unpocoloco

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!

lurch519

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.

LiL BenNy

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...

unpocoloco

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.

lurch519

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

lurch519

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

unpocoloco

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...

lurch519

and ill quote

OnRails

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!

forbidden

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.

lurch519

mmmmmm, brings to mind focal utopia be's

OnRails

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.

teen_living_a_dream

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.

unpocoloco

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.

lurch519

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

Tigerfootball

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?

forbidden

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.

LiL BenNy

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

lurch519

probably someone else, i work at a shop in delaware

unpocoloco

forbidden - i totally agree

jstkilntim

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

unpocoloco

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!!

jstkilntim

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!

unpocoloco

nice! I will check those out.

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

unpocoloco

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.
* 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?