Respectfully, You need to start at... what do YOU want and like. I'm probably in the minority but I absolutely love my Alpine set up. It's very balanced, transparent and neutral. It's not far off the sound I have in my home system and I consider myself a sound snob. One of my hobbies is AV stuff and I built all of the speakers in my home set up. Within its range and up to a certain volume the truck system keeps pace. Honestly, I was stunned and I did NOT want the Alpine system at all.... but I couldnt get the truck trim level without it. Now, all of that said, the single biggest limiting factor for me is the freaking rattles in the door panels, subwoofer housing and wherever else they are emanating. I do not listen as loud as I might because I already know the rattles will destroy the experience but this is absolutely no fault of the Alpine setup. It is a limitation of the truck and my reticence to do a lot of work buttoning it all down. I did it at home.... not going there again. I have a couple friends that are likewise sound quality ****** and they assumed I worked some magic on the truck system. No such thing.... besides a relatively short tweaking sessions with the limited adjustments the system offers. It really is THAT good to my ears... within its performance parameters. But again I prefer a neutral, balanced sound. Ymmv... but be SURE you need a new system before you run out and get one. If the rattle induced distortion is what prevents you from enjoying the Alpine, a new system likely wont help.