Planning on getting new speakers
 

Hey, I've got a 1990 Protege LX, and I am planning on getting some new speakers for the back because one of them is blown.

But I was looking at Sony XS-V1632 6 1/2" 3-Way Speakers and I found them on etronics for $60.00 bucks. I went into a local car audio store and listened to them and they sounded pretty nice.

But I recently noticed that I can get Pioneer TS-D170R 6 3/4" 2-Way Speakers for 80 bucks and thought these would probably be even a better buy. The pioneers give out more peak and also RMS power.

What are your guy's opinions? I mean are there much better speakers for under $100, that I am totally missing?
Are pioneer and sony good brands for car speakers?

I recently purchased a Pioneer HU and that is one of the reasons I am looking at their brand of speakers.
I am also looking for an Amp and a sub, and it seems like Pioneer's best amp, just doesn't push out alot of power, according to their specs.

I may be getting a 12" Bostwick sub which includes a box at the local car audio store for 89.00 bucks. My friend has two of them and they sound pretty nice.


Thanks,

Monster8

Get Cadence. I am about to upgrade mine, and I have done my homework on this matter. Cadence is a great high-end choice. They are a little more. The intro line is like 99-109 and the competition line runs like 169 a set...cheap as high-end stuff goes. The intro line blows top line sony and pioneer away. Call a few good stereo shops and ask. You won't be disappointed.

don't get sony,.., you will kick yourself for it.. believe me!,get MBquart, you will love them! but listen to them first

I would go for mb quarts if I can find them for a good price or something else less commerical.I just purchased a pair of infinity's for under $100 and I am really impressed.

blue LEDz,
that is cool, yeah I said the wrong pioneer speaker I meant the 6 1/2 size one which is fairly similar.
Just see the problem is that there aren't that many places I can hear different speakers, the local store doesn't have that much selection. I may try and find another one to goto and listen there.
The store I did goto did have the sony's that I mentioned and they didn't sound that bad in my opinion. And that is why I figured the pioneer would sound even better for a little more.

I'll check out the MBquarts and the cadence speakers. I never have heard of them. :)

Re: Planning on getting new speakers
 

Your not even human-fucking-bians!

- Gunnery Sargent Hartman.
:bonk:

Yeah I am not looking for competition equipment yet. I am only 17 and with a part-time job. I am looking forward to something that sounds nice, and I don't have to spend a fortune. 1000watts and all that is way too much for me, people go for as much power they can get, and I would love to do that but I don't want to spend the money on that.

Well I am not sure what that means. But I do like the :)

I love that quote.
:boink:

I'm not suggesting you buy competition equipment, just that you don't buy crap.

So you saying not to get the Bostwick, nor Pioneer?
Darnit! I must be way off on what I am looking at then!

I agree. Go for the UltraDrive line. To tell ya the truth, I have a 5.25" CWM-5KIT component set and it's safe to say it's as good as if not better than my component set that cost twice as much (which shall remain nameless) I'm switching back to the Cadences.

Best part is they go for cheap on eBay

And good luck finding 6.5" cadence coaxies on eBay, and if you do they're MINE anyways! muahaha :the finge

Well this brings me to another question, how hard is it to put in 6x9 speakers in the back? I am guessing I will have to cut some metal?

Why does everyone need 6x9's? I don't get it. Stick with the 6.5" speakers it's easier and you will not notice a huge difference in your car between the 6x9's and 6.5" speakers.

Sorry I'm not ratting on you Monster8 but IMO it seems pointless to put 6x9's where they're not supposed to be.

No Sony and no pioneer. Good for HUs but speakers not. Id go MQs or Polks. Im happy with my kickers. But the MQs sounded better when I was buying em. I just wanted the kicks for namesake.

Reason I was mentioning 6x9 was because you said the 6.5 was hard to find on the Cadence. :(
So I took that as though it would probably be easier to get the 6x9 over the 6.5.

I just looked over the Polk GXR6E's on their website and they are not bad looking. Almost seems like Polk Audio would be overpriced just because they are more a well known company. The only place they list for their dealer around my area is in Circuit City, so that just seems like they are going to be charging a bit more.

