Speakers worth it?

[Craigmri]

Hey folks!We have a 3 month old Vibe with the Moon and tunes with in dash 6 cd changer. Considering we have the 200 watt amp under the passanger seat, would we as moderate music listeners notice a significant improvment in sound going with quality aftermarket speakers? Is it worth swapping the stock speakers for better ones? Is the cost/benefit worth it? Anyone do this and feel they dont hear any difference?

[AKLGT]

i would recommend for sure. you will hear a difference with some speakers. how much you want to spend is up to you. i replaced all my door speakers with walmart specials. then added a sub and amp to round out the sound. i think you can accomplish a nice tone and accoustics with just the door speakers. coho carls speaker install thread is the best and will show you what to do step by step.

[johnsoax]

I'm going to lean the other way and say that it would not be worth the time and trouble if you are just "moderate listeners". I thought the stereo sounded like crap until I set the treble and mid to the middle and the bass to +2 (the settings on the radio). Now the speakers sound fine. One thing that has always bothered me about the idea of replacing the speakers with the moon N' tunes amp is that the amp is looking for a 2 ohm load and most aftermarket speakers are 4 ohms. Do they loose volume (same voltage, but half the current)? (Like I would be able to tell, I can't even turn mine up to half way with out blowing my ears out).

[drunkenmaxx]

one of the first things people commented on about my car was how crisp the sound was. i think most people give factory speakers a stereotype (awesome pun) and never even give them a chance, with this car, people should quiet their thoughts and turn up the stereo, then decide.

[Psychobroker]

I think those with a bad opinion of the stock speakers are speaking (no pun intended) from experience when they say an aftermarket makes a HUGE difference in clarity. If you want clearer, crisper notes, dump the stock speakers. If all you want is sound to occupy your road trip, then stick with the stock.Then again, you can pick up a GREAT pair of two-way door speakers for under $100, so why not treat your ears?

[dsegundo]

I'm with psychobroker. Also as the car gets older you will start to notice that the sound clarity of stock speakers start to deteriorate. That's because the cone is made of paper and foam and the heat in the car begins to affect them. The first thing that would go is always the treble....Why don't you wait for a special at bestbuy or circuit city. normally when they have speakers go on sale, installation is cheaper or free with the amount

[Psychobroker]

I would recommend one of the many eBay electronics liquidators. Some of them sell 100% brand new items for DIRT CHEAP. ikesound.com simply cannot be beaten. I've bought from them multiple times and have had nothing but a good experience.My amp was under $150 from them, but would have easily cost me $350 in a retail store like best buy or circuit city..

[johnsoax]

Quote, originally posted by Psychobroker »I think those with a bad opinion of the stock speakers are speaking (no pun intended) from experience when they say an aftermarket makes a HUGE difference in clarity. If you want clearer, crisper notes, dump the stock speakers. If all you want is sound to occupy your road trip, then stick with the stock.Then again, you can pick up a GREAT pair of two-way door speakers for under $100, so why not treat your ears? I'm an audiophile and started school to be an audio electrical engineer. I had a $1200 1200 watt stereo in an S-10 pickup truck. I know what I am listening for in speakers and I am telling you that yes, you will hear a difference, but with the road noise of the vibe, with the extra clarity really matter? (and my speakers are incredably crisp and acurate in my vibe, maybe you have the volume too loud )

[johnsoax]

Quote, originally posted by dsegundo »I'm with psychobroker. Also as the car gets older you will start to notice that the sound clarity of stock speakers start to deteriorate. That's because the cone is made of paper and foam and the heat in the car begins to affect them. The first thing that would go is always the treble....Why don't you wait for a special at bestbuy or circuit city. normally when they have speakers go on sale, installation is cheaper or free with the amountAnd when the car gets older, then I will replace the speakers, and probably the amp and the rest. But first I'm going to see how long I can get the paper cones to last.

