Question on some receiver numbers.

[SHHEP3@UB]

I'm upgrading from the stock radio and speakers, and have some questions on what power ratings I should look for in the setup I want. What I am looking for is nothing crazy - quality over boom and bass, it will mostly be used for iPod (I do keep my music from CD to lossless), budget of about $300. So shopping from Crutchfield, I'm looking at two different Kenwood receivers and two different Kicker components for the front. I'm picking the setup to add on over time, so right now the speakers will be powered by the receiver, with the possibility of an amp if I decide to do that later. Not really interested in a subwoofer because my trunk is abused, but again, maybe in the future.

My question about the different sets is would spending the extra money really matter in the setup I'm planning. Like the preamp voltage won't matter now, but if I get an amp, how big of a difference is 2.5 vs 4 volts?

Receivers: Kenwood KDC-448U ($160) vs. Kenwood Excelon KDC-X595 ($180)
- both RMS 22 watt output
- both 20-20kHz bandwidth
- both 6 channel preamp w/ separate subwoofer
- Preamp voltage 2.5 volts vs 4 volts
- Better CD player in the Excelon

Speakers: Kicker KS series
- 3/4" vs. 1" tweeters
- power (RMS): 6-60 watts vs. 6-75 watts
- materials quality difference

Thanks for the help!

[introvert]

Excelon is well worth the price for the upgrade. The 4V preouts make a big difference when outputting to an external amp. It gives you a stronger signal source and cleaner sound at the same volume (when compared to 2V with the same setup). 4V will also allow you to keep the amp gain down. The EQ, crossover, sound shaping and time alignment on the Excelon line are great as well. I don't believe the standard line offers any beside maybe a simple EQ.

With regards to speakers, if looking for quality over boom I would suggest skipping Kicker. They're meant to be cheap and loud. They have higher priced stuff but still isn't that great a quality compared to other brands. The Polk dB series is a hell of a deal, would provide better clarity and can be had for cheaper than crutchfield if you check them on Amazon. If you want to stick with an authorized dealer, the Diamond Audio preorder on crutchfield would actually be a pretty good buy right now. Crutchfield would also give you speaker wire adapters and spacers for free. Even a Boston set would sound good and be a better deal than the KS.

If you're willing to go buy from a regular online retailer (read: authorized but not as nice as crutchfield) and do without the crutchfield wire adapters & spacers, sonicelectronix has some good pricing. Sticking to the price point of the KS series, you can get a JL-TR series, Kenwood Excelon comp set, or DLS (great sounding product).

Good luck and happy hunting.

[SHHEP3@UB]

Too many choices now! The kickers I'm looking at are part of Crutchfield's "signature series", originally $200, on sale for $150, but sonicelectronix has a much much larger inventory, so I will be searching now.

[introvert]

It's easy to get lost in the selection process. I'd suggest sticking to your initial $150 price range, but then only going +/- max of $10. (Ie: $140 - $160) From that point, start taking a look at specs. Start narrowing the field down. Since you're going to go off receiver power initially, you'll want a sensitivity of 89dB or more.

With regards to tweeter dome material, keep in mind silk provides the most accuracy while aluminum or titanium can sound awesome but can be bright and/or harsh. The harshness of the metallic type tweets can usually be fixed with attenuation on the crossover. Ignore the peak power handling ratings, just go with the RMS ratings. Something within the 50W-100W RMS range typically works well.

[SHHEP3@UB]

Thanks for all the advice. I had a general idea of what the performance number meant before, but now know enough to make a better decision. So off to searching!