New car - Need speaker recommendations please

[plangevin]

Hi folks,

I have just purchased a 2014 Kia Optima LX. With that purchase, they will be changing my stock radio for a Kenwood 691HD. I will be picking up my car tomorrow and will most-likely want to change out my speakers. My music preference is probably much different from most and that's what I want to base the speakers on. You see, the most important part for me is the voice of the singer. For example, I love me some Celine Dion but also enjoy listening to artists like Pit Bull, Fall out boy and other similar bands. The first thing I typically do when I rent a new car is turn the bass down to -3 and treble upto +3 to hear the voices better.

In case this is important for speaker brands, I'm from Canada so it needs to be accessible. I did a little bit of research for myself and I had an idea of speakers I was thinking of purchasing but I have never heard them and would have to order them online without hearing them, which makes me a little nervous. I would have liked to keep the total purchase between 500-800$ but I could go over slightly if it makes a noticeable difference. Here are the dimensions of speakers to fit my car:

2 x 3.5" for the dash

4 x 6.5" for the doors

As I said, bass means nothing to me. If anything it gives me a headache when it's too loud. Here are the speakers I had in mind:

2 x 3.5" for dash = Infinity Reference X REF-3002cfx

4 x 6.5" for doors= Polk Audio db6501

Thanks,

Pat

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[plangevin]

Bump

 

[Jeffdachef 5,000+ posts]

most aftermarkets will not have a good bass response on their speakers so you dont have to worry too much about that. In fact bass/midbass will be pretty much nonexistent compared to stock speakers unless you create a proper enclosure with your car door and a proper seal with the speakers. The speakers you chose will do what you want just fine. You might want to add an amp in the future when you have more $$$. Makes a biiiig difference with the vocals and clarity. However head unit power is fine for now. With that head unit though, you'll have crossover functions which will attenuate the bass (sorta like cutting off the bass) at your specified frequency to give you more control over your sound. Its called high pass filter and normally it can be set 50hz, 63hz, 80hz, 100hz, 120hz, 160hz, 200hz so at 200hz, your not gonna get much response from any notes lower then 200hz from your music. This feature is best used in an amplified setup where your over powering your speakers allowing them to play louder and clearer without distortion from the speakers trying to play midbass.

 

[plangevin]

Thanks for the response Jeff.

I had no idea that the amp would actually make my speakers sound better. I always thought it was all about making my speakers louder, which isn't usually something I do much.

I wouldn't mind adding an amp right away. Any recommendations? Will a decent amp do the job or do I need something powerful?

Would something like this do the job? Sound Ordnance™ M-4100 4-channel car amplifier — 100 watts RMS x 4 at Crutchfield.com

Also, being a noob, I don't understand anything about the crossover functions and frequencies. I will hire someone to do the installation and will print out your comment to be sure they understand my needs.

If I have 6 speakers, will an amp giving 100x4 do the job or is that for 4 speakers max? Like I said, noob.

Thanks again!

Pat

 

[trumpet 5,000+ posts]

I will hire someone to do the installation and will print out your comment to be sure they understand my needs.

If you're having a shop do the installation I would skip that part. A good salesman is capable of helping you figure out your problem and offer solutions using what the shop has at their disposal, from the audio products to the installation methods and trained technicians. I'm not trying to put down Jeff's advice, but there should be a vast difference between consulting with a reputable brick and mortar car audio shop and receiving some general tips you find on this site.

I recommend Ray Windsor's 'Selecting a Retailer' video series for what to expect when you go into a shop and speak with a salesman.