M&T speaker replacement and ohms ratings

[Bectech]

I've read through the entire section and I'm still not sure of the correct answer. I own a 2004 Vibe with the M&Ts package.I replaced my rear speakers and I noticed the factory speakers have a 2 ohm impedence. The Pioneer speakers I put in there have a 4 ohm impedence. They sound fine but I have to fade the sound about 90% to the back to get 'even' sounding sound.How is the amp wired to the speakers as far as power distribution ?and with 6 speakers, how much is going to the tweeters in the door ?I apologize for my ignorance but I think I read too much about speaker impedence and now I'm actually confused again. thanks for any info

[AKLGT]

welcome to genvibe! and you've found the right place for your questions. i however, am not the right person, so hopefully raging, jahntassa, or cdfxer will be able to lend some info and advice.

[Jahntassa]

Basically, the M&T amp is really only going to help with the factory speakers. Trying to find 2 Ohm aftermarket speakers is going to be pretty hard, or at least pretty expensive, if you find them. Most aftermarket speakers run at 4 Ohms.The less ohms, the less resistance. So, the closer to 0 you get, the more power you can get out of it. The factory speakers are 2 Ohms because the amp does HALF the work it would take to power 4 Ohm speakers, which is why your rear speakers are now much quieter.It's a 200watt amplifier, i'm not sure what the power distribution is though.. I could guess something like this..40w x2 rear40w x2 front doors20w x2 tweetersThat's probably not right...but it's probably close. If you end up changing out all the speakers, You can stick with the Pioneers in the back. I'd reccomend getting a pair of component speakers for the front (Polk, or Infinity for example) so you can replace the tweeter as well. The aftermarket tweeter should work in the factory tweeter position, as it did for me.Now, if you change all the speakers, you're REALLY going to want a new amplifier.. For example, I have two pairs of component speakers in my Vibe, and a 75w x4 amplifier going to those speakers. Just my opinion though. I have a Nav system, but some of the other people who have the M&T can tell you their experiences. Lemme know if you have any questions, i'll be happy to help! (I do car audio installs for Circuit City, too!)Edit: Heh..surprisingly enough, I found this post about four minutes before Hope..so...It took me more than a minute to type it up.

[Bectech]

trdvibe, thank you for the welcome. I've been lurking around reading for about a month but finally registered so I could post.Jahntassa, thanks for the detailed explanation, I was hoping to avoid installing other speakers and another amp but it's better than putting those factory speakers back in Has anyone else just replaced the 4 speakers (not the tweeters) with 4 ohm speakers and just used the 200 watt factory amp ? and if so, how does it sound ? I'm not looking to wake the neighborhood but I would like some decent sound.

[Jahntassa]

You can still get decent sound from it, no doubt. But it will be noticably quieter, just like you've found with the rear speakers.If you get component speakers for the front, you'll notice it'll probably get a lot quieter. Most component speakers are designed to take quite a bit of power.. It'll even out the front/rear balance, however.You'll get plenty of good sound if you replace all four of the speakers. The main thing against you is volume. I think most cases of M&T replacement on the board is when people have changed out the headunit.. I know a few people have bypassed the M&T amp entirely..

[Bectech]

alright, I just finished putting in a new set of Pioneers in the front.WOW.. quite the difference. I thought the factory fronts were ok, but now that I have a matching pair of Pioneers in the front, the car sounds darn good. (not blowing out the windows mind you, but loud enough for me)Jahntassa, you were right, I did get decent sound. Suprisingly. it doesn't seem to have suffered in the volume dept. Maybe that's because the factory speakers were not that good.I was going to take your advice and get some component speakers for the front but I got a good deal on the Pioneers and they matched the rear speakers. Plus, I didn't want to have to worry about the tweeters fitting. Anyway, I glad I did it this way, and the factory tweeters sound better than they did before.so, here's the summary..- M&T package with Factory HU (single CD) and factory 200W amp- Factory tweeters- Pioneer 130W speakers in front and rear- Pioneer 12disc changer (fm modulator type)sounding good... I'd get a sub but I like having the trunk space Bec

[Jahntassa]

Quote, originally posted by Bectech »Jahntassa, you were right, I did get decent sound. Suprisingly. it doesn't seem to have suffered in the volume dept. Maybe that's because the factory speakers were not that good.I was going to take your advice and get some component speakers for the front but I got a good deal on the Pioneers and they matched the rear speakers. Plus, I didn't want to have to worry about the tweeters fitting. Anyway, I glad I did it this way, and the factory tweeters sound better than they did before. Hey, that's why it's only a reccomendation! I'm glad you kept the factory tweeters though, that'll help with the sound immensely, even though the Pioneers are probably coaxials, and have a tweeter built-in.For your setup, this was most likely the best way to go. Glad you're lovin' it!

[Bectech]

yeah, they're coaxials.. I just had to tone down the treble to compensate for extra tweeters..just put on my BCF Vibe vent stickers today too.. a productive couple of days..Bec