Car Audio semi-n00b needing ideas for “front only” system...6.5” component spkrs with appropriate amp

Dinny

CarAudio.com Newbie
Hey There,

I know a bit about home audio but am a n00b when it comes to car audio.
So on my first post here I am reaching out to CA as I am in need of some advice please.

I picked up a cheap low miles 2007 Hyundai Elantra sedan for commuting and since I have to drive it 😬
I thought I‘d treat myself to a quality sound system (which I’d have a pro install).

Since 90% of the time I‘ll be only using the front seats; I’m thinking forget the rear speakers and sub and spend a little more and focus on the two front component speakers- (6.5” lower front doors and separate tweeter mount higher on door) and an appropriate amp to drive them.

The music that I play -genre wise is a good mix, I am old enough to have grown up listening to the Clash, The Replacements, The Pogues and of course the Beatles, Kinks,Stones, Jeff Beck, Zep-all the Brits.The Band, Dylan, Petty, REM (Love the sound of Rickenbackers) Also have friends who are Jazz musicians who school me on “good“ Jazz recordings and as I get older I find I listen to more and more Classical music. So I would ask of my car speakers to play all these recordings fairly well.

Tonal accuracy, neutrality, tight tuneful bass and mid bass (A big bass sound is not a huge priority for me) A Great Midrange and ability to play vocals well and decent highs. All of this is what I ask for in my home speakers, so perhaps this is achievable in the car with a decent well matched amp?

So far I have a head unit:

Kenwood KMM-X503
Peak Power Output 50 watts x 4 channels
RMS Power Output 22 watts x 4 channels
Preamp RCA Outputs 6-channel (3 pairs)
Dedicated Subwoofer Preamp RCA Output Yes
Preamp Voltage 4 volts

The budget for the Speakers and Amp is $600 and I am open to used components.
one buddy suggested an all JL audio system another likes Focal speakers.

But, I thought I should ask the CA community -
Specifically which Speakers and amps pair best and work really well together?
As the amp need only drive the front components we probably don’t require a lot of watts right?
So am I correct in thinking a nice class A power Amp or one of the newer class D amps?
Apologies to all who are reading what has become a rather long first post and to all who choose to reply... Thank you in advance🙏🏻

** As we have decided that a sub and all that entails is needed
increase budget to $850
 
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and

Either of these, or really anything from those two brands that fits will be a very good midrange for you. In terms of amps there's a lot more good ones to choose from in your budget. JL also makes good speakers but their mid-tier dips a bit lower quality than focal/hertz, but so do their prices so it's up to you. It might be a good way to score a better amp and maintain your price point. Does your car have tweeters in it?

That all being said, unless you work on the sound deadening of the doors then you'll receive good but not great results. If you truly want SQ a meh pair of speakers will usually sound better in a sound deadened door than a good pair of speakers in a completely undeadened door.

Also worth mentioning that without a subwoofer you're going to be missing some kick drum intensity. I think those speakers will be able to bring a lot of life to the music in a good door setup, but I don't think anything that fits 6.5" alone will match them along with a tight subwoofer to pick up the low end.
 
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Thank you LasherŽ,
Failed to mention a friend gave me 2 boxes of products from Noico
one he said is like dynamat - goes on with a roller the other is thicker foam pads I believe. I am hoping to deaden the front doors and the trunk cause it’s kinda loud. I am afraid if I get a sub on what is an older car the rattles will drive me mad.
 
Thank you LasherŽ,
Failed to mention a friend gave me 2 boxes of products from Noico
one he said is like dynamat - goes on with a roller the other is thicker foam pads I believe. I am hoping to deaden the front doors and the trunk cause it’s kinda loud. I am afraid if I get a sub on what is an older car the rattles will drive me mad.

Not a problem, and here's a link to one of our members' websites (@SkizeR ) which is dedicated to sound deadening a vehicle. You may find its advice helpful. I did just a few days ago.


A lot of rattles can be addressed directly with small closed cell foam application, but with resonance issues you'll probably want to address in the doors to better accommodate better, higher power speakers will be better handled by the advice on the website. It'll help you utilize your dynamat and pads to the best of what they're good at and avoid wasting them in ways that won't help.
 
Thank you again LasherŽ,

Looking at the Hertz 6.5“ woofer - would you recommend they be mounted in the rear doors which are also 6.5” in lieu of a sub?
 
Also I know that in home audio, certain Speakers pair well with some brands of amps as the respective designers are thinking along the same lines. I see this at audio shows where speaker designers/manufacturers always pair their gear with the same brand of amp to best show off there speakers. Are there any relationships like this that you know of?
 
Thank you again LasherŽ,

Looking at the Hertz 6.5“ woofer - would you recommend they be mounted in the rear doors which are also 6.5” in lieu of a sub?


