Quote Originally Posted by deathjunior View Post
I agree entirely with this. I'd even possibly say the install matters more than that. Whatever you do, do it right. Plan through each part of your sound build. To give an example for my next audio build i have already planned out all the components: speakers, wiring, amplifiers, enclosures, sound deadening, design, prices etc, as well as how ill install it where the wires will go, how big the box will be and other parameters. I have even gone so far as to make sure of some of my ideas by posting them on here before i start purchasing just to make sure it will look and sound good once i'm finished.

You won't have to buy the nicest speakers and subs out there. You especially wont need to go as far as JL audio components and speakers. Great quality stuff but it'll cost you an arm and a leg and if you don't install it right it'll sound just the same as any other driver of its size. Pick out a budget and do what you think is best. Begin discussing whether or not you want to do stock sized speakers, or over sized speakers like 6.5's in the doors or running an amplifier to the speakers and things like that.

Once you have an idea of what direction you want to go with the car and what budget you have given yourself the forum as a whole can help you a whole lot more. Theres a lot of good audio products, perhaps to many, so your going to have to narrow down what you want use to help you with.

Due to a car environment, you'll never be able to fully analyze the potential of your design and placement. All you can really do is "test" locations and cross over points in real time. Once you've nailed cross over points, tonality can be much simpler than people expect. But at that point it's best to have an RTA and equalizer. People don't always properly perceive what they hear. A problem at 8khz could be solved by adding at 16khz. But because our vehicle environment is imperfect we won't know until the before/after measurements are compared.

Even our measely phones can act as an RTA these days