The stock stereo in my F150 blows donkey balls. I turn it up all the way and I could still have a conversation with the person next to me. Not too cool. I have never cared to mess with stereo stuff, b/c it has always been satisfactory, until now.

From looking through Crutchfield, and talking to some shops, it seems like the best place to start would be an amplifier for the stock setup. I have been told that stock speakers can handle alot more. Is this true?

What brands of amp would you guys recommend? How many watts do I need to go to each speaker? I eventually want to replace the stock speakers with better ones (components?) and a good head unit (I like the Kenwood ddx7015)

I am also anal and would like all the components of the system(amp, speakers, head unit) to be from the same brand.

Suggestions?