curious...

[SwA]

im a total noob when talking about speakers, subs, and amp. im just wondering if you can run 2 12inch subs with 2 amp with stock headunit and stock speakers

[v1c10us]

in theory yes.
but you'd do much better to change the headunit
and depending on your tastes, you might prefer the sound of 4 powered speakers with a nice headunit.
My friend has 4 alpine type r 6'' speakers powered fully and its enough bass for an EP for sure, and its definitely enough to make your music just sound dead good without being all bass and ratle.

[old crusty]

you could but most amp install kits have wire that just directly connect with the after market head units. if u do not get a new head unit u will have to do a bunch of other wiring and its a lot of extra manual labor.

the best thing to do is get a new head unit

[SwA]

what about the speakers? do i really need to change it? is stock speakers good enough? and for headunit, does it matter if i get cheap one?

[underOATH]

what about the speakers? do i really need to change it? is stock speakers good enough? and for headunit, does it matter if i get cheap one?

again, depends on your music preference.

Headunits are usually a MUST. They will make it easier to wire, they improve overall sound(by delivering more/cleaner power), and you will have more options regarding MP3 disks, ipods, and AUX devices.

When you start talking about speakers, its really all up to you. If youre listening to music with alot of 808 drops or deep, bassy sound then a sub might fare better for you. If you enjoy faster music that is heavy on the mids, then speakers might be a good buy. I personally think the stock speakers are good ENOUGH (well, the rears suck) so I have a headunity with one 12" in the back... And I listen to rap/indie/screemo music. Honestly Though, its your choice...

Personally, I like bass, but I dont think you need 2x 12" subs in an ep3. It just overwhelms everything and 1 solid 12" w/ a good amp would be a better buy... Because our hatch area is open, as opposed to being an enclosed trunk, the sound will travel ALOT better, which will make it sound just as good.

My suggestion: Get a good HU and get a good 12" with a powerful amp and quality wiring. Then, any money left over you can put that towards improving the speakers.

[old crusty]

well u said u had 2 '12...i have 2 '12 as well and all i hear is BOOOOOM BOOM BOOM, but i like that.

if u like that too then dont get new speakers, just a new head unit.

if u want to actually hear the song, trade in ur subs for a new head unit and some nice speakers.

if u want a little of both, trade them in for 2 '10 and some ok new speakers

[mattism78]

Back in my uber cheap days I'd run stock mids/highs and just an amp, subs, and headunit. As long as you put the stockers on high pass you'll get some life out of them. Not much though, and sound quality is CRAP.

[Tortoise]

Haha yeah im runnin into the same prb. I dont mess wit wiring and im gettin my 15" l7 installed soon. The car is wired for subs wit stock headunit and has aftermarket tweeters so the price of havin the old shit taken out and the new put in i will have no money for door speakers. So for awhile ill just hear bass...which will suckkkk. The 15 should knock like crazy in this lil hatch! 1200 watts rms at 1ohm.

[SwA]

what is a good size for speakers? front and back? and what companies do you guys recommend cheap but good quality

[shanewdude]

I can't remember the size of the stock speakers, you'll have to look that up. Also, get, or make speaker mounts if you're changing the speakers. Our factory speakers really suck IMO, especially if you throw more power at them (even a cheap head unit will do that). I say save the money and do it right when you can. Speakers, at least $150 to $200 a pair. Head unit, around $200 or more, and amps it's up to you, and sub etc.

Companies like Boston Acoustics, JL Audio, or Focal have a good reputation for speakers, and Pioneer Premier, Pioneer, Alpine, JVC, or Sony for head units.

When you are ready, then you can figure out sub/amp combinations. I am lusting after a JL Audio 13" sub that is really shallow, a custom fitted box built into the trunk, and a new amp. That's $1800 right there, as opposed to the $600 I have now in my sub/amp/box setup.

Here's a really good thread to read through:
http://www.ephatch.com/forum/showthread.php?t=43612

[james04si]

Back in my uber cheap days I'd run stock mids/highs and just an amp, subs, and headunit. As long as you put the stockers on high pass you'll get some life out of them. Not much though, and sound quality is CRAP.


way back in my uber cheap days all I had was a portable cd player hooked up to the amp with the 3.5mm to rca adapters. Forget headunits they are overrated.

[thisisagame24]

sorry for thread jack....but i was looking at getting some decent speakers for the front. i have some kenwoods in the rears that are pretty good....but i was told that the fronts need a different type of speaker because the tweeter is seperate from the speaker itself, unlike the rear where its inside the speaker. sorry for my newbness but i dont really know jack about speakers and such. any help would be nice

[underOATH]

what is a good size for speakers? front and back? and what companies do you guys recommend cheap but good quality

For speakers, I would reccomend JBL, Infinty, Polk, pioneer, and kicker. Stay away from Blaupunkt and sony stuff...

JL is the best company IMO, but their prices are pretty steep...

[underOATH]

sorry for thread jack....but i was looking at getting some decent speakers for the front. i have some kenwoods in the rears that are pretty good....but i was told that the fronts need a different type of speaker because the tweeter is seperate from the speaker itself, unlike the rear where its inside the speaker. sorry for my newbness but i dont really know jack about speakers and such. any help would be nice

you need a component speaker setup for that. It includes the woofers, the tweeters, and a crossover. You can see what I mean here (http://www.crutchfield.com/g_410/Component-Systems.html?tp=106)...

btw, I would recommend www.crutchfield.com to anyone looking to order a system. Their prices are fairly average, but their customer support of phenomenal. :D

[thisisagame24]

does any one know how much room there is for the front door speakers? i was told that a lot of speakers wont fit becuase they are too big.
im able to get a good price on these and was wondering if they will fit
http://www.crutchfield.com/App/Product/Item/Main.aspx?g=400&i=109GTO607C&tp=105&tab=features_and_specs

[AliG-EP3]

Good question, I've always had trouble in the past with crutchfield having incorrect info on our front door speaker specs

[dichotomous]

do you want to hear music played nicely and well defined and smooth and clear? or do you want to impress people with the boom boom boom?
you answer determines your budget and design.

answer B and you can get away with a cheep sub(s) and amp wired into your stock headunit and speakers

answer A and it will cost you more, you'll want a new headunit, door speakers, sub and an amp to power all of it nicely

answer A &B, this will cost a bunch, definately need a new headunit, gonna need very nice speakers on their own amp to keep up with a big bass system, and that bass system is gonna be expensive too to sound nice AND loud.