Need advice on system for 2002 4Runner

[philo]

My factory HU CD player is jammed making for a good excuse to do a complete system. I should start by saying that I'm not a DIY so I'll be purchasing from a local dealer and having them do the installation. At this point, I'm leaning toward Gold Star Audio in Irvine, California. They seem to have a decent selection, good experience and reasonable prices. However, going through a local dealer does limit some of my choices. I want to keep the system clean and simple and reasonably priced ($1000-$1200 limit?). I'm not about volume and I do appreciate sound quality (If it helps my home system is Proceed AVP pre amp, Aragon 8008 amp, and Snell EIII speakers)

Here's where I'm at with piecing together a system.

HU: Alpine 9883 with Ipod cable
Front Speakers: Focal Polyglass 165 V2 components
Rear Speakers: TBD
Amps: TBD
Sub: Want one... don't know if I can afford one

Now is where I need help.

Rear Speakers: I've been told to make this my last priority since it's just for fill. So this will likely remain factory. I'm concerned about impact on sound quality and them getting blown by the amp. Should I put the Focal Access speakers or something else in the rear?

Amps: Originally I was going to go with an Alpine F450 but that was before I decided I wanted a sub. Also, the dealer strongly recommended the Alpine PDX amps. So I'm thinking:

a) Alpine PDX 4.100 (for front speakers, bridge two channels for sub, HU to power rears) or
b) Alpine MRP F450 (for front and rear speakers) plus MRP M450 (for sub)
c) or Alpine MRP F450 (for front speakers, bridge two channels for sub, HU to power rears)

The dealer also carries JL Audio, Boston, Pioneer, etc. Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Sub: Originally didn't think I could afford one but they suggested that I should consider an inexpensive one because there will still be a significant addition to the experience. They are thinking the low end 10" JL Audio in wedge wood box they would build. $130 is what they quoted. Is a cheap sub better than no sub? Thoughts, recommendations, and alternatives would be appreciated.

Sorry for the length of my post and appreciate any advice. I've never had an after market system and am very excited about piecing together my first.

[Pimpinda93camry]

Any sub that JL makes is worth the money

alpines are real clear and have aswsome sound quality.

sounds like a good setup and i hope you like it.

[JayMax03]

Is everything in JL Audio that damn good? I know I got the amp and its the only 1 I have by far, but every1 is telling no1 can compare to JL.

[Pimpinda93camry]

Yes something can compare to JL but it out of most peoples price range.

I have a Jl amp 500/1 slash. bought it for 465.95... best amp i ever bougth, its clearer then my alpine. put out more power, ran cooler. hits harder. and doesnt dim my lights as much. Guess what i payed for the alpine new...... 375.99 for the hundered dollars more the run cooler part and doesnt dim lights is worth it. Had a kicker xlp 12 inch. sounded great but it doesnt comare to the jl (s) that are 10 inch. i bet with the 1 10" it could knock as hard but sound better then the 12 " kicker.

and yes jay max i bet some jl 10w1v2 which is now jl "entry level" or bang on a budget can out knock, clearer, more power handling (above rated watts) then kickerscomps, comp vr's, sony anything, rockford fasgate, and anything that cost with in 50 dollars of it.

i will never buy anything other then jl subs or amps unless they take a major turn for the worst. and ever sub they put out is getting better and better.

end rant

[philo]

Thanks for the replies. Any thoughts on the differences between the V series and PDX series of the Alpine amps and what I should do about the rear speakers?

[cam2Xrunner]

I would check out the new Pioneer PRS series comps. TS-C720PRS. I'd pick those over anything else under 400 bucks.

For headunits, I'd rec the Pioneer DEH-P88PRS, for the money there is no other choice IMO than this headunit. Alpine's equivalent to the processing power of this headunit costs over twice as much, compare the specs. The important parts are the crossover flexibility, time alignment, left/right individual 13 band eq, DAC quality, build quality.

If you read some posts on Customtacos.com in the interior/audio section you can read what Daveds50 has to say about Alpine headunits... in short even with the new 24 bit DAC's in the Alpoines they cannot match the sound quality of the Pioneer and also the build quality.

For amps, I'd take a DLS, Helix, Audison or Zapco over a JL or Alpine amp, with amps it pays to do some research and shop around for the best deals. I usually buy mint used high end amps because you can pick them up as cheap as mainstream crap like Alpine and JL...Search the classifieds ads on www.elitecaraudio.com and/or www.diymobileaudio.com

The PRS comps and headunit will run you about 600 shipped for both, maybe less.

For amps, do you prefer to have more than one amp, or would you prefer a one amp solution? This will also help determine what kind of sub to select, as well as what type of music you like to listen to.

Deadening the front doors at the least will make a huge difference in sound quality and midbass output from the speakers. I'd rec. www.raammat.com

Rear speakers...I'd rec. not using rear speakers. Only exception would be if you were going to do an Audio/Visual install using surround sound, but it doesn't sound like that is what you are going for.

[philo]

Wow! Thanks for the recommendations. I'll look into your suggestions. One of the issues I have is that I'm not doing the install myself and so I need to use a dealer making it tough to buy online and to find all the brands in one place. I see you're in socal. I'm in orange county. Any dealers/installers you would recommend in the OC/LA area? I'd prefer OC but am willing to drive to LA if the service is superior. Currently, of the dealers I've talked to, I'm leaning toward Gold Star Audio in Irvine.

As for amp preference, I'd prefer one to install under a seat but am willing to go to two. I want this to be as stealth as possible.

With regard to the rear speakers, are you saying I should disconnect them all together? Will that make sense in a 4Runner? It seems that with a cabin that big, the rears would be needed for fill. But then again, I'm a novice to car audio.

Thanks again!