Ok well long story short, my gf's 2002 Ford Escape was at the dealer for service. Someone broke into it on the dealer lot at night and jacked the entire audio system out of it. Insurance from the dealer should be covering the cost of all of it, but now we have the opportunity to maybe do some upgrades and buy some better stuff.

What was taken:
Jensen VM9512HD DVD player (joke's on them cause this thing was a POS)
Jensen XM/Sirius adapater
Rockford Fosgate P6002 amp (discontinued now, but we liked this amp)
Rockford 4ga wiring kit was completely hacked up
Rockford 1FA cap, was actually left in the car...
DUAL (brand) sub enclosure with 2 12" subs and LED box (el cheapo).

They left the speakers in the doors (probably didn't know they were there), but broke in and took only this stuff, minus the cap which they left.

Now the Jensen DVD player we had nothing but problems with. We can not fit a dual din player in the escape (its a euro din or 1 1/2 din, not the standard double din), so we are stuck with the single din setups, which means roll out screens which I am leary of. We would like another DVD player, but it seems this is kind of you get what you pay for and we just don't have the funds to drop $1000+ on the deck alone. We only paid $400 for this Jensen and it was a POS. If there is nothing out there that is reliable and inexpensive, we will stick to a standard deck. The deck we should have no problems picking out ourselves. My questions come with the amp and sub setups.

What would you guys buy if you had $1500 to spend. The system that was in there was bought probably 5 years ago or more and we really had NO clue about sub/amp setups. The duals we bought because they were cheap, and I'll tell you what, they lasted a long time and were still working perfect when they got jacked. However, I know they're not the best thing by any means, so again, we're not opposed to upgrading here.

What are your suggestions for subs/amps in say the $1000 price range (if we spend $500 on a new deck and possibly a set of front speakers)

The car still has the Kenwood excelon front 5x7's and the infinity kappa 5x7's in the rear, but they've seen better days (the doors on the escape don't do much to keep crud out of where the speakers are. One Kenwood on the drivers side kicks on and off randomly, and the drivers side Infinity had the tweeter actually fall off. (I've used the same four infinity speakers in all three of my trucks since 2002 until now, and have had 0 issues... wtf).


So... thoughts, comments, suggestions...? We would like to try and build this better than before. I think if we get a less expensive deck and save some coin for the subs/amps we can have a kick butt setup.

 

I run the t500.1 power RF amp and 2 10" alpine type - s in a folded horn box and it rocks!!! I love it and it was even less like 600 area.

The kappa's are famous for tweets falling out. I had two set do it til I upgraded to Mephis M-class.

 

Get 2 NICE 8's , the 12's are too low 10's would be better , but if you get a real nice set of 8" speakers they will blow your old 12" away , get the 8" fosgates to where the magnet is as big as the cone and really thick .. you will be completely amazed by the performance , then throw RMS to them on Mid Pass Eq and you will be livin well

 

I run a single JL 8"W7 in my extended cab f150, you get an amazing back massage when ever I crank it up but its clear as day. When your listening to rock or country drum kicks actually feel like someones kicking the back of my seat, it is a very pricey sub but if you can get one at cost then there worth every penny. The only draw back is the size and weight of the little bugger, there aren't all that many options in how it can be mounted in a vehicle. The one thing I don't like is that it can be heard clearly 5-6 blocks away, even with my entire cab dynamated my mom knows when im on the way home because my dogs start looking for my truck when they hear it.

 

For subs, depends on what kind of bass you want. For all out SPL and blow your ears off low end, a 12" or 15" Kicker L7 in a SuperBass Probox and Kicker 750.1 or 1000.1 (or comparable amp).

For a little more SQ (more controlled, accurate bass) 2 10" or 12" speakers in a sealed box, possibly Kicker CVX's or Solo Classics, with an amp to power them.

 

Hey guys, old thread, figured I'd update.

With all of the money she got total, she ended up with a 42" 240hz 1080p RCA TV
Deck, subs, box, new pair of door speakers, and a used, nice amp.

We ended up with a standard JVC single din deck, nothing fancy, just needs to play from USB input and Ipod hookups, which it does, and does well.

JL 500/1 amp
JL W3 12" subs x2
Re-used most of the wiring there, with some new sections and new connectors
Re-used the capacitor that was there
JL 5x7 door speakers
New box for subs.

Overall, she is MUCH happier with this seutp. That little 500/1 pushes these subs a LOT harder than the previous setup in there, and this is just a cheap, off the shelf box. We will probably build a custom box to match the specs of the subs at some point, but for now this got her back kickin bass. I love listening to some Jamey Johnson on the system, sounds killer.

I'll have to snap a pic of the new setup sometime, but inside that little escape, it really pounds.


With all of the money she got

 

jl is the shiznit!!

 

Agreed! I had a heck of a time convincing my gf that this setup would out-do the old Rockford 600 w RMS amp and dual subs... but now that's she has heard it, she has no doubt! JL stuff rocks!

 

All I know is my single L7 setup is second loudest setup Ive ever heard in person. The way Ive got this one set up (straight SPL), its not a controlled as my two 12's in the sealed box in my car (ported vs sealed box) but it sounds clean and will rattle your head.

 

After reading this post I came to the conclusion that I really want to upgrade.

Since i don't like the modern radios ( which mostly look like Tokio at night or picadilly circus), overflooded with gimmicks instead of helpful audio tools.
I will keep my I pod classic as a scource in the car in combination with a harman kardon/drive and play controller.
I do not like to listen to radio- so i can neglect this one.

In the past I used two Phoenix gold amps. Now I don't want to waste that space nor attract thieves.
I'm thinking of a JL audio HD 900/5. Everything I need in a compact size. Not the ultimate in being loud but I go for SQ as much it is possible in a diesel.

In fact I think going small an decent might be better than big and loud. A Phoenix Gold Bass CUBE will help me to cheat with the sub