ok, this is a little different than most of the stereo threads in here. i have a car that is more race-car than street car, but i've recently run my exhaust back out the back of the car and want to have a stereo to make the trips out to the track from the house a little more enjoyable.

ok, i picked up a very clean very nice monsoon head unit from an 02 camaro. i did not get any of the speakers or the amp though. i don't want to run a sub as the car is a racecar and i don't want to add the weight.(nor do i have the space with an 8 pt roll bar and relocated battery to the trunk well) so keep that in mind as i am going to need a speaker that gives some good low-end to help balance the sound.

i also don't want to use an aftermarket head unit as i want the car to look as factory style as possible, and am willing to leave a little sound quality on the table to accomplish that. but what i do want is the best sounding 4x6's and 6x9's for the money. (my budget is no more than $200 for all four speakers)

ya'll are the experts on this, not me...wanna go fast, you're more than welcome to ask me that any time. but when it comes to audio, i'm trusting you guys to point me in the right direction.

 

[quote=mw66nova;4064208]ok, this is a little different than most of the stereo threads in here. i have a car that is more race-car than street car, but i've recently run my exhaust back out the back of the car and want to have a stereo to make the trips out to the track from the house a little more enjoyable.

ok, i picked up a very clean very nice monsoon head unit from an 02 camaro. i did not get any of the speakers or the amp though. i don't want to run a sub as the car is a racecar and i don't want to add the weight.(nor do i have the space with an 8 pt roll bar and relocated battery to the trunk well) so keep that in mind as i am going to need a speaker that gives some good low-end to help balance the sound.

i also don't want to use an aftermarket head unit as i want the car to look as factory style as possible, and am willing to leave a little sound quality on the table to accomplish that. but what i do want is the best sounding 4x6's and 6x9's for the money. (my budget is no more than $200 for all four speakers)

ya'll are the experts on this, not me...wanna go fast, you're more than welcome to ask me that any time. but when it comes to audio, i'm trusting you guys to point me in the right direction.


PLANET AUDIO

 

tell me why please...

 

Go to a store where they have a wall set up so you could hear what you like. I personally prefer the sound of pioneers and they have speakers to fit your budget.

 

i have them and they are the best that i have ver heard i have all Planet Audio now i got rid of the pioneers and the sony and changed them with Planet Audio and im never getting rid of these i have 2 10" PA 2 4x6 PA and 2 6x9 PA and a pioneer headunit

 

FTW get Boston Acoustics and never look back! I just installed all Boston Acoustics in my wifes Bravada powered by a kenwood 4ch amp, kenwood deck and a Boston Acoustics G5 subwoofer powered by a kenwood 1000watt amp and the thing sounds incredible.

Boston Acoustics make a 4x6 plate speaker with a separate woofer and tweeter, thats what I used in the dash and they sound great.

 

i've been reading that the BA stuff lacks in the low-end when not used in conjunction with an amp...and that it bottoms out when used with an amp...

how 'bout Orion? my best friend is into the audio stuff further than i am and suggested these up front:
http://www.sonicelectronix.com/item_...ion+C2.46.html

and these in the b-pillars:
http://www.sonicelectronix.com/item_...alt+CO690.html

 

This system lacks nothing! As far as low end goes thats why you use a sub...however if you dont have a sub BA 6x9's have awesome bass compared to other 6x9's. Read the reviews of the 6x9's that I bought http://www.carreview.com/mfr/boston-...1_1805crx.aspx

PS: Orion makes excellent amps and subs but stay away from their full range speakers. They sound way too bright and rattle when pushed.

 

everything on there said they were good speakers but really need an external amp, which i'm not willing to run because i have no real way to package them in the car (and the money can be spent to make the car faster) i want something that's going to shine well with the stock HU without an external amp. i found some on Memphis's website that looked interesting:

http://www.memphiscaraudio.com/produ...xial-speakers/

 

I second the opinion of going to a store where there are various speakers setup to listen to... take some cd's or your mp3 player and listen to music you like through the different speakers...

Everyone will have different taste in speakers.... buy what your ears like...

