At ClassicCarStereos.com, we have several different stereo packages available for all of our "standard" applications. Our stereo packages include a radio, front speakers, rear speakers, an amplifier, an amplifier installation kit, and speaker wire. When you purchase one of our stereo kits, you save over $100 by purchasing all of the components together and we have built these kits with components that work well together.

Radio

USA-230 - AM/FM + Auxiliary
USA-630 - AM/FM + Auxiliary + USB + Option to Add Bluetooth + Option to Add an External CD Player
USA-740 - AM/FM + Auxiliary + Bluetooth Built-In + USB + Option to Add an External CD Player + Subwoofer Pre-Out
Slidebar - AM/FM + Auxiliary + Disappearing Analog Display + USB + Option to Add Bluetooth + Option to Add External CD Player + Subwoofer Pre-Out
AAR OE Replica - AM/FM + Auxiliary + Bluetooth Built-In + Looks Nearly Identical to the Original Radio

Speakers

There are many different speaker configurations depending on the style of vehicle. The standard car applications have front speakers, either dash or kick panels and 6x9's in the rear. We also offer 7 channel stereo kits that have a dash speaker, kick panel speakers, rear 6x9's, and a subwoofer is included. Since convertibles, trucks, 2 seater coupes, and El Camino/Ranchero vehicles do not have a rear package tray to mount 6x9's, we make some changes to still allow you to install 4 speakers in your classic car and get home theater quality sound.

Standard Car Applications (Not Convertible, 2 Seater, Truck, or El Camino/Ranchero)

Dash Speaker + 6x9s
Kick Panels + 6x9s
Dash Speaker + Kick Panels + 6x9s

Truck Applications

Dash Speaker + Kick Panels
Dash Speaker + Undercover II
Kick Panels + Undercover II

Convertible Applications

Dash Speaker + Kick Panels
Dash Speaker + Undercover II
Kick Panels + Undercover II

Amplifier

4 Channel Amplifier

We recommend selecting a 4 channel amplifier when you do not plan to add a subwoofer. You could also select a powered subwoofer, but it is usually more expensive.

5 Channel Amplifier

If you want to add a subwoofer, we recommend selecting a 5 channel amplifier. A 5 channel amplifier has the 4 full range channels to power the speakers plus an additional channel to power the subwoofer.

Subwoofer

For the most part you get what you pay for. The more power the subwoofer can handle, the more bass you get and that bass is tighter and more accurate.

Standard Enclosures

The standard subwoofer enclosures are usually a minimum of 1 cubic foot measuring 12" x 12" x 12", if not larger. The standard enclosures are designed for vehicles with trunks and while they do take space, they usually are not taking up your entire trunk. Standard enclosures are typically less expensive than their low-profile counterparts.

Low Profile Enclosures

Most of the subwoofer enclosures we offer in these packages are low profile enclosures. Most classic car owners use their trunk and don't want a big, bulky box back there. The trunk is the perfect place to store your detailing kit once you get to the car show, cruise, or other event. Most low-profile enclosures are less than 7" deep at their deepest point and will still work behind the seat in a single cab truck.

10" vs. 12"

10" Subwoofers are the most populare size among classic car owners that decide to add a subwoofer. You get good bass response without being boomy. However, a 12" sub is going to play louder, lower and just sound a little better overall.

Wiring

An amp wiring kit with the appropriate amount of RCA cables is included with the stereo package. If you select a 4 channel amplifier, you get 2 RCA cables. If you select a 5 channel amplifier, you get 3 RCA cables. In addition to the amplifier wiring kit, we also include 30 feet of 16 AWG speaker wire. This is enough speaker wire for most vehicles.

Brands

We offer our stereo packages using components from the top names in the car audio industry.

Kicker

• Dash Speakers + 6x9
• Kick Panels + 6x9
• Dash Speaker + Kick Panels + 6x9

Our Kicker stero packages offer the largest number of configurations because of their speakers fit most standard openings without being too deep. Kicker offers two different series of speakers, the CS and the KS. The main difference is going to be the tweeter material. The CS have a PEI (hard) dome tweeter and the KS have a silk (soft) dome tweeter. The KS speakers are more expensive and in my opinion it is worth paying up for the better speakers.

When it comes to amplifier selection for Kicker, I like the KEY amp if you are not doing a subwoofer. If you want a DSP built into your amplifier like a concert mixing board, the IQ 500 watt amp is amazing. If you are adding a subwoofer, the CX 660 watt channel works great for most applications. The KX is definitely a step up. If you want a full DSP and you are willing to plug your laptop in to custom mix your music, the Q series amps are worth it. They are probably the most affordable DSP amplifiers available.

