Want to upgrade, need help.

[undeadltd]

I want to upgrade my car audio, and i want to do it properly with quality products and expertise.

I'm going to start out with speakers, and then move on from there. But before i do that i have a few questions:

1) Is there a significant difference in sound between the 3-way and 4-way speakers? I know more speakers (tweeters) equals better sound, but is it worth the cost? As of right now i'm looking at the Pioneer A-6882R. It is a 4-way speaker and most of the reviews i've read on 'em are either excellent or good.

2) Do the speakers, Subwoofers, Head unit, etc all have to be of the same brand to sound good, or can you mix and match? I went to Best Buy and they told me the head unit and speakers should be of the same brand to sound really good, but i just wanted to make sure.

3) When would you use amps for your speakers? My friend was talking about it and i absolutely did not understand what he was saying. I thought you only put an amp with your subs...

I'm pretty sure i'll have more questions down the road, but this should help me get started. And what do you guys think of those speakers? i tried searching it on the forum but i couldn't find any reviews.

-thanks //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

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[FurbiesAndBeans 10+ year member]

1) more tweeters doesnt not mean better quality //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/laugh.gif.48439b2acf2cfca21620f01e7f77d1e4.gif Everyone here is going to recommend a nice component set for your front speakers.

2) Don't listen to best buy... ever. They don't have to be the same brand to sound good, but it looks nicer on the install. for speakers to sound good, you need to sound deaden your door, not run them off the same brand headunit....

3) Amping your speakers makes them sound A LOT better. For a budget setup i'd recommend getting a nice 2 channel amp, a component set up front running off the amp, and some coaxials in the rear running of the head unit. That doesnt include the sub though....

 

[undeadltd]

Now, with component speakers, i understand the speakers come in separate components, but the problem is that my car, a 2000 focus zx3 doesn't have that extra slot for a tweeter like i do in some cars. It just has the 6x8 speaker space on the door and in the back. How hard will the installation be? Where will the tweeters go? on the speakers or by the panel between the window and the door? and what about RMS. I keep reading, for example, peak RMS is 300 watts, but RMS is 100, what does that mean? And do i need to match the wattage of the amp with the RMS, or peak RMS of the speakers? Do the two (amp and speakers) need to be of the same brand? And what brands do you guys recommend? i was looking at the Alpines.

As for the subwoofers, my car being a hatchback, what size and power do you guys suggest? And what brand too? And i was reading up on subwoofer enclosures, whats the difference between a ported encloser and a closed one?

oops.. lol, i just looked at "helpful sites" on the stickies... oh well, i'm still going to post this here while i continue my research.

 

[boomzilla 10+ year member]

Yeah read all through the stickies, theres alot of info in there, some of it got deleted in the amp section though. But always go by RMS ratings, never by peak ratings. And stay away from the Pyle and Boss 3800w for $190 crap, it's over-rated, and you'll wish you just saved your money. Ask here about what amps will do good with the speakers you choose, and you'll end up with a great reliable amp. As far as components, people either install tweets in the door panels themselves by the door handle, the A pillars (diagonal peices that run along the winshield), and in kick panels that are custom made. It's all what style and imaging you want to go for.

 

[undeadltd]

I was looking up the kick panels at crutchfield and they are expensive //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/frown.gif.a3531fa0534503350665a1e957861287.gif

Since i don't have a space by the door handle or the A pillar, will i have to get a kick panel? I'm pretty sure i can get it made, will that be any cheaper? and where can i get this done?

I'm looking at these set of component speakers. What do you guys think? they have gotten good reviews. I'm confused about the amps however, the pictures shows the speakers with the amps but in the discription it says it's "compatible" with some other amps (i think).

I'm a little confused about crossovers aswell. I understand that they are suppose to breaks the entire frequency range into smaller chunks. But is it a separate component or is it built into the woofer, or the tweeter?

 

[Louisiana_CRX 5,000+ posts]

sounds good....