Hey all,

How much should I expect to pay for a set of good speakers. Not the absolute BEST speakers, but a step below that. I think perhaps the top, top of the line might be marginally better than a step or two down the ladder from there, but for the $$$ may not be worth it (for me / my budget / what I'm willing to spend on something I don't really need).

What I'm looking for, in order of importance:
* New MIDS. I really think I could get a lot of improvement by changing these out. The current ones are absolutely uninspiring.
* New tweeters. Not sure how much difference this would make.
* New 6x9's in the rear. Also not sure how much difference this would make. Would love to hear feedback on this.
* NOT looking for subwoofers. I like having trunk space.

I've got the standard speaker system (no Bose), and it's not bad, but it just seems...lacking somehow. Everything sounds very flat. I want a system that will make me want to turn on the car, open a brand-new CD, and listen to it for the first time in my '8.

My gut instinct tells me Best Buy or Fry's is not going to have speakers that are any better than the stocks. However, the privately owned audio store near me said a decent system would be $800-1600, which sounds awfully high. I'm not sure if this is included in their ballpark estimate, but they also want $45 per set of speakers for installation fee, so that's $135 right there. Zoinks!

hmmm, what i just spent to upgrade my front speakers only, 2 mids, 2 tweets, crossovers, amps and wires, would retail at approx 2700. and those arent even the top of the line speakers or amps.

remember you get what you pay for.

i work in the industry,

a decent entry level system, say alpine type s speakers, would run about 400 for new fronts and rears, installed. no amps, no radio.

next step, say diamond speakers, would run about 620, again no amps.


those also dont include dynamat.

it all really depends on exactly what you are going for.

lurch what speakers did you buy? i want focals but from what i know they are WAY out of my price range... how are JL's speakers (since i know youre in the audio industry) ps im running 2 10w6v2's by a 500/1 jl amp...

Holy CRAP, $2700?? Not a chance :( What do you mean by "no radio"? I'd like to keep my same headunit. I just want better quality speakers.

If I'm not getting subs, do I really need an amp? My current volume setting is usually around 5 in the early morning, then 10-12 on a noisy road on the highway. If I had to crank it up to 18 with my new system, I'd be okay with that.

jl's are so so. whats your price range benny. if you want focals, i could probably work a deally for you. which ones do you want?

i went with diamond audio d9 components, alpine pdx amps, and kicker wires

Holy CRAP, $2700?? Not a chance :( What do you mean by "no radio"? I'd like to keep my same headunit. I just want better quality speakers.

If I'm not getting subs, do I really need an amp? My current volume setting is usually around 5 in the early morning, then 10-12 on a noisy road on the highway. If I had to crank it up to 18 with my new system, I'd be okay with that.


i just meant that was with the stock headunit still in the vehicle.

im not even done. im gonna get 2 type r 12 inch subs, and a 1000 watt amp, retail about 1300, plus my time to customize everything in the trunk

Okay, perhaps I should rephrase my question.

How much should I expect to spend as a minimum to see a significant improvement in my audio system?

I'd say what you are doing is NOT the minimum...

and ill quote

a decent entry level system, say alpine type s speakers, would run about 400 for new fronts and rears, installed. no amps, no radio.

next step, say diamond speakers, would run about 620, again no amps.


those also dont include dynamat.

it all really depends on exactly what you are going for.

I just upgraded my speakers from the factory base radio and I think it made a huge difference. I actually enjoy my system now. It really made the sound come alive. Before, it was just like you said - flat sounding. I wasn't interested in huge bass or anything either so I got the infinity reference 6.5 components for the front and the infinity reference 6X9's for the rear. Cost me about $400 for the speakers but I went to Best Buy to get them. I'm sure you could do a little better if you went online or shopped around. I followed the instructions linked in the sticky thread. If I had to do it again, I might go for the 6X8 infinity components in the front since they don't require any baffle to install. Of course if you are getting them installed by someone else then this might not matter to you. I recommend doing it yourself as I saved a little money and got to know my car a little better. Besides, it was super easy since others have provided good instructions with good pictures on the forums. BTW don't be afraid to remove the rear seats yourself! Same goes for the door panels. This was WAY easier than I thought it would be!

