Replacing factory speakers in 2002 Subaru Impreza

[SECTION25]

I have a 2002 model Subaru Impreza WRX (the bug eye ones that no one likes =)

It also has a Sony CDX-GT270 head unit leading to this;

Alpine MRP-M450

and this is connected to it;

Sony XS-GTX120L (1000w peak, 300w RMS 12" svc sub)

I also have this which is not currently in the car;

Alpine MRP-F250

So I don't really know much about car audio, but basically I want to buy some speakers to run off my 4 channel amp. I am hoping that I can spend a few hundred bucks tops and have something pretty reasonable.

My perception after some research so far is that my head unit only has a switchable preout. So I'm guessing that if I use my 4 channel amp, I can connect the sub amp to that however I will lose subcontrol from the head unit, is this correct? No big deal anyways...

So basically, I have been looking online and people are saying these elusive "Precision Response Kevlar" speakers are what I want to get, however they seem to be discontinued now.

I have been looking on the Ryda.com.au site; (I am in Australia)

but being a novice, I'm just looking at known (to me, anyway) brands with the highest RMS.

(I've been told 6.5" splits is what I want for the front, not sure about the back...)

So guys, what would you recommend I do? I am on a budget - I won't have this car forever, and once the speakers are installed, they probably won't be removed. However, I am aware of the law of diminishing returns, so I am looking for something that provides good performance and value for money

Cheers

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[SECTION25]

No one has any advice on this?

 

[bugflipper 10+ year member]

My advise would be to bridge the 4 channel alpine to two and have an 80x2. I really don't know about that head unit if it has 1 set of rca for full range and 1 set for sub(which is switchable). Use a y adapter from the full range rca to the amp. In other words 2 out, then y adapter for 4 input. Hitron RCAY2M (acc-rcay2m) - Y-Adaptor RCA Interconnects - Sonic Electronix

You would be better served to have $200 for the front and no back comps. This is why bridging the 4 channel into a 2 channel. Rear fill messes up the soundstage and does not sound as good as just a very good pair of comps.

For comps HERTZ HI ENERGY HSK 165 6.5" 2-WAY COMPONENT SPEAKER - eBay (item 140495994293 end time Jan-30-11 13:17:50 PST) I know these guys ship to AU, because that is where I heard about the hertz coming out of Malaysia about 3 years ago. It would be $116.40 AU. Look on ebay AU and most likely you will find slightly better prices. Search term is Hertz hsk165.

 

[SECTION25]

Hey mate, thanks for the advice.

I was thinking about bridging the Alpine too.

I looked online for the Hertz HSK165's some time ago, but looking at the pages, they seem to be ludicrously cheap, and the sellers in Singapore all seem to have been created around the same time, and have similar amounts of feedback and user names, making me think that these are perhaps not the real product, and they're prepared to close the accounts when they get enough bad feedback.

My factory speakers are pretty much dead and rattling from the abuse I have given them (heh) so I will have to replace the rears anyway, however happy to leave them unamplified.

Did you see the RYDA link I put in there? They seem to have a wide choice however not sure what I should be looking at there...

 

[bugflipper 10+ year member]

High prices on the ryda link. The Bostons are $100 more there than we can get them for here. International shipping from US to there is usually around $30. You may be a little better off buying here and paying the high shipping to get the best for your money.

I meant run no rear speakers at all. There is quite a bit of interference to the front stage from the rear stage. Usually if sound quality is wanted people just upgrade the front and unhook the rear.

These are not to bad sounding for their respective prices. Being so close together in price the d6 would be the best buy, then the d3 and finally the d1. D1 are usually around $100, D3 $140 and D6 $200 so a very good deal.

Diamond Audio D161.5 200W 6.5-Inch D1 Component Speakers

Diamond Audio D363.5 240W 6.5-Inch D3 Component Speakers

Diamond Audio D662S 6.5-Inch D6 Component Speakers

To me these are between the D3 and D6.

Crescendo Audio :: Component Speaker Systems :: CCX65 You could email to see what the price shipped to you for b-stock would be. I am guessing $100-110 shipped to AU. They will give a description of the reason it is b stock, such as scratches on box, back of speaker or grill. They will not sell non functioning speakers, so it will be only cosmetic.

Personally I run HAT. In my opinion they are the best for the money. They have a new line called Imagine which is their entry level. There are several reviews out there on them being better than $450 speakers for half the price. They are a little over the budget but I will throw them in as well.

Imagine I61-2 Component / Coaxial Speaker Set - 12v Electronics

This page has links to car audio shopping sites in US that have reasonable prices. Car Audio at CarAudio.com

 

[SECTION25]

Hey mate, thanks a lot of helping me out here.

Those HAT speakers look pretty good....

Yep, Ryda prices aren't the best, but it's in AUD and also we pay a little more for everything here //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/frown.gif.a3531fa0534503350665a1e957861287.gif

I'm quite happy to spend 200+ on the front speakers if I am only going to be running them.

But it seems like it's pretty easy to get a pair of rears for like 80 bucks that may be decent?

So its your opinion then that running rear speakers for the extra loudness (plus people in the back, I guess) is offset by the quality loss? Is this because of having to tune the rears, plus acoustic issues, etc?

And I'm also curious as to what role RMS ratings play in this. Do we really care about that? Is there a major correlation between speaker manufacturers as to what RMS figures they quote and the expected loudness+sound quality? I see a lot of actual makes and models of speakers recommended on other threads on models alone....

Also, with component speaker sets, I am noticing some have an external crossover, whilst others don't (as I think is the case with the HAT) - what is the reason for this?

Please pardon my ignorance (plus the length of this post, heh) but I am definitely a guy who likes to buy things once, correctly.

Cheers