Raf

 

The problem with this idea is the speakers you like in a display case at the store will sound completely different in your car.

And yes you would have to power the BA's with an amp. With no amp I would look at some Polk Audios...I ran them in my TA off the deck and they sounded pretty good for the price.

 

So don't go listen & go by someone's word?

I got some DEI 4x6 plates I pulled out of my car... the sound pretty good... I'll ship them to you for $25... my MB Quart components that I paid $400 sound a little better... that's what I'm putting in...

Raf

 

I did not say that...what I did say is speakers are going to sound totally different in the store compared to how they are going to sound in a car. And speakers that sound good in one car might sound bad in another car. You cannot judge how speakers are going to sound in your ride from listening to a pair in some big wooden display board at Best Buy! Your best bet is to find someone with a car like yours that has a system and see how it sounds. And everyones taste is different...what might sound good to me might not sound good to you.

 

ya'll definitely provide some good arguments. the problem that i'm running into right now is my time limitations. i'm trying to buy a house right now as well as getting married, so i'm just trying to find out as much as i can about these things before i purchase something. i'll definitely go and check out what they have at the stores here. there's a couple of good shops in town that probably have some of the stuff i'm looking for in stock. the biggest problem i'm really facing is the notion of no amp, and a stock HU. i know it's not the "best" choice, but it is what it is and i want to get as close of a comparison to that as possible.

 

If you're going to go so far as to say that "they'll all sound differently in your car" then you're overlooking the bigger point: the headunit used to power them. The store will give a pretty accurate description. Your car may alter the sound a bit, but not to the point where the crappy tinny ones are going to sound better than the rich lush ones. It'll be a systematic change.

 

well you might need raise your budget to $300 for all 4 speakers but it will sound really good, (I think so....), plus if your still using the org. dash pad you are limited to makes and models fo speakers you can use. I used ALPINE SPS 406 in the front and ALPINE SPR 69C for the rear. The front speakers were REALLY tight but DO fit.... and i think sound great with my 99 Grand Prix cd player in my 87 GTA. Good Luck!

 

I'm in the same boat as you mw66nova (except the whole buying a house and getting married part). I have a Sony headunit and had Infinity speakers, but I just blew out the fronts so I'm in need of new speakers as well. I too don't want an amp or subs for my car.

 

I agree with some of the other posts which sounds is VERY subjective. I think when using a stock head unit you may be limited and your over thinking the speakers situation because the worlds best speakers wont sound that good if you dont have a quality signal being sent to them. This doesnt mean you cant have a good sounding system though. What do you like in your music ? If you want some more mid-range bass out of them then just looking at the construction of the speaker can tell alot. Not so much in sound quality all of the time, but usually if a speaker has a larger magnet and a quality looking rubber surround then chances are it will provide a better low end sound then the speaker with a paper surround and a tiny little magnet. Also it will be important to look at the sensitivity number and the higher the better for your application. This pretty much means its a more efficient speaker and there is less energy loss. So a speaker with a 90db sensitivity against a speaker with a 85 sensitivity will be louder with say 10 watts goign to both of them. So beign limited on wattage this is important. If you can find excursion numbers this is also better to be hgiher because the more air a speaker can move the louder essentially. I would defintly go ot some stores locally and check out what thye have and then buy them online after you see what you like. Making an enclosure for the 6x9s are filling the sides behind the 6x9's with polyfill (aka pillow stuffing) will help with some low end sound as well. Hope this helps a little.

P.S.
also dont be fooled by the large power claims thats some speaker manufactors put on their speakers. ALWAYS look at RMS power. Peak power pretty much means nothing unless you want to blowout your speakers. A lot of companys can make this huge number for peak power because they pick a frequency that is usually higher which causes less movement in the cone and the failing part is the actual voice coil burning out. Not real world numbers and just a way to fool people. Thats my two cents lol hopefully its a little helpful.

 

that's incredibly helpful. ya'll have given me a lot to consider and i'll be looking around alot for this. the rest of my build is coming to a close so i really wanna get on the move on some decent speakers.

i have another problem that's unrelated. i can't seem to get any sound out of my passenger side 6x9. i've tried three different speakers and tried to run down the wiring with little luck. has anyone heard of the signal output on these HU's going dead?

