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^ That's what I was saying in lay terms.
But thanks for elaborating Geo :)

would my best option be to get a new amp and 2 speakers then to replace the factory subs/amp? if so, can i use the same hookups and wiring already in place? removing the paneling and working new wiring is a little too advanced for me.

md06 wrote:would my best option be to get a new amp and 2 speakers then to replace the factory subs/amp? if so, can i use the same hookups and wiring already in place? removing the paneling and working new wiring is a little too advanced for me.

I would definitely say that AN option is to get a new amp and speakers - but I wouldn't say "best", if for no other reason than this is your most expensive option, and for several fundamental reasons more related to the whole "where your speakers currently live" thing (meaning their acoustical environment, not their physical location ]retaining[/i] a factory HU [that has EQ built in], and adding an amp and speakers... but there are units out there that are designed to facilitate your type of upgrade - the source unit, leaving the factory system otherwise intact.

Personally - though it's probably the last thing you want to think about - I think your best option might be to replace the new head unit you just bought.
What??
No, really - several HU manufacturers... Pioneer and Blaupunkt just to name two - have HU's that have fairly sophisticated EQ built into them, and are supplied with reference microphones that you place in your listening position and hit "auto-EQ", and let the HU do all the work. It plays pink noise (which is essentially "every frequency at once" - sounds like static), measures what it hears, and automatically builds a compensating equalization curve.
In essence, what you end up with at the end is an aftermarket HU with the features that you were looking for that our factory HU couldn't provide (whatever those might be), and a speaker-compensating EQ curve built in, pretty much just like your factory HU had.

I think that might be your most cost-effective option, since it's just a little more than the cost of one of those factory integration devices (less, after factoring out the money you get back from returning the HU you just bought, or selling it if you can't), and certainly is way, way less than the cost of new speakers and an amp.

I'm not saying there's no benefit to new speaker and an amp - but it's a big bullet to bite at once, and this would let you upgrade as you want over time, with a pretty satisfying result in the meantime, and a solid base to build a system from.

You have a lot of options!

i'm a little shady about replacing the head unit. i already have a pioneer installed with decent options. would the auto-eq and mixed features do that much to help my problem? i'd hate to drop $300 plus for another if it's a toss up. these are the links to the one i have now and what i found looking around last night. i'm pretty sure it's what you were referring to..

http://www.crutchfield.com/S-hL3Vd8qQX8 ... 130DEHP380

http://www.teptronics.com/dehp8600mp.html

md06 wrote:i'm a little shady about replacing the head unit. i already have a pioneer installed with decent options. would the auto-eq and mixed features do that much to help my problem? i'd hate to drop $300 plus for another if it's a toss up. these are the links to the one i have now and what i found looking around last night. i'm pretty sure it's what you were referring to..
http://www.crutchfield.com/S-hL3Vd8qQX8 ... 130DEHP380
http://www.teptronics.com/dehp8600mp.html

The issue IS that you replaced the head unit, and that you therefore eliminated the equalization that was compensating for your speakers.

So, you have four solutions.
We'll start with the most affordible:

1) Live with what you have. Sounds like you are happy with the features it has. If you are happy with the sound, then it's a no-brainer. If you aren't happy with the sound - you'd do yourself a service to accept that in a rather direct way, it's due to the fact that you replaced the original head unit with one that doesn't have any compensating equalization. So - it has features, but it has less features than your original head unit in that very fundamental way. If you are happy with that, then that's good.

2) Replace the head unit with one that includes compensating equalization. Most of them come supplied with a mic, and perform an automatic sweep, that allows them to work in lots of cars that have similar compensating equalization. There's lots of them out there that also have the other features that you like. ]3)[/b] Buy an integration unit - something that either auto-EQ's or allows you to manually EQ (which requires RTA to get flat) - or buy an EQ if you have the ability to run it pre-amp (if you are running RCA's to your factory amps - which I doubt you are currently).

4) You could replace everything else in the system - and it IS possible (no, really) to replace everything, and manage the installation in such a way that you don't need any equalization - but that's a very difficult, very advanced road to go down. :help:

Since you can return your current HU - or worst case, sell it - replacing the head unit with one that simply has all the features you need is the least expensive option. The more expensive option would be to integrate an external EQ - although down the road it would allow you more flexibility, since it's not just an integration unit. The most expensive option of course would be to replace everything in your car.

I agree with Geo.