But all of the best speakers in the world also need power to make them operate. A little power is going to bring them to life, power that your factory cd player just does not have. So consider a small 4channel amp to power the new speakers, 50w rms x 4 is enough to do the job. Definitely soundproof the doors while you are in there. Focal, Boston, Diamond, Eclipse and others all make some stellar speakers. Price range from not too low to stupid high.

..............to stupid high.

mmmmmm, brings to mind focal utopia be's

But all of the best speakers in the world also need power to make them operate. A little power is going to bring them to life, power that your factory cd player just does not have. So consider a small 4channel amp to power the new speakers, 50w rms x 4 is enough to do the job. Definitely soundproof the doors while you are in there. Focal, Boston, Diamond, Eclipse and others all make some stellar speakers. Price range from not too low to stupid high.

You're right. I may add an amp at some point but IMO just changing out the factory paper crap made my system sound much better and it was easy to do and relatively cheap. The amp route requires a little more work and money and you can always add an amp later if you're not satisfied.

AudioOne stores usually have a great setup to test different car speakers. One of the best companies for the price is Bose. I think a pair of rear speakers will be around $200. Mazda did a great job choosing company for speakers (with touring packages). Just don't go to Circuit City or Best Buy and get speakers for around $70 each. They are very bad quality.


EDIT: Oh, and don't go to Walmart and get the speakers that cost $9.82. I'd like to see the Walmart shopper who thinks he/she is getting high quality speakers at a price less than a CD's. :yelrotflm

I've considered doing it myself. The thing that I'm most worried about is the wiring. I once replaced some speakers in my old Oldsmobile with some - heh - $10 Walmart speakers. And no, I did not expect good sound, I just wanted a speaker that worked for the 7 days I'd be using the car. I had to solder the wires to make the connection, but I did a poor job, and the sound cut in and out (loose connection). I could probably do it better now, but this car I actually care about...

Well, that, and making sure the speakers fit. If it requires any mods such as the "baffle" (not trying to be a smartass, just not sure what that is), I'm toast.

AudioOne stores usually have a great setup to test different car speakers. One of the best companies for the price is Bose. I think a pair of rear speakers will be around $200. Mazda did a great job choosing company for speakers (with touring packages). Just don't go to Circuit City or Best Buy and get speakers for around $70 each. They are very bad quality.


EDIT: Oh, and don't go to Walmart and get the speakers that cost $9.82. I'd like to see the Walmart shopper who thinks he/she is getting high quality speakers at a price less than a CD's. :yelrotflm


i guess that makes the alpine type s speakers at about 80 a pair just pretty bad huh..........

unpocoloco, go to a Best Buy and buy speaker harnesses for your car. it will save you time and headaches cutting, splicing, and soldering.

And if you add a four channel amp to the stock radio for the fronts and rears, would that not give you a dirty sound using a LOC? or, this is my big question, is there a LOC that will give you the same quality a good aftermarket radio would?

Yes, it is called the Audio Control LC6 or 6XS. NOw who was that that said that Bose was the shiznit, someone smack that dude with a fish bonker or something, Bose and good do not belong in the same sentence.

lurch do you own a shop in maryland or was that someone else?

probably someone else, i work at a shop in delaware

forbidden - i totally agree :)

I've considered doing it myself. The thing that I'm most worried about is the wiring. I once replaced some speakers in my old Oldsmobile with some - heh - $10 Walmart speakers. And no, I did not expect good sound, I just wanted a speaker that worked for the 7 days I'd be using the car. I had to solder the wires to make the connection, but I did a poor job, and the sound cut in and out (loose connection). I could probably do it better now, but this car I actually care about...

Well, that, and making sure the speakers fit. If it requires any mods such as the "baffle" (not trying to be a smartass, just not sure what that is), I'm toast.
If you aren't comfortable doing it yourself, please, pay someone to do it for you. If you are just adding speakers, labor will be minimal. I would stay away from the super stores like Circuit City and Best Buy etc. For the most part, the people that I have talked to in these places don't have a clue. However, it does seem that Tweeter (Sound Advice) is usually a notch above the others. My recommendation is to find reputable car audio shop and deal w/ them. They often are owned by and employ people that live for car audio. You should be able to tell if they truly want to meet your goals or just trying to sell you something.

