it's been a long time since i've been into purchasing new equipment but i'm getting ready to do a really radical interior and i'm contemplating changing things up. i have a shop helping me with some of the actual work and through the process they have suggested some changes. for visual sense i wouldn't mind updating my equipment but the price to do so seems rediculous so i'm looking for opinions. heres the setup now.

premier 4x6's 3 ways in dash
premier 6x9 4ways in rear quarters
premier 6" component s-way in lower kick pannels
3 JL 10w6 (bought new in 2001)
PPI 4800 amp
PPI 2150 amp

none of this was meant to compete, basically sound decent enough over the large motor without breaking the bank which it has done well since new. i'm getting ready to do a full redo on the interior and the shop helping me wants me to upgrade naturally. i wouldn't mind if things were reasonable but the fact my pieces work decent enough i'm questioning it and the price obviously

here is what they are suggesting and cost.

(2) JL XR 560 CSI component setups ($750)
(1) JL XR4 which i think is another component set ($300)
(3) Jl 10w6v2 ($1050)
(1) 1000/1 ($800)
(1) 450/4 (650)

$3800 total..

now i've been out of audio for along time, looking up the specs of everything they seem to be about equal give or take obviously since the new pieces are updated slightly in certain areas and the 2 extra sets of components will ad more. is it worth the $3,800+ to change out my old setup when the components i have work well... they just aren't "new" and naturally aren't all matching? i want to redo this once and do it right but $4,000 for all of this JL equipment seems rediculous. that doesn't even include wiring, caps and everything else i'll need. i'm sure i can find all the pieces cheaper else where which i would do in the end but i'm just trying to figure out if it's justified to do so beyond having the "newest" equipment which isn't important to me.

any thoughts?

also if anyone is in the michigan area i'm giving away my old box setup to anyone who is on a budget and might need it get ahold of me.

 

i wouldnt spend 4 grand on all that equipment even tho all of it is worth that. have u thought of trying anything besides JL maybe kicker, or something other then JL.

Now if u like your syereo equipment yu have now sounds then why buy all new stuff? now if it were me i would probobly buy one of the sets of components but u shouldnt; need both if u already have one set. unless u want to go with an all JL theme

 

just looking for opinions and your right... 99% chance i won't buy all of that as it's rediculous. back in the day JL made great subs and PPI amps were decent enough to run them, especially in 3's. i like the looks of the new JL w6vs's but i'm not willing to drop $1,100 just on the looks of a speaker when maybe 1 out of 10 notices something like that it's just rediculous... however if they are truly worth the sound over the original 10w6's then i'd consider it.

same goes for amps, the ppi amps are much different in design but very similar in size so installation and location wouldn't change much. in most instances when you pair up brands things seem to work better. if that's true then i have no problem changing out the amps.

the real question i think is more or less components. again it's back in the day but mb quart and boston accoustic use to be on top of their game for that area. i have no idea anymore as i quit reading a very long time ago.... JL definately wasn't up there though and $1,000 for JL components just to match seems outrageous. i paid $150 for my 6" premier components and while not perfect they certainly do the trick.

again i don't compete however i do care about how everything flows well together so i'm trying to get opinions on equipment. very rarely do you hear anything about JL anyhow other then it's nice but over price and same goes for kicker and the rest. i want to do this one last time and forget about it so i'm gauging opinions on the matter.

 

wayland, hey, someone not too far from me on here for a change. im from holland. back to topic, im not heavily into systems or any competition, but ive never really had a problem with kenwood or pioneer. but i may just be showing ignorance here.

 

kandied if i was you i would change out is the amps for the jl ones but keep you w6's b/c i don't think there is much of a difference in the sound of them unless your going to compete. although i think u could find the amps for cheaper if u shopped around. another thing is i would maybe get rid of the 6by9's in the bacl and run a compnent set backthere. since the 6x9's are kind of more for bass out of speakers but u have the subs for the bass. also what head unit are uy plannin on running?

 

Right now many shops I've been to recommend the Diamond Components... they are about the same price as that shops quoted you for the jl stuff...

I would personally never buy anything from another car audio shop, as its obvious how greedy they are, and unless you are a rich executive, then they really don't care much about you.

Check around, all the shops in Austin sell the Memphis 1500D amp for about $1000-$1200... I can get it shipped to my house for about $265... off ebay brand new 1 year warranty... that just goes to show how damn greedy these people are... I wonder how much goes straight into the salesmen's pocket? I bet a considerable amount...

Honestly, if you are looking for the best stuff, MB Quart and Diamond Audio are high on the totem pole... just make sure you get the most expensive stuff... for diamond its the HEX series... just get 'em off ebay and toss 'em yourself... from looking at everything you've posted, I'm sure you're more than capable of all this... unless it's a time-constraint issue, that's what I'd do.

