If you had a $1000 budget for your sound system, what would you do..??

A little info...

I listen mostly to hard rock, metal and 80's hair band music, I like it fairly loud, screaming guitar solos and thundering drums with melodic lyrics... Iron Maiden, Doken, Queensryche, Savatage, etc...

I don't want to put a big sub box in the back, I want to keep that area for what it is, cargo space. So my sub must fit the stock location. I don't care about watching videos or movies, just pure sound..!!

Ideas...??

head unit
speakers
amps
subs
anything else

Edited to add: The HU must be a CD player and be Ipod compatible, just like the stock radio. Its awesome to be able to hook the Ipod right into the system. I have enough music on my Ipod to probably go for a month without hearing the same song... LOL..

 

Hire someone!!

 

Which OEM setup do you have? The upgrade Pioneer system?

Ng

 

Seriously though, you could go through a $1000 fast!

If you have the premium HU, I'd say start with speakers, subs and amps.

But them I know little about this stuff.

I did replace my door and pillar with Infinity Reference speakers and put in a audiobahn 8" sub and the difference was amazing!

It doesn't shake the neighbors windows but with all the hearing loss I caused back in the day, its load enough for me!

 

naw... I have the basic system. I want to replace it completly with an all new system. Not looking to put it in any kind of competition, other than the local car shows. I just want a great sounding system that is clean and crisp for my style of music. I want to get decent volume out of it, but I dont really care to break glass with it...

 

Head Unit - $200 will get you want you need. Alpine or Pioneer.
Door Speakers - $200 (ebay) will get you all doors + tweeters, Infinity

Sub & Amp will depend on how much cargo room you want. Do you want a sub box that will take up some room? Like CJ's? Or you don't want anything in the cargo area? Then you are going to need an OEM Box with an 8" sub. I have my OEM box, sub, if you're interested. I'm not sure if the your HHR has the connector for the OEM amp. That may be another option for you.

Ng

 

shop ebay and save

 

I would recomend getting a headunit of your choice (around $200), a set of Focal Utopia component sets ($500 used off of ebay), then look at the refurbished kicker SX700.4 4 chanel amplifers ($250 off of ebay). After that, save up a little more money and replace the rear door speakers, this will give you a very nice sounding system, you will love the highs and mids that the utopia's put out!

 

THE MAIN QUESTION is can you do the work your self or a buddy for some beer? If so you can defently do a great system for under a G, Start with my 2 12" JL W3 Vseries 150.00 plus shipping you'll get that bass you want. Systems are not hard to do the basics like speakers n amps but shops charge alot for compontes its like 65.00 which only takes thema bout 20-30minutes of work so it comes down to can you do the work. Oh and Amp kits BUY THE ones at Wal Mart great little kits for cheap, not like the ones at Best Buy etc... for like 75.00

 

I agree on the amp kits, those cheap ones do the job fine. I am not a fan of the rca cables though. In my last 2 trucks I tried cheap RCA cables, they worked great until I went to hook them back up in my new vehicle and found a wire came loose from the plug. I am getting ready to spend the money and get some nicer RCA cables. At the rate I trade vehicles, I need it (I had my last new 2006 gmc short bed truck for 6 months and only 1800 miles).