With the amount of people that have said either Cadence or MQ, I get the point! :)
I looked over Cadence and MQ's and they seem very cool. They don't look as nifty or cool looking with the colors like pioneer and sony do, but I am sure that is where most of your money is going towards with the sony and stuff.
Now I think it is time to go find a audio shop that I can go in with all this knowledge! Then I will be able to listen to the differences of the Cadence and MQ's and the whole works and figure it out. :)

For subs, is Cadence and MQ still good for sub companies?
And the same for amps? Or should I look around at different comapnies for each I am guessing.

I think maybe you should go to the local hole in the wall autosoundsplus. They will be able to hook up different kinds of components as well as different amps and subs. If you had an Ovations I would say go there. Not that I would would pay their prices but those places are very helpful so you can here the sound of all parts

Nevermind you already said that...duh!:D

i'm gonna chime in here. here are a few good brands that are relatively cheap and should float around your budget:

gs designs
autotek
cadence
infinity ref
fusion

online, you could get really good deals. if you need links, let us know. :)

as for subs, here are a few to consider:

jl audio w0's or w3's (bit more exp, but good sub)
kicker comp vr
fusion powerplant
autotek
(haven't heard these but price is good)
adire shiva, elemental k series

mind you, there are many other brands out there that i didn't list, but i'm trying to stay within your budget. being 17 and all, money isn't that easy to come by. hell, even if you're an old man like me, money isn't easy to come by. :p

5.25" are relatively easy to find, all you will need to do is cut a baffle out of a scrap piece of plywood or something, and that way you won't be ruining your car. Plus with 6x9's it hard to keep your stereo stealth because you will have to cut the rear shelf and fit grilles. Theft magnet.

What about your front speakers?
Cadence for your front speakers though won't be too easy, Cadence magnets are very deep and your window won't roll down all the way. Which is why I'm building fibreglass door pods to fit mine :)

For subs, I strongly recommend Cerwin Vega HED. Excellent subs and they're cheap!

For amps Phoenix Gold QX line, JBL power series, Fusion, a whole bunch others I cant think of...they go quite inexpensive as well. I've never seen or heard Cadence amps in person but they are $$

Hiredgoon

Have you tried installing the cadence 5x7's in the front and 6 1/2's in the back of a protege 5 and they didn't fit? I haven't tried mounting them yet and this could be bad news.

On amps, cadence makes great hard working long lasting amps as well; Blaupunkt seems to get some great reviews on amps, but I have never tried them.

Has anyone out there successfully mounted cadence speakers in their car without window problems?

Monster a few things you should think about for the speakers.
First don't look at them only listen. In fact when you listen to them on a board turn away from them and let some one switch pairs until you find one your ears only, like. Don't think about looks and brands. I like what I like and so will you but I have no respect for people who buy speakers without listening to them and comparing different sets.
Second the difference between 6x9s and 6 1/2s are basicly none. Essentialy the difference in bass you get wiht the 6x9 comes with more distortion. Both are fairly unnoticable.
As far as brands go even different series of speakers in the same brand can sound very different.

Having never listened to any polk speakers I can't say what I think of them nor would I. But if you desire an opinion on any sets or you have a price range and the available brands you have access to let me know and I can give you my .02 on them. I have auditioned, MB Quart, Boston acoustics, JL audio, Eclipse, Alpine, Kenwood, Sony, Image dynamics, Xtant, Focal, and JVC.

What about CDT speakers everyone? I would say CDT makes some of the most natural sounding, high quality speakers on the market. TheZeb has them onsale right now too...

GREAT! Thanks for all the info. I think I will go out today and go a few places and listen to as much as I can.
Now I have an idea of what to look and listen for. :)
I can't wait untill I actually have bought it all and have hooked it up so I can hear what they sound like in the car.

1st Mp3 got it. don't look, listen. and a lot of times, everything on the board will sound good, so yeah, turn around and have someone switch it and pick the one you like.

as far as the cdt's go, good luck trying to find a pair for $100. even on sale they are heavy on the wallet. but they are up there in terms of great sound, with a/d/s and focal. just not cheap.

