Need some advice with my sterio . . .

1985taylor1925

1985taylor1925

Senior Member
I recently switched out my JVC sterio unit for a Sony Explode as the JVC unit doesn't have an aux jack, and the cd player broke. I would think the Sony should be a better quality unit than the JVC, but the JVC sounded WAY better. The Sony doesn't allow the speakers to release any bass. Even turned all the way up theres just not much there. Obviously it's not the speakers as I didn't do anything with them. I know next to nothing about electronics or sterios so I'm looking for advice here.

Does anyone know why the sound quality would be so bad? My roomate told me a while back he had a sterio unit installed, and he had a similar experience. He has BOSE speakers, but with the new unit the sound quality was poor. Then he brought it back to the guy who installed it, and he added something that brought out the full potential of the speakers. Anyone know what was added?

Thanks in advance!
 
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Both are really low quality, sorry.

Do you have stock speakers? I assume you have stock speakers and stock wiring. If so then you shouldn't expect too much in terms of quality.

A decent SOUNDING system will cost at least $505 in addition to that Head Unit.

* $100 for 6.5" front components, say Alpine Type-S (EBAY)
* $50 for rear Type-S 6.5" speakers (some cutting) or 5"
* $150 for a decent amp, say Alpine 50x4 Four-Channel (EBAY)
* $60 4G wiring kit
* $25 14G speaker wire
* $20 for quality L/R pre-out cable
* $100 for (2) 12-ft Dynamat kits from Amazon for front door

Don't expect a lot of bass but this system will sound (with bass as well) 1000x better than your current setup.

If you want to add real bass then get a JL-Audio SUB w/ 250W RMS AMP ---> 10" for $250 on EBAY

NOT ALL BRANDS ARE CREATED EQUAL. NOT ALL WATTAGE IS TRUE RMS.

Jensen, Sony-X, JVC, basically anything they sell at Wallmart or Target you should consider very-low-grade.

:fish2:
 
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Not being rude but its spelled STEREO or HEAD UNIT.
Besides that your buddy could of had a amp installed to make it sound better.
JVC is actually a high end brand now days with the arsenal models so maybe you had a older arsenal. Sony explode sucks specially if it was a lower priced model.
 
I've been doing stereo stuff for a couple years now, so I can probably help you with saving money if you're looking to change something up.

If the Sony isn't quieter overall, and you still have the same amount of output at higher frequencies, your problem probably isn't caused by the Sony's power output, it is most likely because the Sony's frequency cut-off slope in the internal amplifier being either steeper or starting to fall off earlier.

If you're planning on dropping any more money on the system, the very first step you should take is getting a better head unit, it is the base of the entire system.
 
UnderFire said:
I've been doing stereo stuff for a couple years now, so I can probably help you with saving money if you're looking to change something up.

If the Sony isn't quieter overall, and you still have the same amount of output at higher frequencies, your problem probably isn't caused by the Sony's power output, it is most likely because the Sony's frequency cut-off slope in the internal amplifier being either steeper or starting to fall off earlier.

If you're planning on dropping any more money on the system, the very first step you should take is getting a better head unit, it is the base of the entire system.
Click to expand...

What would you suggest as an upgrade for a reasonable price? As far as what Im looking for with sound quality . . . the sound quality was perfectly fine to me with the current speakers and JVC unit. Basically all I wanted in replacing the head unit was the same sound with the option of using my ipod . . . and the remote which is really convenient.
 
1985taylor1925 said:
What would you suggest as an upgrade for a reasonable price? As far as what Im looking for with sound quality . . . the sound quality was perfectly fine to me with the current speakers and JVC unit. Basically all I wanted in replacing the head unit was the same sound with the option of using my ipod . . . and the remote which is really convenient.
Click to expand...

A few questions:

How much do you have to spend?

Do you want USB or AUX for the iPod?

Are you planning on adding amp(s) in the future (if so how many)?

I'll try to find the best Headunit possible for your budget and application.
 
I have a JVC unit, with stock speakers in all doors. I added a slim powered sub under my seat. I couldn't be happier, and I'm only $250 or so into it. Highs are good, and the sub gets the lows that the stock speakers can't. I'm going to say its the Sony unit, as you had good sound with the JVC unit previously.
I am by no means an audio expert, but I can tell you what I think sounds good. And you don't have to spend a lot of money to get good sound.
 
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the problem is probably the sony head unit.
i've got a jvc head unit and it sounds great....got even better after upgrading the speakers.
 
brianemc2_42 said:
Ahhhh did you see my post?
In summary, get a decent* 4 channel amp and some components for the front.


I don't think JVC is a high quality brand, sorry I'm not [fully] convinced. :mod:

BUT this one looks like pretty good quality at least from a specs standpoint ..
JVC Arsenal KD-A95BT CD receiver at Crutchfield.com
Click to expand...

