Audio Thread (Speakers, Amps, Etc)

[SiI40sx]

What speaker / amp setup do you guys run in your cars?? Do you use the stock speaker covers or do you mount them without that cover? I'm looking to get something where I can use my stock speaker covers to make it look stock but I want quality output with a good speaker / amp combo. I have an idea to do a small custom sound system for my car, with two small subs into the backseats (s13 fastback) with the seats down, and basically making the car an offically two seater. I'm currently looking for some good reviews on amps that dont heat up or break easily.

[Dream240]

Well first off:

After many experiments, I run Infinity components, only. Forget Pioneer premium, sony Xplod, blaupunkt, jensen, etc.

INFINITY....PERIOD.

As for head units, the worst for longetivity are Sony xplods and Pioneers, premier or standard. IMO, they just don't last longer than a couple years before you start noticing reading errors, CD ejecting ability, jumping, buttons failing.

HEAD UNIT = PANASONIC = YOU WIN

As for amps, I'm only running a 400 watt 4-channel for my infinity components all stock mounting in my S14. I'm using a Chaos 350. Works okay I guess. But it's funny cause my old blue Pyramid (yes pyramid) 300-watt 4-channel worked excellent. I love the adjustability and gains you got from low settings. Really rocked my inifinitys for all they were worth. And for 40 bucks you can't beat it.

I'm really a budget conscious sound guy. Sure I want my sounds to bump, but I'm not about to spend 300 bucks on a kicker amp that really just pushes power, you're buying the name IMO.

Really the only thing you can't cut corners on is the speakers/components. Get top quality, they take all the abuse after all.

GL

[mikey060]

infiinity is far from top quality.

[Dream240]

infiinity is far from top quality.

ummmm, okay.

Enlighten me then, since you're so smart.

[g6civcx]

The biggest speakers I could fit in the front doors of an S13 without cutting the door panel or the trim panel are 6.5" using ebay speaker adapters.

I wasn't sure on mounting depth so I chose the thinnest one available, which ended up being the Sony Xplode. I also fit the Xplodes into other cars with tight fitment and they fit really well. I don't think they're the best speakers in terms of sound quality, but they fit the best.

[mikey060]

are we talking components? infinity is near the bottom of my list somewhere
ill name a few...rainbow, cdt, dynaudio, realm, memphis, focal, etc etc

[i need tires]

infiinity is far from top quality.

yes enlighten me also...

i run 2 in my car right now and sounds like i have surround sound! yes ONLY 2

But Infinity all the way! i will soon be gettin components here soon, i a Directed 500w 4-channel amp, with a Invontek Deck :keke: (tv/dvd/cd/rear view camera) sooo many outputs and i only paid 30 bucks for it

[TSLegendary]

One 300w+ 10" Sub woofer and Amp setup is more then enough in most audio applications for daily driving.You should be more then happy and not sacrifice much weight either.Infinity has a great selection of interior speakers and their sub woofers are more then just decent.Also look at Rockford Fosgate interior speakers.They provide clear sound and don't need a amp to get the full benefit out of them as they play great with a good head-unit with sufficient power.Also look into Rockford Fosgate Amplifiers as they make make great power and are very reliable.Thier amplifiers can range from $250-$20,000.

www.rockfordfosgate.com

[lil240sx95]

I'm running infinity reference in the back and the infinity components in the front all 6 1/2, Kenwood headunit, and a sony 4 channel 600watt amp. I'm just disappointed that its not as loud and clear as i want it. gotta tweak it!

[ericcastro]

c'mon MIKEY060......waiting bro.......that green zero's gonna go red if you dont back up your opinions........ :)

[mikey060]

yes enlighten me also...

i run 2 in my car right now and sounds like i have surround sound! yes ONLY 2

But Infinity all the way! i will soon be gettin components here soon, i a Directed 500w 4-channel amp, with a Invontek Deck :keke: (tv/dvd/cd/rear view camera) sooo many outputs and i only paid 30 bucks for it

well since you are running directed and invontek shows me you dont care for audio too much. for the average consumer that equipment is fine, but if you are looking for far better sound quality, as well over all better quality equipment, there are many other brands to look at. by no means am i saying infitity makes bad equipment, but there is a lot of other options out there.

[mikey060]

c'mon MIKEY060......waiting bro.......that green zero's gonna go red if you dont back up your opinions........ :)

if you give me bad rep because i disagree that infitity is some of the best equipment going....you fail.

[s13.dark1]

well lets c i got infinity speakers all around i dont have any speaker cover with sucks!! i have a hide them with a shirt lol. pioneer cd/mp3 real nice. alpine amp and sub to top the combo off it sounds really nice but not trying to hold a concert in my car. thats my set up

[kamikazekid]

I run a pioneer supertuner III head unit whitch runs my four kicker 6x9's great. I did have to trim the door panel a little bit but the depth clears the window and it looks really good. as for the back i just did the usual cut out on the trunk cover (hatchback). I had a 1000watt MTX thundersieries amp runing 2 MTX 10in subs in a earthquake box behind the seat. everything worked and sounded great I had it for about 2years and got rid of the subs but left the 6x9's witch soud great by themselves. the reason i sold the amp and subs was because after a while everything started raddling, and it drove me crazy.

[Dutchmalmiss]

I mounted a midget with decent vocal skills in my trunk. Open up the rear seats, and the quality is amazing.

Any other options are Infinity 6.5s in front w/ ebay adapter brackets, Infinity 4x6 rear, and new wires. Amp will be later. Hatch by the way.

