Well this is for the audiophiles out there. I've been trying to spruce the ole girl up lately(99 Trooper S), so here's what I've done and what I'm planning.
First thing I did was install an Alpine CDA-9856 head unit with iPod control and the iPod cable. It of course plays CD's, CD-R/W, MP3, and WMA. The iPod control works great from the little time I've had to play with it, my wife won't let me keep her new "video" iPod so I just ordered a 60gb iPod photo, it was used but I got a good price and since it will be connected all the time, battery life wasn't my main concern. I ordered a Belkin Tunedok and it fits perfectly in the cupholder in the center below the armrest. I've got it in the rear most cupholder so that if I use the other one, the moisture shouldn't drip onto the iPod. For the cable routing, I poked out one of the unused button spacers next to the mirror heaters and just brought the cable up through there and routed it down below the drivers seat. So far so good, still haven't decided if I will continue to leave the spacer out or cut a notch in it for the cable and just replace it, we'll see.
The new radio is nice but it brings out the flaws in the factory speakers sooo, I ordered a set of Polk Audio DB650's(6 1/2") for the front doors and Polk DB400(4") for the rear. The 650's got about 48 five star ratings on Crutchfield and just about everywhere else I looked too. I was gonna go with the DB6500 components but decided to just stick with the 650's for now. I'm not sure if I will need to or even if I can use the stock tweeters, so thats yet to be determined too. My other choice for the rears were Boston Acoustic S45's. They are the same price as the Polks and had basically the same reviews but since the Polks were buy one set and get another half price, that pretty much decided for me. Anybody know what that other set of slats above the rear speakers is for? Just for looks maybe?? I'll post up my results when the speakers get here.
Lastly, I've got an Orion 10" sub in a bandpass box that has been passed around through the years and just keeps on banging. Well, it banged last time I fired it up three years ago. I plan on putting it in the Troop for commutes and keeping it easy to take out when I need the space. This will be the 4th vehicle I've had it in (95 Eclipse, 91 Accord, and 90, Integra) so if it doesn't work now, I'll have gotten my moneys worth and give it a proper burial!! I'm looking at an Alpine MRP-F250 4channel amp to power the sub and the speakers. This amp is rated at 40watts x 4 at 4ohms or 50watts x 4 at 2ohms(which is how I'll run it with the fronts and rears tied together) and the sub will be bridged off channels 3 & 4 for 100watts at 4ohms. My only problem is where to put it???:banghead: I thought about mounting it to the sub box but since I want to be able to remove the sub thats a no go. I've basically ruled out underneath the passenger seat too, I think the ABS or maybe even the cpu is under there so no way it will fit. The only other place is beneath the drivers seat. Only problem there is that there is a big chunk of wiring harness at the very front of the chair(if looking from behind on the floor in front of the backseat), I'm not sure what that is or if it can be moved, if so, I'm golden, I think! The amp is basically 9.5"w x 11"L x 2.5"H so it will be a tight fit either way. My last option is to wait and see just how good the new Polks sound with just the head unit's power. IF they sound as good without an amp as some of the reviews say they do, then I will just end up getting a small 2channel amp for the sub only and mount it to the box and use some quick connects to facilliate the removal process.
Anybody else installed an amp? If so, where did you put yours? BTW, I read a few other posts concerning radio installs and the problems they were having with the two antenna leads, well, my 99 Trooper S only had one lead so I didn't have those problems, good luck with those window antennas.
I only order from Crutchfield, they send EVERYTHING you need, from wiring harnesses to detailed instructions. Plus, they have pretty good prices and the customer service is about the best there is. If you email them today, you will get an answer today, thats service! So far they have been awesome and I've been dealing with them since the early 90's. If anybody's interested, I'll post some pics later on when I have all the gear installed.
So till next time, check your oil level and keep on Troop'n!!:icon16:
Tom

Tom,
Did you ever get everything installed? I'm gettin ready to give my 00 Troop an audio 'face lift' also and was wondering where the heck I'd put my amp....

I'm still deciding whether or not to go with the new HD Ready head units or if it's not even worth paying the extra bux for. Anyway, how'd it go? and how do the Polks sound w/out an amp???

Angelo

Hi, I've got a 93 Trooper S and I put my 400w 4ch pioneer amp under the front passenger seat. There was no computer unit under there for me but it was still a tight fit. I sorta have to put the rear floor mat over one end of it but it does ok. Did you already put your speakers in? When I tried installing some 6.5 in. polk speakers in, I found that they were ever so slightly too big, and upon measuring my stock speakers I found that they were more like an odd 6.25 in. I found some cheapo new speakers that measured that on ebay and they fit perfectly. Myself I have an Alpine CDA-9853 with the iPod link interface, and I must say it works well. Also I have two 8inch subs in a box in the back that do a good job bumpin' when I need it. Anyhow I'd be interested to know how you cope.

hey thanks for the heads up on the speakers! I did not install yet but I was just getting ready to buy some polk 6.5... maybe i'll look into the 6.25s instead. I'm also thinking about a sub box for that BASS too!

I'll let you know how it goes.
Angelo

Hey Guys,
The install went really smooth! Crutchfield is the only way to go, everything they send makes it ALL plug and play. So far, I'm still playing with settings and don't have an amp connected yet. The factory speakers aren't bad and maybe have a little more bass than these new speakers but the clarity is really good. The db400's definitely need bass blockers and I'm thinking I'll go ahead and put some on the DB650's too. I left the factory tweeters connected too, sounds ok to me. I definitely need some bass, these speakers don't have much in that department. I've been doing some measuring and I think the Alpine MRP-F250 will just about fit under the drivers seat. I also read that these speakers need some time to break in and I haven't driven very much since I installed them so maybe when they loosen up a little they will sound better. So far I'm happy, but I'll be even more happy once I get some bass back.
As far as the HD ready headunit, I don't think its worth it but hey its not even an issue for me because europe doesn't offer it anyway nor does satelite radio work, that i'm aware of. If I were going to change something, I would get the next better radio, the CDA-9857 i think, because the display for mine doesn't display enough characters, example: Stone Temple Pilots become Stone Temple P and its frustrating when you don't know the name of a song and it only gives a partial name. I like the iPod control, pretty good if you ask me. So far so good, I'll keep you upto date on how it goes!
Tom

Hey...

I just installed all my components about a week ago and you're right, Crutchfield ROCKS! Totally plug and play! Anyway, I went with the DB400s and DB650s. They sound pretty good to me, my radio (Pioneer DEH-4800MP) has a built in amp 50w x 4 max output, which isn't bad with these speakers. As far as bass, I definitely get some good bass with the speakers, but I still want to add an amp and a box, just haven't found the right one yet.

I had an old pair of Kicker ND13 tweeters, so I installed them right into the place where the factory ones were, just had to snip the wire and use the original female connector so I can take them out if it need. Only problem was one of my tweeters was blown so I have a factory one in the driver side and the kicker in the passenger, and you can really hear the difference.

Lemme know how the amp and box install go.. I never installed an amp but I think it's not too hard.

Angelo

Glad you like the speakers Angelo! I'm still trying to talk the boss into letting me spend more money on the tunes, she's not into music so "it sounds fine" is the answer I keep getting!! She'll be out of town soon so I may try a sneak attack while she's gone, can't make me return it if its already installed by the time she gets back :D The Amp install should be pretty easy and as always I'll detail the install and be more than happy to answer any questions that I can.
Tom