Getting ready for roadtrips -- stereo upgrade!

The Alpine CDA-9855 head unit finally arrived after being back-ordered for a month! I'm glad that the forecast calls for rain this weekend so I can work on installing the system in the garage without distractions. Actually, I already replaced the dash speakers two weeks ago (I couldn't wait for the back-ordered head unit). I removed the stock speakers and grills and shipped them to Rod at Car Audio Innovations to have Focal Polyglass 100V2 2-way component speakers mounted on the stock grills (Rod would have done a core exchange except he only had black grills at his shop and mine are gray). Rod turned it around pretty quickly though and I got my speakers back in less than a week along with other goodies: an Audison SRx5 5-channel amplifier and a pair of Focal Utopia 5WS subwoofers for the doors. I ordered the Alpine CDA-9855 head unit and KCA-420i iPod interface from Crutchfield. It was amazing how just replacing the dash speakers with a pair of Focal 100V2 2-ways made the factory system sound a lot better. There was very little bass from the stock speakers. The Focals on the other hand have very clean highs and nice low bass (test track: Dave Brubeck's Take Five ). If you want a quick, easy and cheap upgrade, upgrade the dash speakers. However, I did not crank it up for fear of damaging the speakers because the stock amp was underpowered. I can't wait to finish installing everything tomorrow! Here's the rest of the system: Alpine CDA-9855 -- this is a new head unit from Alpine and was back-ordered for a month. I like the "glide strip" control instead of buttons. It also has 4 volt outputs for the amp. Alpine KCA-420i -- this is Alpine's iPod interface. It allows the head unit to control the iPod and display track information on the head unit display. It is small enough that I think I can stuff it below the dash on the passenger side. Audison SRx5 -- to be honest I never even heard of Audison until Rod told me about them. They have gotten a lot of good reviews and they are small enough to fit in the stock amp location behind the firewall in the trunk -- no need to build custom panels! Focal Utopia 5WS -- I'll replace the door subwoofers with a pair of these. These will fit in the stock sub enclosures with minor tweaking. Rod also supplied the speaker wires, RCA patch cables, wiring harness and antenna adapter, fuse holder, power cables -- even spades and zip ties -- along with the kit. With his detailed printed instructions (and toll free number in case I run into problems) the installation should go fairly smoothly.

Rod helped me with pretty much the exact same system, minus the headunit, he's a great guy to work with. I wanted to keep the stock look of the PCM. Take your time with the install and enjoy. If you need info/pics (I documented everything, shoot me an e-mail or a pm.

i just emailed Rob to see what he can offer for a similar job in my car? actually just looking at the speaker upgrade since my car has the MOST BUS crap thing and modding it is near impossible.

Lizard 1 - I'm in exactly the same boat. Please share any insight you get if possible. Thanks

All- I have some more great things to say about Rod Birch at Car Audio Innovations. Sent my stock speakers and grilles to Rod (2 front, 2 back, I don't have door speakers) and he mounted Focals to all 4 grilles. Replaced my CR-220 head unit with a Nakamichi CD-400 which is AM/FM and single CD supplied by Rod. He shipped the new speakers, new head unit, custom wiring harness, antenna adapter and complete instructions to me within a week. Install went smoothly with a couple of minor questions that Rod was able to answer via e-mail. Did this all for under a grand. Rod is outstanding (and a site sponsor) so support him! Thanks Rod!

Great to hear guys. I am about to pull the trigger on almost the same setup, except with a Kenwood DDX-7015 head unit. I already have sirius and a music keg, so that unit will provide a great interface for both. I also have a bluetooth kit going in the aux with phone mute. Between the stereo and the aero kit coming back from Eric next week, this thing is going to be as pimped as I need it to be (for now)!

What is involved with mounting Focals to the factory grills? Could one do this themselves or does it require extensive re-fabrication?

You use a dremel to cut the stock speakers from their mounts and use those over the Focals.

if you guys don't mind me asking (since everyone seems like they are getting similar set-ups), whats the $$ damage?

Did you purchase your speakers locally? This weekend I pulled my speakers out so I could get a feel for the difficulty level. The Dash speakers were pretty easy but how do you get the door panels off. I pull all the clamps from the bottom to the middle but it seem something at the top was holding it on.

Click the link in my sig, it gives a break down of what I paid for each component. Keep in mind this was a few years ago and I did all the installation.

I actually ordered the speakers from Rod Birch at CarAudioInnovations.com out in California. I took out my dash speakers and shipped them to him. He used the stock grilles and mounted the Focals for me. It was a pretty quick turnaround -- it took 3 or 4 days to get them back, if I remember correctly. Gary Hurley at Hurley's Audio in Tysons (Spring Hill Road, a couple of doors up from Intersport) also carries the full range of Focals and can mount them on the grilles for you. Finally, I believe that Tweeter carries Focal speakers now -- but you may have to mount them yourself.

Nice Programmatore, but you know thats going add a few hundred pounds to your car.

LOL! I know but the improved sound quality is definitely worth it. I haven't gotten around to installing the PSE yet so I just blast this MP3 ( click here ) and my car feels a lot quicker.

Sounds great, Programmatore! You guys are inspiring me to upgrade my ****-poor stock '99 stereo system. I'll wait until I'm done with the body panels and suspension and then look this stuff up again. I'm great with mechanical stuff but not so great with stereo stuff... I may end up asking for some advice, methinks.

I'd say just replacing the amp and speakers only adds about 30-40 lbs. I saved 13 lbs by replacing the stock battery with an Optima. The sound improvement is worth it.

I agree Rod is great. I went a little extreme and ordered his custom fit rear subs for my cab along with a complete replacement of all of the speakers. They form fit right in front of the rear seats and you lose very little if any seat adjustment. I am 6'3 and have no problems plus they sound awesome. Three ways for the front made a big difference. You might find it cheaper but check for the warranty as Rod will tell you

Hey TallCoolOne. How do you like the rear subs? Did you get the fiberglass enclosures? Those look really slick. How do they sound? I take it you have a 5- or 6-channel Audison amp as well? My only concern with getting the rear subs is that every now and then I have two women in the car with me and I want to make sure the passenger in the back has enough room. I realize because of your height that you have the opposite concern -- you want the driver's seat all the way back. Does the sub enclosure eat up a lot of space? I am thinking maybe I could just get one enclosure (instead of a pair) and put it behind the driver's seat since I rarely put anyone in the rear driver's side seat. Do you think a single sub would sound bad? Thanks, -Gary