i was just wondering if there was a brand of speakers that would compare to infinity kappa's in price and quality, i've heard people down kappa's and was just wondering if there was an alternative brand in the same price range. off of ikesound.com i can get the following

4X6 plate kappa - $80
6X9 kappa - $120
5 1/4" compontent - $140


i know these are discounted prices but in general retail what speakers/brands would compare?

thankx

 

everyone is going to give you a different answer... but those prices are very good, and you'll pay at least twice as much in a real store.

I like Diamond Audio components, as well as MB Quart...

I honestly think that the Infinity Kappa PERFECTS sound very close to even the highest-end diamonds, MB, or whatever... you have to have scientific instruments to tell the difference! nah, jk, but get kappa perfects where you can, and the rest just kappas... you'll be happy with your purchase.

 

what are kappa perfects? never heard of em before. but i just had some people tell me that kappa's weren't worth the money and i could get "better".

 

you can buy kappa perfect 6.1 (6.5") for about $230... well worth it... I am not sure of another brand that makes as high of a quality of a speaker for that price range... MAYBE some lower-end diamond stuff?? (I don't personally buy into all that $600 component crap... I doubt there is any huge difference)

Perfect is exactly as the name sounds... they are a great deal better than the kappas, but unfortunately, Infinity does not make perfect plates... I would have bought those instead.

 

i'll see if i can find out some more info on those, thankx man

 

IMO, infinities are over-rated. There's much better speakers out there...

In my order I would pick...

JL
Rockford
Kenwood eXcelon

Go out to the store, check out prices, and listen to each speaker. Your ears are different than mine, so you may not share the same opinion - but still... I think infinities are over-hyped. Rockford is in the same price range, as is kenwood eXcelon. JL is a little bit more expensive, but if you're looking for new fronts, JL sells 4" speakers that come with a 4x6 conversion plate (or you can make one yourself if you decide to go w/ a different brand). Listen to a 4x6 speaker, then listen to a 4" speaker.... you're hear the difference, the 4" speaker is a LOT clearer.

 

hrm, what part is 'clearer' in your opinion? Typically the main difference is that the 4x6 has a bigger cone, that vibrates the dash, which I hate... many coaxials versus components even have the same tweeters.

you honestly think that Fosgate sounds better than Perfects? I could have sworn that fosgate was like 1/2 the price... I wish I felt the same way as you!

 

Clearer, as in, better sound quality.

I'm talking about the Rockford Power series, not their base-line stuff. And yes I do.

 

interesting... I've often found that comparable fosgate stuff tends to sound more boomy, and not as precise... but then again, everyone has different tastes.

I just don't like people that buy something purely on name brand... which is someone who buys not-perfect stuff, or the base model RF stuff... there are other things out that are cheaper and better than those bottom-of-the-line models, but people are suckered into buying them because of the name... oh well.

 

Speakers are all about opinion. I disgree with f-body fanatic about Jl being good speakers. My top 3 are:

Focal
Infinity
Boston Acoustic

 

JL makes good subs but there speakers are not the best IMO

 

anyone like mb quart anymore? I used to think they were some badass stuff...

 

I really like my Infinity Kappas - they are great for the price. If I had the money I would pick MB Quart or Boston Acoustics (their middle of the line series or better - I wouldn't buy their low end stuff). Listen to the speaker before you buy it.....

 

I think MB Quart sounds almost the same as Kappa Perfects... I just can't justify spending mad $$$ on higher-end components. $250 is about all I'd spend on 6 1/2" components.

 

I was asst shop manager of a car audio shop... so I have heard a decent amt of speakers. I'm not saying RF because it's RF. Honestly, I did used to think their stuff didn't sound that great. They redesigned their line for '04, from the base up. The new power line sounds awesome. And I'm saying the power line because the punch line is not as expensive, and it doesn't have the same technology built into the speaker... therefore, it's gonna be lacking somewhere.

I've heard plenty of infinities as well. I don't think they're a bad speaker, don't get me wrong, I just think they're overglorified for what they are.

I do like MB Quart... but the line I like is the more expensive one, which is why I didn't mention it. CDT also makes good stuff as well, but again, they're going to cost more.

And I'll have to disagree with the JL speaker statement as well... if you sit there and listen to speakers in a wall, JL's definitely stick out. JL knows their speakers and amps.

 

which line of mb quart do you like the most?

 

well Im about to put an all new stereo in when my car gets back from paint so how much should I look into spending for the reciever/face/whatnot, 2 dash speakers, 2 sail panel speakers? Im just trying to figure out about how much I would spend if I used all 4 Infinity Kappas. I think Im going to buy from Cruthfields so any ideas?

 

lots...... heh, really the price depends on what you get and how good you are at looking for deals online

 

crutchfields is not where I would buy stuff...

check out ikesounds and etronics...

I'd say with speakers and amplifiers, they are tried, and true, they have less failure rates... (In my experiences)...

buy a headunit from a good store, with a good warranty (buy a replacement plan if you can)

out of all my equipment, the headunit goes out much more often.

