Relatively low budget, need help picking 6x8/6.5's

[supramkivtt2jz 10+ year member]

I thought I found a great deal on Amazon and bought two pairs of Infinity Kappa 6829cf's. They sounded decent after I paired them with a better amp - Boston Acoustics from a Jensen - but ever since I received them I always had a burning electronics smell in the cabin. They were supposedly rated at 100w @ 2ohm and both amps I had/have put out 80w at that resistance - all of which are CEA ratings.

So, I talked to Amazon and they're being returned. Im looking for a set of 6x8 2-ways that have better mid bass and no where near the ear peircing trebel, and possibly a 6.5 component set for the front. My total budget is $200.

Any suggestions would be great. Sonic had the Kappa's reviewed fairly high, but they obviously cannot handle the 80 watts theyre rated at.

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[AATorres28 10+ year member]

I'm running the same set of speakers off a zapco and I'm having no problems. Maybe you got a defective pair? I'm also running the kappa 6x8 components up front with great results as well.

 

[LosIsATool 5,000+ posts]

What are your gains set at on your amp?

 

[supramkivtt2jz 10+ year member]

I'm running the same set of speakers off a zapco and I'm having no problems. Maybe you got a defective pair? I'm also running the kappa 6x8 components up front with great results as well.

I was thinking of ordering two more pairs after I return these, but I didnt want to risk the same issues

What are your gains set at on your amp?

Im not able to tell what voltage exactly, but its turned about 80% up - loud enough that there is no distortion.

 

[Buck 5,000+ posts]

I'm assuming you drive a Ford, I do to, get 6.5's, world of difference.

 

[SplAffair 10+ year member]

Im not able to tell what voltage exactly, but its turned about 80% up - loud enough that there is no distortion.

80% up? seems a little high to me ive never turned my gains past 50% always clips or distorts after that. but thats just my experience.

 

[zako 10+ year member]

I really like my Alpine Type R 6.5 component speakers. The bass is pretty good. They have enough bass to crossed at 70Hz. However, it's critical to seal the doors with Dynamat and Dynaliner or similar product for best results IMO. The highs are pretty smooth. I can crank up the volume far more than with other speakers before feeling fatigue. They come with a free plastic 6x8 adapter plate. I have the old Type R speakers. They got updated this year, but I can't imagine that they could have gotten worse than the previous model. The previous model is still available too.

Another really good budget speaker is Polk MM series.

The Infinity's are rated 2ohm at the voice coil, without considering the resistance of the wire. People have measured the impedance of these speakers at the end of wire and had gotten something different, like 3ohms. In general the impedance at the end of wire may also depend on the quality and length of the wire. The thin, cheap factory speaker wire is generally not optimal (the wattage may drop and impedance will go up).

Also, just because your amp is rated at 80watts RMS, it doesn't not really mean that the speakers are getting so much power. You can't know that really without taking any measurements, since this is dependent on the gain setting of the amplifier. And also, since the impedance at the end of wire is more like 3ohms, they're not even getting 80watts RMS. For what it's worth, I have bridged my amp channels to power the front speakers. If the amp constantly sent the rated 150watt to them, they'd surely blow up, but this hasn't happened so far.