Phoenix Gold Phorum

I have been out of the car audio scene for over a decade and my buddy came to me the other and asked me to put a system in his 96 Cherokee. Knowing him he doesn't want anything too crazy so the plan is to upgrade stock speaker and add a couple woofers and see how far he wants to take it from there. His main music taste is hip hop.

Suggestions needed for...

- Head Unit: I've always stuck with Alpine, should I look elsewhere.
- 5 1/4" in the doors: My last system used Image Dynamics, do they still make decent stuff looking in the $2-300/set range.
- Amps: Was thinking a four channel PG for the main speakers then maybe a two channel for the woofers. My last system was ZPA's not sure he will want to go that route.
- 12": No idea where to start here, but the box will be sealed.

I guess the main question, is there anything I should really be staying away from...

Get one of these: http://www.phoenixgold.com/products/amp ... oductID=80

Or one of these: http://www.phoenixgold.com/products/amp ... oductID=91

If you are looking at two amps, either of these five channel amps will do the job of both amps just as well as two amps. I have owned both amps. The Elite.5 is just about the best sounding amp that is out there right now. While it is expensive for a single amp, when you consider the fact that it really is doing the job of two amps, the price really isn't bad at all. The Ti21600.5 Is almost as powerful as the Elite.5, and doesn't sound quite as good as the Elite, but it costs a little over half as much as the Elite.5, and is only 14.4" L x 7.1" W x 2.0" H. When I say it doesn't sound quite as good as the Elite, it's like saying that a Mustang GT isn't as fast as a Mustang Cobra. They're both still pretty good in the grand scheme. If you are looking to do a stealth type of install, the Ti21600.5 is the amp to go with.

Pioneer and Kenwood are arguably the leaders in head units right now. It's all about features, video, bluetooth audio, navigation, ipods, and things of that nature. Alpine still makes a good sounding head unit, but Pioneer and Kenwood are a little bit ahead right now as far as features. What you need to know is what all his head unit is going to be asked to do.

Image Dynamics still makes some of the better sounding speakers out there. One problem you may run into is a lot of vehicles have gravitated toward 6.5" factory speakers, and in so doing, a lot of speaker manufacturers have gotten away from 5 1/4" component sets. You can still get 5.25 comps, but the choices are fewer.

hard to go wrong with the RSDC's for your 12's if you can find them. they're great in a sealed box. I hear the new edition of the Ti's are pretty similar.