Speaker Advice

[ragingfish]

Ok...I'm looking to get a decent set of speakers to replace the stock ones. Don't get me wrong -- stock are really good...but nothing would make me happier than a crisp, clean, realistic sound...and I know to get the full effect I'll probably have to change out the amp and HU at some point, but I'm working in phases...According to their site, these sets will all fit the Vibe. I'm only asking about the ones within my price range...Anyway, I'm looking at some S&D units on Crutchfield (scratch & dent), and I saw two sets within my price range. Can people give me feedback on either set?I don't know much about audio components, so I'm relying on everyone else's expertise here... JBL GTO505c 5-1/4" Component System *Plus One polypropylene woofer cone (up to 30% larger than standard 5-1/4" cones) *high-roll rubber surround increases bass response and extends speaker life *1" Kaladex (polyethylene naphthalate film) dome tweeter *2-way crossover (high-/low-pass at 4,000 Hz, 12 dB per octave) *frequency response 70-21,000 Hz *power 2-75 watts RMS *sensitivity 91.5 dB *top-mount depth 2-1/4" Kenwood KFC-P503 5-1/4" Component System -pearl mica injection-molded polypropylene woofer with rubber surround -PEI balanced dome tweeter -sensitivity 91 dB -frequency response 40-32,000 Hz -recommended power range 8-50 watts RMS -peak power handling 170 watts -woofer top mount depth 1-7/8" Rockford Fosgate FNP2614U 6-1/2" fanatic P Component System -mica-filled poly cone with treated-foam surround -3/4" mylar dome tweeter swivels in flush and surface mounts for superior imaging -in-line high-pass crossover (6300 Hz,18 dB/octave) -built-in protection circuitry prevents high power levels from damaging the tweeter -frequency response 61-20,000 Hz -power range 8-50 watts RMS -peak power handling 100 watts -sensitivity 88.9 dB -top mount depth 1-3/4"

[cohocarl]

I wouldn't go with 5 1/4's. 6 1/2's or 6 3/4's will fit in the front and back. Bigger is better.

[meathead333]

we kinda need to know your price range....????

[ragingfish]

quote:I wouldn't go with 5 1/4's. 6 1/2's or 6 3/4's will fit in the front and back. Bigger is better. What does that 5 1/4 measurement refer to anyway? Those are the ones crutchfield said fit the vibe, but I'll go bigger if I can (since allegedly bigger is better)quote:we kinda need to know your price range....????Trying to stay under $150...absolutely no higher than $200.

[meathead333]

quote:Trying to stay under $150...absolutely no higher than $200.i have 6.5 all round, i like em. do you mean $150 for all 4 speakers, or per pair?

[ragingfish]

Front only at this point...if I can get a decent set of six at 200 or under, then spectacular, but front is priority...

[meathead333]

id just leave the stock tweeters. those are expensive to replace. put your money into the 4 door speakers. remember you get what you pay for. maybe you could just replace the front one for now and save up for the rear later. i think theres is a huge difference in sound quality between a $79 pair and a $150 pair. but that just my opinion, good luck!

[ragingfish]

Ok, I'm cool leaving stock tweeters.I'm ok spending $150 on a front set now, and replacing the rears down the road...What can you recommend in that price range?

[ShotInTheDark]

I like the polks they have nice sound and are usually on sale at circut city. Those or jbl's would be good choices.

[Sub-Vibe-R]

JBL have a good reputation and I'm presently running those Kenwood tweeters in my Vibe and they sounds great.

[meathead333]

i am running Diamond speakers. i never heard of them before i bought them, but i guess they are a upper end brand. i paid about $150 for each pair. i think they sound great.

[mwebb]

I would not go with the JBL at all- Kenwoods are generally pretty good but in my opinion do not hold good sound quality for very long- rockford fosgate makes good speakers but I have never heard those components- For about 100 a pair from http://www.ikesound.com I would go for these alpine 6 1/2 in http://www.ikesound.com/product-product_id/59If that is in your price range- Alpine makes sweet speakers!

