I want to keep my stock radio in a 1987 GTA Vert.

I want the speakers to go in the stock locations as well.

Fronts like everyone are 4x6.

Rears are 6.5.

As I understand a stock head unit is OK if I plan to use an Amp so Ill have to plan for buying that.

Given such little speakers I have to work with you can see I dont plan on getting a bunch out of it. I would like to get the most possible though while not spending gobbs of cash. For the most part I just want to be able to hear music with the top down. Is that possible?

I thought I read on here little speakers can do decent as long as there is an Amp pushing them. Given they are decent speakers. The problem with our cars is the head unit does not supply much power.

The next thing I need to figure out is

1. Am I looking for the highest wattage speakers I can buy?
2. 2 way or 3 way?
3. I see things like Ohms and Impedence (does this really matter with such small speakers?)
4. What do I look for to get the most out of so little?
5. What do I expect?

I really dont listen to music with a lot of bass but I would like some if possible. Just wanting to know whats the most I can expect with such little speakers?

 

ima just put my input here, altho im in the same boat as you when it comes to knowleadge of audio. if you run a amp to the speakers you probley might blow them (im told) in my 88 camaro i had sony explodes (2 4x6s and 2 6x9s) with stock head unit, good bass and had no problems with them, direct drop in (had to splice in the connectors for the new speakers but no biggy) and i got all them from walmart for under $100.
my 88 was ttop and driving with them off ont he highway bout 70 mphs i could hear the radio just fine.

 

Maybe Ill check the Sony speakers out. My problem is I cant even get 6x9 speakers in my car. The biggst I can get in the back is the 6.5" round speakers. I guess there are good ones out there but they r probably pricey.

 

ya well 6.5s put out a decent amount of bass i believe and walmart has them.

 

You CAN replace the panels that the speakers are bolted to with some from another F-body if you want 6x9 speakers. They're just held in with 4 sheet metal screws (just like the speakers themselves). Problem with the oval woofers is that they distort the sound slightly and you'll never get decent bass like you will a 6.5" speaker. A Walmart amp will probably hold you for the speakers, as they don't put out much power (not like the speakers will take it anyways... my Xplod 4x6 speakers only take 20W RMS and 120W max).

:edit: Oh, and I just remembered that I had to trim the dash a little bit for one of the sets of 4x6 speakers I put in the dash. I think it was the American Legacy speakers, though. Got those off of eBay, which is another option if you're interested.

 

If you want more powerful, clearer sound you'll want a new receiver. a new receiver will have a higher output than the stock one so you wont need to wire in a separate amp.

I love the 6x9's in the back of my car. They're pretty good size and can put out a decent ammount of bass. With just 6.5's you will never get good low end, that size is designed for midrange and trebel.

 

i can't speak for the 4x6 fronts, but if you're look for a really nice set of 6 1/2" speakers for a steal, I highly recommend these:
http://www.parts-express.com/pe/show...number=299-275

you wont find anything remotely close in price that sound that good.

maybe if you get creative, you may be able to fit these up front:
http://www.parts-express.com/pe/show...number=299-276

they'll both work pretty well with stock power

 

Sounds good, what about the idea of a cheap amp.

Is an amp necessary?

If I wanted to use an amp would this one work
http://www.parts-express.com/pe/show...&vReviewShow=1

 

To be honest, I wouldn't amp a stock stereo unless I wanted to run a sub or something.

 

The primary problem with improving the sound system with a stock headunit is the fact that the stock HU doesn't have any preouts. There are damn few amps on the market that, like the Jensen I am going to use with my regular speakers, have a high-level (speaker level) input. Pretty much everything requires the use of an HU that has preouts, which means that either you would need to send your stocker out to get modified to have preouts or get an aftermarket HU.

 

Well that clears that up. Well what do you think of those suggested speakers. They seem reasonable.

 

What's your budget? We might be able to recommend something if we know how much you're looking to spend.

 

Thats a hard one to answer at the moment because I have so many other areas on my car that need work. I just need something to get me going right now and Ill come back around later and really make a decent system for the car.

