VeeshanVault

So I'm ditching my factory sound system and getting a good yet cheap car audio system together.

I found a refurb Kenwood Excelon KDC-X579 CD/MP3 head unit

and Audiobahn AS65Q 6.5" 3-way speakers

all for around $200.

I dig the speakers because the dome tweeter can be removed and repositioned, replacing the stock dome tweeter in the doors.

Anyone have experience with this brand of speakers that can pass on their knowledge?

I've heard lots of good stuff about them and have known people with full audiobahn systems. I don't expect you'll have a problem and I'm sure they'll sound quite nice.

my only advice would be dont spend too too much on a car audio system.

Voronwë wrote:my only advice would be dont spend too too much on a car audio system.

never gonna happen, I'm a frugal bastage The head unit on my factory stereo was failing to read disks and one of the speakers in the door was torn, and the ability to play MP3 CDs is really cool, so I decided to do this.

The head unit was 140 plus shipping, the speakers 25 plus shipping per pair, and the doodads to link into the factory harness and cover up the remaining space in the dash were another 20.

The debate between 2-way and 3-way speakers is a never ending one. I just pieced together a complete car audio system myself and ended up with component speakers in the front instead of 3 ways. Only reason was that I got stock tweeters in the dash already and they are going bad.

For the price you are paying that is far from a bad deal. You wont win an audio contest but that isn't what you want either is it? Damn good deal imho.

Both Audiobahn and Kenwood are considered "OK". Not "Great" but far from "Bad". I looked at that head unit as well but finally decided to go with Alpine because I found a damn good deal for one.

I really suggest not going the cheap route if you're doing a car sound system, because low-price speakers alone really won't give you that much better sound quality.

Recently I bought a system for my car, which came to be $700 after installation, and for that $700 I got:

Alpine Type-E 12'' Sub and Box
Alpine 350rms 700 peak watt amp
Alpine Speakers all around the cabin
And a head unit I bought prior installed also

And the sound quality is AMAZING, really man, go with the full thing for the extra cash if you're looking for an enjoyable audio/driving experience.

It's not something you'll regret, and if you choose to you can always sell it.

You could even drop a few bucks off if you went with a 10'' sub and a smaller amp for a cleaner, less hard hitting bass sound if you want to, but go for the full set if you're going to go for anything.

I did the subwoofer/500+ watt amp/multi speakers thing when I was younger.

It was fun but between that and the 100+ metal shows I attended I'm left with sharply reduced auditory acuity (CHS - can't hear shit) and a fine case of tinnitus (ringing in the ears).

I think my little upgrade will serve my needs just fine.

Install done. Great learning experience. The stereo sounds fucking KICKASS.

The front speakers were in worse shape than I thought, the foam around the edge of the cone was completely separated and one of the speakers voice coils had exploded in the door leaving carbon residue everywhere.

Problems encountered:

1) got the wrong antenna harness and had to buy a new one locally
2) one of the speakers had a cracked mounting plate for the tweeter and the asshole I bought them from charged $25 to ship replacements, and required me to ship back the defective ones at my expense ($15) before he'd ship new ones
3) the harness between the factory wiring harness and the radio didn't line up quite right at first and popped out one of the connectors, causing no sound out of the front right speaker
4) one of the trim bezels around the door handle cracked during removal...looks OK though

Nez: the replacement speakers are a VAST improvement over the OEM ones, the magnet is about 4x heavier, the cones are carbon fiber rather than paper and the speakers are 3way vs single cone. To say this system is night and day different from the stock one is a huge understatement.