[Jahntassa]

I would NEVER go with Rockford equipment...too much money for not enough sound. But that's just me.What I did was go to Circuit City, got the Polk 6 1/2" Components (on sale for $170 or so), and then got a "decent" pair of Pioneer 6 1/2" coaxials for the rear seat. Anything is better than those stock cones.As for the tweeters...I would definitely try to get a component system up front. The tweeters ABSOLUTELY matter. If you don't mind waiting a few days, go searching around http://shop.yahoo.com ... I got a Lightning Audio B2.350.1 (350 Watt Mono Amp) for like, $150 from a place called Beach Audio (I think).JBLs are good. Infinity is great. Polk is wonderful. But honestly...you need to go with what sounds good to you. Visit a few local places and listen to the speakers before you try to find the right price.

[meathead333]

more importantly, he needs a sub also

[cohocarl]

Cerwin Vegas in the front, Crystals in the rear. Definately not top of the line, only cost about $50 for each pair, but the sound quality is much improved when cranked.NO subs for me. I bought the Vibe to haul my stuff, my boy, my fishing buddies, etc. Don't want to give up the room. The four 6 1/2's have enough bass for me...Love to see those rear view mirrors shake.

[ragingfish]

quote:Like I said.. I would save my money up.He only wants to spend like $150 on all 6 speakers it seems.No. I wanted to spend $150 on the front components. Rear are not a priority at this time.quote:So he is looking at about $400 then at a highest price line and his top price he wants to pay now is $200 for ALL.Again, no.quote:more importantly, he needs a sub also Definitely no. No plans or desires to put one in.Just want crystal clear sound from what I've already got.

[ragingfish]

Yeah, guess it would've made sense to clarify I want to replace the fronts first, and the rears later.So, in case I didn't say it already, I want to replace the fronts first, and the rears later.Did I mention I want to replace the fronts first, and the rears later?Oh, before I forget: I want to replace the fronts first, and the rears later.General consensus seems to be in favor of Polks...When it comes to connecting them, do they make a harness like a HU that I can just buy and PnP, or do I have to strip and solder wires?

[ragingfish]

Sorry, forgot to delete your name, meant for it to be a general question.

[ragingfish]

quote:Sorry, forgot to delete your name, meant for it to be a general question.You are forgetting a lot lately.. Dammit, I'm just recovering from a weekend sickness. Cut me some slack chief!

[meathead333]

you still should get a sub

[ragingfish]

quote:you still should get a sub Nooooooo......Not wasting my money on one!

[meathead333]

thats cool if you dont want one...but i said the same thing before i got one. i hate those big bass cars. but just a little bass adds so much to the clarity of the music i think. but to each is there own.

[ragingfish]

I'm trying to cut down on what I deem as unnecessary modifications...of course, speakers are realistically unnecessary...but I've put some cash aside for just that purpose...a sub, on the other hand, is REALLY unnecessary...so it's not ruled out in the future, but at this time, is not something I can justify spending money on...

[meathead333]

ahhh, i see. makes sense

[drunkenmaxx]

in my opinion, you could achieve the sound quality it sounds like your looking for by simply adding a powered sub, which would cost around as much as getting the door speakers replaced. i could be wrong, but i agree with meat, the extra bass cleans up the sound a lot

[mwebb]

It depends on the clarity you are looking for- if you are not interested in the bass but you just want great sounding mids and highs a sub is not the way to go

[drunkenmaxx]

well, in my opinion, the moons and toons, mid and high wise, is one of the best factory systems I have ever heard, it is the absence of bass that made me desire more. of course, you might want mids and highs that make your ears bleed, so it may not be enough for that. i just don't see getting much more than extra bass from different door speakers