[Psychobroker]

Quote »I'm an audiophile and started school to be an audio electrical engineer. I had a $1200 1200 watt stereo in an S-10 pickup truck. I know what I am listening for in speakers and I am telling you that yes, you will hear a difference, but with the road noise of the vibe, with the extra clarity really matter? (and my speakers are incredably crisp and acurate in my vibe, maybe you have the volume too loudHey now, no need to prove yourself to me. I only speak from my personal experience in that it makes a BIG difference. Try dropping in only one pair of high quality aftermarket 2-ways, like I did, then fade your stereo from front to rear and then tell me there's no big difference...road noise and all

[dsegundo]

I'm with psychobroker. Those were our 2 cents....take them for what they're worth. my system is incredible clear and precise.....(4 lanes over!)Desi

[Jahntassa]

I'm an audio guy.. (I have a degree in it..and I install it at Circuit City..) You say "moderate"...plus you spent the money for the Moons&Tunes. At this point...i'd say no. Don't change it. Unless it's not loud enough, or not clear enough..it's going to cost a lot to make it sound THAT much better.In the case of M&T, you'd need new speakers, a better amp, and wiring to work with that better amp. I say better amp, because from what I understand, the speakers with the M&T run at 2 Ohm, all aftermarket are 4 Ohm, so you'd see a power drop (ie, less volume.)If you want LOUDER, or very clear...then you'll have to get new speakers, and a new amp...if you don't need to spend the cash..don't. Unless one of your speakers is blown..keep what you've got.

[johnsoax]

Quote, originally posted by Psychobroker »Hey now, no need to prove yourself to me. I only speak from my personal experience in that it makes a BIG difference. Try dropping in only one pair of high quality aftermarket 2-ways, like I did, then fade your stereo from front to rear and then tell me there's no big difference...road noise and all Sorry, the way that you phrased your post it didn't sound like only your personal experience. I will tell you that there is no big difference, you may have a phychological difference (I mean come on, you just spent good money on new speakers), but the power matching isn't there, so the power flowing through the speakers isn't the same, as Jahntassa and I have already said.The original poster said that he is a moderate listener. So if he correctly tunes the eq, then the music will sound fine to them.

[Psychobroker]

Ok, this is just getting silly..Quote »Sorry, the way that you phrased your post it didn't sound like only your personal experience. I will tell you that there is no big difference, you may have a phychological difference (I mean come on, you just spent good money on new speakers), but the power matching isn't there, so the power flowing through the speakers isn't the same, as Jahntassa and I have already said.Psychological? Did you miss the part where I said I upgraded only TWO of the door speakers (fronts), and then proceeded to explain a noticeable difference in clarity when fading my radio from front to rear, under any condition? My first upgrade, a pair of 2-way Infinity Kappa 62.5's, cost me only $75. Seventy-five dollars is not a lot of money IMHO for what I know has been a huge improvement. As for the power matching, you can compensate by turning the volume up a bit more. Yes, I will invest in a good 4-channel amp to replace my M&T amp, but for now, I just turn up the volume a tad and it's still a noticeable increase in overall sound clarity.But hey, I'm not a licensed/degreed/lifetime audiophile, so I must be nuts? I just like listening to music, and I can tell a difference, tyvm

[drunkenmaxx]

for me a loss of power would tip the sub/speaker balance, which is pretty perfect now. sure, i could turn the gain on the subs down, but nah!to everyone: do whatever it is that wets your willy!

[johnsoax]

Quote, originally posted by Psychobroker »Ok, this is just getting silly..Psychological? Did you miss the part where I said I upgraded only TWO of the door speakers (fronts), and then proceeded to explain a noticeable difference in clarity when fading my radio from front to rear, under any condition? My first upgrade, a pair of 2-way Infinity Kappa 62.5's, cost me only $75. Seventy-five dollars is not a lot of money IMHO for what I know has been a huge improvement. As for the power matching, you can compensate by turning the volume up a bit more. Yes, I will invest in a good 4-channel amp to replace my M&T amp, but for now, I just turn up the volume a tad and it's still a noticeable increase in overall sound clarity.But hey, I'm not a licensed/degreed/lifetime audiophile, so I must be nuts? I just like listening to music, and I can tell a difference, tyvm I'm not trying to tell you that your are nuts or make you upset. If you can tell the difference fine, but i still think that $75 to get that difference is not worth it for someone who is a moderate listener and is probably just going to end up listening to the radio most of the time. Do I like the vibe stereo? Yes. Do I wish it was better? Yes. Am I willing to spend $200-300 to make it sound better? Not right now. I am going to live with the speakers/amp/headunit for as long as possible, because they are adequate for the accustics of the car.