TDeMent

iTrader: (1)

I am looking to replace the speakers in my IX (with out the upgraded sound) and my goal is to spend at most around 300 per pair (maybe more if someone knows of something REALLY worth it) and I want to avoid using a sub (to conserve trunk space). I need speakers that can hit hard when amped (I will be using a 4 ch amp that does 45-50 rms per channel) but are also clear and crisp. My goal is sound quality over loudness. Ideally I would like to have all four speakers be the same, but if one pair is better at bass for the rear deck and another pair is better for overall sound for the front, that would be fine too.

Any suggestions?

Thanks in advance!

st3alth5

If quality is your goal, then I would suggest getting a sub for the trunk because taking the low-end load off everything you have up in the cabin is going to increase their capability to generate better quality sound out of the rest of the sound spectrum.

The sub does not have to be a huge 15" to do this. Most people go with a 10" to do this. But, since you are considering no sub at all, low-end is obviously not a priority for you. So, I would suggest getting one 8" with either a dual or triple coil and put that into a decent-sized box for it. Get a small mono amp for it and mount it to the box. Then pop it into the trunk and secure it somehow so it does not fly around back there when you are driving around.

You would probably only lose .8 cubic feet of space in the trunk with that sub setup, which I think is a small price to pay for better quality over the rest of the sound range.

I am totally with you on wanting to conserve what little trunk space we do have.

TDeMent

iTrader: (1)

I have a 10in Kappa Perfect Sub in my old car (94 Concorde, so space wasn't an issue) and it gets the job done wonderfully. I was considering moving it to the Evo, but I was hoping a good set of 6.5's could get the job done. Maybe I should just move it over along with my 5ch Kicker amp. Either way, I still would want my speakers to have a good range to cover the higher range bass that is at the edge of the sub's low pass which is 110 hertz with the Kicker amp.

st3alth5

Where were you planning to mount the 4-channel amp you were talking about originally?

Because I know that 5-channel Kicker is not going to get mounted anywhere in the cabin unless you are planning to sacrifice some passenger space.

With the sub, that good set of 6.5's is going to sound way better if you are sending them the high-pass signal instead of the full range.

TDeMent

iTrader: (1)

Regardless, either amp is going to go in the trunk on the back of the rear seat. The space an amp takes up there is minimal in my mind. If I use the sub with the speakers would have a high pass either at 80 or 110 hz. The Kicker amp only has switches for the filters, not a dial. In my old car I have the speakers overlap the sub. I don't know if this is necessary or not, but I feel like it’s a good idea!

What would you recomend as a good set of 6.5's to pair with my sub?

st3alth5

By how much frequency do you overlap the speakers with? Because, if you are overlapping them completely, then we can throw all of the advantages of off-loading the low-end onto the sub because with a complete overlap, all the sub is doing is adding boom.

I have actually not shopped a lot of 6.5's or heard that many, so I do not have a specific brand and model in mind for you. But, what I can say is that whatever you should buy depends on what the other parts of the system are capable of and what portion of the signal you are going to push to each. That is basically going to be determined by the frequency response of the components and your filter settings. Regardless, I would suggest going with 3-way capable speakers so you will have better control over the signal going to them.

I think matching components look hot, so I would start by looking at what Infinity has to offer and then go from there, but that is me.

TogueMonster

iTrader: (14)

If you want some really sweet bass but nothing overwhelming, throw an JL 8" sub in your rear deck with some JL Audio coaxials in the back and a component set up front. You'll probably have to use some tin snips or a jigsaw with a metal cutting blade to cut through the rear deck sheet metal for the sub. Be sure you use Dynamat or any type of damping material on the rear deck. This is what I plan to do when I get ready to upgrade the sound system in my Evo.

TDeMent

iTrader: (1)

The speakers only overlap the sub by 30 hz. The sub cut off at 110 and the speakers at 80.

If I put the 8in sub in the read deck, would I need some sort of enclosure behind it or would is the sub usable in a free air situation? I would assume the trunk is too big to count as a proper enclosure. However, I do think this idea is a good compromise between good sound and good usage of space. Has anyone else tried this?

icedomin8r

Unless you have used an RTA on your system, overlapping x-over frequencies is probably giving you a bad peak in those areas. Having a not so smooth transition kills a smooth frequency response and in turn kills sound quality. There is no reason to overlap. The highest a sub should be crossed over at is around 80Hz, unless you like your bass to sound like sloppy ***.

No matter how "good" a pair of 6.5's are they will never give you sub base. To get sub base you need to move air and the amount of air a 6.5 moves doesn’t cut it.

Ideally, unless you care about your rear passengers, you shouldn’t run rear speakers if you want true sound quality. Tell me, when is the last time you went to a concert and sat backwards to the stage?