Those woofers would certainly give you more than the full range, they have higher xmax, but I don't think mounting them in the rear doors will give you the thump you'd expect for the price. Car door mounts really aren't designed to give the best audio experience, but if you're determined not to make a visible box for a subwoofer/woofer then maybe I'll wait for people more experienced in modifying the speaker's characteristics inside a door. It may be possible to create a better environment for them without being visible from the interior of the car. In general though I think it will help, I can't imagine the car sounds better with only the front speakers as it is right now, I don't expect that trend to change going to better speakers.
 
Also I know that in home audio, certain Speakers pair well with some brands of amps as the respective designers are thinking along the same lines. I see this at audio shows where speaker designers/manufacturers always pair their gear with the same brand of amp to best show off there speakers. Are there any relationships like this that you know of?

In general no, there's no point in matching brands between subwoofers and amps. So long as the characteristics of a speaker match and the brands are both reputable in that what they say their hardware does, it really does, then it's more of a myth that matching is good. I mean, if you want to rep a brand then rep a brand by all means, but sound quality wise there's no point.
 
Thanks, I am looking at the Resonix site now and will read it more tomorrow, that looks promising. If I understand correctly you believe front speakers and a sub in a separate enclosure (the trunk?) would be best would that scenario then lead us to selecting a 2 or 3 channel amp?
 
Yes, there is a separate tweeter on the front door and 6.5“ Speaker down low 37497BAD-BD64-4D9F-BF80-A635D8C375E2.jpeg
 
Thanks, I am looking at the Resonix site now and will read it more tomorrow, that looks promising. If I understand correctly you believe front speakers and a sub in a separate enclosure (the trunk?) would be best would that scenario then lead us to selecting a 2 or 3 channel amp?
It's highly dependent on how much power you'd like to run to the subwoofer. If you end up with a sealed enclosure in the trunk to get a super tight bass response you'll want something more powerful than you'd find in a typical 2/4 channel amp. Maybe a 5 channel like
I understand that would go above your budget, but that would allow you the future choice of going to high quality speakers in the rear as well. The subwoofer won't get very loud.

If you end up with a properly ported design for the trunk the amplifier will get very loud. Alternatively with a ported enclosure you could get something like https://www.crutchfield.com/p_530PN5640D/Soundstream-Picasso-Nano-PN5-640D.html?tp=35808 for much cheaper. I can't speak for the sound quality on that one, but it should be pretty decent compared to your head unit.

Alternative if you decide to stick with only amplifying 2 door speakers and a subwoofer (not the rear door ones) then you could get something like https://www.crutchfield.com/p_575P600X4/Rockford-Fosgate-Punch-P600X4.html or https://www.crutchfield.com/p_575PBR4004/Rockford-Fosgate-Punch-PBR400X4D.html and then bridge 2 channels for the subwoofer.
 
Yes, there is a separate tweeter on the front door and 6.5“ Speaker down lowView attachment 21880

If you'd like to continue using the car tweeters or at least tweeters in that spot then you may be able to get away with a non-full range mid like the hertz woofers I linked earlier for the front doors. That would require a beefier amp, but they are quite nice in the mid range. I'm not sure if your tweeters will match the size of any component sets, but if so that would be a great replacement for all 4 front speakers at once.
 
Pioneer 9705- $260
1 pair ABVFL65MB- $100
1-ABVFL8d4 $110
1 pair Dayton Audio AN25F-4- $50
1 box (ported) for a single VFL8D4- $90

The VFL65's will give you a good midbass from 80-3k. Then, the tweeters have a range from 3k-20k. Should give you a good sounding system on a budget. The single 8 will give you a nice tight punch without rattling the car. I would suggest a ported box, but that is your choice.
 
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Thanks, please correct me if I‘ve misunderstood any of the following...

Sound deadening:
look into recommended placements of deadening materials
the needed pieces and someone to do the install

Select front speakers:
separates ( like the Hertz 165.3 and a tweeter to pair with it)
Or a 6.5“ component set.
Checking my list first with my install pro to confirm he can fit the speakers selected.

Select Subwoofer:
Choose Sub, enclosure and placement

Select Amp(s):
One Amp for Speakers and Sub. Or Amp for fronts and a mono Amp for sub.

Correct approach so far?
 
Thanks, please correct me if I‘ve misunderstood any of the following...

Sound deadening:
look into recommended placements of deadening materials
the needed pieces and someone to do the install

Select front speakers:
separates ( like the Hertz 165.3 and a tweeter to pair with it)
Or a 6.5“ component set.
Checking my list first with my install pro to confirm he can fit the speakers selected.

Select Subwoofer:
Choose Sub, enclosure and placement

Select Amp(s):
One Amp for Speakers and Sub. Or Amp for fronts and a mono Amp for sub.

Correct approach so far?

Looks like a good summation to me.

If you're going to do a sound deaden install you may want to post who before you commit, a lot of us and some in that exact industry might have some words about them (unless it's just your buddy).
 
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Dinny

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