[stupid nissan]

imo pioneer has stepped up their game on radios in the last few years offering alot of adjustments and options for the price and i would agree infinity isnt the best speaker but it isnt the worst my advice as an installer go to different shops and listen to the speakers and see which ones you like the most

[bigOdom1]

if the retail of the headunit competes at walmart 50-150 dollars it does not matter which brand they suck compared to a higher end unit. concerning the longevity of pioneer products. i have never owned any other headunits than premier pioneer, the first one in my truck lasted eight years the current unit is five years old now and the headunit in my 240 is four years old

[Clearalbino]

are we talking components? infinity is near the bottom of my list somewhere
ill name a few...rainbow, cdt, dynaudio, realm, memphis, focal, etc etc


It really depends on which line of infinity speakers we are talking about. Of course some of the companies that you have named make very very good quality speakers but they cost limbs. I have seen a full set of kappa perfects amped by JBL and it sounded wonderful.

All im trying to say is that everyone has a different budget.

[s13gold]

i run mb quart 6.5" component sets x 2.
2 10" JL W3. sealed box

4 channel eclipse amp
1 channel "MONO" jbl 1200

and i also have a HATCH. with plenty of dynamat.
i dropped alot of cash but its definetely worth it.

this is not the system to bump your brains out but will definitely churn out every note nice and crispy.

[s13 drifta]

Im not impressed with infinity's sound quality at all, my panasonic 6x9s sound a lot better. And my bro blew a few infinity speakers and wasnt even pushing them that hard. There are definatly better speakers out there, I havent had any problems with pioneer or panasonic.

[mikey060]

It really depends on which line of infinity speakers we are talking about. Of course some of the companies that you have named make very very good quality speakers but they cost limbs. I have seen a full set of kappa perfects amped by JBL and it sounded wonderful.

All im trying to say is that everyone has a different budget.


i have heard some perfect's as well. they did sound good. but like you say, each to their own. if you like how it sounds that's great, you bought the product which is for you. but the fact of the matter is there are far better components available(even in a similar price range) but generally are quite expensive and unnessesary for the avergae consumer.

[Dream240]

well since you are running directed and invontek shows me you dont care for audio too much. for the average consumer that equipment is fine, but if you are looking for far better sound quality, as well over all better quality equipment, there are many other brands to look at. by no means am i saying infitity makes bad equipment, but there is a lot of other options out there.

Well of course there are alot of other brands out there. I'm not saying they're aren't, and obviously I'm going the more financially reasonable route as opposed to spending 1-3k on my sound system. I'd rather spend that on performance upgrades and tuning. But that's just me.

My setup cost me:

Pioneer premier deck - $199 (eBay new) Waiting for it to completely break before I replace it. :)
Infinity Kappa 6 1/2" x 4 - $160 (eBay new)
Chaos 350 4-channel - $40 (eBay refurb) :(
Pyramid 10 amp head unit suppressor, 2 15 amp RCA suppressors - $25 new

Total cost = $425

So you can see that this is a modest setup with a modest budget and at the same time not sacificing sound quality to save some pennies.

Some of the companies you mentioned have some pretty pricey systems that are obviously much higher quality. But bang-for-buck, Infinity systems are nothing to scoff at.

Then again, it really depends on your plans for your car. Are you going to enter sound shows? Car shows? Or are you just looking for something that sounds really clean, is reliable, and keeps your wallet from exploding.

Your choice.

edit:
Im not impressed with infinity's sound quality at all, my panasonic 6x9s sound a lot better. And my bro blew a few infinity speakers and wasnt even pushing them that hard. There are definatly better speakers out there, I havent had any problems with pioneer or panasonic.

Blowing a speaker mainly comes from installer error.

Hooking them up backwards. (ie. switched wires upon initial splicing.)
Cranking up the gains on your amp too rapidly
Installing your speakers with the system fully running. (ie. swapping out your speakers with the music still coming out of them)
During install with operating system, crossing pos. and neg. wires and blowing fuse. (dramaticlly shortens the life of your speakers)
Running speakers over their listed max wattage.

I can go on, but you get the point. Fact of the matter is, the majority of the time when you have a bad speaker, they're bad out of the box and the warranty covers defects. Also you have to be careful cause some warranties only cover the component if it was professionally installed. That's where they get you....for the obvious reasons stated above.

So from my 12 years of personal car audio experience, I am stating which manufacturers are good/bad for the price. And I've experimented with alot of brands over the years. Sony and Pioneer have declined in recent years, while Panasonic has been making stout head units for as long as I've used them. Jensen and Alpine are okay for the money but you really don't get much by way of options when you go with the low end stuff. Alpine does make some nice high end head units though....but they're $$$$.

[i need tires]

well since you are running directed and invontek shows me you dont care for audio too much. for the average consumer that equipment is fine, but if you are looking for far better sound quality, as well over all better quality equipment, there are many other brands to look at. by no means am i saying infitity makes bad equipment, but there is a lot of other options out there.

haha i dont care about sound quality in my s14 because its a drift car lol i just added the deck because i could watch my jdm tyte vids... and the amp because it was free... i have paid a total of 60 bucks for my whole set up. i dont think thats bad considering i just wanted better sound that the stock shitty amp that went out.

[SlicksDisaster]

infiinity is far from top quality.


+1
Also not even near the worst of them, though. I have kappa perfects in my truck, which are probably a 7/10 on my scale (pretty high for me). Focal Utopias, Polk SR's, Eclipse 8264's, and plenty of others blow those away. But, for the price, can't get much better than infinity under $1,000 a pair.

