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When I was in high school, I was a real stereo buff. During this time I learned quite a bit about installing a stereo, and what equipment to buy. The price range on a descent stereo with a cd player goes from
$300 - $4000. When I look at buying a stereo, I first look at the quality of the amplifiers. ORION CAR AUDIO makes the absolute best durable amplifiers on the planet, but at a spendy price. I paid over $500 dollars for one amplifier, but this amplifier can go down to .5 ohm stable. This means that I can double my output capacity compared to traditional 1 ohm stable amplifier. The average amp that says " 200 watts ", this is usually at 1 ohm stable. When you cut the ohm's in half, you double the wattage. So when the amplifier rated at " 200 watts " at one ohm stable, the .5 ohm amplifier ( ORION 225HCCA ) puts out 400 watts. The next thing you want to look at is speakers, a lot of the speakers nowdays are pretty much the same, polyurethene cones. You want a speaker that will put hold at least 150 watts. Some good suggestions for speakers are :
ALPINE
ORION XTR
JL AUDIO - ( great speaker )
The next thing you want to figure out is what size of a speaker you need. If you just want a couple of speakers in the doors, you want a 6.5" or smaller. Many people dont want to run big stereo's in their vws, mainly because there isn't the space.
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THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW BEFORE INSTALLING A STEREO.
Where am I going to put the CD Player?
In the Dash or in the glovebox?
Where am I going to put my subwoofers?
What size of subwoofers can I run in my bug?
ABBREVIATIONS ON AMPLIFIER:
BAT- BATTERY CABLE
REM- REMOTE SWITCH OFF OF STEREO
GRD- GROUND TO BODY
CROSSOVER- CUTS OFF CERTAIN FREQUENCIES
Low pass- subwoofer end speakers
High pass- high end speakers
Average cost of stereo:
CD Player= $200
two 6.5" speakers (front)=$100
Subwoofers 8-12" $150-200
Amplifier 100x2 watts = $150-300
The average cost for a whole stereo with some bass is around $500 dollar minimum. If you get quality equipment, you are going to be looking at a much higher price tag. In the future we plan on doing a feature on how to install your stereo. We will tell you what equipment we used, and cables, costs, etc. So Stay Tuned.
Brock Eastman
brock@vwmagazine.com
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