[BIGglaSS]

I don't do this for a living, and I am reluctant to tell someone exactly what to buy. But I am comfortable steering you in the right direction. 70% of car audio is all about the "name brand". Kind of like buying jeans. Some guys wear Levi, and others wear Wrangler, etc. 20% is rebranded or junk, and 10% is high end audiophile. If you stay with the middle brands, they have upper, mid, and entry levels. Crutchfield, Woofersetc, and sonicelectronix are all good places to online shop, and mostly have the good stuff.

So then, it all comes down to budget. Low budget = low expectations. Entry level and low price would be combing as many units as possible. IE: combo amps, co-axial speakers, no processors.

For every component you separate, the sound quality gets better and the price goes higher. Example: multiple component speakers, multiple amps, and processor.

And then, there is 3 categories, priced low to high:
1. I just want to listen to music or amplified noise.
2. I want sound quality components without breaking the bank
3. Sky is the limit / show quality.

For what you are describing, a simple 3 channel setup in my "category 2" would work: audio signal -> amp(s) -> sub -> front channel components.

Starting with the source. Whether you cut the dash or keep it stock is up to you. Neither is wrong and both will work. I'm not up to speed on bluetooth amps or ipod/pad/phone installs, but I KNOW it can be done easily without head units. I would have to do more research, and I simply don't have time. The problem I see with BT amps, is you have very limited tuning capability. Simple crossover settings, and that's it. If you have a BT interface connected to a DSP, then you can do all tuning, EQ, crossovers via laptop. Set and forget. Mosconi, Helix, JL, and MiniDSP all have reputable DSP. And I believe they even have BT options as well.

If you go with a head unit, you can't go wrong with Pioneer. I'm not familiar with the one you listed, but my daily driver is a Pioneer NEX series. It has the ability to front/rear/sub high pass/low pass crossovers and time alignment. I have found it adequate for tuning without the need for DSP. Pioneer has a couple models with a real DSP, and you can set the speakers as active components. But, that is getting complicated and probably makes your "head hurt".

If you are planning on kick panel speakers, I would suggest skipping the center dash speakers. Most of the sound quality (SQ) guys only run kicks with tweet pods on the A pillars. Unfortunately these trucks don't have much real-estate in the A pillar area. Therefore, the easiest to do is run tweet pods on the dash, or the kick panel.

For "front channel" you have 2 options. Components, or Co-axial. Coax speakers combine a tweeter with the mid-woofer, and usually don't sound as complete as a component system. Components are separate mid-woofer and tweeter. They need to have their own (passive) crossover, or they can be run separately on a multi-channel amp with processing (active). If you buy a component system, they will come with their own passive crossovers, and that is your easy option. I recommend passive components for the front channel. Any brands I mentioned from the above post should adequate. Pick a component set based on the price you are willing to spend, then google some reviews. Typically speaking, a silk tweeter sounds smooth, and a metal tweet sounds high pitch.

For subwoofer, if you don't want boooom booooom, then an 8" sealed will take up little space, and easily fill a single cab truck with the low end sound. A 10" will also work well, and start to get you into the boooomm. Think of it this way: You go to the symphony. If the bass and cello players call in sick, they can still play, but you know something is missing. Once you start listening to music with a sub, you can't listen without it.

Once you pick out some speakers, then we can look at amps. Generally speaking, class D are low power consumers, and class A/B are higher consumers, higher SQ. Though you will get arguments and debates on both. So neither matters. If you want a smaller package with stock alternator/battery, generally speaking, look for a class D amp. You have several options here.

1. A 2 channel for passive component set + mono amp for subwoofer.
2. A 4 channel amp for passive fronts, bridged sub.
3. A a 5 channel amp for active fronts, via DSP, +sub channel

Reputable amps with solid reviews: Zapco, JL Audio, NVX (sonicelectronix), Alpine, and the price goes up from there. $$$$ Mosconi, Helix, and more. I'm not into the 2 name brands that sponsor all the motorsports, but there is nothing wrong with them either. You're just paying for name recognition.

Post up what you have already bought, and some of the speakers you're interested in, and we can go from there.