Any advice on car audio?

Loaded question since so much of car audio is ridiculously over-marketed lies (1000W amplifiers?). Man what a mess the car audio market is.

Okay, here are my thoughts on the car audio thing, ignore at will. Unlike a home audio system you cannot move the speakers around to suit your taste and more importantly the speakers really do make the biggest difference. Check out Focal and maybe some of the higher end Infinity speakers to get a feel for what's possible. You'll need discrete subwoofer(s) but like a good audio system adjust them so they blend nicely with the speakers in the car. I said blend, not boom. Add some dash mounted tweeters, they will make a big difference to your perception of the sound.

The head unit is a tuner and control center, don't get carried away spending a bunch of money on it. The amplifiers matter since a) they are WAY over spec'd and b) need to drive a bunch of speakers simultaneously. Get TWO amps and divide the load reasonably evenly if you can. The CD changer? Get something reliable and matches your head unit for easy hook up (I prefer Pioneer over Alpine for reliability). Wires? Get some 12 gauge from Home Depot, they'll do nicely. Finally, make sure your battery can handle the draw, nothing worse than sitting at a light and your tunes cutting out cuz your battery can't keep up.

Is it worth it? To me it is, I love good music when I'm toolin' down the highway at less than the legal limit. Many people will argue my choices were not ideal, but check out my "systems" and click on my Supra for some ideas. All bought on Ebay BTW. Happy listening, Jeff

"less than the legal limit"? Huge typo!!!!! I'd have a LOT better system if I obeyed the laws and didn't have to shell out long green to cover off speeding tickets. SD is dead-on (pun intended), treat the car then load it up. Best, JL

Hey Jeff

if you find that your amps draw more than the battery wants to put out(do your dash lights dim whent he bass hits?), install a good capacitor. Lightning Audio makes these.

The way i see it, leave the serious listening for at home, the car stereo should "Add" to the driving experience, not be the entire focal point, or yer gonna end up running into somone. It should be Dynamic, Loud, and capable of giving a good kidney massage. :)

Don't waste too much money on a car system.
You can go all out like Mr. Campbell advises, but it costs time and money. How much time do you really spend in the car? Since these car audio companies change their lines every two weeks ;-) it's easy to find something decent on sale too.
I'd rather spend around $500.00 for a good head unit (CD receiver with removeable face and 4 x 100 watts - Ha ha), upgrade the speakers if necessary, and be happy.
You'll never get the car to sound like your home system. Save your money and spend it on music and upgrading the home system.

sorry to stray from the topic but:

is there a single driver speaker made for cars?

I like the idea of no crossover and would rather sacrifice the high end in favor of better mids. I hope to hear a good single driver speaker for the home someday as well.

Phil