If you are adding a subwoofer, the CompRT enclosures are the best value in all of car audio. The down-firing box offers better acoustics than the standard box. The 12" sounds better than the 10" and can do everything the 10" can, the 10" can't do everything the 12" can. Yes the CompRT woofers are more expensive than the standard CompC, but they are thinner and they just sound better. You get what you pay for.

JL Audio

• Dash Speaker + 6x9s

JL Audio is synonymous for sound quality. JL makes the best sounding subwoofers on the market and the sound quality from their amplifiers is un-rivaled. With their speakers, the same is true. We use the C2 3.5" and 4" speakers for the dash speakers in these packages and pair them with the C2 6x9s. The C2 speakers have silk dome tweeters for rich, smooth output that isn't harsh. With JL you are paying a premium for a premium product.

With the amplifiers, I like the RD series. If you aren't adding a subwoofer, the RD400/4, if you are adding a subwoofer, the RD900/5. The RD are very comparable to the XD, but they are larger and they aren't as thermally efficient. However, in most classic car applications, you aren't driving the amp hard so there's no need to worry. In addition, the RD amps come with LED clipping indicators to help you perfectly set your gains. If you are an audiophile that wants to create the perfect soundstage with a DSP, go with the VXi amps. If you are asking, "What is a DSP?" don't worry about it and just stick with the RD.

For subwoofers, all of the JL options sound fantastic. The 10" W0 is the most affordable, but the box is somewhat bulky. The 10" and 12" TW3 enclosures are the best sounding thin woofers without spending $550+. Another option is the 8" W3 which is in a ported box and even though it is an 8", it sounds like a 10" or a 12". If it's my car, I'm probably going with the 10" TW3.

Rockford Fosgate

• Dash Speaker + 6x9s (Limited Applications)
• Kick Panels + 6x9's (Limited Applications

Our Rockford Fosgate stereo kits are somewhat limited with the applications. The Rockford Fosgate dash speakers are only available in a 4". This means that many vehicles that came with a 4x10, vehicles that have A/C, or vehicles that came with factory stereo can't use a Rockford dash speaker.

We offer kick panel stereo packages using the Rockford Fosgate Punch series speakers for all vehicles where we have kick panels that fit, with the exception being for 1963 Impalas and 1947-1959 GM trucks.

For the amplifier, I like the R2-500x4 if you have the space for a full size amp and you aren't adding a subwoofer. If you are adding a subwoofer, the R2-750x5 is the most affordable solution. My favorite Rockford amplifier and the one I have in my daily driver is the T1000x5ad. It's the best value for pure power output in a 5 channel amp, but it's a little pricey and it might be overkill for many. If you are one of those people that has to have the best, go with the T1000x5ad, otherwise the R2-750x5 is an awesome amp too and you can't beat the value there either. Both amps have Rockford's C.L.E.A.N. circuit that will tell you when you have a clipped signal for perfect gain setting.

If you are adding a Rockford subwoofer, I like the R2S-1x10 or the T1S-1x10. The T1S-1x10 is expensive. It is probably the best low-profile enclosure on the market, but you are paying for it. I don't like the P3S models. They are technically an upgrade over the R2S-1x10 but I just don't think they sound that great for what they cost. The Kicker CompRT's blow the P3S-1x10 and P3S-1x12 away.

Hertz

• Dash Speaker + 6x9s
• Kick Panels + 6x9s

We offer two levels of Hertz stereo packages. If you are adding a dash speaker, we offer the Dieci series speakers that are available for all applications. In addition, we offer the option to upgrade to Cento dash speakers for certain applications that will accept a 4" speaker in the dash. The Dieci speakers are super efficient and play nice and bright. If you drive your classic car with the windows down, the Dieci speakers are going to play louder than most speakers available and the brightness will cut through the wind, engine, and road noise. If you like crisp, loud, clear highs, you are going to like the Dieci speakers. The Cento speakers are an upgrade over Dieci. The Cento speakers are simply beautiful. They play bright, but they simply sound beautiful as they are not harsh at all, but super smooth and accurate.

The Hertz kick panel packages use the Cento speakers. They work really well in off-axis applications (like kick panels) and from an overall sound quality standpoint, I think they are the best sounding speakers we offer. They just sound amazing. I am working on a 1970 C10 and when it is time for speakers, I am going to put the Hertz Cento speakers in it.

