car speaker question for the audio ppl

raven28690

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Joined
Aug 5, 2011
Location
Valdese, NC
I have been out of the aftermarket speaker scene since I was a teenager in the 80's so i realize im way outta the loop now but i would like to buy another system.
Wanted to know what happened to the speaker systems that not only had the subs but also tweeters and mids like the MTX truck box speakers and kenwood hatchback systems and such?

Have noticed everyone is just selling boxes with subs and no tweeters and mids.
Back in 90 I bought a set of the MTX TS102 10" sub truck boxes and a pioneer amp for a ford ranger and i was more than happy with it.
Only listen to rock so i dont need the over powering boom that just a sub box gives however 6x9's leave me wanting more bass.
Price is a big issue so the full range boxed speakers have always appealed to me since they use to be pretty reasonable.
 
Tweeters and midrange speakers are directional, so they need to be placed where their sound carries properly. Most high end cars are designed almost like a home theatre with a wrap-around effect. The subwoofer placement is not as critical for a symphony sound. It is important to have a sub, though for the proper crossover range.

If you want a rock concert sound, I'd buy a set of door speakers that have remote tweeters that are mounted up towards the dash. A pair of 6x9's for behind you and a single 10" sub would give you a very good mix of sound. It's amazing what sounds you can now hear in your favorite recordings when you have the sound set up the way the producer intended.
 
Those full-range setups you remember aren't really pushed by the reputable manufacturers anymore for a very good reason. They sucked. They didn't do any one thing well. They used the cheapest speakers possible to fill the holes in the box, and never produced a good sound, plus they put so much of the music behind the back seat, where all the high end and most of the mid was lost. A good sub setup shouldn't be overpowering or "boomy." A cheap sub in a mismatched box will likely sound like ass, but a decent, efficient speaker in a box that's the right size for it will sound good with a decent amp pushing it and tuned in properly. Put that in the trunk, then get some good speakers to fill the factory holes and a good head unit and I think you'll be happy. If you want to go a little further, get a good 4-channel to run the door and rear speakers so you've got some good, clean signal going to those, too. A nice head unit should be able to handle the task well enough, though. Try to find one with a built-in crossover so you can cut the lows to the midrange speakers.
 
^ Agreed.
If you have a nice factory stereo you'd be surprised what adding a mono amp and single subwoofer will do to enhance the sound. That's what I did in my 4Runner Limited which already had some decent door speakers and tweeters from the factory.

If your factory speakers are junk putting in a nice pair or two of aftermarket speakers in the factory locations will make a huge difference. I recently replaced the old Sony speakers in my boat with Polk MM and it is a night and day difference. The MM speakers have a tweeter mounted in the grill and a crossover to separate the frequencies. Plus they're made for marine environments so they'd be great in a Jeep.

Either way, there's really no reason for your mids and highs to be coming out of your subwoofer box.
 
Thanks for the responses guys.
I know very little about how and what makes a stereo sound good. Just never really got into all the tech side of it.

Maybe it's just me but i thought the MTX truck box 10" speakers sounded good (Don't recall what watt the pioneer amp was I had on it). Felt it had the right amount of highs and lows but Like I said they were in a ranger (Standard cab) so i was more or less sitting right on top of them.

With that said, I have always loved the way tower speakers sound on a home stereo system so maybe it's just a certain sound I have grown accustomed too??
 
Your tower speakers and a truck box are two totally different things. Home audio speakers have good crossover networks and can be placed for good stereo imaging. They also typically use quality speakers. The tweeters in those truck boxes were cheap junk. The woofers were the bottom of their lineup. They were loud, but that was about it. A comparison between that and a well set up car audio system and you'd see what you were missing. And as I stated before, it doesn't have to be worth more than the car. You can build a good system on a budget, just don't go with the cheapest stuff available.
 
What kind of budget system around $300 would you suggest for me? (stereo, speakers, and amp)
Would be going in a 2002 durango
door speakers are 6 3/4

Tend to listen to music very loud so that is a must have
Like to have enough bass that you can hear that its there but not that huge boom or ear piercing highs.
 
ATM im looking at replacing front and rear door speakers with Polk Audio db651, a JVC stereo, and a 4 channel amp (prob around a 800-1000watt amp since that would only relate to 75rms x 4)
that setup give me what im looking for?
 
I'm a big fan of polk speakers. In the last few vehicles I've had, I've done the following:

replace door speakers with some polks.

added a small clean amp (I'm a JL Audio fan, but there are plenty of good clean amps) and a small sub (10inch max)

And I've kept my factory radio.

I promise you will like the sound.

Later if you'd like more mids and highs, just install another clean 4channel amp for the door speakers.


Cruising ebay and craigslist, you should find everything you need for under $500 and that would include installation.

Just my .02
 
Never tried polk before but in my research it seems alot of other ppl feel the same way about them as you do.
One of the amps im looking at is a cadence. All of the 4 channel JL ones i have run across would end up breaking my budget.

