A friend of mine who is a dealer said he can get me Alpine 5x7 and 6.5's for my P5 at an unbeliveable price. I would save quite a bit over the Infinity References I was going to buy. The speakers are not the high end Alpine's, they are the basic coaxial speakers. I think I'm going to do it.

Only thing is, I never even knew Alpine was in the speaker business, so I'm not sure if they're any good. It's a big name, I figure how bad can they be? I'm not looking for an audiophile system here, just an improvement over the garbage stock P5 system. I already have a Sony Explode deck and changer in the car, and this would complete the upgrade.

 

alpine type-r components are really nice. but basically, any upgrade would be okay if you're that concerned about saving money. stock spkrs are extremely effecient and are meant to work well off the deck, but aftermarket midrange makes a noticeable difference. alpine has pretty good stuff. but if it wasn't for the dealer price, even their entry level stuff wouldn't be worth the retail.

if you're getting a good deal on it, go for it. but why don't you try to get the type-r's or even better, the type-x!

 

I replace all my speakers with Alpine. They rock. I also put another set of 6*9's in the rear deck lid. I love them so much. Get them you will like them.

 

So, the last time I went listening to car speakers, I listened to 6.5s and 5x7s from a bunch of different companies. For the 6.5s, I thought the Infinity Refs were awesome--much better than many of the speakers that cost noticeably more.

I generally found that I wasn't all that impressed with anyone's 5x7s, though. The ones I liked best of this bunch, though was definitely the Alpines--better than the Infinity Ref, even. So if you can get them for a steal, I'd say go for it.

One note,though--you can get 6.5's into the front spots of the P5 with an adapter, or so I've heard. I think rounds sound better than ovals and I plan to put 6.5s up front when I replace the speakers...

 

i've got em... love em... I would have got infinity ref's if i had the cash, cuz overall i think the infinity's are a tad better, but not by much...
infinity ref's are better in the mid to low's, but the alpine's definitely beat them out in the high's... IMO the infinity kappa's beat the alpine's in the high's but sucked *** with all other tones... my only regret is that right after i got my 6.5's i found out alpine came out with a better version!!!

 

sunbyrne, yeah most 5x7's suck. cone area i guess. i wonder who invented that size? and why the hell does mazda and ford insist on making those stock?

 

yeah i know what you mean 1hwn! i had 4 pioneer 6x9's lying around, but they seemed like too much of a pain in the *** to fit into the doors so i didn't bother cut crap up and just bought new speakers... stupid design choice by mazda/ford if you ask me...

 

Yeah, very bizarre decision to go with 5x7s. But numerous folks around here have gotten 6.5s to mount in the front doors anyway, right?

Hey, anyone heard the JBL GTO series speakers? JBL and Infinity have the same parent company and there are several speakers where the Infinity Ref and JBL GTO have identical stats and marketing buzzwords (e.g. "plus one" and "i mount"). If they really sound different I'd have to think it's in the highs since they use different material in the tweeters (Infinity uses silk, JBL uses a polymer film called Kaladex). Anyone heard both?

 

haven't heard the jbl spkr line, but their amps are good. i try not to look at who makes what anymore. in the old days, car audio was more or less independant. now if you're a small fish, good luck! a/d/s, ppi and orion are now owned by dei. rockford bought out lightning audio (i think). what's funny is that when someone rags a particular line, they may both have the same parent company! as for the gto and refs being similar, who knows? maybe they slapped a jbl sticker on one set of mids!

but back to the topic, alpine makes pretty good stuff. like i said, i'd try for the type-r or type-x components, i mean you have nothing to lose by trying.

 

Thanks for all the advice. The Alpine's are being installed tonight, will let you know what I think. My friend said if I don't like them he'll take them out and get me something else, so I figure what the hell. I'm so damn excited, can't wait!!

By the way, he really knows his stuff about this, and in his opinion, the Infinity Refs are the best in the price range FWIW. However, he didn't feel they were worth the premium over the Alpine's because I'm getting such an exceptional deal.

 

dude, can't go wrong then! good luck and i hope you like 'em!

 

Well I have the 5x7's in, they are awesome! Like night and day. Can't imagine having to live with the car with the stock deck and speakers.

Unfortunately my friend wasn't able to get the 6.5's, so the stock ones are still in the car. I don't feel like waiting a few days, think I may just go to a store and pay retail because I'm so anxious. Nobody seems to have the Infinity Ref's in stock. One store has a sale on Polk 6.5's, any opinion on these? Thanks.

 

I gave a hard listen to the comparably-priced Polks and while I thought they were OK, I thought the Infinity Refs were a lot better, but YMMV.

 

I have Infinity Reference 6.5" rounds in my front doors. I just made an adapter plate from 1/2" plywood, Simple.

Just got my system all done - the Infinity's have amazing power handling, IMO. I have them hooked up to a Rockford Fosgate 300s, and have cranked them much higher than my previous Kenwoods running from deck power. All I need now is to get a bit more mid bass out of them, and I will be one happy boy. But that's all in the tuning - I haven't done ANY tweaking yet.

 

We put the Infinity Reference 6.5's in today, they are awesome. With the Alpine 5x7's in front and Sony Explod deck the car is so much more enjoyable. I'm satisfied for now, but may consider a sub in the future.

On a down note, I was so excited with how everything sounds, I got a little carried away, put some DMX in, cranked it and promptly blew my left 5x7. Should have a replacement Monday or Tuesday. Damn and I wanted it to sound perfect for Saturday night!!