 4-way Phoenix Gold amp, JL audio front 6.5" component set and a 10" JL Audio sub. IMHO there is absolutely no need for rear component speakers in a 2 seat car. A good stereo should sound like it's coming from the front as if it were a stage at a concert. Rears are just a wasted expense. I had my local sound shop remove all the Bose crap and wire in the new gear to the stock head unit. The sub is in the spare tire well and the amp is where the old sub was. Very clean install and a nice clean sounding stereo. If I remember correct the components ran me $350 on eBay and the install was around $600. I decent system for under $1000.

 

http://www.350zfrenzy.com/forum/show...ighlight=stero

You should be able to get a very good sound system for 2Gs....

 

good advice from all these people.....i have 2 sets of diamond audio s600s component in the front (1 pair in custom kick panels) and one set in the door....MAN what a difference with the kick panel ones...the stock locale for the 6 inch speakers has them firing in the floor so i made some kick panels. Diamond audio s600s, memphis chrome amps X2, and a Resonant Engineering 10" sub (RMS1000-2000 watts) is what Im running. DO look in to REaudio.com, their subs KILL anthing Ive ever heard, and ive owned most brands in 15 years of car audio.....actually a guy on caraudio.com has a new 10" RE XXX sub for sale right now in the classifieds section, his username is repo_24 (or something like that)...you wont see many 10" XXX's for sale but here is a great op to buy one. Bama350zMD