Headunit $400+
Front Kappa Plates $120+
Rear Perfect 6.1 $200+
4-Channel Amp- 150x4 $200+

Total WITHOUT SUBS(you want subs of course,) = $920+
after you're all said and done, I bet you'd be at about $1000 for a system worth listening to... (which I think you do want that, since you mention kappas...)

 

my system was mostly online except for the amp and subs


H/U: Pioneer P6600 ~$150
Speakers: Audiobahn 5.25 component set $70
subs: Audiobahn 12" Natural sound $80/ea
amp: Audiobahn A8000T 800watts RMS @ 2ohm: $250

total: ~$640

 

wow that H/U was cheap! what features does it have?

and the only thing I'd buy locally is the headunit, so that you don't have to go through all the hassles of mailing it off to someone that really doesn't want to help you in the first place.

bestbuy, in-out new unit... typically under 20 minutes, and I come out with a brand-new newer-model unit... win-win situation.

I'd get the components, amplifiers, and subwoofers online, because they tend to have fairly low failure rates, and each one of those is much cheaper than the headunit.

 

Pioneer DEH-P6600 , it retails alot higher than i found it for. has the OEL display (animated) and a few nice features on it but mainly its the low end of the animated pioneer displays. im gunna upgrade to the P8600 when i get extra money

 

FYI... I was messing around with my 8600 the other day.. and to my unfortunate suprise.... I come to find that my songs sound 3x better when I turn OFF automatic time-alignment!

Automatic EQ still works great...

And I like the animated screensaver... it's no JVC or Sony though they had much better screens... the 500 from JVC had a 256 color screen, and the sony had 16-bit widescreen display...

I chose the pioneer for the auto TA EQ, and the 13-band EQ

I would have picked the Sony anyways, but it didn't have a removable face... what the CRAP is that? I bet so many people didn't buy that deck for the same reason as me.

 

i dont buy sony becasue they over-rate and price their stuff and i hear alotta badness from them. plus the menus suck

 

yup but EVEN when considering all that... I still would have purchased it if it had a removable face... that widescreen display is a sight for sore eyes... AND I CAN HOOK A DVD PLAYER UP TO IT! (it looks great too!)

 

wow

 

cardomain.com is having a sale and they are an authorized infinity dealer, so you get a nice 3 year warranty on the kappa's (unlike some of the other retailers). I had to wait a while to get mine since they were back-ordered but it didn't make much of a difference to me. crutchfield is over-priced.

 

others may disagree... but I think that speakers hardly ever have problems.. at least in the component area... for $200 from ikesound/etronics... I don't really care about a 3 year warranty.... if it works, it works... if it doesn't Ikesound or etronics will send you a new one...

 

i paid $133 + shipping for my 50.5cs. ikesound is charging 125 + shipping, etronics 150 + shipping. i think a 3 year warranty and peace of mind for about $8 is a good deal, personally. if there was a $50 or more difference in the prices, then i might have made a different decision.

 

50.5c? what is that? is that the non-perfect 5.25" component?

 

I personally love infinity products. The only complaint I've had so far is their sub amps are only 2 ohm stable. Makes it kind ahard to run to Kappa Perfect 12d's. So I settled on the single VC 12's.

I run Kappa perfect 5 1/2 components front and rear.
2 Kappa perfect single VC subs. their 1200w monoblock and thier ~740w 4 channel.

I've been nothing but happy with it.

 

Infinity Kappa 50.5cs - 5.25" component speaker. The Perfects are a little out of my price range.

Do you seriously have Perfect 6.1's in the rear 6x9 holes and 4x6 plates up front? I would tear out those plates, put the Perfects in the kick panels, and get something else for the rear if need be.... Unless of course you put the hot women in the back seat and want to treat them to the Perfects - then I understand perfectly
I don't see the point in having the better speakers in the back just for rear fill.

 

I don't have perfects in the rear...

see sig

and kicks are VERY expensive... that's why I have plates up front...

 

i had seen your sig before and that is why i was confused by the post i quoted above... so what do you mean by rear perfect 6.1? is this your recommendation?

 

sorry for the confusion... that was just a suggestion, and the maximum you should pay for it...

I was just saying that out of anything in my car... the headunit goes out the most often, so I'd buy that in a real store... the rest I'd get online, and those were the prices that I've seen that are reasonable to expect.

 

Basically you get what you pay for. It doesn't matter what brand you buy (JL, RF, Pioneer, Infinity etc...) if you buy the low end stuff expect low end quality. So buy what you can afford and I bet not one of the people who respond to this topic will be able to tell the difference. Unless of course they have top of the line equipment or the electronic equipment to tell them otherwise.

Buy what you want and forget about what other people suggest.

 

Sorry, I forgot to post my signature.

 

also keep in mind that this fella has RF stuff... so maybe that's an influence on what he says!!

rockford amps are typically very overrated..

my bud has a "1000 watt amp" from rockford... puts out like 600... MAX... I couldn't tell you the real RMS...

he has two kicker VR comps, and it's like they aren't even feelin' the amp...

the fosgate is basically tickling the woofers... nothing more.

he's right though, you get what you pay for... and if you buy online, that rule dissentegrates before your very eyes... all the sudden stuff that costs $500 will be $200...

what kind of price range is this guy looking at?