You want a good deal?? Polk Momos or Infinity Kappas (regular kappas). Also, someone mentioned Pioneer, I hate their retailer equipment, but if you go out of your way to get the kevlar series, those kick ass on the highs.

[mikey060]

okay, so it is safe to say that infinity falls into the top quality category for the user on a budget.

my advice to the op, forget the rear speakers and run a strong set of front components. unless you like having your music coming from behind you...then by all means run rear fill. unless you plan on having pasengers in the rear or watching a movie in 5.1 surround in your car i would steer away from using rears. think of it this way...when was the last time you went to a concert and it had speakers at the rear facing the band....

[mikey060]

haha i dont care about sound quality in my s14 because its a drift car lol i just added the deck because i could watch my jdm tyte vids... and the amp because it was free... i have paid a total of 60 bucks for my whole set up. i dont think thats bad considering i just wanted better sound that the stock shitty amp that went out.

hah well thats a good deal for that setup.

[i need tires]

hah well thats a good deal for that setup.

yup! lol deck was 30 bucks.. amp free.. infinity kappa 6.5s 20 bucks. rockford fosgate rca's 10 bucks :bigok:

[s13 drifta]

[/quote] Blowing a speaker mainly comes from installer error.

Hooking them up backwards. (ie. switched wires upon initial splicing.)
Cranking up the gains on your amp too rapidly
Installing your speakers with the system fully running. (ie. swapping out your speakers with the music still coming out of them)
During install with operating system, crossing pos. and neg. wires and blowing fuse. (dramaticlly shortens the life of your speakers)
Running speakers over their listed max wattage.

I can go on, but you get the point. Fact of the matter is, the majority of the time when you have a bad speaker, they're bad out of the box and the warranty covers defects. Also you have to be careful cause some warranties ojnly cover the component if it was professionally installed. That's where they get you....for the obvious reasons stated above.[/quote]

Well first off the speakers came stock with the car that they blew up in so it was not a installation error or maybe Dogde hooked it up wrong, but I doubt that. Its common sence to know how to hook up speakers properly and know what and what not to do. I have never had any problems with any of my installs so please dont tell me what was the cause of the speakers blowing or why they dont perform well, you get what you pay for.

[ericcastro]

if you give me bad rep because i disagree that infitity is some of the best equipment going....you fail.

bad rep for you for telling me I fail. mistake.
(and I suggest not trying to rep me back)

And I said that you need to back up statements!! not just say. "that sucks", with no reason. People making statements like you did makes for a bad community here at Zilvia. If you disagree with something someone says, then state the reasons why. If they aren't facts, then make sure to include the statement that they are your opinions.
Going through threads and making opinionated statements without back up just waste everyones time.

Imagine if everyone answered the OP's question like you???
Oh, yeah, infinity isnt that good.
infinity sucks,....
infinity is pretty lame....

pretty boring thread huh??


I run a pair of cheap Xplode speakers in the front, and a pair in the back. they are stock size. I also have a sony/xplode deck iirc?? I have the Ipod plug in coming out in the glovebox and can control it from the deck.
prolly spend $200. or more. cheap set up, but I didnt want to wait for deals. I needed something ASAP, LA traffic sucks. And it is a Drift car/ DD. So anything nicer is a bit of a waste. ruff ride and lots of dust in the windows, plus a ruff ride makes great sound pointless and expensive equiptment a waste.

[g6civcx]

Hooking them up backwards. (ie. switched wires upon initial splicing.)


This is probably the most common error I've seen. He's right on.

If you reuse the factory wiring, make sure you hook up the wires correctly at the source and at the speaker. Don't just be lazy and connect the wires like they're non-polar. If you're extremely lazy, Crutchfield makes speaker harnesses that plug into the stock speaker harness and will give you the correct +/- connection. You still have to get it right at the deck.

If you run your own speaker wires, make absolutely sure and double check before you finalize the wiring.

[SiI40sx]

What kind of experience do you have with amps heating up? Does placement matter a lot? I'm thinking of getting some infiniti kappa speakers with a 400watt amp and using the stock wiring. I just want better sound than the crap I have now (and a little bit of bump).

[Dream240]

Well first off the speakers came stock with the car that they blew up in so it was not a installation error or maybe Dogde hooked it up wrong, but I doubt that. Its common sence to know how to hook up speakers properly and know what and what not to do. I have never had any problems with any of my installs so please dont tell me what was the cause of the speakers blowing or why they dont perform well, you get what you pay for.

Actually you'd be surprised how many people don't have stereo install common sense, or better defined as, failure to read the directions that came with the box.

You need to stop contradicting yourself. If it was a manufacturer installed system, and it had defects (hey it's a dodge), why do you then refer to your own personal installs like the bad infinity speakers are your mistake? Obviously I didn't know the Dodge information prior to my last post. You should be getting more worked up at Dodge not Infinity, or me for that matter.

I was just stating some very common reasons for premature system failure.

Now the story completely changes if you are actually defending the Dodge because you did some aftermarket work on the car that your not mentioning. And you think I'm attacking you're install skills.

Bottom line I simply stated that you might not want to automatically condemn Infinity just because of one pair of speakers that crapped out for whatever reason. Just look at this thread alone, how many people are posting up Infinity speakers with positive remarks?

...yeah, point made. Peace.

[ramman434]

I have 250 watt 6.5 Alpine speakers all around, a 750 watt 2-channel Alpine speaker amp, and a Kenwood head unit. I've had the system like that for about a year and the head unit is 3 years old and everything runs perfectly.