Possibly a good value improvement on your components would be some Infinity Kappa Perfect 6.1's.... you can get them from etronics or ikesound for about $230 a pair... and I can personally vouch for their performance, as I've helped a friend install them in his ford ranger... in the door, and they blow me away everytime I ride in the car... keep in mind he's got a 700 watt amp powering the two speakers... but that's really not much of a concern, as you already have a very sufficient amplifier.. I would not... NOT bother replacing your amps, unless you are very unhappy with its performance... Most of your audio quality difference is gonna show from headunit-to-headunit, and speaker-to-speaker...

I might add also that PPI is an EXTREMELY good brand and I know people that would kill for your amps... maybe not the pioneer speakers, but the amps definitely...

I'd say go with two pairs of 6.1 infity components... I've heard a pair of those diamond hex series, and I could hardly tell the difference... And for the amount they want for your new system... hell you could put a down payment on a Subaru WRX STI and get a few months out of that too! (or insert car of desire as needed)

Good Luck,
Steven

 

i agree with you, having sold and installed back when i was younger i know first hand that retail is almost twice without even thinking about it. not on all things but most and sometimes even more which is what bothers me.

i really don't feel the need to change anything which is the main reason why i just wanted to see some opinions on the matter.

as far as the PPI amps they have served me well, i think overall the matching install would possibly look nicer with the jl amps but i also think the installer makes or breaks the install and can make anything look great if talented enough. unfortunately i don't have the time to mess with this sort of thing anymore. the smaller installation issues i can deal with but i dont have the room for a full fiberglass rebuild.

i'm not sure what i'm going to do in the long run but i agree with many of you that $3800 isn't necessary for the pieces and i feel that what i have may not be the best but fits my needs. i would like to change components though so i think i'll look into that more of course and i've considered yanking the 4x6's and 6x9's as they don't seem to offer much for me.

 

Check your PMs; I don't want to retype it all. I do want to add to it though by saying that I think you can benefit from a simpler speaker setup.

Right now you've got components AND 4x6s up front, and 6x9s in the back.

They are trying to sell you 3 sets of components.

Simplify dude. You absolutely don't need 2 sets of components up front, and in most cases, having more than 1 set is just going to hurt your imaging and clarity. Stick with 1 good set up front.

Personally, I also prefer not to have rear fill, but I realize that others differ. I would suggest giving 1 set a try, and if you're not happy with it, go back to get some rear speakers. What you'll find with 1 set of speakers is that you get much better imaging and soundstage, and if they're set up properly, you'll never miss the rear speakers. All the rear speakers do is pull the image back instead of leaving it out beyond the dashboard where it belongs. This also gives you the ability to put all of that money into one good pair of components up front. Depending on the application, this means you could go with a good 3 way set, which gives you the advantage of putting the small mids & tweets in the kicks where they'll image best, but put the woofer in the doors where they'll provide the smoothest low frequency response. If you do all this and decide you still want rear fill, try just buying a set of identical midranges and put those out back. No tweeters and no woofers. This will give you the ambiance without pushing costs up too high, and should also help prevent pulling too much of your soundstage back.

 

WOW $3,800, That’s nuts. I think you can do much better for a LOT less. With what you have you can upgrade easily. You said just having new isn’t to great a concern, you’re going to have make the call on how big a concern.
First, there is no need to upgrade the subs if there not damaged unless you just what new ones. $1050 is a LOT of money, your money.
On rear fill speakers. The more I hear, the more I like just having great drivers for the front in kicks. No rear fill needed. With your old amps you can bridge the 4800 to 200Wx2 if I’m remembering the right amp. Use this to run the front comps.
I don’t remember the 2150 or know how you have the subs wired so power here could be a problem. But if that all works out you save the money on the amps. I just don’t think the small improvement is going to justify the cost. They have you spending almost $2,000 just on subs and a sub amp. If you’re going to upgrade the one amp, you may just get two new ones. In that case go with the 1000/1 but you can rethink the 450/4 (at $650) if you’re not running the rear fill speakers. You just need a 2-channel amp then or a smaller 4-channel amp and bridge it to 2 channels (the 450 is bigger then needed if bridged).
I do think it’s worth the money to step up on the rest of the speakers. Pioneer never make speakers that where all that spectacular, Premier or not. I would suggest MB, Boston, and I’ve heard good things about Diamonds as well. I’ve only heard diamonds once and the install was junk so I can’t rate then off of that. If it was my money I’d have them in the kicks and ditch the 4x6s and the 6x9s altogether.
No mention of HU so I take it you’re set there.

 

I personally love the rear fill in my car... but maybe if I tried components in the kicks for a while I'd change my mind.