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There are a few small luxuries in life that we all want to be able to experience regularly. Things like condoms that don't feel like rain boots and decent food are on that list. But we're Complex Rides, so we don't (professionally) concern ourselves with such things. We're concerned with making sure our music doesn't sound like it's a tape of a tape of a tape echoing through an old drainpipe.
The problem with wanting your music, be it Rakim or Rachmaninoff, to sound right in your car is that most stock sound systems are awful, and it's really easy to spend thousands and thousands of dollars on aftermarket stuff. This is why you need a little knowledge and a clear plan of action if you're going to start upgrading your stereo. Luckily for you, we're providing A Foolproof Guide to Upgrading Your Car Stereo on the Cheap. Do your eardrums a favor this summer.
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Evaluate what you have.
The first thing you need to do in order to fix your crappy sound without breaking the bank is to figure out which components are holding you back. Start by parking the car and listening to some music at a reasonable volume. Does it sound tinny? Is the bass weak? Take notes. Then start messing with the balance and fader knobs. Listen to just the bass, just the treble, and just the front, back, left, and right. Take note of whatever sounds weak.
Now do the same test at 70 mph. The volume will be higher because of the road noise, and new problems might manifest themselves. If you stop the car and leave the volume up, is there a lot of distortion or popping that you hear?
Now look at your list of weak-spots that you've created and order them from most to least annoying. You'll fix things in this order until you've exhausted your budget.
Are you lacking clarity or volume?
An amplifier could help you up the volume of your music without any weird distortion. This will also amplify the small details of your music, giving you significantly greater clarity and depth.
Is your bass so weak that you can barely hear it?
This is a pretty obvious fix. An aftermarket subwoofer can greatly help the low end of your tunes come out clearly. Please don't over do it though. Nobody likes that ass-hat cruising around shaking whole neighborhoods.
Does your music sound fine when parked, just not when driving?
This means your car is simply too damn loud. Rather than putting money into your sound system, you should put some additional sound insulation in your car or buy different tires. Identify where the most noise is coming from and put some decent aftermarket insulation around it. This might also help your chronic headache problem.
Are you getting popping and other nasty noises?
Your speakers are worn out. Most OEM speakers, including a lot of expensive branded sets, are made from pretty cheap materials that don't wear very well. Try to identify which speakers are giving you the most trouble and replace them. Mix in tweeters and woofers to get a good depth of sound. Make sure you get the replacements in the same sizes so that you don't end up having to modify the car to fit your new speakers, as this will significantly increase the cost.
Does everything just sound generally mediocre?
This could either be a case of bad or worn out speakers all around, or a case of a bad receiver feeding them low quality information. Getting a new receiver will send higher quality sound to all of your speakers, which should make the whole car sound better. In general, this is a pretty good place to start for most upgrade projects.
Budget for installation in addition to parts.
You'd be surprised how many people blow their budgets on cool parts, get them home, and then realize that they're incapable of installing them, and they have no money left to pay a pro. It's a sad state of affairs that results in a small bank account and the same crappy sound quality that the poor dude started with.
