What to and where to get car audio parts

[Brace]

So I'm 14 got my first job about a month ago and just got my first car it's a 2001 Nissan Altima that I'll drive to and from school and work every day. I have like 300$ to spend right now and if I didn't have to spend more that would be great I have the stock speakers and headset that came with the car which doesn't have an aux cord port.(which is a necessity) I don't need a super high end system but I would like something better than the lowest tier. What I need to know is where I should buy these parts, what all the parts I'll need are, and who I should contact to put it together thanks in advance. 

[themctipers]

junkyard?

 

>followed because i want to know where i can get a car radio, as i've heard its better than a standalone radio.. 

might need some power source 

[Brace]

Just now, themctipers said:

junkyard?

 

>followed because i want to know where i can get a car radio, as i've heard its better than a standalone radio.. 

might need some power source 

A junkyard? Would that really be the best solution and I live in a pretty big city I don't even know where the closet junkyard is 

[themctipers]

Just now, Brace said:

A junkyard? Would that really be the best solution and I live in a pretty big city I don't even know where the closet junkyard is 

Car repair store?

car audio store?

 

an audio store?

[Brace]

2 minutes ago, themctipers said:

Car repair store?

car audio store?

 

an audio store?

I feel ya on that I was just wondering if there was a place online that was a good reliable retailer.

[Cracklingice]

Crutchfield.com Bestbuy.com both have stuff for sale.  Both are going to be costly.  Also be aware that simply putting different speakers in will not make it sound much better.  Sound deadening at least the doors can have a drastic impact.

Walmart is also another place that you can get car audio stuff from.  They have really cheap stuff tho, stay away from the really cheap stuff.

[Cracklingice]

Also - why is aux input a must?

[Brace]

1 minute ago, Cracklingice said:

Crutchfield.com Bestbuy.com both have stuff for sale.  Both are going to be costly.  Also be aware that simply putting different speakers in will not make it sound much better.  Sound deadening at least the doors can have a drastic impact.

Walmart is also another place that you can get car audio stuff from.  They have really cheap stuff tho, stay away from the really cheap stuff.

I feel like I can probably find a place to get parts but I don't know what parts I need so if you know or you know where to find that information that would be very helpful

[Cracklingice]

BTW, where do you live that it's legal to drive a car at 14?

[Daniel644]

KnuKonceptz.com for wiring, if you are doing an amp, I have also used Amazon, VMInnovations.com , OnlineCarStereo.com and WoofersETC.com with mostly good results, ultimately it depends on your final goals for the car, if you want a sub at all (that will have a good clean sound) you need a good headunit to start with (I personally prefer Pioneer) that has 4 volt pre-outs and built in HPF and LPF filters, there is a LOT of CHEAP CRAP out there, AVOID brands like Dual, Jensen, Pyle. the headunit in this scenario will be like HALF your budget, the wiring for an amp will be another 30-70, ONLY buy OFC (oxygen free copper) wire DO NOT buy CCA (copper clad aluminum) which is what most the crap at walmart is. and we haven't gotten into an amp or sub yet and you pretty much won't want an amp that cost less then 100 bucks and the same for a sub, then there is the BOX, custom is best but not cheap. What are your goals for this radio?

 

the reason for an aux input is so you can plug your phone (or ANYTHING with a headphone jack) into your radio and not have to carry CDs around with you.

 

but hey what do I know, this is just my daily driver:

 

[Cracklingice]

Anyway, aux input is antique in my opinion.  USB inputs, bluetooth audio and receivers that have built in android / ipod(iphone) controls make it near useless for most applications.  From time to time I have to drive for my parents when they're going on vacation and they don't want to pay for parking.  His Sonata has a USB input so I just grabbed my thumb drive, threw a few albums of MP3s on it, plug that in and hit shuffle.  Works way better than screwing with aux input and an external mp3 player.

[Daniel644]

5 minutes ago, Cracklingice said:

Anyway, aux input is antique in my opinion.  USB inputs, bluetooth audio and receivers that have built in android / ipod(iphone) controls make it near useless for most applications.  From time to time I have to drive for my parents when they're going on vacation and they don't want to pay for parking.  His Sonata has a USB input so I just grabbed my thumb drive, threw a few albums of MP3s on it, plug that in and hit shuffle.  Works way better than screwing with aux input and an external mp3 player.

Bluetooth has questionable audio quality, some of us prefer the External DACs or specifically bought a tablet with a specfic built in DAC because of the sound and the USB folder management on non-touchscreen head units can be a headaches when you have 30+GB of music and listen to music by the ALBUM not on shuffle, I can also in a split second pull the wire out of the tablet if I see a cop and my music is turned up to loud, I personally have been using a Galaxy Tab 2 7" for a few years now in this fashion because it wasn't till recently that the tech was common place for things like Android Auto and Apple Car Play.

[Brace]

42 minutes ago, Cracklingice said:

Also - why is aux input a must?

