truck sound system help

Well if one thing this board has a lot of different opinions so maybe I can get some ideas here.
I am in the process of looking to buy a full size single cab pickup,most likley a Toyota Tundra or T-100.I would like a nice sound system for it.Any suggestions?Being a single cab I am sure I will have to go aftermarket because I definetly would like to have some kind of Front and Rear speaker set up.I definetly don't need anything too loud,I'm 52 years old and don't need that window vibrating bass.Just something with good fidelity.
Any feedback would be helpful.
Mahalo,
Michael

 

Your best bet would be calling Crutchfield. You realize the truck you end up buying has 100% to what you have to choose. The speaker enclosures are "form fit" to the OEM crap speakers that the car manufacturer chooses.

It's ALWAYS got to go.

You may find, although you don't need your teeth fillings rattled, that a subwoofer in most any car application is a very good idea. Many full-range speakers for some US trucks don't produce much information in the low-range. Bummer. It's usually because the speaker enclosure depth in the doors are shallow, or are too small. An outboard amp (after the head unit) is also recommended. We're talking power here, not fuel for loudness. Some very good Rockford amps for cars not only produce quite a nice sound, but you'll find options like these to be fairly economical. Also, many 40wpc head units MAY be just all you need, not extra amplification. Do listening tests...

You may or may not have options for certain disc changer ability, subwoofer placement, and the make and model of your truck purchase will have EVERYTHING to do with what speakers you have to replace those ash-tray-types-of-speakers you'll possibly intend on replacing immediately.

You can also get placement tweeters installed at nose-level for good high frequency dispercement, even though your options for all-range speakers place the bulk of output aiming twords the floor.

There's N0 doubt you'll find options that will work for you. If you want to DIY, definately call Crutchfield because they won't give you incorrect equipment, and the prices are decent.

Otherwize, wait until your ready and drive it up to a shop with professionals that will fit you right.

I'm a big believer in JVC head units. Look for the Kamelion types. They hide away and make it look, when you leave your truck, that there's no unit to steal. Saves money on car insurance! Many of the JVC Kamilions do MP3 CDs, so if you can't get a CD changer, you can bulk away several (11-14) albums on one CD for your truck.

Crutchfield:

 

When it comes to car stereo, these are some good brands:

For the speakers: Infinity Reference speakers which are available at Crutchfield are pound for pound great car speakers.

I use Boston Acoustics but they cost much more and are hard to find.

For the Headunit: You can't go wrong with Pioneer/ JVC/ Alpine/ Clarion and even Sony is pretty good. I have a Sony cassette h/u (XR-C5300X)connected to a Sony 10 cd changer.
But most h/u's are cd players these days.

Also think about adding a small amp to your set-up. It will greatly improve the overall tone of your system. It will produce a nice richer sound.
A decent 2 or 4 channel amp can really make those speakers sing!
Again MTX/ Alpine/ Rockford Fosgate/ Kenwood/JBL make nice inexpensive amps.

Good Luck!

 

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Opinions are going to vary as much as they do on here on equipment. At any rate have a look at those sites. The one thing i do advocate, and of course its just a personal opinion, is that you need to use equalization for the entire sound spectrum in a car. You have so many things working against you, such as road noise, size of the car, shape of the car, placement of the speakers, quality of the speakers, etc etc. At any rate you can overcome some of that with EQ. Also i believe in sound deadening also as that will help eliminate one of those variables as much as you can. There as some major brands name that are really sound in my opinion as far as head units are concerned: Pioneer Elite or the respective Pioneer normal line, Nakamichi, Eclipse, and higher end Alpine units.

 

That is true. A good EQ can also do wonders.

I use a Pioneer 8 band eq that works very well.

It is amazing the sound difference with it on and off.