New to the forum and Car Audio in general

[VincePicone 0]

Just bought a 2006 Jeep Liberty Renegade. I'm gonna take my 528i in to carmax and sell it for some money for a new system. I'm not sure how much I'll have to spend yet but I was hoping I could get some research done before I set an official budget.

I listen to mainly classic dubstep and electronic music that has really, really heavy bass (I'm not talking skrilllex or Doctor P midrange bullshit/midrange dubstep.) So my main concern is taking the bass to the next level. So I've done some research and am more comfortable with the terminology but I still have a couple questions.

I'm assuming its going to be necessary to replace my stock amp to power some new subs, but do I necessarily need a new head unit? Can I just add on an Aux cable?

Are there some retail stores that are more reliable than others as far as installation is concerned? (not quite handy enough to trust myself with wiring on my own)

Are there any common mistakes I can avoid at this stage (brands to watch out for.)

I'll be sure to tack on any questions as they come up. Thanks for the help guys.

[Luke.H 33]

I would learn to do the install yourself. You've come to the right place to learn

[Randal Johnson 544]

Welcome to SSA !!!

[VincePicone 0]

Haha I'm inspired I'll definitely check it out. I'm assuming crutchfield is the standard place to direct people?

[sefugi 166]

[S.DeYoung 968]

[Duran 387]

...I'm assuming its going to be necessary to replace my stock amp to power some new subs, but do I necessarily need a new head unit? Can I just add on an Aux cable?

I would go with a new amplifier, and a new head unit, but if you like your stock interface you can get an Line Out Converter(LOC) and use that for signal cable, it will replace your rear speakers.

Are there some retail stores that are more reliable than others as far as installation is concerned? (not quite handy enough to trust myself with wiring on my own)

Big box stores...none that I would trust with my vehicle, I'd try to find a trustworthy car audio shop to do the work if you aren't comfortable with it.

Are there any common mistakes I can avoid at this stage (brands to watch out for.)

The list is very long, it's probably best to ask about a specific brand, all of the brands on this site come highly recommended

I'll be sure to tack on any questions as they come up. Thanks for the help guys.

My answers in red ^

[Ohjay 116]

You can save a lot by buying online and installing at least some of the equipment yourself.

[VincePicone 0]

Awesome, thanks for the quick response. My issue now is that I'm coming to realize that there's a lot of personal preference involved and such a wide amount of choices but I don't even know enough to have a personal preference haha.

[sefugi 166]

If you have a shop in your area, you can go and listen to some of the products you have seen (if they carry them) and it may help with your decisions.

[Luke.H 33]

If you have a shop in your area, you can go and listen to some of the products you have seen (if they carry them) and it may help with your decisions.

I would take this advice. Listen around and get an idea of what you want. Do you not know if you're looking for a spl oriented setup or an SQ oriented set up?

[Mason858 0]

Welcome

[VincePicone 0]

Probably more towards SQ but I still want that bass to kick in hard as hell. (pretty sure that's what everyone says haha)

Here's an example of the types of tunes I'd be bumping

I work right by a car audio place in North Houston so Ill go check it out after work. I'll try and keep my ears open but would you say I should shy away from any brands do to build quality? For instance, it may sound good in the store but may break down in a few months/a year? I understand that a lot of brands specialize in different pieces of equipment and suffer in others.

[bassahaulic 155]

My best advice, it to NEVER and I mean NEVER buy something without research into the product.

The best we can do is off what we would do with your budget, listening style, and goals of the system.

[KevinWS6 2]

What part of Houston are you from?

[VincePicone 0]

North Houston, woodlands area. So theres tons of places on 45 that are willing to put a system together. I'd really like to order the parts on my own and have someone help me throw it in though.

[KevinWS6 2]

I am right down the road here in Spring. I have had experience with Mobile One and Bico Stereo right off of 45 south of Woodlands Parkway. Bico is great for little last minute install stuff that I always forget to order and noone else carries in stock, and the main guy in there seems to know his stuff pretty good. Plus they carry some pretty good stuff like Arc, Memphis, and RE. Mobile One is more of the chain store with some of the major brand names. Both are good just to go in, look around and get some ideas.

[Aaron Clinton 2,372]