Speaker recommendation for new Kenwood CD receiver

[gregm65]

Hi all. I received a new Kenwood KDC-2022 CD receiver for Christmas ...... http://www.kenwoodusa.com/product/pr...productId=2485 ......and I am looking for speaker recommendations. This is going in a 93 4-door Honda Civic. All that my system will consist of is the CD receiver and front and rear speakers---no other extras. I would like to have decent quality speakers. I still occasionally like to jam to good old 80's heavy metal/glam rock. Not looking to impress the people in the car driving next to me----just good quality sound for my own enjoyment. Thank you for your opinions!

[ss3079]

Whats your total budget ?

Normally I'd suggest a small amplifier with a component set, but from the sounds of it you want something simple - just to upgrade the stock speakers with some drop in aftermarket ones to increase your listening pleasure.

You have 6.5" speakers up front and in the rear, so it should be fairly simple to find you some nice sounding speakers.

If you are doing this yourself, the following sites should help you remove your stock equipment:
Head unit removal -
http://installdr.com/InstallDocs/Honda/PDF/466017.pdf
http://carstereohelp.com/stereoremovalHondaCivic4.htm
Front speaker removal -
http://carstereohelp.com/stereoremov...CivicFSpkR.htm
Rear speaker removal -
http://carstereohelp.com/stereoremov...CivicRSpkR.htm

As you can see, the installation process isn't really all that hard on this particular car

- Steve

[gregm65]

Thanks for your reply. Yes, I am just wanting to upgrade the sound quality. I just recently bought the car. It has an old sony plain jane am/fm cassette and the display does not work. I have sound coming only from the front speakers...and the driver's side speaker sounds blown. Got the new Kenwood for Christmas...I just want new front and rear speakers that are efficiently/sufficiently powered by the new Kenwood CD receiver so I can occasionally jam to my old Ozzy, Van Halen, Motley Crue, etc...CD's. I wouldn't say money is no object, but I do want decent quality sound. I regularly use eBay and would hope I could find front and rear speakers at a reasonable price.......just don't know what's out there anymore. Thanks for your help!

[ss3079]

I'll run through a whole bunch of 6.5's and you can decide your budget As always, I suggest heading down to Circuit City or any local shop and take a listen to as many speakers as possible - what sounds good to us may not sound good to you. The prices are based on the average from a few online sites -- ebay will be cheaper as usual.

Alpine SPR-174A -- ~$150 --- A quality speaker that sounds good to most. The 1" tweeter that swivels is a nice feature.
Alpine SPS-1629S -- ~$65 --- Again, a pretty nice speaker. A step below the aforementioned Type R, but still has decent quality.
Diamond Audio M361l -- ~$120 --- Diamond produces speakers that offer very nice sound quality. I've found with most, they don't distort at higher volumes as easily as others. I believe this particular model may even come with it's own crossover, but I'm not sure.
Focal 165CA -- ~$130 --- Focal always hes been known to produce a quality speaker. I've yet to hear these speakers myself, but have been told that they are very warm and smooth.
Focal 165HC -- ~$150 --- Another Focal model. I've heard these, and they're again, a nice sounding speaker to me. I'd most likely go with the 165CA's and save a little bit, because from what I've heard theres little difference in sound.
Infinity -- ~$65-$130 --- Infinity is popular because they sound good to most listeners, have a fairly high quality, and are pretty darn cheap on ebay. There's probably about 7 or 8 notable models here.
JL Audio -- ~$80-$200 --- XR, TR, VR series ... easily narrowed down by your budget. Generally smooth and crisp.
MB Quart DKD 116 -- ~$100 --- Some people don't like the sound of the tweeters. Definetely listen to these before considering purchasing them
PPI PPI-65.1T -- ~$45 --- Usually overlooked. I guess many people don't think PPI makes speakers, as they're usually known for their amps.
I'm tired of typing -- ~$priceless --- Yep, hands are sore.

Orion, MTX, Kicker, Oz Audio, Kenwood, Kenwood Excelon, Phoenix Gold, Pioneer, Pioneer Premier, etc are all worth taking a look at too. Like I said, theres lots of options

You also have the option of going with 3 ways up front and 2 ways in the back ... or 2 ways all around.

- Steve

[o0five0o]

I can vouch for the infinity's they were pretty cheap at circuit city, and they have really good highs and slight bass. I had them in a kenwood KDC-217, a step or two lower than the Head unit you got. I am currently waiting for my new headunit to arrive. The only thing i would caution you about would be the fact that they start to distort after volume level 25 or so, but if you're going that high, you must really wanna go deaf!