So I just bought a 2005 Cadillac esclade ext, and the stereo, speakers and Bose controller where stolen. I need some help finding all the parts to get a working system again. what are all the parts do i need for a basic system I just picked up a basic Bluetooth deck and I have it wired to a set of cheap box speakers in the back seat. What do I need to order have to have a good system again?
I’d rather not go to the car audio place here as the charge some where around 220 an hour plus parts.
In allot of junk yards they yank the engine and leave the sound equip.
They do have dedicated car amps. I don’t know if all of them require a lot of juice, but you may need a battery upgrade and capacitor.
When looking at head-units, more expensive does not always mean better sound quality. The higher end units may just have more features, such as Android Auto, Bluetooth, and other things, but they maintain the same audio circuitry. You can see this very well in the Kenwood line of head units.
Crutchfield is a very good website to utilize. They have the normal setup of being able to filter to compatible parts for a car, but they also have install kits and guides for a whole slew of cars.
Also, how cleanly were the parts stolen? If everything was unplugged and all neat and trim then you should be able to just splice everything together. If everything was ripped out it might be time to run new wires.
Agreed! Parts Express is another great place to get good components.
I follow the rule of No Compromise (=expensive) speakers & cheap on everything else. You don’t need a massive 1000W amp to make good sound. I have been taught that as long as 1/2 way is loud enough with no distortion, that’s all you need.
I am using JL Audio co-ax speakers 6.5" in front & 6.0" in rear with spacer donuts to fit bigger magnets than stock, with a home made 10" Sony sub. For amps I have a 4 x 75W Sony that I got at Walmart and from Part Express, a 50W amp for the sub with a low pass crossover.
I have it all wired to the stock head unit (as a theft deterrent). I used Cat5 cables for signals and heavy speaker wires. I also ran a huge fat red cable from the battery to the trunk with a giant fuse. All speaker wires are on the right side of the car and all power lines down the left to prevent crosstalk interference. I pretty much ripped out the whole cars interior to install the stereo. Seats, door panels, console and carpet. Don’t forget to add Dynamat around the speakers! I also filled my doors with fiberglass wool.
I’d recommend a semi-decent amp for some situations, usually if the new speakers have lower resistance than the stock ones. I swapped in 3 ohm Infinity speakers into my old car and the stock receiver was nonplussed by it. Would start clipping pretty quickly. On the other hand my new car I swapped in something similar and it handles the new speakers well enough. Not saying to go crazy, but one of those compact 4x50W amps would be very nice tucked behind a stock receiver.
Getting back onto track, what does OP want to do? If it’s just door speakers and a deck that’s pretty easy (aside from modifying the sub-dash in that particular vehicle), if it’s a component system with multiple subs that is more complex.
What’s basic? Do you have a budget?
I recommend using an amp for the mids/highs. People tend to use the head unit to drive speakers but its a night and day difference.
In my case I saw the 4x75W Sony amp on sale in Walmart for about $100. I had already spent $400 on the speakers. The 40W stock head unit wasn’t cutting it. I grabbed it and then when I got home I looked online and reviews said it was semi-decent. If it was junk I planned to return it before I used it. The amp had subwoofer out plugs and I added that later.
I have the deck already
I need to know about speakers. Will these work?
The front doors in your vehicle are listed as fitting 6 1/2" speakers (with some 6 3/4") and the rear doors being 5 1/4".
Here’s a matching set of inexpensive speakers
And a set of less inexpensive speakers
My last car and my current car have used Infinity speakers, I think they’re pretty good.
And my personal opinion is to try whatever speakers you get without an external amp, especially since you just got a deck. No sense in essentially paying for an amp twice if it turns out you don’t need it IMO.
If you do want to go for an amp I find the idea of mini amps to be good. They’re small and efficient, so they can be tucked out of the way, even in the dash of some vehicles.
The speakers I am listening to are pretty sweet. The magnets are huge but in your truck you may not need donut spacers to allow them to fit.
$150
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$124
Should be fine. Don’t forget a wiring kit and harness.