so before i start i would like to say that i know there are alot of topics on this, but most of them are for the rockford sight and sound package thing from a year ago, i think.

i have the regular sound system that comes in the X, with no sound packages or anything. I want it to be louder. Im coming from a 330ci that had harmon kardon speakers inside that were very loud and clear, and listening to my evos speakers its like they arent even on. i can have a conversation with the person next to me at full volume.

So ive read that changing the amp helps? which one? any extra wiring of the sort needed? does this apply for these speakers or is that for the rockford system. would this be easier than changing the whole setup. i really dont know anything about the audio setups and what not.

im not planning on spending alot of money for it because speakers arent that big of deal, but just some information would be nice.

thanks

 

The stock speakers aren't really worth anything. Even if you replace them and power them with a decent 4 channel you probly wont get what your looking for.. for a decent system get a four channel for the speakers and and 2 channel for a sub or two. you could also bridge a 4 channel to run speakers and a single sub but its frowned on by some..

 

any company u recommend on the speakers? that are simple and easy to install, and are good?

 

Most mid range speakers will do you good. Just got to look for 90+ db efficiency from 1w if you want louder without getting into amping. Only way to play louder changing just speakers. If you amp your speakers, the stock one's are too garbage and will probably blow before getting them loud where you want them.

Infinity Kappa comes to mind for decently priced high efficiency speakers.

Of course best way to go about this is with both amplifier and aftermarket speakers, but it becomes a cost issue.

 

http://www.infinitysystems.com/car/p...=US&Region=USA

would that work? or fit? from what ive read, the stock speakers are 6.5 inches so i just found those which are also 6.5 inches. and 90db+ like you said.

 

jl audio has some nice ones. they come with wire adapters too so that you can plug straight into factory wiring. i just took my two pairs out actually. In my opinion best route to go would be to pick up a 4 channel, two good pairs of speakers, and run some better speaker wire.. just beware the the speakers may not fit right from brand to brand depending on the mounting brackets etc.

 

I'm having the same problem that you have plus whenever I put the cd on and hit a pump or a whole or something the sound go even way lower I have to hit the radio really hard from the top to get the sound louder lol, I went to a professional store that do all these stuff for speakers and the radio, they told me that is because the two small speaker infront on top are connected to the speakers under it and they shouldn't be coneccted or something. He suggested me to put 4 new speakers, amp and a new radio. I don't do you guys thinks he is right or you guys have better suggetions ?

 

Every +3db increase is a noticable volume change, and to do a +3db increase will require twice the power. +10db is considered twice as loud. The stock speakers are cheapo probably +80db something so for the same power you could be getting louder for the same power.

Yeah the lancer takes 6.5" components front (with rockford fosgate and the tweeter and woofer are crossovered from the rockford fosgate amp) or coaxial front (non rockford fosgate), and 6.5" in the rear (coaxial).

I have nothing but praise for JL audio as it is another good brand though slightly more expensive than the infinity kappas. I got JL Audio C3's in the front but like the other guys say, it isn't always going to be a painless install and best to have a professional do it. I ended up having to cut a bit of the metal in the front doors to get the JL Audio C3's basket to fit in. Definitely not a DIY friendly procedure if it comes to it.

Infinity Kappa's are the lowest I would consider but you can audition the infinity kappa and the regular infinity or alpine at lower price range. There is a definite clarity difference and I'm sure you want your speaker upgrade to not only be more efficient (louder) but more clearer/detailed too.

Just changing the speakers will make noticable improvement, and you just keep adding on top of that. Skies the limit. I started of changing the fronts to JL audio C3's, sounded clearer than the rockford fosgate original speakers. Then I changed the rears to Infinity Kappa and it made the stage clearer and louder again. Then I went 4 channel amplifier on my lancer and rewired all 4 door speakers to an infinity kappa amp and it ended up making it again clearer without sounding strained as I pushed the volume up.

You should change in this order, fronts (most important and want most decent quality since you'll be listening to it mostly), rear (filler, least important and cheapest to do), amp (overall louder and clearer, will fix your loudness issue but most expensive due to more labour intensive), and head unit replacement will overall improve the dynamic range and clarity.

 

The guy is suggesting overall system upgrade. But sometimes life isn't so kind and we got to make compromises. Just changing the speakers to a higher 90db+ efficiency will make it play louder, but the stock head unit is just not providing enough power to run your overall system if it starts dropping volume as you hit the beats.

I would suggest getting a 4 channel or 5 channel amp and starting from there. You will not have your sound suddenly dropping on you, get cleaner power to the speakers, make them play a bit louder and it will set you up for future upgrades if you wish to continue.

With the amp wired in place you could change any speakers at your leisure to get the most out of the system. It will only be a changing speaker job and no need to rewire everything.

 

That "CD channel-cutting-out" thing is a known issue with these head units. It should be easy to get the head unit replaced under warranty.

Mine started not long after I got my car. I finally brought it to a Mitsu dealer last week and they knew about and and ordered me a new unit. It's supposed to be installed tomorrow, actually.

But, yeah, even when these head units work they are terrible. Low volume, ground-loop buzzing on the AUX inputs. It's just sad how bad theses things are. And the non-DIN form factor makes them more of a pain to replace.

 

So, being someone who started with a straight base stereo system, I would definitely suggest starting with a new head unit first. The stock head unit just doesn't have the power to drive the speakers in any meaningful way. Changing out the speakers isn't really going to change this, they might get a little louder but the sound quality is still going to suck. Putting a amp onto the stock system is going to be a pain and is still not going to fix the issue of poor sound quality.

Changing the head unit with one with a higher power output will significantly increase the volume and quality of the sound. The stock speakers aren't actually that bad if they are given enough power.

Oh, the fronts are still components, not coaxials, on the base system.

 

Thank you my friend for your help and thats what I'm going to do is have 4 channel amp and change speakers as well and have a new screen touch radio I have an evo I don't need something crazy I just want to be able to hear my music lol!

 

Got my replacement head unit installed today.

I could swear it's louder than the old one, which was unexpected. My recollection was that when playing a CD with the original unit I could crank it all the way up to "45" and that was just barely sort-of loud. Now "35" is about as high as I can set it before I start thinking I'm just being silly.

(Side note: how did "45" become the highest volume anyway? Might as well be "42".)

 

i was thinking the same thing when i first took it up to 45. i was thinking no way this could be max because it was so low and that maybe theres a way to get it past 45 lol

 

Yeah, that's because some aftermarket headunits put out 20w per channel whereas the stock one puts out something like 5w. It's the reason that a new headunit should be anyone's first sound upgrade when going from the base stock system.