As I am sure you can see, everyone (including me) will have different opinions on what to use and not use. I have personally had better luck using entry level equipment from high end manufacturers than the other way around.

As forbidden stated, an amp will bring speakers to life. No doubt about it. But, it is your car, your money and your listening preference. If you are not interested in upgrading to amps, line drivers etc., pick up the highest line that you can afford (or want to spend) from a quality speaker manufacturer. Usually you will find better products from companies that build speakers, not everything under the sun. Pick up a nice set of components for the front. For the rear you can do the same or go w/ a full range. You will want to use a speaker w/ a lower power rating.

To answer your original question if you wanted to spend around $700 - $800 tops, you would probably be extremely satisfied by adding the best processor, amp & speakers you could get in this price range. If you were to do this, you will probably be bitten by the same bug as the rest of us and then you would see where that $2700.00 is not unreasonable. In the end, it is your call.

Good Luck,

Doyle

Thank you very much! Appreciate the time spent in that post, Doyle. It's some good advice. I apologize to Lurch if I was snappy...I had spent much of the day in the sun (well, under covered parking but still) Zaino-ing my car and was thirsty and grumpy. And also a little worried the thread was about to get hijacked with posts about $2000 speakers/amps/etc.

I think what I'll do is go down to the shop, see what they have, look it up online, and try to see if installing myself seems too difficult. If so, I'll pay the $45x3 to have them install it. If not, I'll do it myself! Of course, ordering online would probably save me some cash too...I wouldn't be surprised if in the end, I save $200+ by doing it myself (which is why it is so attractive).

It's not that I can't afford more, I guess, it's more that that's all I'm really willing to spend for it. If I was gonna spend more than $1k, I should probably upgrade my home stereo system first!!

Yes, you can save money by ordering online, but do your research on the company (or individual) you buy from. Verify that they only deal w/ A-Stock merchandise. (Not used, not refurbished, not blemished etc.)

Check woofersetc.com. I like them because they have reasonable prices, reasonable shipping, offer a one year warranty & only deal w/ A-Stock merchandise. (Unless otherwise noted.)

There are better speakers out there, but for what it sounds like you want to accomplish, pick up a set of Infinity KAPPA680.7CS Components for the front & Infinity REF9613I Coaxials for the rear. They are direct replacements so you will probably be able to install them yourself w/ no modifications for around $300.00. They should sound quite a bit better than what is in there now and will sound great if you decide to add an amp later.

Good Luck & Have Fun!

nice! I will check those out.

love the VR '8 you've got in your avatar btw

Allright, I've gone around and shopped some. Time to narrow it down.

* Boston Acoustic S95^3 (6x8, $120) and BA SX85 (6x9, $180) vs.
* Infiniti Reference 6812CF (6x8, $100) and Ref. 9613 (6x9, $150) vs.
* Infiniti Kappa 682.7CF (6x8, $150) and Infiniti Kappa 992.7i (6x9, $200)

These are all coax's. The car audio guy told me that with an RX-8 it'd be hard to find a component set that would fit in the door panel. Is this just BS?

I wasn't able to demo the difference between the Infiniti References and the Kappas, but I imagine it is worth paying the extra money for the Kappas. As a rule I hate buying speakers I've never heard before. I like to be able to hear what speakers can do before purchasing. After all, whatever I get now I'll have to live with for many years! This leads into my mini-rant, which by all means feel free to skip.

* Rant begins
It's frustrating then so many stores have all their speakers hooked up to the radio. Or an mp3 player. At Best Buy, you can't even bring in a CD - you have to listen to their in-store radio! All terrible ways to demonstrate a speaker's quality! Take a noisy FM signal or a compressed signal and use THAT to help people make a comparison? Bah. :mad:
* Rant ends

Anyway, I did hear some 6 1/2" Infiniti References vs. their respective Kappas, and there was a big difference.

However, after re-reading this thread I saw the recomenndation for the Infinity KAPPA680.7CS Components. Again, I hadn't even considered the components. Although it violates my rule ("don't buy speakers you've never heard"), I think I might just pick up a pair of these as suggested. I liked the 6x8 coax references, the 6x8 kappa coaxs ought to be even better, and so it stands to reason that I'll like the kappa components best of all. Yeah?

its not hard to make a speaker fit in the factory location. as you have the bose system, you have a 9 inch hole in the door. you just have to make a baffle plate to mount the new speaker on. you dont even have to mount the tweeter (if you do components) in the factory location. i mounted my component speaker and tweeter in the factory 9 inch location using a baffle plate.