I can hook up aftermarket stereo's but when it comes to factory ones im lost (have no idea how to hook a amp up to a factory set or tye into them for that matter). Plus I was looking to save some $ by installing it myself.
Trying to keep everything under $350 since im going to have to sell one of my hand guns just to be able to afford the system.
 
My experience with Lanzar amps has been very good. They're cheap, clean, and dependable. Cadence has always been a lower-end brand. They may work, but I trust a Lanzar. Pioneer makes a better head unit than JVC, but look for one that does both high-pass and low-pass crossovers. That way, if you don't add a 4-channel for the door speakers, you can still block the lows to the doors. That will improve your sound quality tremendously! Pioneers have good built-in amps, too. Polk speakers seem to do well. I like Memphis, but they're hard to find. And for the sub, I'd go with a single 10 or 12 in a good box for now. A cheaper JL is going to perform well for you. They've always seemed to be a good musical sub, not simply made for boom.

All this is my opinion. Somebody will probably argue with me, especially on the Lanzar bit. I've used them, repaired them, and always found them to be stout, though. Well-built for the money. In the audio world more than anywhere else, opinions really are like assholes, and people get passionate about defending theirs! If you install it yourself, do your research and get somebody who's in the know to tune it in for you. Take your time and run your cables cleanly or you will have noise issues.
 
Well thats alot of the reason for my post. Im unemployed so have to make the most of the money I spend as im only going to get one shot at it for the time being.
Brands that I thought that use to be good are now considered sub par (MTX, kicker, sony, rockford phosgate) whereas brands that ppl consider good I have never heard of (JL audio, Memphis, Cadence, etc).

Brands that i have been told to stay away from were legacy, pyle, pyramid, lanzar, etc
However reviews tend to be 50 50 on them and at one time pyle and lanzar use to be considered good so go figure.

Im guessing discussing stereo equipment and asking whats best is like asking whats the best engine oil or car manufacturer :confused:
ppl tend to have a fav and nothing else exist which is why i asked this question here and not on a car stereo forum. Knew i would get unbiased opinions
 
Oddly enough Amazon.com has cheap prices on car stereo components. The trick is knowing what to get, because they stock EVERYTHING. If you have a car with a weird stock radio size, you might consider buying the head unit from Crutchfield.com, because they include install kits. What I have done is design a whole system on Crutchfields site, cos they get lots of reviews, then price out the "easy" components on Amazon to get 'em cheaper.

I'm partial to Alpine head units, Infinity speakers, and JL Audio amps & subs. However, we got some really cheap Kenwood speakers & head for our old car and they sound great. Don't buy Sony, every one I've ever had ends up with something wrong with it.

You can source a cheap sub at a pawn shop...
 
thx katuah
lol have already been using crutchfield and sonicelectronix to build the setup and then searching ebay and amazon for cheaper prices.

heard nothing but good things about JL but its not easy finding any of their stuff to fit within my budget
 
ATM im looking at replacing front and rear door speakers with Polk Audio db651, a JVC stereo, and a 4 channel amp (prob around a 800-1000watt amp since that would only relate to 75rms x 4)
Click to expand...

You can probably get the sound you're looking for by running the door speakers off the head unit. A nice 4 channel amp always makes them sound clearer when turned way up, but you can get a lot of sound out of a head unit these days. They're a lot better at powering speakers than they were 10-15 years ago.

That would free up a little bit of the budget to get a better amp and subwoofer. Still, I think you're going to have to go with some used equipment if you want to stay within your budget and get anything decent. Avoid these third rate amps that say "1000w" or whatever on them like the plague. They're junk. You're better off with a 1-channel or 2-channel amp from any decent manufacturer. I know there were some ~250-300w MTX Thunder amps on eBay a while back for less than $100 shipped that would power a single sub nicely.

I really like buying my head units from Crutchfield. They include all the mounting hardware you need and a great instruction set that has always been helpful to me in figuring out how to get my dash apart without damaging anything.
 
raven28690 said:
What kind of budget system around $300 would you suggest for me? (stereo, speakers, and amp)
Would be going in a 2002 durango
door speakers are 6 3/4
Click to expand...

Just a note...
You are going to be very hard pressed to get the whole system for $300, unless you find things used (e.g. ebay, CL etc).
Chances are you will need a dash install kit for the aftermarket radio to fit the dash, plus a wiring harness. Those alone will be $50+. Figure radio will be ~150+ for something decent unless you score a deal or get it used.
Doors Speakers + sub + amp... will add up.
Not saying its impossible, but you need to be sure to figure in all the costs so you are prepared.
 
You can get a decent, reasonably hi-powered head until from Crutchfield with all the installation stuff included for around $100-$120. As noted above, don't bother w/ a 4-channel to start with, just run your main speakers off the head unit. 2 sets of reasonable speakers can be had for around $80 from Amazon. Pick up a good used sub at a pawnshop for around $60 (there's a bunch at the Cash Converters in north Durham), then get a medium-low-end mono or 2-channel bridgeable amp, probably can pick up on eBay or also at the pawn shop for under $100. That's around $350 for a full setup, and you could put in the head & speakers for $200 and wait til next paycheck for the sub & amp.
 
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