Upgrading my factory speakers

[jake.klusewitz]

Hi. I am totally new to this world of sound equipment for cars. I have an old Saturn and I want to swap out the factory speakers for something that will sound a bit nicer. I have no idea what to look for, so I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions.

I did replace the head unit already to a Pioneer. I was told that power to the speakers shouldn't be an issue, and that they are size 6.5, if that helps. Thanks!!!

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[trumpet 5,000+ posts]

Year and model of your Saturn? I have an '01 SL2.

 

[jake.klusewitz]

Haha yup, mine is SL 2 2001 also. :]

 

[trumpet 5,000+ posts]

Most standard sized 6.5" speakers will bolt right in to the doors and the rear deck. With a spacer bracket you can fit oversized speakers up front pretty easily. There is plenty of clearance behind the door for deep speakers, too, within about 3" or so by my guess.

It's true you can continue to use the Pioneer head unit to power the new speakers, but this is not the best way to get great results. Depending on your budget I can help you with speakers to fit your needs.

 

[jake.klusewitz]

Great, thanks! What would you suggest? I am mostly trying to get an idea right now. I have no idea around how much this will cost so I am just trying to weigh my options.

 

[trumpet 5,000+ posts]

I and many others have thousands of dollars invested into our car audio systems split between labor, electronics and sound damping materials. Decent speakers start at less than $100/pair, but you can't just drop in new speakers and really hear how they can potentially sound. My Saturn has materials in the doors for vibration control, creating a noise barrier, coupling the front of the speaker to the grille to prevent sound from getting trapped, and absorption inside the door similar to techniques used for home speaker cabinets. These acoustic treatments don't need to cost hundreds of dollars, but I strongly recommend them and I can suggest value-oriented products. These doors can be stripped down pretty far.

 

[jake.klusewitz]

Wow, so I have a lot to think about. I was hoping something that would make my speakers sounds a bit better for somewhere around the budget of a few hundred dollars. Is anything like that possible?