Quote Originally Posted by ZEUS
I have had hopes of getting a better head unit... the problem is I want a really really good head unit! So I need to save up the funds.
I usually budget the least money for the head unit. I know it sounds a bit counter-intuitive because it is the source of all of the sound, but most of the distortion and noise and whatnot is generated in the wires, amps, and speakers. A low powered, inexpensive head unit hooked up to good wires, amps, and speakers will usually sound much better than a feature packed, high output head unit sent directly through OEM wires to OEM speakers.

Then again, it depends what you are looking for in a system. I don't mind running wires and adding amps to get great sound. High end head units usually have amps and crossovers built in, and often have all sorts of special effects and things that might be desirable to you. I've found that a lot of those features become useless or cannot be used in conjunction with other high end peripherals (such as an external DSP or EQ), but it all depends on how elaborate of a system you intend to build in the future.