I have the kd-x80bt I upgraded to that after my Jvc Chameleon took a unfortunate swim. Only difference is mine is a mechalis(sp) chassis and no CD player. By far out performs by buddy's kenwoods just waiting to finish my system with my jl 1000.1v2 and jl6600 hertz 6.5 components front and rear way more then you need but sq is amazing haha
 
If media connectivity (iPOD) and better sound quality on a budget are primary, I'd start with a quality head unit. It will help the sound on oem speakers over a factory radio or lesser quality aftermarket one. Pick one that allows for future upgrades, such as external amplifiers for even better sound.

I just installed a Kenwood Excelon head unit and the sound quality was hugely improved over the factory radio, even on the factory speakers. It has iPOD control, bluetooth and remote among other things. A big reason for that head unit is it has 3 sets of pre-amp outputs which will allow me to add external amps for all my speakers should I choose to do so. This head unit also has a lot of tuning options to really dial in the sound.

The one I got is the Kenwood Excelon KDC-X696
 
brianemc2_42 said:
Ahhhh did you see my post?
In summary, get a decent* 4 channel amp and some components for the front.


I don't think JVC is a high quality brand, sorry I'm not [fully] convinced. :mod:

BUT this one looks like pretty good quality at least from a specs standpoint ..
JVC Arsenal KD-A95BT CD receiver at Crutchfield.com
Click to expand...

Ya but like I said I dont feel the need to get the extra stuff right now, mainly because I dont want to spend the money. I was happy with the sound produced from the stock speakers with the JVC unit. It just went to crap with the sony xplode. So for now it sounds like a different head unit will solve my problem.

Though, in the future Ill upgrade the speakers. I probably wont get amps, subs, etc. though. Im not trying to turn heads. Just want a decent sounding system
 
Thanks for the suggestions so far guys. JVC and Kenwood are options. What about Pioneer or Panasonic? I know Pioneers car audio stuff is popular but I dont know anything about it. I have a Panasonic stereo in my house that Ive had now for almost ten years and I love it. It seems like a high quality stereo and has never given me any issues. But I dont know if their head units are any good
 
i upgraded the stock head unit in my wife's 2000 4runner to an alpine and now a kenwood.

the alpine was great but lacked the feature to support the newer iPods/iphones.

so, in went the kenwood.

honestly, i think you got a bum sony.

i think you would do better with another head unit.

also, look at the RMS output and not the peak output.

the higher the better... maybe start with 18 watts RMS.

you limitation will be the stock speakers.

good luck.

joel
 
if you care about audio don't buy sony explode....that's the limit of my audio knowledge, haha..how could a $50 h/u from a f.l.a.p.s actually be any good....
 
I just upgraded my sound system. I spent about $700 with atleast 25% off everything, I already had a quality H/U though. I got 2 amps, 1 10inch sub, 2 front speakers, and all the wiring. I left the rear speakers stock for now(not amplified). To be honest I still haven't decided if it was really worth it. I just got sucked in by the sale..
 
Nothing special

but for around $350 i went with alpine 500 and 600 speakers and a JVC KW500 double din HU w/ UBS & 3mm ports and a remote. Some others on the board have installed the same HU. Maybe they will chime in as well.
 
This is one of those deals where there is a lot of room for differences in opinion.

Depending on what you consider "good" you can spend anywhere from $300 to a couple thousand dollars to get what you want.

If you were happy with the sound you had before, then what you probably need is what others have suggested; a head unit that has as good a built in amplifier as possible. Keep in mind that the way they design head units, typically the better the features of the head unit the worse the amplifier often is (for three reasons - one, people who drop a grand on a head unit nearly always don't use the built in amp; two, the more features in a head unit the less room for a good amp; three, head units are built to a specific price point - so more features equals less money for a good amp). As stated elsewhere, shop based on RMS power, not peak. And, if you can see and hold the head units, heavier usually means better when it comes to amps.

I don't have any experience using the amps on current head units; however, looking around one that has pretty good specs at a reasonable price is the Kenwood DDX319 (as long as you don't need Bluetooth).

The good news is that while the stock speakers do poorly in comparison to good aftermarket speakers, they do have the advantage of being pretty efficient; so you don't need a ton of power. I wouldn't consider upgrading speakers without also adding an amp.

And finally, one of the best things you can do to make the system sound better is to make your truck quieter. Dynamat the doors and make sure everything is rattle free. If you get ambitious Dynamat the firewall and finally the roof. It is really amazing what a difference it makes. I was raving about my BIL's system as compared to mine, even though mine had better components; and then I listened to them both with the cars off and mine was better. His, however, was installed in a Lexus LS400; a much quieter car.
 
JamesDean91 said:
Not being rude but its spelled STEREO or HEAD UNIT.
Besides that your buddy could of had a amp installed to make it sound better.
JVC is actually a high end brand now days with the arsenal models so maybe you had a older arsenal. Sony explode sucks specially if it was a lower priced model.
Click to expand...

Not being rude but it's *it's*, not *its*, and *could have*, not *could of*, and *an amp*, not *a amp*, and *nowadays*, not *now days*, and *an older*, not *a older*, and *especially*, not *specially*.

Geez, people in glass houses... :rockthrow:
 
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