[T00ch]

i run 6x9's all around..its kinda ghetto but they actually.. sit in my door lol. dont roll the window all the way down :P but yeah pioneers IMO are excellent quality. you want a component more or less for vocals (highs and mids) correct me if im wrong. and you use yours subs (lows) for the nice bass effect. i had a spare rear deck so i cut a hole and mounted to 6x9's in there..no complaints

[LA_phantom_240]

I'm running
a Pioneer Premier DEH-680MP headunit
A set of Alpine Type-R components up front, and Pioneer REV series (yellow kevlar cone) coax speakers in the rear
A Kicker CVX 10 in the trunk, in 1.8cubes ported to 34hz
As far as amps, I'm running an Alpine MRV-1507 to the sub, and a Rockford Fosgate Punch 400x4 (old school george foreman grill style) amp.
Fantastic sound.

and Dream240, Infinity is good, but not exactly the best if you really wanna run with the big dogs... not saying I do, because I don't have that kind of money to run with the best of em... but there are other very viable options other than infinity.

[drifter808]

i run all alpine.

Alpine MP3 and Ipod headunit
1000 watt v power amp for sub
250 watt v power amp for mids and highs
All 2 gauge wiring
Alpine type-s custom mounted in the door.
Alpine type-s 4x6 in the back
12'' type x sub w/custom sound tuned ported box.

Need a bigger amp though to really move the sub

[gmarzan]

I have..Bose speakers, 6.75 rears and 5.25 fronts and Tweeters. Speakers are powered by Bose amplifier (all taken from an Infiniti Q45). Main source of sound comes from Kenwood Headunit (EZ something).

I got them all for free and decided to install them using the 240sx and Q45 wiring schematics. Not that hard at all (EE Degree).

[mikey060]

bad rep for you for telling me I fail. mistake.
(and I suggest not trying to rep me back)

And I said that you need to back up statements!! not just say. "that sucks", with no reason. People making statements like you did makes for a bad community here at Zilvia. If you disagree with something someone says, then state the reasons why. If they aren't facts, then make sure to include the statement that they are your opinions.
Going through threads and making opinionated statements without back up just waste everyones time.

Imagine if everyone answered the OP's question like you???
Oh, yeah, infinity isnt that good.
infinity sucks,....
infinity is pretty lame....

pretty boring thread huh??


at no point did i say infitinty sucks. i didnt back up my statements right away, but i did a few posts later. feel free to point out where i said infinity sucks and you shouldnt buy it. and im not going to neg rep you, i could care less if i have little green dots or little red dots beside my name.
i wouldnt have said anything if i knew there was a ragin infinity/sony boner on this forum. thanks for cluttering up the thread trying to tell me my opinion doesnt matter. next time take it to pm cheif.

[ericcastro]

PM Sent

thanks for cluttering up the thread trying to tell me my opinion doesnt matter

Almost the entire thread speaks of infinity thanks to your statment.

ANYWAYS
Has anyone here mounted speakers to the side area by the rear seats?? I am stripping the rear seat out soon along with the wall trim back there. I would like to mount 6x9's in the area behind the belt motor. Anyone running like this. The stock size doesnt carry loud enough bass over the car.

And in 1996 I ran a Rockford 15 in the back and Boston Acustics up front. Worked very nicely. :) I just dont need bass like that now.

[LA_phantom_240]

PM Sent



Almost the entire thread speaks of infinity thanks to your statment.

ANYWAYS
Has anyone here mounted speakers to the side area by the rear seats?? I am stripping the rear seat out soon along with the wall trim back there. I would like to mount 6x9's in the area behind the belt motor. Anyone running like this. The stock size doesnt carry loud enough bass over the car.

And in 1996 I ran a Rockford 15 in the back and Boston Acustics up front. Worked very nicely. :) I just dont need bass like that now.

That is a bad idea. Find a buddy with an s13 'vert and have a listen inside there. The factory speakers are mounted back there, and renders them nearly useless from the front seats. Bad imaging. Besides, 6x9's aren't for making bass. That's what a sub is for. Unless you go and spend crazy amounts of money on speakers, leave the bass (well, below 80hz) to the big boys, and the midbass to properly powered and crossed-over speakers. And for the money, Pioneer Premier units have to be some of the best feature-wise on the market. Alpine is great if you feel like dropping some big money, though. And Eclipse is fantastic as well...

A good 8" speaker will do wonders in a 240.

[SC_S13]

My buddy runs a 2 Infinity Mids, 2 6-1/2's, and tweeters. sounds so nice, he decided not to buy a sub....

but has anyone run JBL's in their 240's? My uncle's a sound tech nut and he swears by infinity (both old/new lines) and JBL. sounds kinda gay, but my mom has a Toyota Sienna Symphony with a complete JBL system. probably the BEST quality of sound ive ever heard in my life. the bass is STRONG but not stupid window rattling.

a tip to test whether ur system is good or not. run symphony music thru it. no joke.

[ericcastro]

That is a bad idea. Find a buddy with an s13 'vert and have a listen inside there. The factory speakers are mounted back there, and renders them nearly useless from the front seats. Bad imaging. Besides, 6x9's aren't for making bass. That's what a sub is for. Unless you go and spend crazy amounts of money on speakers, leave the bass (well, below 80hz) to the big boys, and the midbass to properly powered and crossed-over speakers. And for the money, Pioneer Premier units have to be some of the best feature-wise on the market. Alpine is great if you feel like dropping some big money, though. And Eclipse is fantastic as well...

A good 8" speaker will do wonders in a 240.


thanks for the heads up. I will probably just fit some 6" or 6x9's in the back then. I dont need alot of bass. just a little more than the stock size is giving me. sounds like a treble fest.
and i am avoiding anything like a box because I dont want it in a track car. couls get dangerous in a crash or a rollover. or ya gotta pull it out every event or night you do any spirited driving.