Oh...I don't have the bose system, actually. That complicate things in regards to the components?

Secondly, your advise. Getting an amp will:

a) Not really change the sound much. You'll just use a volume setting of 5 instead of 15.
b) Help the sound a little bit, but is not essential.
c) Really make a difference in the sound quality. Don't leave home without it!

I don't quite understand why (c) might be true, though I suspect it is. My reasoning is that if the stock system can make the speakers play at X decibals loudness without straining the system, then it shouldn't matter. I can understand that once the system starts reaching the limits of its power, then distortion can become an issue. So maybe if I really crank it up I'll notice a difference. Otherwise, I won't see the benefits of the amp. True or false?

(c) is the correct answer.

yes, if you really crank the system you will notice a big difference. its always good to have more power than you actually need, so if you are listening to something really dynamic, and the volume suddenly goes up in the track you are listening to, you wont have distortion.

Have you considered Pioneer 6x9 5 ways for the rear? I had a pair of these in my last Mazda 626 and with an amp, they sounded pretty sweet!

http://www.discountjungle.net/category/speakers_-_car_____search_by_brand_____pioneer.htm


http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d37/Jedi54/pioneer.jpg

Oh no...I just realized that the 6x9's I were looking at (the Infiniti Kappa 692.7i) are 2 ohm impedance. With the stock system, this is going to be a problem, isn't it? (I thought the stock rear 6x9's are 4 ohm...)

Edit: Oops, looks like the 6x8's I want are 2 ohm also. Oh man!!

2 ohms is no big deal as long as you get an amp that is 2 ohm stable... most decent amps are. Just make sure before you buy one. I have the Alpine PDX 4.150 and if you look on Crutchfield (http://www.crutchfield.com/S-kB0Ak581nZk/cgi-bin/ProdView.asp?search=PDX%2D4%2E150&i=500PDX4150) it has this line -- "150 watts RMS x 4 at 4 ohms (150 watts RMS x 4 at 2 ohms)" which means it will do 150 Watts RMS for each of the 4 channels on either 4 ohms or 2.

okay I actually decided to not get an amp (...yet. Maybe in the future). Still a dealbreaker?

Also, where did you put your amp out of curiousity?

it's the one on the right.. the other amp is a PDX 1.1000 for the sub.. these amps are TINY and so little heat you wouldn't believe it. they also have the same footprint so if you wanted to you can stack 3 of them on top of eachother!

http://i5.tinypic.com/15ewfq1.jpg

I just used a peice of 1/4 in wood first bolted to the bracket thing thats in the side (where the carpet screws are) and the amp comes with screws to drill into the wood. it was a pretty easy install

and all the controls (level crossover ect..) are behind the front faceplate so you don't have to try very hard to get to them which is a problem i had with alot of amps before this one

As for how much to actually SPEND this is what I spent -- That amp (the Alpine PDX 4.150) cost me 550 shipped on ebay. Alpine 5x7 components (with tweeters) for the front cost 120 and 6x9 rears cost 100. The wire for the amp you will need about (i'm trying to remember) 17 feet of power wire for the amp and double that if you want to run your ground back to the battery. You can get good 4 AWG wire kit (4 AWG is way more than enough) for 30 bucks. and speaker wire will be another 20 or so

so amp 550
fronts 120
rears 100
wire 50

so 820 bucks for a REALLY NICE setup

TIME is the big deal here.. if your going to do it all yourself plan a full day if you know what you are doing and have a little help

2 - 3 days if it's just you and you've never done it before

the key is to take your time with everything.. make sure all the wires are run correctly and hidden well. that way you don't have to go back and fix something

What if I just put a 2 ohm resistor in series with the speaker? On the return path, so the signal isn't going through a resistor. Not that ideally the resistor should affect the signal quality, but just to be safe. This way the head unit sees a 4 ohm impedance? Good idea / bad idea?

you will need a huge resistor if you do that, a 1 watt resistor is usually on the order of 1/4 inch square by 1.5 to 2 inches long.

