Hey guys, this is my first post to this part of thirdgen so try and bear with me. I'm a bassist by hobby so I'm not completely in the dark about all this stuff but I'd like to hear your expert opinions. I'm planning on upgrading my stereo system to a couple 10's in the hatch and some higher powered amps to drive them but for now I'm just wondering what kind of 6X9s and 4X6s I should get to put in the stock spots. I'd like something nice and punchy, like a 4x10 bass stack if that helps any. I listen to a lot of older punk like Rancid, the Ramones, NoFX, Pennywise, stuff like that. Thanks in advance everyone,
David

edit: right now I've got an ok little Clarion I think like 35x4 but I'm planning on upgrading to a 52x4 around x-mas time, any suggestions on that?

 

hey buddy, audio is a huge hobby of mine, but i'm not an expert. First of all i'd just like to speak for everyone with status on this board when i say, "the best for you is the best for you..." i can't tell you what you'll like... neither can anyone else here. BUT, Infinity, Clarion and all those top end brands have great repuations for delivering high quality sound.... it's pretty much up to you. I have Pioneer TS 4x6s and Infinty kappa 6x9s both pairs with bass blockers, and they satisfy me just fine. If there's a audio store around you, you might wanna go there and check out what they have, but don't necessarily buy it there, cuz there's a lot of places online that may be able to save you big $. As for the headunit - i'm actually saving for an Alpine CDA-7892, my cousin has one and i freakin love it... for good performance - Alpine, Clarion, Pioneer, Blaupunkt... anyone with a name. Some people even get em because they like the way they look, so it's up to you buddy

 

I went to a shop around her (the guy that owns it had this awesome vette and he had it painted on the side of his building, looks awesome) but I couldn't really listen to the type of music I usually listen to so it was kind of difficult. They also had very few small speakers set up and those that were were all on different amplifiers. What about those 6x9s with supposedly low, mid and high drivers or cones or I'm not exactly sure what, they've got three cones in them but they look like a gimick to me especially that small.
David

 

It's a good idea to bring in a CD of your own and listen to the same songs when testing out speakers so that you can try to figure out what you like best. Also, if you're going to be running the speakers off of the deck's power and not an external amplifier, then make sure that's how you listen to them in the shop as well. Most places allow you that option through the use of a mixing board that directs where the speakers are receiving their power from.

And yeah, if you ask me, three-way coaxials (one piece speakers with "low, mid, and high" cones) are definately a gimmick. The best coaxials I've heard have been two-way (one woofer and a tweeter). That said, are you 100% sure that you want to use the stock locations? For better sound, upgrading to components can yield some decent results. Anyway, good luck!

 

What other options besides stock locations are there? I want the 10s in the hatch area but that's for later. I just figured that since they're 11 years old and stock, that would be a good place to start. I'm trying to keep the price within about a hundred for each pair of speakers for this stage but I may go more if I could later use these speakers for some high power mid range speakers.
David

 

I have Kenwood Excelon 6x9 speakers and i like them.......

i mainly listen to Dave Matthews and Rap and they provide nice vocals to hear them over my 4 subs....

 

Well, I made the mistake of buying aftermarket replacements for the stock speakers when I first got interested in car audio. Don't get me wrong, there was certainly a noticeable difference and at the time maybe it was right for me. Unfortunately, now I have a pairs of perfectly good Clarion Pro Audio 4x6's and 6x9's that are entirely useless to me.

I had the same mindset that you seem to have now: I just wanted to get something that would up the quality of the music in my car for as cheap as possible. Unfortunately, if I had spent a bit more, then I would have saved money in the long run and had a better system to show for it.

Depending on what you're striving to achieve, what standards you want to have met, how much you can afford, and the effort you're willing to put in, there are several options available. Kickpanel components (seperate woofer and tweeter, higher sound quality) are one , making a plate in the sailpanels to accomodate 6.5" speakers instead of 6x9's are another.

You can get a pair of kickpanels form-fitted for a thirdgen from people on this site. I have a pair made by DJ Sexay who has passed the legacy on to Rezn8r, I believe. It appears costly, but the rewards are high. It's easy to drop time and money on subs, but most of the sound quality battle is fought in the mid to high range.

 

hey Blalock, withing a hundred for each? Well there are some great 4x6s for like 60-70 bucks, roll over the extra money and get some decent 6x9s
well it seems like it's narrowed around money, so...
Just flipping through a crutchfield catalog...
4x6s -
Bluapunkts - $40/pr, $50/pr
Pioneers - $50 /pr , $80 /pr
rockfords - $70/pr
Polks - $70/pr
6x9s -
Blaupunkt - $60-$110
Alpine - $110
Infinity Reference - $120
Rockfords - $120-$140

 

If you are looking for an upgrade to "better" sound - go with the kickpanels suggested above. You will just spend more money upgrading later - cause u just will!!!
The head unit - dont worry about the output on it. Consider a 3 preouts with a 4 volt rating. And name brands clarion, alpine, pioneer... Good amps are more important than power rating on head units.
By spending the extra on the kicks - you could forget about the 6x9's at the back - that should cover the cost and get you better sound imaging.
Jay