The Menu - some may be dead links, been lazy on updates lately. Still have to cover the subbass side of the house.
http://www.caraudioforum.com/showthread.php?t=324255

Wanna go sealed (sub)? Good starting point...
http://www.caraudioforum.com/showthread.php?t=244954

Clearing a couple misconceptions on amplifier current draw...
http://www.caraudioforum.com/showthread.php?t=323827

Rear deck rattles - before & after...
http://www.caraudioforum.com/showthread.php?t=302490
http://www.caraudioforum.com/showthread.php?t=324252

Tech talk:
http://bcae1.com/
http://www.the12volt.com/caraudio/caraudio.asp

4 reliable online retailers that won't rip you off (*cough* Crutchfield *cough):
http://www.woofersetc.com/
http://www.sonicelectronix.com/
http://www.onlinecarstereo.com/
http://www.ikesound.com/

Any CA-related questions, I'll try to help you out for sure... but guys like Geolemon, Jimi & sandt on CAF are the real gurus.

 

I've heard horror stories from all four of the online retailers you mentioned. Why don't you like Crutchfield? Because they sell at MSRP?

 

Not a great selection by any mean, only new & mainstream stuff (OCS offers older, prime SS VGA amps, for example), MSRP too I guess...

...never had a single problem with either of those 4 retailers. Gear never failed, great customer service (except once with OCS, guy was probably having a bad day lol).

Woofers sells a lot of authorized gear, and for the products that aren't, well, they will honor their own 1-year warranty no questions asked. Unless you couldn't look at yourself in the mirror after buying non-authorized gear, I would shy away from Crutchfield.

 

If you want your warranty to actually be worth the paper it's printed on, and you know, cover what you buy, check the AUTHORIZED dealers list and compare their prices. Some list lower when selling through Amazon.com, but make sure you check the manufacturer's website before you go and buy and expect a warranty beyond the site's return policy.

For example, Pioneer's authorized internet retailers are:
http://www.crutchfield.com/
http://www.6ave.com/
http://www.bestbuy.com/
http://www.carconceptsslc.com/
http://www.cartoys.com/
http://www.electrawarehouse.com/
http://www.electronicexpress.com/
http://www.precisionga.com/
http://www.specialistscaraudio.com/
http://www.walmart.com/
http://www.xmradio.com/

None of them drozzy listed are authorized Pioneer retailers. So no rebates, no warranty. Your own risk.

 

Crutchfield's customer service is about the best out there, but yes, prices are higher than some.

6ave.com is my favorite source for headunits, as they price aggressively on amazon, and since they're authorized for a lot of stuff, rebates and warranty are still in effect.

I've found www.diymobileaudio.com fairly decent for tech talk, but the noise level there is pretty high.

 

Seems like the kind of 'warranty' you're talking about here is associated with the manufacturer actually REPAIRING your faulty unit.

Woofers actually sends you a new unit, whatever it is you bought from them. Good for one year, mostly the same with the other guys I listed. If you buy decent, reliable gear, well... that shouldn't be much of a risk IMHO.

I'm living proof that you can go ahead, order a boatload of gear from those online retailers, and not have a single problem.

Managing expectations ftw...

 

If you know what you're doing, you're allowed more leeway with your sources, but most of the people coming here for advice I think are in need of the customer service and other tools that sites like Crutchfield offer.

And yeah, you can take advantage of a lot of those tools without buying anything from Crutchfield. But I've always liked how they include wiring adapters, mounting hardware and such specific for the application. It's classy.

 

Sonic does it too.
http://www.sonicelectronix.com/infor...ccessories.php

Crutchfield is the most user-friendly CA company out there, you're right!!

 

I love DIYMA

 

DIYMA is a real nice forum... for noise, CAF's WOT sub-forum takes the cake IMO. At the other end of the noise spectrum you have ICIX hehe (or ISUX, if you share my despise for Ben Milne's shady practices from the early '00s). Too bad ECA disappeared...

A little ownage from last Nov (it's just the nature of the CAF beast)...
http://www.caraudioforum.com/showthread.php?t=323672

 

OMG forgot that one, for any car audio n00b who wishes to inform themselves before buying a sub... doesn't go in depth by any mean, just great initial guidance.

http://www.mobilesolutions-usa.com/h...asubwoofer.htm