6 1/2'' speaker opinions

Hey guys, I'm semi-new to the whole car stereo thing and was looking for some of your expert advise.

I recently installed a new car stereo deck, JVC KD LH-3100, and although it works fine, the sound is terrible.  Much worse then the stock system that was in previously.  I'm assuming it's due to the 50w x 4 trying to go out to my stock 25w 6 1/2 speakers (my car is an '02 nissan sentra, all 4 speakers are 6 1/2 i believe, the front also has 2 small tweeters built into the front columns).  I'm planning on replacing all the stock "panasonic" speakers with something better so that my sound is loud and crisp when i turn the volume up, not cracking.

I don't care too much about bass, as I will add a two 10's in the back amped, as money allows, but I do wan't something that will sound good in the meantime.  I don't plan on amplifying the four 6 1/2's.  I'll just utilize the deck's built in amp, so they don't need to be too pricey.  I noticed prices ranging from $30 to $200 per pair.

I briefly looked at some Rockford Fosgate 2-way and 3-ways, as their brand is reputable for being good.  I also like Pioneer and Infiniti.  Any opinions/advice on which path I should take or which brand/model to go with is much appreciated, Thanks.

CDT or MB Quart. these two are great makers speakers.  At www.thezeb.com

So let me get this straight, you replaced the factory player with a new JVC and it sounds like a$$, so the speakers are at fault? or did I misinterpret what you were saying, like you had the cd player in a different vehicle with different speakers. If you did replace the factory deck (which sounded better - probably made by Panasonic) with a JVC what makes you think speakers will make it sound better? Well the good thing is that speakers will make it sound better (depending on the brand and fit), but it all starts at the cd player. If what was once, sounded better, then you just took a step in the wrong direction, I did not mean to offend you if I have, just an opinion. Let us know exactly what you did.

Describe the sound for us, is it distorted or crackling? There may be a hidden amp in the car (although I doubt it). Is the bass on your cd player cranked up?

Correct, I replaced the stock (clarion) generic deck with an aftermarket, pricey JVC deck.  The power that the new deck is putting out, I'm assuming is too much for the generic (panasonic) stock speakers.  The sound is alright, but if I turn the volume up too high, it begins to crack.  I  had to turn down settings in the "power" output section, not the equalizer,  in the new JVC deck just so that I can make my volume a bit louder without cracking.  I also tinkered with the equalizer but just changing settings in the power output or master volume section helped more.

how high are you turning it up before you start clipping (cracking in your terms, clipping is the proper term)......in most cases stereos are only supposed to go up to about 3/4 of the full volume before you hear distortion or clipping.....if you're looking to get a louder volume without clipping......you need to 1) have a quality HU (if it comes out of the deck soundin sh*tty, its gonna go everywhere else like that too).......2) have quality speakers (some four ways are prolly best in most conditions)........3) good staging (im still learning staging, cant help ya out here).......and 4) if you want a louder volume then you need an amp for your speakers

hope that helped some     -matt

I'm turning it up fairly loud before the clipping occurs, although, it's not as loud as it was before i changed out the deck.  For me, loud enough is to the point where i can yell the lyrics and not hear my shat voice lol.  And yes, I have caps.  I just need somebody to loan me some good speaker to test out my theory hehe.  I like the deck for the features, i'm not an insane perfectionist when it comes to sound, I was just expecting an upgrade to my system sound instead of a downgrade from changing out the deck and I'm hoping the speakers are the failing point.

Thanks so far for the comments, please keep them coming if you have any, and if you have any suggestions on 6 1/2's, and 6 1/2's that come with the external tweeters (hopefully that fit in the stock area of the sentra), please voice it.  I'm learning much here and appreciate the help.