So I can use iTunes...?

[Bittenfleax]

Done 1 1/2 car audio setups now. 

 

It depends on how common parts are for your car here are both of mine where one is common and one is not.

 

Corsa 1.2 - Common, lots of things on the market

 

One in my Corsa 1.2 (which is done). 

I got a random Single DIN Head Unit off of Amazon. I got bluetooth to connect to my iPhone as I use Spotify. Best decision ever, bluetooth is great for passing my phone round the car when others want to put on a song. I have not seen a loss in quality compared to my aux into the radio as well. So dunno what those guys are on about.

Note: You can get double to single DIN adapters for your car probably.

Adapter from Vauxhall wiring harness to ISO from guess where, Amazon  

Changed front two and rear two speakers from some local speaker shop - there should probably be one by you

 

I did have an 8" sub and an Amp on the rear parcel shelf but I blew the amp. lol

That was live and sound signal under the trim all the way to the back. That setup cost me £25 ($40) altogether because I got the sub and amp second hand and wiring is cheap .

 

MR2 2.0 - Not common parts compared to Corsa 

 

Still in progress at the moment.

As it is old and parts (for audio) are not everywhere I have resorted to eBay and Chinese shops where the shipping is like... a month. 

Things like dash dials are coming from Poland with a sketchy website 0_o...

E.g, wiring adapters and stuff. Also, a lot of wiring done my self as the old Japanese radio was totally bodged in. 

Still deciding on a double DIN radio. Might go with non-touchscreen as a friend of mine bought a cheep one and said "You get what you pay for". So unless you want to spend $200/$250 there is no point. And by that time, you won't have money for speakers and adapters.

I plan to put an amp in the font (cause engine is in the back) and run that to two 6x9's just behind the seat. Although for now, I need to get a head unit  .

 

TL;DR You can easily do it with that budget, just $100 on a head unit, $50 (or less if you want) on speakers and a few $ on wiring and adapters.

 

I also HIGHLY RECOMMEND BLUETOOTH. 

[Brace]

33 minutes ago, Daniel644 said:

KnuKonceptz.com for wiring, if you are doing an amp, I have also used Amazon, VMInnovations.com , OnlineCarStereo.com and WoofersETC.com with mostly good results, ultimately it depends on your final goals for the car, if you want a sub at all (that will have a good clean sound) you need a good headunit to start with (I personally prefer Pioneer) that has 4 volt pre-outs and built in HPF and LPF filters, there is a LOT of CHEAP CRAP out there, AVOID brands like Dual, Jensen, Pyle. the headunit in this scenario will be like HALF your budget, the wiring for an amp will be another 30-70, ONLY buy OFC (oxygen free copper) wire DO NOT buy CCA (copper clad aluminum) which is what most the crap at walmart is. and we haven't gotten into an amp or sub yet and you pretty much won't want an amp that cost less then 100 bucks and the same for a sub, then there is the BOX, custom is best but not cheap. What are your goals for this radio?

 

the reason for an aux input is so you can plug your phone (or ANYTHING with a headphone jack) into your radio and not have to carry CDs around with you.

 

but hey what do I know, this is just my daily driver:

 

sorry for the late responds but you seems to know a lot about this subject my main goal is to spend a very minimal amount of money but still have a good overall experience that isn't laughable and if that means spending 50-100 over budget that would be fine do you think if I go to a car audio retail store an employee would be able to help me and is it even possible to get what I want for like 300-350$

[Daniel644]

Just now, Brace said:

sorry for the late responds but you seems to know a lot about this subject my main goal is to spend a very minimal amount of money but still have a good overall experience that isn't laughable and if that means spending 50-100 over budget that would be fine do you think if I go to a car audio retail store an employee would be able to help me and is it even possible to get what I want for like 300-350$

you could make NOISE at that budget but it won't have a clean sound for some people they think any noise is good but if you actually like to hear the music then 350-400 is super tight for sub amp and box and won't address the wiring or headunit concerns, a good headunit is the basis of a good system, it allows you to send the proper signals to the proper speakers, a HPF (high pass filter) will allow you to block the low bass from the door speakers so they won't distort and a LPF (low pass filter) will prevent vocals from playing through the subs and while most amps will have this filter built-in it's best to have one in the headunit so it only sends the needed frequencies to the amp to start with (this results in better output from the amp. realistically for anything worth a damn your looking 500-600 at the low end for headunit, wiring, amp, subs and box. I would NOT suggest going in store, in store prices are stupid high and most retail guys don't know crap, better to get on forums like Steve Meade Designs and see what the guys there could advise you in, just remember if you buy the cheap crap you'll be replacing sooner then later, the 15 in my other car is 10 years old and still kicking butt, but I paid like 500 bucks just for that sub alone online (it was upwards of 900 in stores).

[Brace]

On 8/16/2016 at 2:05 AM, Cracklingice said:

BTW, where do you live that it's legal to drive a car at 14?

Iowa you can drive to school