Maybe $150? Less than that if I can make it happen and get decent sound. I am not looking for anything mind blowing but I would like to get the best I can with the least $ I can. I know yall need to know what Im willing to spend in order to help me though. I do know I want to keep my stock head unit. Maybe at a later time I can have the modifications done that make the head unit a better performer (I would also like an MP3 jack installed in a concelled location).

Thanks

In my searches I saw someone mentioning baffles help. What do you all know about this. And is there any other kind of smoke and mirrors stuff that can make a small speaker system better.

 

you can get a line-level converter to change the speaker level outs to line level (pre-outs) for little money. but i would not touch pyramid amps with a 10 foot pole; they are not reliable and completely overrated. Ebay's a great place to find used amps for low money. A well built amp won't wear out like speakers can, so used is a great way to score a good piece at a low cost.

As for speakers, I still stand by my recommendation, even with that new price limit. Vifa and Audax are the build houses that make speakers for quite a few name brands out there and while you may not recognize the name, I can almost guarantee most people have used their products without even knowing (they've built for Pioneer, Infinity, Focal just to name a few).

 

I have no problm with those reccomendations. Especially the prices. I did read the reviews and noticed some folks had out of the box problems but it seemed more related to shipping than the product.

Im gonna pull the trigger pretty soon so these will likely be the way I go.

What do you know about baffels and such that you can put around the back of speakers. Does this make any difference. Have you seen how little room these convertibles have to work with? Its rediculus. Just looking for something that will help.

 

I would stay away from the baffles unless you're having issues with water destroying your speakers (which in that case i'd say just use half of one to keep water from touching them). Car speakers are designed to have a decent amount of airspace behind them, baffles would kill that. If you're looking to do anything behind them, put in some sound deadener to kill any panels that may be rattling

 

Using baffles depends on the application. When I had the system in my Grand Prix, the rear speakers REQUIRED baffles to keep the air being pushed by the subs from blowing the cones out (trunk mounted subs and the 6x9 speakers protruded into the trunk space). Sometimes, if you're putting speakers in a small space, you can use baffles and/or pillow stuffing to make the speakers act as though they are in larger enclosures (have my 6z9's done this way), thereby improving sound quality somewhat.

 

well i got mine from amazon and they work great!!! lots of colors and designs

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_no...le+4x6&x=0&y=0

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_no...le+6x9&x=0&y=0

i outfitted my car in blue for my interior scheme
but they have blue, red, yellow, black, and white they look good and sound great and they won't break the bank

 

There is nothing wrong with using an amp with a factory head unit but you should use the line level converter as mentioned if the amp doesn't have the speaker level inputs.
Bigger speakers yield bigger bass, that's just how it is, however you can get decent sound from a 6.5", just not subwoofer sound. Quality of the speaker also makes a difference.

If you have a speaker that can only handle 20watts rms and use a quality 50 rms per channel amp, you will not blow the speakers unless you play them to the point they are distorting. Trying to push a 50watt rms speaker loud with a 20watt amp very well could blow (ruin) the speaker, reason is it will be distorting when playing loudly and be under driven.

Don't cheap out on the amp, you don't need to spend a ton of money but if you buy no name junk, that's exactly what you'll get.
Focus on RMS per channel, forget the "MAX" wattage of the amp.
If you want it to be loud with the top down, you'll need higher rms rated speakers with an amp that can at least match the rms per channel. The higher the rms, essentially the louder it can play assuming the amp is quality and can provide the proper rms power.


Lastly, the gain level ***** on the amps are NOT volume controls.
Set your bass/treble/etc on the radio to flat. Turn your head units volume up to about 3/4 with the amps gain controls at their lowest, slowly turn the gain up on the amp for a particular channel until you just hear it distorting, then turn it back a notch. Do that for each channel to achieve the best loud clean sound the setup can handle. As long as you give the speakers enough power and don't distort them, they won't blow.

Just one example on a budget, here's a decent 65 watt rms per 2-channel amp WITH speaker level inputs (no converter needed):

http://www.crutchfield.com/p_105KSA3....html?tp=35757

and two speakers (frequency down to 43Hz so not too bad bass wise):

http://www.crutchfield.com/p_20607DS...html?o=p&tp=95

That setup would work well and sound tons better then factory for the rears while leaving the fronts hooked up stock.