I have an '03 Xterra SE with the rockford fosgate 6 cd changer and the original stock stero.. i want more bass and i think it has a sub in the back.. but ...should i add on to what i already have with some subs in a box or.. what should i do.. i want to spend from like anywere from 100-300 bucks (if thats possible) and i have no clue about anything stero-wise. so any suggestions on what size subs or whatever i should do?

I have/had the same step up as you. First buy a different head unit, sell your Rf 6cd one on ebay, sold mine for 100 bucks. The just add a sub in the back. Keep the doors and rear speakers just the way they are for now. When you get a different head unit you can turn off the bass on your front and rear speakers (including the stock sub) and have just the new aftermarket sub playing the bass. A new head unit will add better clarity also. good luck, let me know if you need any pics

Should be able to get a good head unit for 150-175...- the 100 youll sell your stock one for.
Then if you can plum the wires and build yourself a box then all youll need is a sub and amp. that can go from a 100 a piece to 700 a piece, its all what your looking for

i have a 1st gen but i have a upgraded system new doors and also i put some subs in the rear.... if you have any ?'s just let us know.... and also welcome to the club....

thanks man for the help.. but do i really have to sell my head unit? cause i like have the 6 cd changer. and why would i want to turn off the bass in the other speakers? i mean the clarity is already pretty good.

thanks man for the help.. but do i really have to sell my head unit? cause i like have the 6 cd changer. and why would i want to turn off the bass in the other speakers? i mean the clarity is already pretty good.

Then why build a new stereo if you like what you've got?

Spend the money on big tires and suspension lifts instead.

You are correct the stock RF system is pretty good but with a better head unit you can play a variety of things. Ipod, Mp3 CD, WMA if you want. And if you just get one 10 in subwoofer and a 800 watt amp I think that would even be enough.

forgive my crude explanations, ill try and explain this in a non-technical way.

if you have a subwoofer, the reason you would take the bass out of the mains (using a crossover), it lets you essentially turn up louder because the amp for the mains doesnt have to spend so much energy pushing the extreme lows that your subwoofer should already be generating. another reason is because if you have multiple sources pushing out frequencies that are in the same range, you will "overlap" sort of speak and it can make your sound a little muddier. its honestly mostly an opinion thing, but its how most people set it up.

kickers are always good.. check mine out

http://www.clubxterra.org/forums/showthread.php?t=3779

Sorry if this is a bit old...
I have the Rockford system in my 2003 X and am mostly happy with the way it sounds except with the bass. The sub in the back puts out all frequencies and is not limited to just the low ones. Is there any way to install a low pass filter or even my own amp and sub in its direct place? I like the functionality, it takes up little room and looks good, I just want the low freq sound to be of better quality. I'm not looking to dump a couple of 12's in there, I just want to improve the current set up to help make it sound more full. Thanks for your input.

Then why build a new stereo if you like what you've got?

Spend the money on big tires and suspension lifts instead.

LOL i like the way this guy thinks, u dont need to be bumpen that bass around the scenery, u'll scare the animals away

I have/had the same step up as you. First buy a different head unit, sell your Rf 6cd one on ebay, sold mine for 100 bucks. The just add a sub in the back. Keep the doors and rear speakers just the way they are for now. When you get a different head unit you can turn off the bass on your front and rear speakers (including the stock sub) and have just the new aftermarket sub playing the bass. A new head unit will add better clarity also. good luck, let me know if you need any pics

Should be able to get a good head unit for 150-175...- the 100 youll sell your stock one for.
Then if you can plum the wires and build yourself a box then all youll need is a sub and amp. that can go from a 100 a piece to 700 a piece, its all what your looking for
can you help me out with any "gotchas" in replacing RF 6 disk from an '04 SE? there's a great write up on replacing a non RF, but I had a couple questions. Steering wheel controls: just get the adapter? Is it easy to hook up/access? Stock sub: does that just plug into the new head unit? The ones I'm looking at can handle a sub, but saw something on crutchfield about running new speaker wires (don't want to do that). I THINK I just need steering adapter, wiring adapter,din casing and head unit. Below is what I'm looking at. Any help would be great. I want to order something soon! Thanks!
http://signature.crutchfield.com/s_113KDCX794/Kenwood-Excelon-KDC-X794.html

Holy necro batman.. might as well make a new post for those questions of yours lol. There are gonna be like 5 guys that come into this thread, don't notice that it's 2 years old, and start commenting on stuff >.<

As far as your question goes.. It's a matter of experience. I don't imagine any of that would be super tough to hook up, but you need to make sure the HU you're ordering will be compatible with a steering wheel control adapter. When you order the HU, you need the correct wiring harness and the correct dash kit. Crutchfield should be able to help with that. Idk about the steering wheel control adapter..

thanks for the feedback. Yeah, I know it's old, but I was searching on the topic to look for directions on installation on my same hu and only a few came up. Seems like crutchfield has everything I need, just didn't see any posts here about steering wheel hookups or subs. Thanks again...