I'm looking at upgrading the ICE in my MY01. Decided to go for an MP3 player (Alpine 7893R) and upgraded speakers.

Will upgrading the front speakers only give me a decent sound? I'm more interested in sound quality than outright "loudness".

Do I really need to upgrade the speakers in the rear as well? Should I upgrade the speakers in the rear doors or fit some in the rear shelf?

If I upgrade the rear speakers do I really need an amp to power them?

What speakers should I be going for?

Is dynamatting essential?

Any help would be very much appreciated.

Front speakers are a CERTAIN upgrade as subaru oem speakers are not a good quality speaker they are a CHEAP speaker with poor sound quality and poor power handling. Rear speakers are an upgrade worth considering if you want to keep a decent sound stage for rear passengers.

If you upgrade the front speakers then sound insulation is a must inside the doors for the full effect of the new speakers to be heard.

My advice would be to amp the front speakers and leave the rear speakers until a later date, you will get a much more clearer sound from a good quality power amp than you would out of any head unit amp, i know this sound like a bind but it is well worth it.

Have you thought of putting a small sub in the boot?? This can improve bass reponse and over-all sound quality enormously. Sound insulation is then required in the boot area as well.

BigRed

Also have a wander through the FAQ

Cheers,
Nick.

Thanks for your responses guys.

Have you got any recommendations? As I said in my origina post, I am thinking of going for the Alpine head unit, the people I have spoken to reckon that it is the best in the market at that price point.

What about speakers?

BigRed - would adding a sub mean losing loads of boot space (and laying myself open to 'Nova - boy' type comments?

You can't really go far wrong with any of the major ICE manufacturers for head units.

Speaker-wise, pick a budget and we'll find something. For under 100 quid, the Infinity 605s are well liked, above that for around 120 the focal kit is well liked too, and above that then you're well into the realms of personal preference and massive choice...

Sub doesn't have to be nova-boy nosebleed inducing bass, or lose you a lot of space...

Gratuitous picture again of mine:
http://www.chiark.com/scooby/image/wholeboot_sml.jpg