[LA_phantom_240]

thanks for the heads up. I will probably just fit some 6" or 6x9's in the back then. I dont need alot of bass. just a little more than the stock size is giving me. sounds like a treble fest.
and i am avoiding anything like a box because I dont want it in a track car. couls get dangerous in a crash or a rollover. or ya gotta pull it out every event or night you do any spirited driving.

Secure it down. Bolt it to the sheet metal of the car. And what kind of speakers do you have now? Good speakers will be more than sufficient for the average listener. Whenever we chill somewhere I crank up my stereo, shut the sub off, and drop the crossover on the speakers to 63hz. On the amp I have, they put out more than enough sound.

[Dream240]

and Dream240, Infinity is good, but not exactly the best if you really wanna run with the big dogs... not saying I do, because I don't have that kind of money to run with the best of em... but there are other very viable options other than infinity.

I never said they were the BEST. I said they were top quality, and obviously by looking at my audio budget, you can fairly say I used my money efficiently. And I DO agree that there are other viable options, but for the price range that they fit into, IMO you can't beat them. The reviews I'm stating are based on my personal experiences with certain brands.

And obviously I haven't used ALL audio brands, but pretty much the main stream ones (Sony, Pioneer, Panasonic, Infinity, Jensen, Kenwood, Blaupunkt) and a few not so popular name brand ones (Pyramid, Boss).

I have yet to try Polk Audio, Alpine, Kicker, Boston Acustics, or Rockford Fosgate, but I'm sure they've got their goods and bads.

[G240]

To the OP, speakers are very subjective. Sure everyone and anyone can tell you what they use, but to truly get a feel for what sounds good to YOU I would recommend going to your local stereo shop, BestBuy, Circuit City..etc. with a few cds of your favorite music. Mix up the music selection a bit so that you have a better feel for the speaker's range and listen to various speakers.

I would also start here: www.crutchfield.com (http://www.crutchfield.com)

I've bought many things from them and their site will recommend you the best fitting speakers for your ride. Unless you're doing something custom.
Amps are a little different. My rule of thumb is to get something reliable that will give you the high end of your speakers RMS wattage. Meaning if your speakers RMS wattage range is 5-50 watts, then get an amp that runs 50 watts RMS.

With that said. In my s14 I have an oldie but goodie Alpine CD player and I've recently bought 2 pairs of the 6 1/2" Alpine Type-S Coaxials which sound great (to me), are a good bang for the buck.

Hope this helps in your decision. Good luck.

G.

[LA_phantom_240]

I never said they were the BEST. I said they were top quality, and obviously by looking at my audio budget, you can fairly say I used my money efficiently. And I DO agree that there are other viable options, but for the price range that they fit into, IMO you can't beat them. The reviews I'm stating are based on my personal experiences with certain brands.

And obviously I haven't used ALL audio brands, but pretty much the main stream ones (Sony, Pioneer, Panasonic, Infinity, Jensen, Kenwood, Blaupunkt) and a few not so popular name brand ones (Pyramid, Boss).

I have yet to try Polk Audio, Alpine, Kicker, Boston Acustics, or Rockford Fosgate, but I'm sure they've got their goods and bads.

I feel you. Infinity is some damn good equipment. I just feel their tweeters aren't as 'bright' as they should be, though the mids are smooth and very appealing. My Type-Rs are great for my system because they blend well with my substage, and provide enough output to keep me satisfied on the power they are given.

You got my respect, man. 80% of people who talk about audio equipment are brainwashed JL fanboys.

[GSXRJJordan]

This topic is beginning to become the new "what wheels will fit nicely" thread. I've posted numerous times about quality S13/S14 audio, and gotten a bunch of positive responses. Search my posts for my current setup, derived from my IASCA SQ-competition setup in my MKIV GTI.

[Prelude Guy]

ummmm, okay.

Enlighten me then, since you're so smart.

Do you want the 4 blown Infinity Kappa 6.5" 3-way speakers I have? Pay for shipping an they are yours.

After the TERRIBLE experience with Infinity, I decided to go back to the speaker that served me well....Kenwood. I have 4 Kenwood Excelon 4x6's in my car. I installed bass blockers on them too. Running 4x6's without bass blockers is crazy IMO. I also have a Kenwood 300 watt mono amp to power my 2 10" JL audio subs. My old skool Blaupunkt CD reciever will power the 4x6's. I will eventually get a new HU.

[JoeC1982]

This topic is beginning to become the new "what wheels will fit nicely" thread. I've posted numerous times about quality S13/S14 audio, and gotten a bunch of positive responses. Search my posts for my current setup, derived from my IASCA SQ-competition setup in my MKIV GTI.
x2, i thought this was the same thread at first.

http://www.zilvia.net/f/showthread.php?t=169473&highlight=JBL

[LA_phantom_240]

Do you want the 4 blown Infinity Kappa 6.5" 3-way speakers I have? Pay for shipping an they are yours.

After the TERRIBLE experience with Infinity, I decided to go back to the speaker that served me well....Kenwood. I have 4 Kenwood Excelon 4x6's in my car. I installed bass blockers on them too. Running 4x6's without bass blockers is crazy IMO. I also have a Kenwood 300 watt mono amp to power my 2 10" JL audio subs. My old skool Blaupunkt CD reciever will power the 4x6's. I will eventually get a new HU.

Active Crossovers > 'Bass Blockers' (Capacitors) any day of the week.