The Herts stereo packages offer both Audison and JL Audio amplifier options. These brands offer super clean, correct, accurate power. Elettromedia is the parent company for both Hertz and Audison. Hertz is mostly the speaker side of their business while Audison is known for the amplifier and electronics side. I like the Audison SR amps for all Hertz stereo packages.

The Hertz Dieci 10" enclosure gets the job done. It is a full size box, but it offers nice output at an affordable price. If you want to upgrade the Audison Prima 10" low profile enclosure is comparable to JL TW3, some might argue even better. The Hertz Cento 10" woofer is super tight and accurate for home theater quality bass response that gives you the low-end bass you want without being overly boomy like that kid at the stoplight.

JBL

• Kick Panels + 6x9s

Our JBL stereo kits come with Stage speakers in both the kick panels and the 6x9s. These are 3 ohm speakers which give you more power from your amplifier than 4 ohm speakers without over-heating the amp. The front 6.5" speakers have nice, low-profile grille to avoid the parking brake pedal.

For amplifiers, if you are not adding a subwoofer, the Club 4 channel amp is perfect. If you are adding a subwoofer, go with the 5 channel. If you want to upgrade, the JBL Stadium4 and Stadium5 amps do offer tremendous power output and value. The Stadium amps blow away the club amps.

I don't love any of the JBL subwoofers. I would go with the 10" Kicker CompRT shallow. In my opinion, it is the best box on the market for the money.

Infinity

• Kick Panels + 6x9s

Our Infinity stereo packages use the Reference series speakers and amplifiers. The Reference series speakers sound better than the Stage speakers in my opinion. The Reference series speakers have soft dome tweeters vs. hard dome tweeters in the Stage speakers.

The Infinity Reference amps and the JBL club amps are the same amplifiers, just with different looks. Like all of the other packages, if you aren't adding a subwoofer, go with the 4 channel amplifier If you are adding a subwoofer, go with the 5 channel.

The story with Infinity subwoofers is the same as JBL, I don't love any of the Infinity subwoofers. I would go with the 10" Kicker CompRT shallow. In my opinion, it is the best box on the market for the money.

Audison

• Kick Panels + 6x9s

The Audison Prima speakers sound really nice. Before Hertz came out with Cento, I would have said that the Audison Prima are the best sounding speakers we offered. The Prima speakers have a point source, PEI dome tweeter that keeps your music in-phase. You get the performance of component speakers in a coaxial. The Prima speakers are as their name suggests, a premium product, but they also sound better than most others.

We offer the Audison Prima packages with either the Kicker KEY, the Audison SR series amps, or the JL Audio RD amps. If you are not going with a subwoofer, the Kicker KEY is going to sound good and offer you a little bit of cost savings versus the Audison SR and the JL Audio RD. I'd probably recommend the Audison SR. If you are adding a subwoofer, I'd go with the Audison SR unless you are a JL Audio guy and you love JL Audio amps.

If you are adding a subwoofer, we offer this package with the option to add the Audison Prima 10" low profile enclosure. The enclosure is one of the best low profile subwoofer enclosures available and you will be surprised how much output and the accuracy you get from a low profile 10" subwoofer.

Recommendation

Hopefully these break downs help you pick the right kit and components for your classic car stereo package.

Here's the best way to break it down:

1. If you have a car audio brand that you have used in the past, and you liked the way it sounded, go with that brand. If you are a Kicker guy, go with Kicker. If you love JL, go with JL. Don't overthink it. If you liked it before, you will probably like it again. Also, none of these packages are going to sound bad. They are all going to sound amazing and you would likely never know the difference unless you listened to them next to each other.
2. If you want the best sound possible, the Hertz Cento speakers are the best sounding speakers we offer. I will be putting Cento in my C10 when it is time for speakers.
3. If you like your music LOUD, Rockford Fosgate speakers tend to be loud and the Hertz Dieci speakers are bright and super efficient. I think the Dieci sound better than the Rockford speakers, but the Dieci are more expensive. Both the Hertz Dieci and Rockford stereo packages will play brighter and louder than any of the others and will do the best job of cutting through engine, wind, and road noise.
4. Kicker. When in doubt, the Kicker stuff fits all cars. If kick panels are available for your vehicle, both the Kicker CS and KS speakers fit in the kick panels. Both the CS and KS speakers fit in your dash. The KEY amp is the best value for any 4 channel amp. Their 5 channel amps are an awesome value too. The CompRT subwoofer enclosures are the best sounding subwoofers for the money, period. Also, the people that work there are just good, salt-of-the-earth, nice people. We have met them, hung out with them, and shared a meal with many of them. I literally can't say anything bad about anyone there.