I would NOT run any sub in the rear deck. Free air subs sound like hammered sh*t. Your best bet is to get a nice 6.5 component set (Diamond, MB Quart, Focal, and Dynaudio) cross them over somewhere in the 63-80 Hz range. Get a sub 10-12, have a box built or better yet have a custom made fiberglass enclosure built for it. A custom fiberglass box will take up less space in the trunk and they look sick if built correctly.

If you drop $300 on a nice component set don’t go cheaping out on an amp. Make sure it’s from a quality manufacture. Your system is only as strong as your weakest link.

deffro

iTrader: (3)

Go on ebay and get a set of MB Quart Q-series components.

Front:
http://cgi.ebay.com/MB-QUART-QSD-216...QQcmdZViewItem

Rear:
http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-MB-Quart-QSD...QQcmdZViewItem

DontRevMe

iTrader: (2)

\

there's better for the money.


I would upgrade speakers LAST, get a nice clean powerful amplifier (either a large 4ch or a 4ch/mono). You may be impressed with factory speakers with a clean signal. I would suggest atleast a ported 8" sub in the back. A ported 8" in the CORRECT spec'd enclosure will sound more like a 12, but with less space and less power.

Perhaps an ARC audio KAR 600.4 (150x4 RMS @ 2ohm)
JL 8w3
And upgrade the factory head unit if you can, it all starts at the deck

kimletrim

iTrader: (18)

There is really no need to buy brand name speakers when you can buy the drivers themselves. I have Vifa tweeters and 6.5 midranges powered by a Mcintosh amp with a 10 inch sealed a/d/s sub. The sound is very clean and crisp. If I were to do it again, i would probably get a smaller amp like an old a/d/s amp to put under the passenger seat to power the front speakers. But I do agree with the others, you really do need a sub to bring out the best in a system. Either that or go with Boston Acoustics speakers for the rear deck, I heard that those hit real low.

BillAce

iTrader: (2)

Any 6.5" in the doors will provide poor imaging and you are likely to get resonance and no ueable output below 70Hz. This means a 12db slope on the High Pass would force the xover point to be moved up pretty high. The rear deck/trunk will yeld better low frequency results but 40-50Hz is optomistic since a 6.5 will be non linear at the excursion levels needed to play those frequencies.

I have a 6.5" in the kickpanels that is bolted to a 1/4" steel ring that is welded and glassed to the car. The rear cavity is the sill area along the wheelbase giving me approx 1 cubic foot per side. The speakers I am using have no high pass xover and roll off naturally, they are 3db down @ 43Hz. I lose upper frequency response so I chose a tweeter with improved low response as well. My High pass xover on the tweeter is 1.3KHz @ 24db. I have an Illusion Audio ND15 freeair behind the rear seat on an aluminum baffle. No rear speakers are needed.

I have modified the car and wanted audiophile sound without sacrificing performance. The car was weighed and corner balanced and it is 3268Lbs with my 188lbs in the drivers seat. The weight distribution is 51.8 front and 48.2 rear with a cross weight of 50.1. It is an 04 RS runs, handles and sounds pretty damn good!

TogueMonster

iTrader: (14)

I would TOTALLY run a sub i the rear deck. Who wants a box in thier trunk?? You just need enough bass for you. Free air?? Does anyone still make free air subs?? Anyways, you would definitely have to mount an enclosure behind the rear deck, sealed is the way to go unless you know how to build a vented/tuned enclosure according to the specs of the sub. Your sub should be JL, I still have yet to hear a sub that sounds more musical at high levels. Diamond components didnt impress me at all. MB Quart, you cant go wrong with these. For amps I'd run an ARC Audio. Focals are nice. Dynaudio are excellent if you have the cash. Good luck.

socalmr

iTrader: (11)

[/QUOTE]Unless you have used an RTA on your system, overlapping x-over frequencies is probably giving you a bad peak in those areas. Having a not so smooth transition kills a smooth frequency response and in turn kills sound quality. There is no reason to overlap. The highest a sub should be crossed over at is around 80Hz, unless you like your bass to sound like sloppy ***.

No matter how "good" a pair of 6.5's are they will never give you sub base. To get sub base you need to move air and the amount of air a 6.5 moves doesn’t cut it.

Ideally, unless you care about your rear passengers, you shouldn’t run rear speakers if you want true sound quality. Tell me, when is the last time you went to a concert and sat backwards to the stage?

I would NOT run any sub in the rear deck. Free air subs sound like hammered sh*t. Your best bet is to get a nice 6.5 component set (Diamond, MB Quart, Focal, and Dynaudio) cross them over somewhere in the 63-80 Hz range. Get a sub 10-12, have a box built or better yet have a custom made fiberglass enclosure built for it. A custom fiberglass box will take up less space in the trunk and they look sick if built correctly.

If you drop $300 on a nice component set don’t go cheaping out on an amp. Make sure it’s from a quality manufacture. Your system is only as strong as your weakest link.
[QUOTE]

i agree with this 100%, do not go with free-air because they sound like s**t! if you truly want to make it simple and sound good without worrying about tuning this and that than do what is quoted above and you will be happy!!!