I would definitely put Infinity over Kenwood. If you're toasting 3-way Infinity speakers (why 3-way?), then you're doing something wrong.

[Ineedparts]

I run a single 10" infinity sub in a banpass box with kenwood 500 watt amp and this sounds amazingly clean, the sub was only like 100 bux at best buy. I have alpine 6.5" and tweets custom mounted on the door panels. But they are old and I will most likely replace with infinity components. Oh and I have the wooden adapters for the door speakers I hear that wood is best>

[Dream240]

Do you want the 4 blown Infinity Kappa 6.5" 3-way speakers I have? Pay for shipping an they are yours.

After the TERRIBLE experience with Infinity, I decided to go back to the speaker that served me well....Kenwood. I have 4 Kenwood Excelon 4x6's in my car. I installed bass blockers on them too. Running 4x6's without bass blockers is crazy IMO. I also have a Kenwood 300 watt mono amp to power my 2 10" JL audio subs. My old skool Blaupunkt CD reciever will power the 4x6's. I will eventually get a new HU.

You managed to blow all 4 speakers? I'm assuming they were hooked up in the same system at the same time? If that's the case then you did something seriously wrong. I've never heard of ANYONE blowing all 4 speakers and it didn't result from installer/operator error.

What did you do try to run a 2000 watt amp to them? Sheesh. Infinity or not that seems really strange.

Unfortunately this thread has skewed into this "To Infinity or not to Infinity" topic. Bottom line, if you like Kenwood then pump them to your hearts content. I've repeatedly stated that Infinity is my speaker of choice for the pirice. Again....to each his own.

And no I don't want the speakers, but thanks for asking.

EDIT:

Thsi is the setup I want to upgrade to if my other 6 1/2" front speaker isn't salvageable from my old wreck. (sniff, sniff). I'll post up some before, during and after pics of what happened at a later date, just for shits and giggles.

http://www.infinitysystems.com/car/products/product_detail.aspx?prod=KAPPA%20PERFECT6.1&cat=KAP&ser=KAP&Language=ENG&Country=US&Region=USA

Sicne my 95' is an SE, the A pillars have the tweeter mounts in them so it should come out really nice. And I can get these for a pretty good price.

[Tearlessj]

To the OP, speakers are very subjective. Sure everyone and anyone can tell you what they use, but to truly get a feel for what sounds good to YOU I would recommend going to your local stereo shop, BestBuy, Circuit City..etc. with a few cds of your favorite music. Mix up the music selection a bit so that you have a better feel for the speaker's range and listen to various speakers.

I would also start here: www.crutchfield.com (http://www.crutchfield.com)

I've bought many things from them and their site will recommend you the best fitting speakers for your ride. Unless you're doing something custom.
Amps are a little different. My rule of thumb is to get something reliable that will give you the high end of your speakers RMS wattage. Meaning if your speakers RMS wattage range is 5-50 watts, then get an amp that runs 50 watts RMS.

With that said. In my s14 I have an oldie but goodie Alpine CD player and I've recently bought 2 pairs of the 6 1/2" Alpine Type-S Coaxials which sound great (to me), are a good bang for the buck.

Hope this helps in your decision. Good luck.

G.

Actually the only site I would recommend is www.woofersect.com (http://www.woofersect.com/) .

They have pretty good prices and many good brands.
I like to think, If you can get it at Best Buy it isn't near being the best. Although it maybe good it won't compare to the more expensive units.

For the guys on a budget, I would recommend:

Good, head unit (Alpine, Pioneer, Eclipse, and my favorite Nakamishi although a little more expensive.)
A pair of CDT lower end components.
A Hifonic amp, good cheaper under rated amps. Everyone loves them and they are CHEAP.

But were not talking about subs here, for that I would recommend either,

Eclipes Aluminums
FI audio (FI.q is a great sub)
JL audio
Kicker
RE engineering

Again paired with a decent Hifonic amp and a ported or sealed box depending on the sub.

Also make sure to run decent size wiring. I would recommend a 4 gauge wire for amps under 1000 watts, 1/0 for anything more then that.
Forget about rear speakers, they're useless.

Infinity's are not horrible but any means. They will sound awesome to someone who is not anal about their sound system, but for people out there willing to spend a little more to have a better set up. They are so many better options. Good Luck!

[FusionR240sx]

well if you want anything alpine i'd suggest talking to broadfield. he's a distributor.

i have a alpine headunit
6x9's rear pioneer
and i fergot what the fronts size were btu also pioneer.

gonab e getting a 10" type R soon maybe.

[lil240sx95]

i gotta bump it up one more time! i have a question for those who know. im getting lots of distortion from my tweeters i have the infinity components. and i thought the crossovers would eliminate that. but anyways my question is! would getting bass blockers for the tweeters help in preventing that? i dont know that much about speakers and such.. sooo yeah...

[DreamN]

Currently running a pioneer premiere unit. A very big upgrade from my old kenwood unit. Loving it right now. Speakers, I haven't upgraded. I got some 6.5 in. pioneers in the rear deck that I got at the junkyard for $7-$9 and the fronts are the same that came with the car when I bought them. Very old 4x6 Inifinity speakers I believe. I'm trying to get a pair of Pioneer 6x9s for my rear deck so I can transfer the rears I have now to the front. When I get some extra cash I'm going with Infinity products though. I've heard that they offer great clarity for the price with enough bang as well.

[turtl631]

This topic is beginning to become the new "what wheels will fit nicely" thread. I've posted numerous times about quality S13/S14 audio, and gotten a bunch of positive responses. Search my posts for my current setup, derived from my IASCA SQ-competition setup in my MKIV GTI.

