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I see the following are the important components of Car Audio System
1. Head Unit
2. Amplifier
3. Sub-woofer and
4. Speaker
Please advice if I missed any of the components
What is the preferred (economical and best) band for each of the above components
1. Alpine
2. Clarion
3. JVC
4. Sony
5. Pioneer
6. Kenwoood
7. Any Other
I don't think your question is very easy to answer. First there is no universally preferred brand for any of those components. There are some people who are fanboys for one brand (such as JL Audio for subs and amps).
I suggest choosing a headunit primarily based on the features you must have. You need to think about whether or not you want/need things such as Bluetooth, USB, iPhone support, single/double DIN, disc playback (or not), etc.
Amplifiers - how much power, how much space you have, xovers built in, etc.
Subwoofer - where will it be installed?
Speakers - how many, where installed, component vs. coax, etc.
Also, I might add, be aware of the seemingly overnight lighting speed at which technology and interfacing with things like smartphones/bluetooth/gps/electronics is changing. Your smartphone might be your entire player (brains) and all you need is (are) an amp for example (I am no expert). Other human-machine-interface (HMI) things like phone interface, map interface, etc may be integrated into the entire system.
Do any of these brands interface better with android vs apple? is a question I might ask.
In my youth....for me, Alpine was KING for the cd player. One of my favorite amp was Rockford Fosgate, and JL Audio was the best of the best when it came to subwoofers. I read good things about MB Quart and Infinity car speakers but have no personal experiences.....but again, my youth was soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo long ago. LMFAO.
Just don't go crazy like my cousin's friend. I still remember my cousin asking me if I wanted to buy his friend's ride (Can't remember if it's a truck or SUV, it's long time ago) for $10K. I looked at it and laughed, told him that that ride wasn't worth $10K. My cousin said the car is free, he is just asking for the price of his audio system. ROFL.
I like a Kenwood deck that has preamp outs and a USB port input on the front panel with remote control for its simplicity and price. I put my music on a 4gig or 8 gig flash drive and that's superior imo for convenience and adequate sound.
I like the Infinity 8632 coax speakers for simplicity, price and power handling. I like old-school soundstream amps (1988 and older, when they were made in Simi Valley), one for the two or four infinitys and one 5002 Rubicon for the subwoofer/s. I like a Diamond 10" sub with a non-ported box for simplicity, room, and sound. It has a dual 4Ω voice coil which can be hooked up in paralled and the Soundstream will drive that no problem. But that's just me. I could spend more money and get newer amps, but I like what I like. Have fun.
I like a Kenwood deck that has preamp outs and a USB port input on the front panel with remote control for its simplicity and price. I put my music on a 4gig or 8 gig flash drive and that's superior imo for convenience and adequate sound.
I like the Infinity 8632 coax speakers for simplicity, price and power handling. I like old-school soundstream amps (1988 and older, when they were made in Simi Valley), one for the two or four infinitys and one 5002 Rubicon for the subwoofer/s. I like a Diamond 10" sub with a non-ported box for simplicity, room, and sound. It has a dual 4Ω voice coil which can be hooked up in paralled and the Soundstream will drive that no problem. But that's just me. I could spend more money and get newer amps, but I like what I like. Have fun.
The 502 Rubicon came out in the late 90s, so I'm not sure why you'd group that along with classic Soundstream amps.
The 502 Rubicon came out in the late 90s, so I'm not sure why you'd group that along with classic Soundstream amps.
No, you are wrong.
My Rubicon 502 is installed in my truck now, so don't make me dig it out. I also have the first generation Rubicon Rub500-1 which says on the back, "Handcrafted in the U.S.A." My Reference 300 says on the front cover, "Handcrafted in the U.S.A."
But you made me look. Here's what others are saying about their/the Rubicon 502;
Quote:
Not sure how many watts it will do, but for the record, the Rubi 502 did 1011w into a 2 ohm reactive load. These amps could probably do some major power, but I think continuous operation at low impedances may be limited by the fuse size and inadequate heat dissipation due to the power to heat sink ratio."
Quote:
For Sale: a pair of Soundstream Rubicon 204 & 502 amplifiers.
I bought both of these amplifiers towards the end of their production run, just before Soundstream sort of went downhill and moved their manufacturing overseas. I believe the original Rubicons were the last series of amps that Soundstream made in the USA
Quote:
Old-school Soundstream was badass, made in America, high quality, over-engineered, and power output was often under-stated and could put out much more in real life. They had a good rep for quality products, just didnt have the marketing the big boys had.
Quote:
IMO Soundstream made some good stuff back a couple of years. They they started cash cowing their brand name. I haven't really looked at their latest offerings: that chrome spider turns my stomach. Been wanting to pick up some of the older Ref, Rubicon, and class A amps.
My Rubicon 502 is installed in my truck now, so don't make me dig it out. I also have the first generation Rubicon Rub500-1 which says on the back, "Handcrafted in the U.S.A." My Reference 300 says on the front cover, "Handcrafted in the U.S.A."
But you made me look. Here's what others are saying about their/the Rubicon 502;
I don't know what any of that has to do with the 502 beng offered in the late 90's, but I remember those old Soundstreams.
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