So the stock system in my car is shit, ive come to terms with that and have been thinking how can i improve this. The one thing improvement i can easily see fixable is the bass handling, ive decided im going to get a sub put in since i guess that'll help it, not really sure if im making the right choice there so if theres another way i could improve bass and or overall quality at the same time im defintley up for ideas. I like the whole surround feeling and i feel like this isn't really being offered by the stock system. So pretty much ive got a little bit of cash i want to put into the system and im looking for a couple things, the better bass handling and a more surround sound feel, also if headpieces make a difference one with a white light would be sick. As you can tell im tottally clueless on car audio so any help would be appreciated, don't really know where to start or what to ask so if this made sense to you and you know car audio im all ears.

Your head unit shouldn't really matter...as long as it works it's normally ok.

So how much are you willing to part with to get your stereo?

If you want bass, an 8inch subwoofer should be enough for starters and then you should only need a coulple of 3 way speakers to go with it. If you want to put in a lot of speakers and/or subwoofers and you want to play it loud you'll need an amplifier or two to go with them which means more power, higher noise levels and a larger dint to your wallet!

Also, if you gat a subwoofer that is over 10 inches (I think) it wont play techno or quick, bassy music as well as one smaller because they don't vibrate quick enough (or something like that...my friend was telling me about it).

intresting...
Well for starters the ****ing dick at best buy told me some outrageous percentage that the headunit contributes to sound quality and that if i wanted to make a difference in my stock system that i'd need between 1-2g's. I think he was just bullshitting me since he seemed to have this dislike right when i walked into his department, whatever though one less customer for him.

My friend was telling me today also that since i have a german car if i but in a sub i'd need to rewire it also, is this true cause it seems a little farfetched that just because my car is made in a country that the wiring is different, whatever though could be true.

I don't need to blast my music, i can get it loud enough for my liking with the stock system just it doesn't handle the bass at that level. I'm not sure of how much money i want to put in, really depends on how much of a difference its going to make. What do the 3 way speakers do? is that for the surround sound feel?

Thanks for the help, finally i feel im starting to get an idea of whats going on.

Actually, believe it or not, wiring can make a world of difference in sound. Crappy wires compared to really good quality cabels can make quite a large difference in the sound being produced. You can notice the difference quite a bit actually if your speakers are decent.

3-way speakers are just your shelf/door speakers that make up nearly all of the sound. 3-way mearly means that there are 3 parts (bad explanation but you understand yeah?) of the speaker making music as compared to a 2-way speaker etc. It's the same with the speakers you have at home. Anyway, if you get some 6x9 3-way speakers and a subwoofer, your stereo should be sounding pretty good.

As for the head unit, maybe you should shop around a bit and ask for more opinions but if you have one that works ok, you shouldn't need a new one. I guess it really depends on what you want it to do but if you're happy with the setup and the way your old one works, I probably wouldn't bother for now about it. The reason I'm sayng this is because all the headunit does controls what you hear but the quality of sound doesn't really change from unit to unit, just the way your system works.

That last paragraph might sound a little odd but I'll give you an example of it. My friend was running his stereo through his old head unit and it sounded pretty good but his old head unit couldn't fade from back speakers to the front ones so he got a new one. With the new head unit in, the sound didn't change but he could now fade between speakers.

Well, the guy at BB was right, although he probably went about it the wrong way. The head unit is very important.
You can replace everything but the head unit and all you'll have is a distorted signal going to the amp, which will amplify that distorted signal to the upgraded speakers, which will definately emphasize the crappy head unit signal.
You will have to run wires!!!! It's not as hard as installers try to make you think.
1. Replace head unit. You just need to tap into the power, ground, and acc wires. The Pioneer 5500 (Mp3) is about $160.
2. Replace front speakers. These are probably in your doors. A good component set is about $150. Crystal Mobilesound are excellent, and low priced.
3. Subwoofer and box. Your choice. there are scores of excellent subs under $100 for a 10".
4. Add an amp. Autotek SS600.4 will power your component front speakers AND your amp, all in one convenient package and under $230.
5. Wiring kit from Wal-mart....$20.
160+150+230+20+sub=$550+sub and box.
$700-$800 and you will be rocking!!!

I almost forgot. These are good online stores (cheap and good service).
www.thezeb.com
www.uscaraudio.com
www.sounddomain.com