Ahahaha, bringing back memories. I got my first car (an S14) when I was mostly into audio. Did a pretty decent setup (Rockford/Denon 8240 HU, US Amps 5 channel amp, active xover, a nice Canadian XBL^2 10" in a glassed trunk enclosure, and to be honest, I can't recall what the mids and tweets were- initial plan was 3 way with ribbon tweets, 4" Seas baller midranges and 8" Illusion Audio ND8 midbasses, but it got too bulky and expensive so I scrapped that plan). I actually had lots of grand plans for that car's audio setup that didn't go through when I realized it was fairly loud and I wanted to get more into performance stuff. Oh yea, and I crashed it :)
MDF door mounts for mids
http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a160/turtl631/IMG_0778.jpg
http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a160/turtl631/IMG_0782.jpg
http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a160/turtl631/IMG_0779.jpg
http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a160/turtl631/IMG_0776.jpg
HU (I loved this thing, do you remember when these flooded ebay?)
http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a160/turtl631/IMG_0630.jpg
http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a160/turtl631/IMG_0917.jpg
Sub box, glassed into back corner of trunk as you can see- I tried to sell this forever after I crashed my car (part of the carnage is visible in that pic actually) and finally someone bought it...I just wanted it to go to a good home after all the work I put into it. Weighed a ton but it came out pretty much exactly how I wanted it, and sounded great. 1 sealed 10" with moderate Xmax was more than enough for me.
http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a160/turtl631/IMG_0731.jpg
http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a160/turtl631/IMG_1268.jpg
http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a160/turtl631/IMG_1282.jpg

Now I have a terrible Alpine HU that cuts out over bumps and doesn't work when it's cold, and some crappy Rockford Fosgate 2 ways in the doors. Car's too loud to appreciate a decent SQ setup anyways, that's what headphones and my home setup are for. Once you have a decent home setup it's hard to get excited about the horrible acoustic environment that is a car, but when I get a second car down the road that isn't loud and raw like the S14, I'll definitely be putting some kind of interesting setup in there. My current MP3 player has bluetooth...I'm too cheap to get bluetooth headphones, but it would be nice for the car- just keep the player in my pocket and the music starts playing in the car? Hell yea! A lot has changed in car audio since I kept up with it. A quick search turned up this: http://www.crutchfield.com/App/Product/Item/Main.aspx?g=300&i=333RK8200&tp=5684
Yea, definitely would not have imagined a product like that 4 years ago. I don't think I even used MP3s at that point.

That's cool that you worked with the guy from Tru. I was really tempted to get some Tru amps but I couldn't really afford them, and I got a good deal on that US Amp. It was great- I think 50 WRMS x 4 + 200 WMRS sub channel at the impedances I was running. Always had plenty of SPL and it was really listenable.

[LA_phantom_240]

Baller ass midbass and midrange driver choices.

[NismoS13Chuki]

i bought my car with the radio and speakers already installed. the headunit is a pioneer and im not sure on the speakers. as for subs go. im running two audiobahn 12's off a 1200watt hifonics superclass d mono block

[turtl631]

They were over the top. It made more sense to do the setup I ended up with, which cost a lot less and took up less space. With the sub it would have been a 4 way system, and I think having your first car audio setup be a 4 way with all active xovers and a ribbon tweet is a little too ambitious.

[GSXRJJordan]

They were over the top. It made more sense to do the setup I ended up with, which cost a lot less and took up less space. With the sub it would have been a 4 way system, and I think having your first car audio setup be a 4 way with all active xovers and a ribbon tweet is a little too ambitious.

Yeah, I used a pair of Image Dynamics IDTpro? (or was it IDT-1?) horns, a couple 4" 'custom' mids, and 2 CDT 8" carbon mid bass drivers under the seats with a Audiocontrol active crossover. I had a 40w x2 class A tube amp for the horns (thinking that clean power would sound great) and my TRU 4x65w for the rest and it just wasn't enough power to the horns. All in all, too much to keep track of, for not enough gain on a regular 2 way passive setup.

[turtl631]

Word. Now there's all these uber-mids out (Adire Extremis, well, that's gone now; Creative Sound SDX7, etc.) and I think you could have a rockin' setup with just a larger tweet crossed low and one of the aforementioned mids in the door. http://www.audiojunkies.com/blog/890/css-unveils-the-sdx7-at-last-a-replacement-for-the-extremis

[Onitsukagirl]

I just got a new set of speakers for my birthday, they are all 6 1/2. I was installing the rears and the wiring is a little confusing so before I blow anything up could some one tell me which wire is positive and which is negative? The Rear Left has brown with white stripe and the other wire is solid brown. I would assume the solid brown is the positive wire, correct? The other wires are a little confusing.. the rear right speaker has one blue with white stripe and one green with yellow stripe .. which is which? can someone go look at their coupe real quick and let me know?

[2fast240]

I run 2x 12w6 jl audio subs. e1800 jlaudio amp for subs, e4300 amp for jlaudio xr series components and a set of boston acoustic series components in the rear. Also running a raptor cap and all jl audio wiring. For a deck, 5.8in power acoustic 2din dvd/cd player. Touchscreen.

[GSXRJJordan]

I just got a new set of speakers for my birthday, they are all 6 1/2. I was installing the rears and the wiring is a little confusing so before I blow anything up could some one tell me which wire is positive and which is negative? The Rear Left has brown with white stripe and the other wire is solid brown. I would assume the solid brown is the positive wire, correct? The other wires are a little confusing.. the rear right speaker has one blue with white stripe and one green with yellow stripe .. which is which? can someone go look at their coupe real quick and let me know?

