re: very basic Qs, upgrading OEM speakers on 2014 Civic LX

[Chicago Tom]

I've decided to keep the OEM head amp due to the Wife Acceptance Factor, so all I can do is upgrade my speakers (6.5 inches front and back). The 2014 does have a CD player thankfully.

I'll work with Crutchfield, their system of determining what components are compatible with my car is very helpful. I don't want separate tweeters (again with the WAF), so this should be pretty simple.

First question is about the rear speakers. Are they really mostly for the enjoyment of the rear seat passengers (in which case I don't care, since I rarely travel with passengers in the rear). Or do they make a big difference in the overall sound? It boils down to, am I better off buying $100 speakers for front AND rear, or would it be better to spend $200 only on the front speakers?

I found an installer with tons of great Yelp reviews that will do the dirty work for me. I happen to have a case of Dynamat on hand that I've never opened. Might it be worth asking him to apply some to my front doors? And what about using some on the rear deck speaker mounts?

If I do decide to replace both front and rear speakers, is combining brands a problem, say Infinity Reference REF-6532IX in the front and https://www.crutchfield.com/p_210MAXIM6/Morel-Maximo-Coax-6.html in the rear?

PS: I'm an old guy who does not want a subwoofer at all, I listen to a lot of classic and prog rock, rockabilly, not much modern music.

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[SlugButter]

Definitely use that sound deadener in your doors. That actually may help more than brand new speakers honestly. I put sound deadener in my doors as my first step always. I would eliminate the rears and just run 2 good front speakers in the deadened front doors. You could leave the stock speakers running in the back if you want, but I would eliminate those personally.

 

[hispls 5,000+ posts]

Second vote for eliminating rears entirely and some door treatments in the front. I'd highly recommend getting components with separate tweeter. Tweeter mounting shouldn't be terribly intrusive and you always get far better quality with separate components.
I like Crutchfield a lot, but CDT is having some killer sales on last year's lineup right now. Some smoking deals to be had here:
https://www.cdtaudio.com/index.htm

 

[Chicago Tom]

Thanks to both of you for your advice, I am grateful! So I won't upgrade the rears then. But what if I simply fade them our entirely, so I can keep them for the rare occasions I do have rear seat passengers, rather than remove them entirely?

If this is just a matter of applying Dynamat (or whatever my installer uses) and installing the fronts, this sounds surprisingly uncomplicated. So, yay.

 

[hispls 5,000+ posts]

for the rare occasions I do have rear seat passengers,

Unless you've converted it into a police car it's not like you have a plexiglass shield that keeps the sound from reaching the back seat. Fade them out entirely and they won't be missed.