 

monsson will need an adpater to work, if at all without the factory amps.
not a section ive covered.

if you arent running an amp, the pioneer 4 way 6x9's are killer.
i got them from crutchfield.
i told the guy i wanted something clean and loud as possible with stock deck power. hit the nail head on.
when i had a 3rd gen dash in my car, i ran a set of kenwood 4x6. they were budget, and very clear with stock power.

 

You should be able to get a decent set of 6x9's and fronts for a lil bit more then 200$
I recommended infinity.

The reference is nice, I had them in my first camaro. They are 3way to!

http://cgi.ebay.com/INFINITY-REFERENCE-9623i-6-X-9-3-WAY-SPEAKERS-PAIR_W0QQitemZ270356017070QQcmdZViewItemQQptZCar_Speakers?hash=item270356017070&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1546|66%3A2|65%3A12|39%3A1|240%3A1318|301%3A1|293%3A1|294%3A50


80$ for 6x9
60$ for 4x6
the fronts are about 70 but you can find them for as low as 50$

http://www.sonicelectronix.com/item_...e+6422cfp.html

 

to me the infinity car line is not up to par with the home audio.
i had a set of 6.5" components years ago in a car and i took them right back out.
the highs were great, but it had no oustanding voice in any type of music.
i found the setup to be lacking hearing the singer.

 

That sucks stage remember what series ?

 

i had 6.5" kappas, which were the green woofers in the late 90's, top of the line.
i later tried some of the reference, which actually sounded better than past model kappas. i still wasnt impressed.
just blazing tweets. no matter the crossver adjustment. the voices just werent there for me. strong guitars were missing in the music as well, unless it was a solo or a nice riff.

best speakers i ever had were soundstream spl components, and a set of 6x9's.
i had blown a woofer one time, and had only mids and highs for a bit.
lil adjusting of the eq, and those 6x9's sounded like a pair of 8's.
i never put the subs back in after that. i grew out of the boomy stuff.
man those were clear. i had good CLEAN power on them, though.

if you wanted to spend a lil cash, the MB quart or boston acoustic stuff is REAL nice.

everyone has a different ear and budget. car audio is just like anything else.
tons of stuff out there.

 

This is a very interesting thread for me. I want to keep the car looking stock both internally and externally ('90 Formula), so wanted to put in some decent speakers with the stock head unit. Maybe an amp in the rear glove box is in order? Will it work with the stock head unit without rewiring the entire car?

I have found that getting into a stereo store results in getting sold whatever they have the "spiff" on. I value your guys opinions a lot more, you spend your own cash and are willing to swap out speakers or components that you're not satisfied with. Like mw66nova, I know a lot about engines, but I'm kinda lost in the land of stereos.

Thanks
TA

 

The DB Drive speakers are awesome. they have the bass of a 10" sub. also any of the infinity Reference speakers are really good.

 

Bummer :/ I loved the kappas, The 12"s pounded like no tommarow.
for the soundstream spl components can you even find that anymore i searched for it, and found nothing but subs :/
NVM found a site for them
http://www.soundaround.co.nz/shop/gr..._match&from=24

 

Kinda pricey ^.^ I bet they sound good!

 

the problem with that logic is that i've already got three working speakers in the car...which makes me think that the amp is not necessary.

 

If you just want something that will work id go to wal-mart or something and get a set from them.

 

if i just wanted something that "would work" don't you think i would have just gone down on done just that rather than posting a three paragraph long post about my dilema?

 

I don't know if there are any in your area but I went to a police seized property auction and picked up a nice nearly new set of Kenwood 6x9 fourways for $40. They were out of the box but boxed pioneer 4in two way rounds sold for the same, I just didn't get my hand up in time. Stereo head units sold from 25 to 75, the most expensive was an unopened box. This same company also does consignment auctions that have quite a bit on them as well. You might look into saving money that way. Just installed the Kenwoods today, sound great, the fit isn't exact, stock screws don't work because my socket won't go all the way into the speakers mount hole, have to use a phillips head instead of a 7mm.