Hahaha, audio pwns you right now. There is no "positive" wire, as in +12v, because it's analog - the positive changes in order to vibrate the speaker. The worst thing that could happen is you plug it in backwards and it sounds a little funny - not going to blow anything.

Anyhow, here's the diagram (from http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbulletin/t173060.html)
Constant 12V+: Red/Black
Switched 12V+: Blue
Ground: Chassis
Illumination: Red/Blue
Dimmer: Red/Yellow
Antenna Trigger: Black/Red
Antenna Left Rear

Front Speakers 4" x 6" Doors
Left Front (+): Blue/White
Left Front (-): Blue/Yellow
Right Front (+): Brown
Right Front (-): Brown/White

Rear Speakers 6 1/2" Rear Deck
Left Rear (+): Red
Left Rear (-): Green
Right Rear (+): Blue
Right Rear (-): Pink

[Onitsukagirl]

Hahaha, audio pwns you right now. There is no "positive" wire, as in +12v, because it's analog - the positive changes in order to vibrate the speaker. The worst thing that could happen is you plug it in backwards and it sounds a little funny - not going to blow anything.

Anyhow, here's the diagram (from http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbulletin/t173060.html)

dude, I think you misunderstood me.. I may not be pwned... yet.. I'm not talking about the head unit wiring.. i'm talking about the wiring that connects to the actual speakers in the rear.. those wire colors. I notice they sound off either way you connect them and yes there is positive and negative.. i'm not sure why else there would be a plus and minus sign on the speaker.. it's just confusing because on the rear left you have a solid color and one with a stripe and the rear right has stripes on both wires.. usually a solid with a stripe is negative in the wiring world, right and solid color is +

[adictd2b00st]

Well first off the speakers came stock with the car that they blew up in so it was not a installation error or maybe Dogde hooked it up wrong, but I doubt that. Its common sence to know how to hook up speakers properly and know what and what not to do. I have never had any problems with any of my installs so please dont tell me what was the cause of the speakers blowing or why they dont perform well, you get what you pay for.


your talking about factory infinity speakers? lol definitely not in the same quality range as going to a store like say... circuit city and buying a pair of infinity speakers. they are completely different.

[GSXRJJordan]

dude, I think you misunderstood me.. I may not be pwned... yet.. I'm not talking about the head unit wiring.. i'm talking about the wiring that connects to the actual speakers in the rear.. those wire colors. I notice they sound off either way you connect them and yes there is positive and negative.. i'm not sure why else there would be a plus and minus sign on the speaker.. it's just confusing because on the rear left you have a solid color and one with a stripe and the rear right has stripes on both wires.. usually a solid with a stripe is negative in the wiring world, right and solid color is +

That same color should run all the way to the speaker ~ check your harness. Positive/negative is just a reference (usually speakers have red/black or whatever also). Anyhow, take a peek at which colors you have at the speaker - they should match up to the colors at the head unit.

[turtl631]

You can test it by touching the wires to a regular AA battery. If the + wire is connected to the + terminal on the battery, the speaker will move out. If that's actually the - wire, it will move in. The most important thing is to wire both speakers the same, or you'll get cancellation issues and the bass will be terrible.

[murda-c]

The only thing with positive/negative is you have to hook all your speakers up the same way, or they'll cancel each other out and you'll get half the volume.

[BustedS13]

frankenthread

the subject: s13 hatchback. rear deck.
has anybody ever carved up the rear 4x6 brackets to fit 6x9's or 6.5's? i'm converting two a two seater and trying to figure out where my rear speakers are going to go.

[GSXRJJordan]

frankenthread

the subject: s13 hatchback. rear deck.
has anybody ever carved up the rear 4x6 brackets to fit 6x9's or 6.5's? i'm converting two a two seater and trying to figure out where my rear speakers are going to go.

Please shoot over to the "Ask GSXRJJordan - Audio Thread" aka "Post your speaker setup (http://zilvia.net/f/chat/169473-post-your-speaker-set-up.html)" - as I've discussed a couple times over there, you can definitely fit bigger speakers back there (please damp the entire area though), but if you're converting to 2-seater anyway, why not just ditch em?

My current setup uses components up front, a classy 4ch amp (TRU 4.100 BB-up), and sub. Sounds tits. You don't need rear speakers.

[BustedS13]

Please shoot over to the "Ask GSXRJJordan - Audio Thread" aka "Post your speaker setup (http://zilvia.net/f/chat/169473-post-your-speaker-set-up.html)" - as I've discussed a couple times over there, you can definitely fit bigger speakers back there (please damp the entire area though), but if you're converting to 2-seater anyway, why not just ditch em?

My current setup uses components up front, a classy 4ch amp (TRU 4.100 BB-up), and sub. Sounds tits. You don't need rear speakers.

figuring out another way to cover the wheel wells would be so much more work... i'm just ditching the back seat and building an even floor to cover from where the back seats were through the trunk....

[GSXRJJordan]

figuring out another way to cover the wheel wells would be so much more work... i'm just ditching the back seat and building an even floor to cover from where the back seats were through the trunk....

What are you planning on mounting the speakers to? The stock location, or the panel itself? From an audio perspective, I'd still say ditch the rears, and fill the spot with something.

I'd recommend 1/2" birch for making a "false floor" where the seat-back used to go - super light, strong, and cheap (4x8 sheet @ Home Depot is like $35). You can also mount speakers in this, but I wouldn't recommend it (reflections off the windshield will cancel your front components).

Did I mention that I think you should just forget about rear channel speakers?

[BustedS13]

i really like rear fill :/