Now I am getting confused on what I am going to do.
Because after thinking about it, in the audio store it is always going to sound different then what it will in your car. And there are only three audio stores around here that they actually have something I can listen to, and they don't have the best of selection.
I mean maybe this is getting a little too much in the fine details. If I buy a pair for 100 dollars from Mb Quart, cadence, or pioneer, they have to all sound pretty good, there may be some differences, but I am thinking they won't sound too different. When I went in the one audio shop and played some sony and some panosonic they sounded pretty similar.

Main reason I am saying this is because the stores just don't have a huge selection I can listen to, I hate it. So I almost have no choice except either buy something that I can listen to (like the sony or pioneer) at the stores locally, or I can just order either MB Quart or something online and just give it a try.

It is kind of frusterating.

If you order high stuff like cadence or MB quart it is going to sound good. You will like either one. Listening in shops helps some but it is not a panacea. The environments are too dissimilar. I am going to buy mine from a local shop and yes that costs more than ebay and while I can change out speakers myself, if I am gonna get an amp at the same time I will just pay them to do it. It will cost me about 150 more than ebay and do it yourself but I get a 3 year warranty and someone to bitch at if it doesn't sound perfect and no headaches from the process. It is worth it to me. Given your poor local selection, I think you can order online with confidence that you will like the quality. I just want good solid sound; I don't have dog ears and I don't need to spend 5 or 10 grand on a system..though I do understand the addiction as I used to really tweak out my rides. Now I am older and just want something that doesn't sound like crap :)

there are a lot of good online places that offer good service as well as prices. local shops have the advantage of having your stuff then and there.

what brands besides sony, panasonic and pioneer do your local shops offer? no jl? no kicker? anyhoo, like i said, if you need links, let us know. :)

Although a speaker will sound different in a car its weak points will be audable on a board. For instance you can hear that a BA and an MB Quart are very bright on a board. This will be no different in a car. I would never reccomend buying MB quart with out listening first they are ery bright and are to much for many people. In fact they are propably the most loved and the most hated speaker out there. Listen to whats around and search manufacturers websites for retailers you may not know about. Hell I live in New Hampshire and I have at least one shop representing any brand within 20 miles. I never even knew about 2 of them until I went to a manufactures site to find a dealer.

Pioneer and 6x9s
 

Hey i was just browsing through this thread and I want to say first of all that Pioneer speakers are VERY good sounding if you ask me, and i've listened to MANY kinds of speakers....maybe i don't know what to listen for, but if it sounds good, it sounds good! I have all pioneer speakers (3 way 6 1/2s......4 way 6x9s) and i LOVE my system! Secondly, when it comes to 6 1/2 s VS 6x9s, I can tell you that the 6x9s sound WAAAAAAY better than the 6 1/2s. I tested this out in my car because i have 6 1/2 in the front and 6x9s in the back. I put the fade all the way to the front and listened, then to the back..... There's a TON more bass in the 6x9s.... I had to cut some metal to get them in *boy was it worth it!* but it only took a couple hours max, and if i can do it, anyone can. :withstupi
I have a friend with 2 12 in subs and a 1000 watt amp and it pisses him off when he hears how good my lil pioneers sound....They seriously impress everyone who listens to them....I recommend them all the way! They put a grin on my face every time i turn them up!!!:D

Hey i just want to add that the Pioneer 6x9s sure don't seem to cost you any noticeable difference in clarity either. They sound as crisp and clean as i can imagine. They are just a beautiful thing, to the ears and the eyes.:drool:

6x9's would carry more bas, but to cut into your doors... i dunno 'bout that... maybe an 8" for midbass. or better yet grab a single 10 or 12. and unless you carry passengers often, or if you have multimedia, you really don't need rear fill.

throw the 6.5's up front, and set your imaging with a sub in the back. :)

Tonyroma1, it is kinda cool to hear that from you. You are really the first person to say something really good about the pioneer's on this thread.

I was planning on getting a sub and amp and throwing that in the trunk, so I am not really concerned about the bass coming out of the speakers as much as mid's and high's. Just because the sub will be able to provide that for me.
I was looking at the 2 way TS-D160R speakers, because pioneer's website it looks like those are the top quality speakers they sell except for the 6x9. I don't think there would be any advantage of me getting the 6x9 over the 6.5 since I will be putting in a sub.

I should be able to goto some shops this weekend and listen to as much as they have ( I am hoping they will have pioneer on display, and some other good brand I can compare with).

