6.5" recommendations? 2 or 3 way?

[Belgarion 10+ year member]

WARNING: Newbie Post!

Simply put, I have a Saturn SL2 that has 4 6.5" speakers that I need to replace. I have listened to Rockfor Fosgates, Pioneer (sounded horrible), Sony Xplod, etc... at Best Buy, but need some feedback from people who know this stuff!

If you were putting in a new h/u, and wanted a speaker setup that cost between $300-$500, keeping in mind the 6.5" openings, what would you get?

TIA for the feedback....

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[ChefJoe 10+ year member]

Do more research than best buy. I went to one a month ago and found that their car audio section had taken a nosedive for the worse. 5-6 years ago, they had more speaker selection, maybe it was only the big brand name general stereo gear names, but at least they had selection. Now, in the 6.5" size, they'll have max of 6 different models, including the $20 ones with paper cones. Use crutchfield or sounddomain to get the specs for mounting depth, what fits (I found out my front door speakers had to be less than 2" deep, which limited me a lot as far as 6.5" but are great for 5.25"). Go to a real car stereo store for browseing, listen, write down model numbers and your impressions. Then research on-line again as far as if the models you liked would cost, if they will fit ok, and ask around here for opinions.

If you want to build a good system, patience is the key... enough so it wouldn't be a bad idea to replace stock stuff in waves. Also, I would suggest budgeting more for your frontstage than the back if you want to try to save money.

One last thing, were you going to have best buy install this? Their install fees are $50 + materials (they'll charge you another $20-30 for harnesses, crimp-caps). You can order removal tools, harnesses, and a crimp kit from crutchfield for about $5, $12, and $3 respectively.... you may also need a radio adapter. Crutchfield does a great job of outlineing what tools you need, and you can buy them all separately... if you buy a HU from them, though, they tend to have a 33-50% markup compared to other stores, so I've ordered the tools from crutchfield, but plan on getting my hu from somewhere like thezeb.

 

[Yrrkoon 10+ year member]

good suggestions.. more stuff i'd add:

doing the install yourself or paying someone else? Be patient as mentioned above. Get suggestions from others as well as car audio stores. What would they do? What if you spent more what would they recommend? listen to their recommendations and form your own opinions. People prefer different types of sounds so trust your own judgement over everyone else's.

Once you think you've found some you like, go to ebay and do a search for those speakers. You can save a ton buying them there and it will likely allow you to buy MUCH better then you first thought. Same goes for amps and h/u.. search ebay, post on caraudio.com and similar forums to find the best possible price. Once you get your gear have someone install it (find out what they'll charge ahead of time) or do it yourself. Sometimes stuff is easy to install using adapters from crutchfied and sometimes you'll want to pay someone if it's a lot of work.

As mentioned above, the more time/pateince you put into your research the more satisfied you'll be with the end product. It can truly make a big difference..

 

[Belgarion 10+ year member]

Excellent advice, and I agree that more research than just Best Buy would be needed. I have actually listened to speakers at Tweeter, Circuit City and a local car audio/alarms shop as well. From what I have heard, JL and Boston Acoustic speakers sound MUCH better than the rest...

Well, I am buying a h/u that supports MP3 (as soon as I decide on either the 840MP or the JVC KDLH2000, or am convinced that there are better units)..... maybe I should hold off on the speakers until after I get the unit. I may decide an amp with a sub may be a better choice than trying to find four 6.5" speakers to handle everything....

Thanks for the feedback!

 

[Belgarion 10+ year member]

yrrk-

thanks for the comments! I do research things to death, and I have done a lot of research already.... now I am trying to get feedback from the experts! //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif I have physically looked at about 30 h/u, but have only gotten to "hear" about 10 different pairs of speakers.... I guess I am just trying to decide whether or not I should put a sub in the trunk (with an amp), or try to get decent sound from four 6.5" speakers....

And I did get prices on installation.... the local car audio specialist shop will charge me $55 for the h/u, and the guy told me it would be cheaper to let him hookup the h/u to the factory speakers, then just put the new speakers in myself. I never mentioned getting an amp and sub, since I am still up in the air on that...

thanks for the comments! much appreciated....

 

[ChefJoe 10+ year member]

Well, if you're going to have someone else do the install stuff for you, one suggestion I have that may make your life much easier later on. Ask that shop if you can give them some RCA extension cables and a remote/antenna wire that they'll install on the harness and just leave hanging from the bottom of the dash. Make sure you protect the ends well, but it's one of the pains of a trunk mounted amp (backing out the HU if you don't have the right tools) and could save you more than 20 minutes and some money if you decide to install your amp yourself.

They may or may not go for it... depends on if the shop intends to milk you for money.