Just thought I'd re-iterate for our many new members here, the key to a good sounding car.
1. The room/car acoustics will dominate the sound of your system. In order to get the best sound quality possible, focus the majority of your efforts (and budget) on correcting for it either electronically or physically. This includes things like proper driver placement, treatment of enclosures and panels, diffusers or absorptive material, equalization, proper level matching, smooth crossover transitions, time correction, etc.
2. Picking the right drivers for the right application is more important than picking *better* drivers. This also includes taking your skill at the above #1 into account. Many times for a beginner, having the best equipment makes no sense as you can achieve a better sounding car much faster and easier with gear that works best with the acoustics of your car, and requires minimal correction. Haphazardly picking the best gear without consideration for your skill at using it, or with how it will work with the rest of the gear you pick, or with how it will work in your car is a recipe for disaster.
3. Lastly, experiment! I often see people thinking they can "do it right" the first time. That's not how it works in reality. Anyone with a great sounding system will tell you it takes alot of trial and error to get there. Not only to familiarize yourself with the acoustics of your vehicle and different equipment, but to establish a clear reference of what "good sound" should sound like to you.
1. The room/car acoustics will dominate the sound of your system. In order to get the best sound quality possible, focus the majority of your efforts (and budget) on correcting for it either electronically or physically. This includes things like proper driver placement, treatment of enclosures and panels, diffusers or absorptive material, equalization, proper level matching, smooth crossover transitions, time correction, etc.
2. Picking the right drivers for the right application is more important than picking *better* drivers. This also includes taking your skill at the above #1 into account. Many times for a beginner, having the best equipment makes no sense as you can achieve a better sounding car much faster and easier with gear that works best with the acoustics of your car, and requires minimal correction. Haphazardly picking the best gear without consideration for your skill at using it, or with how it will work with the rest of the gear you pick, or with how it will work in your car is a recipe for disaster.
3. Lastly, experiment! I often see people thinking they can "do it right" the first time. That's not how it works in reality. Anyone with a great sounding system will tell you it takes alot of trial and error to get there. Not only to familiarize yourself with the acoustics of your vehicle and different equipment, but to establish a clear reference of what "good sound" should sound like to you.
