Recommend a Car Audio Shop

[Fat Jeff]

I'm loving my new Honda Pilot...with one exception. The stereo sounds like someone farting into a paper bag. After checking various Honda & car audio sites, I've determined that the weak links are the factory installed speakers. So I'd like to get a recommendation for a shop to sell & install 2 pairs of speakers. I've checked out Crutchfield and have self vetoed doing the install myself.

Anyone? Anyone? Beuller? Beuller?

[craigwatanabe]

Re: Recommend a Car Audio Shop

I've never heard the sound of a fart in a paper bag

Reminds me of that Rap Replinger joke about Texans bragging about their state: One day an eskimo was bragging about how cold Alaska gets when this Texan replies, "That's nothing" In Texas it gets so cold I farted outside and it turned into an ice ball. I took it in the house to show Martha and when it melted, it went Blappppppppp!"

[Palolo Joe]

Re: Recommend a Car Audio Shop

Security and Sound on S. Beretania is a quality place... and if you want, you can buy the stuff from Crutchfield and take it to them to get it installed.

[tutusue]

Re: Recommend a Car Audio Shop

I've had good experiences at Auto Audio on the corner of Pensacola and Kona Sts...or is it Hopaka St.?!

[Fat Jeff]

Re: Recommend a Car Audio Shop

Mahalo Tutusue & Palolo Joe I'm off to both places this afternoon. I'm looking to keep the bill for 4 new speakers & installation under $400. Let's see how I do!

A shoppin I will go, a shoppin I will go...

[hawaiiguy]

Re: Recommend a Car Audio Shop

kinda of going slightly off subject...ISLAND SOUND on So. Beretania ... was THE place to have your audio installed back in the late 80s/90sl... where I bought my car audio which cost me over $3k back then...

Then they left the place and the past few years, I have seen it in a very small 1 bay type buildiing on Young St (just ewa of McCully St.). Then early last year or late 2005 it disappeared...

any one know the specifics, as to why the downsizing, the move, the demise, etc.?

[craigwatanabe]

Re: Recommend a Car Audio Shop

I've had good experiences at Auto Audio on the corner of Pensacola and Kona Sts...or is it Hopaka St.?!

I've had lousy experience with Auto Audio on Kona Street. And I've been there twice with two different cars. You want excellent work check out Island Sound in McCully. They even do custom work but they don't come cheap.

Oops sorry I didn't see that last post. Last time I saw Island Sound was about two years ago. I heard they were buying the lot next to where they last were in that small area.

[pzarquon]

Re: Recommend a Car Audio Shop

I've seen a couple of mentions of an audio shop on S. Beretania, though I imagine there's more than one. I went to a shop on a drive-by recommendation of a friend a few years back, and had a good experience. I bought a deck on the internet, took it to them, and they had no problem putting it in... even though it was a fairly "short" unit and the cavity in my dash was pretty tall, it still looked like it belonged there.

Can't remember the name, though. It's before McCully, just before the pink building that houses (or housed) a hula halau and a photography studio. Ground floor of a two- or three-story residential apartment complex.

[tutusue]

Re: Recommend a Car Audio Shop

I've had lousy experience with Auto Audio on Kona Street. And I've been there twice with two different cars.[...]

Maybe they like girls better than boys?

[Palolo Joe]

Re: Recommend a Car Audio Shop

Can't remember the name, though. It's before McCully, just before the pink building that houses (or housed) a hula halau and a photography studio. Ground floor of a two- or three-story residential apartment complex.

Security and Sound.

[pzarquon]

Re: Recommend a Car Audio Shop

That's it. And in fact, I bet I got my deck from Crutchfield. So, two votes there. They got points from me both for not batting an eye at installing a unit they didn't sell, but also for not snickering at the fact that I wanted it installed in a boxy ol' minivan with carseats in it, despite all the nice Toyotas and Hondas parked in front.

[adrian]

Re: Recommend a Car Audio Shop

Security and Sound.

They're the resident audio experts on a forum I visit, and I hear they're pretty good.

[zff]

Re: Recommend a Car Audio Shop

I've been buying stuff from Crutchfield since the 80s. They've always been one of the best catalog/online retailers I've ever dealt with. If you ever decide to try the installation yourself, you will probably not get better support than from Crutchfield.

Local shops probably make most of their money off installations, so they're never very helpful to the DIYer. Crutchfield won't necessarily hold your hand (I don't think anyone will), but they include pretty good DIY documentation with everything they sell.

[Fat Jeff]

Re: Recommend a Car Audio Shop

OK...after I went shopping I decided on going with Auto Audio. I came down to a willingness to sell me what I wanted, not 2k worth of upselling.

Another shop I called, that will remain nameless, insisted that I needed to change my head unit, or at the vary least I needed a $500 line leveler, power amps, and then and only then could we speak of the new speakers I was seeking. The most ineffective job of upselling I've ever encountered. This guy was not willing to help me unless I was ready to go for a whole system from scratch...silliness. He was young and maybe didn't think things through (on two occasions I tried to steer him back to speakers, what I was actually looking for) but the experience made me want nothing to do with the shop.

Geez, all for speakers...well I'm getting them installed tomorrow, I'll post the results.

[Fat Jeff]

The Final Result

Auto Audio installed 4 Eclipse SE8365 speakers in the doors with no fit issues. They sound fantastic! Much more range and infinitely clearer than the stock speakers. They can handle much more power than the stock head unit can deliver, so if I get the itch for more volume I can add an amp and keep these speakers. Warren was helpful and respected my budget. The installation was done by appointment and the work was done neatly and on time. Call me satisfied.

And to think, I did it without all that other gear that guy was insisting I needed.

P.S. Surprisingly, the junk stock speakers were branded "Alpine". Guess making OEM stuff helps to pay the bills.