Advice on Speakers...stuff like that....no Idea!

**lytlec** · 04-22-2010 03:54 AM

So I think I want to upgrade my factory speakers. I can hardly hear them as I cruise down the highway with the windows open. I have an aftermarket sony head unit and a 10 inch sub. I have no clue when it comes to speakers and I really don't care to learn....it's just not my area of interest. Any advice would be great!

I was looking into these for the front though: These

and these for the rear:These too!

**Donkey** · 04-22-2010 04:40 AM

Pretty much if you plan to run speakers off a head unit I would try to find a pair with the highest sensitivity rating you can. Basically the sensitivity rating is done by powering the speaker with 1 watt and measuring the db it puts out. It's a rating of power efficiency. I wouldn't worry about the rear ones. Just worry about the front sound stage. Upgrading the rear is worthless due to their location. Those Bostons for the front are nice but I would try to find something with an amiable tweeter.

These are some other options:
Infinity Reference 6032si 6-1/2" shallow-mount 2-way car speakers — for 6-1/2" and 6-3/4" openings at Crutchfield.com

Polk Audio db651s 6-1/2" 2-way shallow-mount car speakers at Crutchfield.com

Infinity Reference 6022si 6-1/2" shallow 2-way car speakers For 6-1/2" and 6-3/4" openings at Crutchfield.com

**lytlec** · 04-22-2010 05:15 AM

Thanks! Not doing the rear ones will save me money too!

**EJ257** · 04-22-2010 05:25 AM

Boston Acoustics S65 - 6-1/2" Speakers - Sonic Electronix

Crutchfield price: $110
Sonic Electronix price: $55

How upgraded do you want to go? Budget in mind?

**Graham46** · 04-22-2010 05:26 AM

I second getting the infinity reference speakers too.. Thats what I plan on getting at some point soon.

Was going to get matching infinity 4" for the back, but I dont think they exist, so yeah I guess Ill just leave it alone back there

If you are looking for loudness with windows down, you will eventually want to consider an amp (unless.. you already have one powering the sub that could also power the speakers?), but thats taking it a little beyond the simple set up you seem to want (assuming this from the "dont care to learn" comment hehe)

**Graham46** · 04-22-2010 05:29 AM

Wow Ej thats a huge difference! So far I only bought one thing from crutchfield, my head unit-- its the pioneer AVH3200dvd and on crutchfield it was $399

I saw it on amazon for like 340ish but crutchfield gave me a free wiring harness, free install guide, no tax, no shipping charge, and it came in 22 hours, so, I was really impressed! They even sent me a thank you card in the mail that was hand signed haha! I wonder why they would charge twice as much for the same speakers...

**Donkey** · 04-22-2010 06:50 AM

Crutchfield customer service is the best bar none. Also they include a printout of how to install the components on your specific vehicle plus any required adapters if your going to hook up to the factory system. If you buy a head unit from them it comes with the adapter harness for your vehicle and the install kit. I live maybe 1hr away from them so I will drive down and go through their "scratch & dent/returns" section. If somebody buys something and returns it Crutchfield doesn't sell it as new if opened. They test it and sell it in store at a discounted price with a warranty. I will usually go down there when I am buying a whole system or something expensive.

**lytlec** · 04-22-2010 09:33 AM

What's the OEM speaker sensitivity and ohms?

**MMC_555** · 04-22-2010 11:13 AM

Agreed, Crutchfield is awesome on customer service, they are pricier but as already mentioned they include instruction and harnesses, etc.
However amazon has much better prices on a lot of things, shop around. I like to research stuff on the Crutchfield site too.
I would recommend you Dynamat the insides of your doors while you are changing the speakers...

Definitely go with components and an amp for your speakers though...
I am currently working on that for my '04. Already have the HU...

**MMC_555** · 04-22-2010 11:19 AM

Originally Posted by Graham46

Was going to get matching infinity 4" for the back, but I dont think they exist, so yeah I guess Ill just leave it alone back there

I would go ahead and spend around $50 (I recently saw a pair of 4" Boston Acoustics on Crutchfield that would work well) on a pair of coaxials for the back... they provide fill to your soundstage and you'll get definition from components up front...

Also I would not limit myself to looking at the sens rating... you also want to look at the freq range. If you already have a sub, I would not get anything that goes low -less than 60Hz, as you don't need it and will get a lot of distortion...

**Donkey** · 04-22-2010 03:26 PM

Originally Posted by lytlec

What's the OEM speaker sensitivity and ohms?

The specs are not published. The ohms is usually stamped/listed on the back of the speaker. Most are usually 4 ohms.

**MainFrame** · 04-23-2010 01:22 AM

Originally Posted by Graham46

Was going to get matching infinity 4" for the back, but I dont think they exist, so yeah I guess Ill just leave it alone back there

Put 5 1/4"s in the rear doors.

Although your front speakers are the ones you want to focus on. I'm running some cheap ($40 shipped) Infinity Reference, model 6022i I believe. For $40 they sound great. Just waiting till I get all my dynamat installed before I upgrade to components.