So the best car audio place near me is an hour away. I went there today and said, “What would it take to improve my factory system, not trying for maximum loudness or maximum bass, just a very good quality sound”. I told them I’m not interested in waking the neighbors. The guy put a quote together and handed it to me. It was over $2600.00. I have the basic system I think with Alpine speakers in the doors. That’s about all I know about it. What other options do I have? The guy didn’t think just adding an amp would improve the quality, just add a little volume. Do I have alternatives? Thanks.
Have you ever done a sound system in a car? The reason I ask is that doing one can be very complicated. The installation is actually the fun and mostly easy part. The hard part is navigating the huge assortment of components available to you and choosing the combination that will (hopefully) end up giving an hear pleasing result. I say "hopefully" because there are a lot of variables that affect the outcome and how you feel about it. Sound systems are a very subjective thing and what sounds good to others may not sound good to you. If you don't have much (or any) experience with sound systems, you really owe it to yourself to do some research. Both reading and going to shops and listening to different systems. Unfortunately, it's not uncommon for people to spend a lot of money on a system that isn't well conceived or well installed.
I put a lot of car stereos in back in the 80’s, but it’s way different now with the computer screens and such. I got a tip on another place that might be able to help.
I recently found out that the Challenger (and many new cars for that matter) don't even have a CD player anymore. That blew my mind as I've been researching the Challenger and Camaro for well over a year and never realized this. Mustang still offers it with some audio upgrade I heard. I'm a gen-xer with a large CD collection and not really big on the latest tech options so the ipad or SD downloading or whatever you use to stream music is still a bit confusing. I would rather just install a CD player if possible. From some searching, it doesn't look too promising. Crutchfield even recommends you don't change the stock unit. I heard there are ways to get a portable unit and plug it in, but how secure would it be or is there a way to install it somewhere like the center console or glove box for example?
Replacing the radio with aftermarket equipment in many modern cars is anything but a simple job. The reason for this is that many are integrated into the vehicle's overall electronic architecture. In other words, radios aren't just radios anymore. That's why I generally suggest using a local shop that specializes in stereo upgrades. Regarding being able to play your own music, in most modern vehicles, there are several options available that are generally superior to the CD format. Many vehicles support USB. In this case you can simply load your music on a thumb drive and plug it in. The onboard system then allows you to play the music on the drive just like it was a huge CD. Some vehicles offer access to streaming services like iHeartRadio or Pandora, free apps that allow you to listen to a wide range of music, talk radio etc. You can access these services either using an onboard app included in your car's system (like Uconnect) or via an app on your smart phone. Bottom line, there's usually several ways to listen to your own music without having to deal with having to store several CD's in the car and the inevitable failure of the onboard CD player.
I have a 2012 RT and just had a Kenwood DDX6707S (with Android Auto and CarPlay) installed plus a iDatalink - Maestro which brings all the wheel controls, other diagnostics, and reverse camera to the stereo. Works just like factory to me. If your sound is not enough, before you replace all your speakers, consider a sub-woofer. I also changed my music from Spotify to Amazon Music HD which sounds MUCH better. No comparison.
I recently did a radio amp sub camera and speaker upgrade in a 2009 Honda CRV. Thanks to Bad directions and bad assumptions It took 2 full days and was difficult. Crutchfiled had great stuff on line and were very helpful. I am a moderately handy Guy. The system sounds great (shakes the car) and for the most part operates perfectly. But it is not as reliable as a fully integrated factory radio. Much of the equipment was free and I still spent $700+ Doing it myself. I have the rt plus with the stock radio and there is no comparison but I think the quality is good enough. IMO I would not recommend changing the system for a moderate improvement. Either go big or leave it be.
Did you do any research to see if a factory upgrade offered, the Harmam/Kardon system would work? Maybe you could find one as a take-off or from a boneyard at a decent price. I recommend you just do a muffler and resonator delete (i.e. straight pipes) and not worry about any other music. (I know you already did an exhaust upgrade....)
Getting ready to PULL the Sub-out of the trunk and mounting Old-SCHOOL 6x9's with an amp in the rear window deck. Also bought me a 2nd Console off eBay to CUT UP so I can save the center arm rest and maybe 1-cupholder, but getting rid of the rest so I can have the Old-School 4-speed BOOT