Oh yeah, I hadn't really thought about the practical aspects of that solution. Oh well. I wasn't too comfortable with it anyway. The real issue is whether replacing my 4 ohm speaks with 2 ohms is going to either (a) damage the speakers or the head unit, or (b) adversely affect the sound quality.

Does the 8 have strangely sized rear speakers or something? On Crutchfield's website, I entered in the info. about my car and matched it against "See what fits." For the 6x9's, here's what fits:

* JBL Grand Touring Series GTO927

This completes the list of speakers that fit. The Infiniti Reference 9613I speakers that jstkilntim recommended...classified as "don't fit". Nor do the Infiniti Kappa 682.7CF's that I was eyeing. Pioneer TS-A6991R 6x9 5 ways that Jedi54 suggested? Nope.

ARGH!

yeah they say that because crutchfield is retarted. the only thing i use them for is finding out specs about something that I have already picked out.

Just about ANY 6X9 speaker will fit the rears.

as for the 2 ohm issue.. i don't know and wouldn't chance it.. either get 4 ohm speakers or a 2 ohm stable amp

Was speaking to a salesman today who said to install a set of 6.5" components in the front would cost around $150. That seemed LUDICROUS to me. I asked how much he charged for a set coaxials and he said around $90, and was pretty offended when I mentioned that the very same store quoted me a price of $57 for this type of install. He said there was no way it could be done for that price, that "he would work with me" (ie bring his price down some) but there was a "lot of work to do...take off the panels...uh...I'm xxx ceritified, blah blah"

That makes me really angry. I think he was taking me for a sucker. It should NOT cost $90+ to take off a panel and switch out a single set of 6x8's for another set of 6x8's. Right? I have an easier time believing $150 for components, since there IS more work to be done there, but I'm not even sure about that. Again, I'm talking about ONE pair. So he wants $300 (probably more since the rears require more work) to do the install.

It also annoyed me that they would keep going off and pimping their products that I wasn't interested in, then because I would continually pass make me feel like I belong in a Circuit City, not a true car audio store. If I didn't go in there with a really firm understanding of what I was looking for, and wasn't good with keeping a tight grip on my wallet, I'd easily have walked out with $2000 of equipment. I understand that you can go nuts with this stuff (and I can also understand why you'd want to), but there has to be some middle ground between $49-$89 Circuit City bottom-of-the-line brand name speakers, and totally hooking your car up with state of the art sound. So when I come in looking at speakers to buy, I want to look at speakers. NOT learn about the Cleansweep unequalizer for $300 and how much performance I'm sacrificing by sticking with the stock headunit, and then what I could do with a pair of 10's. Oh, you don't have much room? Don't worry - these 10's are really thin, see? Also this 200W amp for $499 will really bring the sound out. Sure it's the size of a small suitcase, but man the sound it'll bring out and the reliability of it are incredible. We will have to work with you to get a custom install done for those 10's but we can make it fit without taking up too much room no problem.

NO!! I just want some #$#$@* better speakers, and an amp if necessary. Damn!! :puke:

Also, what do you guys think of these amps? The answer to that probably depends on what you expect to get out of them. Ok. I want something that will bring my speakers to life, since a lot of these aftermarket speakers really need an amp to bring out their true performance. I am NOT looking to build a really loud system. Therefore I think even a 100W amp is more than I need. In fact, I'd prefer less power, because that will be cheaper and most likely smaller. I really want something small that won't break the bank.

So, a few from Crutchfield:

1.Profile AP740 60Wx4 (http://www.crutchfield.com/S-JjG8UG4Vxyq/cgi-bin/ProdView.asp?g=120&tab=essential_info&i=489AP740#Tab) Is 90W x 4 for 2 ohm speakers. $130 (I want this one. I like that price)

2. Audiobahn A4004V 50Wx4 (http://www.crutchfield.com/S-JjG8UG4Vxyq/cgi-bin/ProdView.asp?g=120&I=037A4004V) Is 100Wx4 for 2 ohm speakers. $260 (This one is a lot prettier than #1. Same size. I'd love to pass it up)

That'll do for now. I'm tired of car audio :Drooling_ Getting to the point where I just want to either buy whatever or buy nothing at all...

^^ Yuck! ^^

I finally know what I want: this! (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=534HiLtXYEQ)