New speakers/stereo in the Prizm

Hey guys,

So I'm driving my car up to Seattle from Southern California and want to upgrade my speakers/stereo since right now I've got some crappy cardboard ones in the back and I'm going to need something to keep me busy.

I have no experience at all with audio equipment in cars and was hoping that you guys could help me out since you guys seem to help me out with everything else to do with cars.

How hard is installation if I do it myself? I have a factory deck...is that going to make things any harder? What kind of speakers will fit on a 1994 Geo Prizm (going to do some search of my own but if anyone knows any that will fit let me know)? And does anyone know of any good installation guides online that they could possibly link me to?

ANY help would be GREATLY appreciated.

Thanks.

Look at Crutchfield to see what fits.

I like Infinity reference speakers. Nothing in the price range can touch them for sound quality. Nothing. Some people say they're harsh but they have no idea what they're talking about. JL audio are garbage. They play very loud, and sound like E36 M3.

I second the Crutchfield call. I will add that some "cheap" speakers (Pioneer, Kenwood lower lines) may fit your bill perfectly.

Look to see what there is at your local pawn shop as well ;)

Crutchfield seems to get a lot of recommendations so I'll tentatively third that (never used them).

If you want at good sounding setup, I'd get a good headunit, a good set of speakers for the front and simply disconnect the rears. From a "good sound made easy" perspective, rear speakers are more of a headache than a boon and often make the sound 'mushy' unless you configure the system accordingly.

I'd agree with Crutchfield for info, i.e. what fits, but I'd shop around for my actual purchase. Crutchfield is always over priced, I can only think of a couple times I've actually purchased from them. Amazon, Buy.com, eBay, Newegg, J&R, are all places I've gotten good service and prices from.

As for what to get, I've been out of the scene since around '03 but have still done several installs for friends and myself since then. I've used/installed just about every brand of head unit under the sun, and I still like Alpine over just about everything else. There are plenty of other decent brands to choose from, find one with the features you want at the price you can tolerate.

For speakers, go listen to some and decide for yourself. Best Buy has some you can listen to, but I'd recommend going to a local car audio shop (if you can still find one) they'll have a booth set up with their products that's much more conducive for listening/selecting than the giant open spaces at Best Buy.

Pick the speakers that YOU want, no one can tell you what sounds best to you, though I would recommend picking a reputable brand.

• Lee

I will point out that while Crutchfield may be on the expensive side, you get what you pay for. They have kits to fit your car, people who know what they're doing on the phone for you, and support for ages.

I really, really like Focal speakers in cars. They're pretty outstanding. Their "Access" line isn't too expensive and they sound fantastic.

I also like CDT. Can be found for cheap @ www.woofersetc.com

installing a stereo in any car built after about 1988 is almost too easy.. you can buy an install kit and wiring adapter at Wal Mart for a grand total of about $25. the trim on the dash probably just snaps off and the radio is held in with a couple of screws.

even the cheapest modern stereo head units and speakers are about as good as the high end stuff from a decade ago- i love the Sony Explod cd/mp3 deck that i got at Wal Mart for $110 that has a usb port to hook up your mp3 player of choice or a thumb drive with thousands of songs on it, and it came with a really nice set of 6" speakers that sounded really awesome when combined with a set of $25 Pioneer 6X9 speakers in my 97 Cavalier.

Crutchfield included a wiring harness for my car - I just got a new Alpine. Just plug and play. It was awesome.

Everything is already covered, I have nothing to add, but I do have a question; you said you wanted to replace the back speakers, but no mention of the front? I always believed the front ones made the biggest difference, unless you already have good ones in front? or the car doesnt have room for front speakers? (I don't know Prizmszmsmsmsmzmsmsz)

In my experience you can't go wrong with a Pioneer or Alpine head unit. IMO Pioneer delivers equal performance to Alpine at a lower price point. Pioneer speakers have treated me well and are very affordable. If you are looking to spend more I would go with Infinity. Crutchfield is great to deal with and you can get some decent deals on open box items.

I like Kicker speakers personally.

I do want speakers in the front as well, sorry, meant to put that in in the original post. Really appreciate all of the input guys, very helpful.

Like I said though, I know nothing about car audio. What is a head unit? What is EVERYTHING that I will need? Head unit, front and back speakers, and an installation kit?

Edit: After a little bit of searching I found that the head unit is the "deck" that I was referring to I guess. Do I need to get a new head unit? Or I can just use the factory one? Is their any particular reason to get one if the factory one is working okay? Do you guys think that the stock amp will be powerful enough or would you recommend I do that as well. I'm trying to keep my budget under $200.

BattlePope wrote: Is their any particular reason to get one if the factory one is working okay?

Newer units have more features, really. USB is becoming standard, with front and/or rear inputs. However, if you like how the factory unit works, there's not a real pressing need to upgrade. Radio technology hasn't progressed that much in 20 years You can improve your cars sound a lot with newer speakers, for the most part.

BattlePope wrote: I do want speakers in the front as well, sorry, meant to put that in in the original post. Really appreciate all of the input guys, very helpful. Like I said though, I know nothing about car audio. What is a head unit? What is EVERYTHING that I will need? Head unit, front and back speakers, and an installation kit? Edit: After a little bit of searching I found that the head unit is the "deck" that I was referring to I guess. Do I need to get a new head unit? Or I can just use the factory one? Is their any particular reason to get one if the factory one is working okay? Do you guys think that the stock amp will be powerful enough or would you recommend I do that as well. I'm trying to keep my budget under $200.

"head unit" is a fancy way of saying "radio". these days, you don't need to spend a lot of money to get a good sounding stereo. you can get a good cd/mp3 head unit with 6" speakers for about $100, buy a set of speakers for the rear for about $50, and another $25 for the install kit and wiring harness if you buy it locally. the harness and install kit come with awesome step by step instructions that walk you thru the head unit install, and speakers are easy once you get the door panels and maybe the rear package tray out of the way.

buy a roll of good 3M brand electrical tape for where you hook the adapter harness to the radio harness.

what year is your Prizm/Corolla/Nova? some of the details- like speaker size- will depend on the year of the car.

personally really partial to a boss audio headunit(allows me to not run an amp to the regular speakers and still have something better than 50x4 most of thier decks are 80x4. and they are great sounding but cheap. like really cheap 7 inch dvd flipout screen for 200 dollars cheap. and speakers love boston. and believe it or not did a budget stereo with boss audio speakers that aactualy sounded good.... like i had 300 dollars and had to buy a deck speakers wire and a sub for that. i managed to do it. and it ended up sounding as good as most of the "premium" infinity bs they put in cars from the factory.

BattlePope wrote: Edit: After a little bit of searching I found that the head unit is the "deck" that I was referring to I guess. Do I need to get a new head unit? Or I can just use the factory one? Is their any particular reason to get one if the factory one is working okay? Do you guys think that the stock amp will be powerful enough or would you recommend I do that as well. I'm trying to keep my budget under $200.

If you're still using the stock speakers, I'd think you get the biggest improvement in sounds by changing those first. Most stock head units don't sound very good though so chances are you'd want to change this sooner or later.

It really depends on how "audiophile" you are - while I don't consider myself a "proper" audiophile (my stereo setup didn't cost more than a new car ) I do have certain expectations about the sound quality of the equipment I use. Unfortunately that tends to lead to spending a little more money on gear in vehicles I expect to keep for a while.