new speakers or different install?

[southwest713 10+ year member]

i have some adire Koda components, but i'm not sure that i'm getting the best out of them. they're powered by an ed9.4 bridged getting about 200watts each. i have them in the doors with a layer of edead v1se for deadening. would it make a noticeable difference putting them in kickpanels? i want them to be as loud and clear as possible. or should i just upgrade comps? by the way its in a 03 civic with no rear fill.

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[southwest713 10+ year member]

anybody???

 

[southwest713 10+ year member]

???

 

[Gary S 10+ year member]

I would do kick panels before you spend money on new comps... those may be hard to beat.

The most important things in car audio, in order:

The rules

1) Installation, Installation, and installation. Did I mention installation?!

2) Power - head units do not count... you need separate amps... a bi-amped sub/satellite system is the basis of all great systems.

3) Speaker placement - no one ever mentions this, but it is number 3 on the list!

4) Buy the best component speaker system you can afford... then buy the rest of the system with what is left (why do you think I hang out here so much?!)!

 

[theothermike 10+ year member]

^

good post and in order

Nuff said

Mike

 

[alphakenny1 10+ year member]

I would do kick panels before you spend money on new comps... those may be hard to beat.
The most important things in car audio, in order:

The rules

1) Installation, Installation, and installation. Did I mention installation?!

2) Power - head units do not count... you need separate amps... a bi-amped sub/satellite system is the basis of all great systems.

3) Speaker placement - no one ever mentions this, but it is number 3 on the list!

4) Buy the best component speaker system you can afford... then buy the rest of the system with what is left (why do you think I hang out here so much?!)!

x2

awesome post. i would rep you if we still had the rep system going //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/crap.gif.7f4dd41e3e9b23fbd170a1ee6f65cecc.gif.

but i don't necessarily agree with the order. if you buy a POS component set, regardless if you get top notch equipment in the first 3 it'll sound like crap. mine would go like this.

1) install (same thing as speaker placement)

2) choice of speakers

3) available processing

4) Power

 

[flakko 5,000+ posts]

1) install (same thing as speaker placement)

2) choice of speakers

3) available processing

4) Power

ummm... i dont know man...

my order would be:

1) install

2) Powerr

3) choice

4) processing

of course the good install goes first, but if you dont have enough power for the speakers 1. you will send a clipped signal if you are not careful, and 2. you will not be using the speaker to its full potential, and headroom is always good. i choose speaker choice 3rd because SOME of the outcome has to do with the equipment. i think its more 25% equipment 70% install 5% beer. time after time a swapped out equipment amps, speakers, watever and i have heard major improvements/unimprovements

 

[alphakenny1 10+ year member]

ummm... i dont know man...
my order would be:

1) install

2) Powerr

3) choice

4) processing

of course the good install goes first, but if you dont have enough power for the speakers 1. you will send a clipped signal if you are not careful, and 2. you will not be using the speaker to its full potential, and headroom is always good. i choose speaker choice 3rd because SOME of the outcome has to do with the equipment. i think its more 25% equipment 70% install 5% beer. time after time a swapped out equipment amps, speakers, watever and i have heard major improvements/unimprovements

i guess in my order i could swap power and processing. but to me they are both very close. but i still say speaker before power because there are speakers that have different characteristics and you want to choose speakers based on the way you like your music (duh!). let's say you get a nice amp with enough "headroom" as you say, and choose a component set that kinda sorta fits your sonic likings, the headroom will not fully make up flaws, to your ears, that the component set has.

but if you get speakers that are to your liking and give them adequate power then to me that is more preferable because the speakers are somewhat sufficiently powered and still carry the sonic characteristics you enjoy. Shoot for me for example i chose the seas lotus reference set and i am in love with them. i am giving them adequate power through my usamps 5600x which does 75 x 4. not a lot of headroom at all and it sounds pretty good.

plus there are drivers out there that are pretty efficient. i gave my seas ca18rly about 35 watts and sounded good.

or here's a dilemma: POS amp w/ High end speakers or High end amp w/ POS speakers? which do you choose?

 

[superdooperman 10+ year member]

or here's a dilemma: POS amp w/ High end speakers or High end amp w/ POS speakers? which do you choose?

no dilemma whatsoever, you take the high end amp with POS speakers. Generally speaking, your choice of power usually tends to cost more then the speakers do. So take the high end power and wait till you can upgrade the speakers.

 

[alphakenny1 10+ year member]

no dilemma whatsoever, you take the high end amp with POS speakers. Generally speaking, your choice of power usually tends to cost more then the speakers do. So take the high end power and wait till you can upgrade the speakers.

i'm sorry but your reasoning doesn't justify why power is better than a speaker. why not the other way around? just because it's more expensive doesn't make it the better choice.

for me personally i rather find drivers that fit my personal tastes and THEN find sufficient power to power the drivers.

okay, how about this you have to choose one of the following:

1) POS amp with high end speakers

2) POS speakers with high end amp

 

[FoxPro5 5,000+ posts]

1)

 

[Gary S 10+ year member]

My original post was more of a general starting rules... I listed power as the number two most important thing for improving a stock system or for a new system because of so many newbie posts day after day after day, trying to buy expensive speakers just to run full range off their head unit power... A biamped subwoofer/satellite system with separate subs, amps, and electronic crossovers does so much more for a system... increases SPL, dynamic range, clarity several times over... and you can do it for about the same or not much more than the cost of the popular "unit and 4", a CD player and four coaxes.

i'm sorry but your reasoning doesn't justify why power is better than a speaker. why not the other way around? just because it's more expensive doesn't make it the better choice.
for me personally i rather find drivers that fit my personal tastes and THEN find sufficient power to power the drivers.

okay, how about this you have to choose one of the following:

1) POS amp with high end speakers

2) POS speakers with high end amp

- Let's say you won a free component and component amplifier buying spree (subwoofers, CD players, head units, processors, accessories, and all other types of products are excluded), with no cap on price... you can buy any amps or speakers, as many as you want (if you can fit ten amps in your car and your charging system can handle it, buy them!), no mater how expensive.

But, there is a catch... here are the rules:

1) You can only choose between two manufacturers.

2) You can only buy one type of product from each manufacturer. In other words, if you choose to buy component speakers made by "company A", you Must buy a "company B" amplifier. Conversely, if you want Company B components, you can't also buy a "company B" amp, you must buy an amp from the other manufacturer, "company A".

3) All equipment must be installed in your daily driven car, and you must keep the equipment in your car for one year (no, you can't buy the most expensive thing and sell it to buy something else... that would be cheating!).

The two manufacturers you have to choose from are Rainbow and Pyramid. What amps and component speakers would you choose?

 

[alphakenny1 10+ year member]

huh //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/eyebrow.gif.fe2c18d8720fe8c7eaed347b21ea05a5.gif?

well i guess according to your guildelines i will choose the rainbow references and whatever pyramid amp i guess. i know well dam sure if pyramid made some components and ran a rainbow amp on it, it'll still sound like utter shiet. but at least with rainbow references and a pyramid amp, at least i will hear some quality.