What is making me think and getting me confused now, is that I am looking at some amps online for example the U.S. Acoustic 2100 model and the specs on it say 100w per channel @ 4ohms. Now I go look at a sub like the Infinity 1220w model and on the specs on that is 300w RMS @ 4ohms.

So if I got that amp and that sub would I be underpowering the sub? I would be setting it up where 1 channel will goto the front and back speakers and the second channel to the sub as an example setup.
Is that amp just not powerful enough? Or are the watt ratings different and that is what is confusing me?

I have seen this with other brands of subs and amps, and I try and compare them to see if they would go good together, but according to the specs they seem like they wouldn't.

I have read somewhere that underpowering your sub is a bad thing. :)

In your setup you would use 4 channel amp to power 4 speakers. One for each channel. Often, you can use it to power 2 or even one. For instance, 400 watts to one, 200 to 2 or 100 to 4. You would probably want a second amp to power a sub. You can get a single amp that will power 4 speakers and a sub but they tend to be large and expensive. Running at 4 ohms will provide cleaner sound than running at 2. With good clean sound even 75rms is a lot for basic fronts and rears. On the sub, I would use at least a single channel 200 watt amp.

So you are saying I can't power the 4 speakers and the sub with just a 2 channel amp?
Because I thought that was the norm for cheaper setups.

Well then if I couldn't power it that way then I likely would only get one amp just to power the sub and let the HU power the 4 speakers. Just because I don't really want to shell out for two amps.

Thanks

I guess anything is possible. I have never set one up that way but I am not an expert. What might be better in terms of sound quality would be to get a 4 channel amp (400 watts)...send two to the fronts at say 100 watts (front stage is most important) use the deck to power the rears and see if you can bridge the other 200watts into the sub. That way you get nice clean high power upfront where it matters most and decent rear filler and good thump on the sub.

dude, keep it all simple. this thread is so long, i forget which direction you're headed. :) you're gonna change your mind several times, and will change your setup as well, but stick to your plan and you'll SAVE MONEY. :(

as for your system, it sounds like you don't want a competition level setup, so here is a suggestion:

frontstage (get your pioneers)
2ch amp
sub
run your spkrs off the hu, amp the sub.

-OR-

frontstage
4ch amp
sub
run spkrs off 2ch, bridge the remaining 2ch for sub.

rear fill is not necessary (my previous post). but set your plan, set your budget and stay in the ballpark, you'll be lots happier in the end (and less confused!) go with the pioneers, as they are not bad spkrs and have nice sound.

OK, then this is what I probably will end up doing then, is moving the front speakers out of the doors into the back because the back speakers are blown. Putting in new speakers up front (not decided yet on the pioneer), in the future I will get new speakers for the back.

And then I will get an amp for the sub only, since the HU will probably be able to provide enough power (it is a pioneer KEH-P4020) which is 45wx4, to the speakers. I may even get the component speakers and then put the tweeters up on the windshield bars.

Ok since that is solved, for the amp, do I need to get an amp that will produce the same RMS as the sub can handle?

I just enjoy learning from it all. Reading all the input and reading other websites. :)

Thanks alot.

Monster: Im no expert in mobile audio but I seriously doubt you can run component speakers of the HU. I heard they need alot more power than that.

I hope Im wrong cause then I would get some.:cool:

it depends on which components and which hu you run. amping is normally better tho.

as for amps, you should match the rms, but it is not necessary. nowadays everyone wants a class d amp (including me, but for a different reason) or some 1000 watt amp or some crap. but not too long ago, 500w was the sh!t. underpowering your sub is not the cause for blowing, altho that factors into it. getting an amp that'll produce their rated power (and clean) is what matters the most.

in reference to your post above, the us accoustics will be fine for the infinity sub. you're looking at 100wrms (i think, not familiar w/specs) x2, so if you bridge it, you should get more power (enough power) to that sub.

Re: Pioneer and 6x9s
 

A rear deck speaker will always be louder, sound cleaner and deliver more bass for one reason. THERE NOT PLAYING AT YOU FEET LIKE THE FRONTS! No put the fronts in kick panels like me and you'll see why rear speakers are for fill only.