[drunkenmaxx]

well, i had an '88 taurus, but i doubt that's in the mentioned category

[drunkenmaxx]

i have a friend whos got the limited edition '95 taurus w/24valve and premium sound, leather, etcits a very nice car and the stereo is great

[Jahntassa]

Raging...If you want "Crystal Clear Sound" as you've put it..then you definitely need to hear the speakers before you do anything. As for getting just speakers in the doors, and not replacing the stock tweeters...it's not gonna help you much, maybe in the bass response..but not much more.I have the Polk ex3560 Components in my front doors. To me..they're very crisp sounding.. Better response than the Infinitys' they were offering in the Circuit City near me. I would say save up a little more, spend another $50 on a pair of components.As for installing it. COME ON OVER! >DI'm in Hillsborough, about twenty minutes away from Rutgers, and ten from Bridgewater, Somerville, and Raritan. It takes about 30-45 minutes per door to do the new speakers (especially since i've done it already!).I'll take pictures of my install tomorrow, as I neglected to do so origionally.Do not. I REPEAT. DO NOT, go out and buy "any speakers"... Speakers are one of the best investments you can make, buy them right the first time, and you'll never go wrong.

[Jahntassa]

Here's my setup. 6.5" Polk Components. And I recently installed this JL amp to bump up the output of the Nav System..

[ragingfish]

So you ended up not reusing the stock wiring?Do you have to run wires through the flex hose in the door hinge? When we did that for my mirror signals, it took forever to get the wires through those hoses!!!

[ragingfish]

We tried that method.It's not as easy as you think it is.

[Jahntassa]

quote:So you ended up not reusing the stock wiring?Do you have to run wires through the flex hose in the door hinge? When we did that for my mirror signals, it took forever to get the wires through those hoses!!!Pardoning the french, but.. HECK NO. I...am not that crazy.For the speakers, I simply took off the stock connectors in the doors and rewired to the new speakers.For going from the amp to the doors... all of the wiring in the doors hits harnesses inside the cabin. In the rear doors, it's in the panel behind the seatbelt, just pop off a plastic cover, and there's the harness. For the front doors, there's like three connections that're just inside the kick panels. It's really just a matter of matching up the colors to figure it out. I cut the wires at the harnesses to the doors, leaving enough to be able to resplice it later, ran wires to there, and was all set. I ran the wiring under the carpet so it's pretty clean. To get to the passenger side, I went under the carpet to under the center armrest...then under the carpet, past the changer, and under the carpet to go under the plastic on the passenger side. It was all relatively easy... However.. the amp is still "somewhat" big..as it sits under the rear floormat a little bit... which is okay, because it hides the fact that it's there..If you're confused..it's alright.. I've had four hours of sleep since noon on wednesday. Heh.

[Psychobroker]

For AFFORDABLE and EXCELLENT sounding 2-ways (not components), I highly recommend Infinity Kappa 62.5's, which are brand new and dirt cheap at Ikesound. I bought a pair from them and I completely satisfied with them. Superb mid-high reporduction. Just a note, however, they are rated at 4 ohms, whereas the M&T amp is proably 2 ohms (stock speakers are 2 ohms), which means it will only put out 25-30 watts max per speaker to these or any other 4 ohm speakers. You'll have to turn the volume up a bit more to compensate, or plan on buying a solid 4-channel amp to replace the stock amp down the road. I have yet to do this myself and they still sound 3-4x better (not louder) than the stocks.Good luck.

[ragingfish]

quote:2-ways (not components),can you explain the difference between the 2? i'm confuddled...

[Psychobroker]

2-ways have a tweeter suspended/mounted above the woofer, versus components aka "seperates", which as you know are seperate.PS Infinity Kappa tweeters are top quality, even better than many top-end component tweeters. The only components I would consider an "upgrade" are the Kappa Perfect 6.1's or the Polk/Momo MM6's. I'm going with the Polk/Momo's due to the mathing sub/enclosure I just bought.