Ok so my front right speaker is blown which has gotten me thinking about audio. First of all I'm going to have everything installed by a shop because I don't have a garage nor driveway.

I've searched the threads and you guys say to start from the front, so which speakers for the front would you recommend? Also I would love to swap out the stock 8" sub with a better 8" if it's worth it.

The budget is about $500 to $800. Is it worth it to switch the stock sub while I'm at it? Also how much do you think a shop would charge me to install an aftermarket sub and front components in my 07? Thanks

 

You will get better clarity, but volume will be the same or less depending on which speakers you pick.

Whether or not it is worth it is up to you.

For install I would estimate front components and a rear sub replacement at 3.5-4 hrs. We charge $60-$80/ hr (equip bought in store vs. bringing your own stuff in) so you'd be looking at $210-$240 for labor if someone were to buy the stuff from us.

You could do a decently efficient front component for ~$150+ and a decent sub for ~$100+. So that would be $490+ as a starting point installed.

 

Only you can decide if it is worth it. Go to a shop and listen to some sets. Make sure that they have them set up right so that they sound like they might in a car.

Sterling forgot to add in an amp, but you can get some decent 4 channels that could power the components and sub for about $200-250.

 

The TL comes with an amp correct? So if I buy a better amp and 8 inch sub, will it be as simple as removing the old ones and plugging in the now ones? I basically want a shop to just remove the stock stuff and replace it with better amp, sub, and speakers with no or very little modification. Is that possible?

 

It won't be that simple. The really aren't many subs designed to run free air. I'm honestly not sure how much shops would charge for a simple box. So if you need to go prefab, look at the JL Audio 8" that is housed in a 5" deep ported box. Depending on where you buy your stuff from, definitely you can find nice comps and a 4-channel amplifier.

 

you could do it without. It will sound WAAAAAAAYYYYYY better with a new amp, but if on a budget, just new speakers even on the factory amp will sound better than a blown stocker.

 

I saw a stock speaker on ebay for $20. I'd send you mine if I could find it....

 

I didn't really see any issues with the stock audio besides the not so loud max volume...

So unless you get a better amp and better speakers its pretty much pointless to do anything but replace your blown one with another stocker...

 

Doing things half way us usually a recipe for disappointment. If you're not looking to do a serious upgrade in the future I'd recommend finding a used stock speaker for cheap and just having a stereo shop install it for you. You'd probably get it done, parts and labor, for less than a hundred bucks. Save the money for future repairs/upgrades/new cars. When the time comes to sell your car you'll be lucky to recover even 20% of what you spent on audio, if any. If you're keeping your car long term AND you are an audio addict I'd recommend starting with a quality set of component speakers up front and a decent amp for now, then save up for the subs and rear speakers later.

 

Niether did I until I upgraded. Compare a stock system to a decent aftermarket and you quickly realize how bad the stock one is.

 

So what are some recommendations for a cheap front stage upgrade? I'm in the same position with a blown speaker. I don't want to spend a ton of money on it, but while I'm in there I figure I might as well do better than stock.

 

For a pure drop in that will require no modifications and work with the stock amp, Infinity is the only one I know of. They're a nice upgrade but far from the best. I ran them for a year or so and enjoyed them but they were a little bright for my taste.

If you add an amp, it opens up a ton of choices. Generally aftermarket speakers are not going to be as efficient or 2ohm like factory speakers so without an aftermarket amp you might gain some sound quality but you actually lose volume.

 

How about these?
http://www.amazon.com/MBQUART-PVL216...86/ref=lh_ni_t

Seem like a good price. 4ohm, so need an amp. Maybe a spacer ring?