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I need to turn $300 into speakers


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kfr01 
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Posted: April 10, 2005 at 3:36 PM / IP Logged  

I'm personally a fan of non-authorized dealers IF they can give the right price and you're willing to accept the risk.  That said, you do need to realize that you probably won't have a warranty from a non-authorized retailer.  To me, this extra potential risk should just be factored into the total cost in a buying decision, not a clear rejection of all non-authorized dealers.  Indeed, some online retailers are very reputable small businesses, the rather short-sighted car audio industry just hasn't warmed to online sales. 

So.... instead of just saying "never shop non-authorized" the smart buyer will:

Compare the total cost of ownership to value gained.

Online Retailer Costs:

[Actual dollar figure to purchase the non-authorized item] + ([replacement cost] * [probability of replacement needed])
Online Retailer Value:
([Price at Authorized Dealer] - [Non-Authorized Price])

IF online retailer value > online retailer costs THEN purchase online

IF online retailer value < online retailer costs THEN purchase authorized retail

There are certainly other variables to the analysis, but my hypothesis is that if the non-authorized price, probability of replacement, and replacement cost are low enough, it CAN!!!, at least purely economically, make sense to purchase non-authorized. 

Back to the issue at hand:   I think JL is good for bass, not good for mids/highs.  I've A/B'd all JL component lines against Quart, Memphis, and Diamond lines.  JL was my least favorite.  They might be fine for rap - they had impressive midbass and OK highs, but for any music that values midrange quality, I would not personally buy JL.   I think Memphis is one of the great values in car audio right now. 

New Project: 2003 Pathfinder
sedate 
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Posted: April 10, 2005 at 9:22 PM / IP Logged  
Whoa.
Hmm I tend to purchase from authorized-dealers.. but I also don't believe I pay much more than I would otherwise...
I paid $335 for my 6450 and $400 for my 1800D, which is about in line from the *cheapest* non-authorized JL dealers I've seen online. I've found if I show a dealer three or four print-outs of a price that is something like 40% of what they want, the price starts dropping *really* fast. I dunno if all dealers are like this, but at my JL dealer they have to write in the prices for everything on the sales reciepts b/c of all the negotiation. The *hardest* sale I ever did was for my JL 500/1.. I walked with that for $435.
Anything else I want to buy I can usually find at Sounddomain.com.. which I believe, is totally authorized for all their products.. I know for Infinity stuff...
I dunno what the dealer woulda wanted for the MB Quarts, he wasn't my JL dealer... I hadn't gotten around to arguing price but he quoted me $280. I think I coulda taken at least $100 off that but, then again, I've never worked those guys...
The price on the Alpines I demoed was $260... more than twice the $110 they go for online.. I was kinda looking forward to that round of negotionations.. I had a bunch of printouts in my backpocket and everything.. but he had me listen to Quarts and my head got all screwy.
Someone say SOMETHING about the Boston Pros!!!
"I'm finished!" - Daniel Plainview
sedate 
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Posted: April 10, 2005 at 9:32 PM / IP Logged  
Oh yea..
DYOhn:
You frequently post the statement "Listen to the speakers and buy the ones you like" to people who post such questions as mine.. especially since I already went around to listen to speakers and still wanted to spew on about "what to do"
See.. its like this... I find demoing stuff on a soundboard in a store doing A/B comparisons to be a horribly unreliable way to judge a speaker. I need not say anything to anyone here about the tremendous advantages speakers have when they get to be demoed out of a store like compared to how they actually work in a car...
I mean, I *always* like speakers in a store... frequently I find much to complain about in a car.... so I like asking around and seeing what people like.
"I'm finished!" - Daniel Plainview
geepherder 
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Posted: April 10, 2005 at 9:34 PM / IP Logged  
I prefer my Pros over comparable JLs and Quarts anyday.  They're more natural sounding.
My ex once told me I have a perfect face for radio.
kfr01 
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Posted: April 10, 2005 at 10:08 PM / IP Logged  

sedate wrote:
Oh yea..
DYOhn:
You frequently post the statement "Listen to the speakers and buy the ones you like" to people who post such questions as mine.. especially since I already went around to listen to speakers and still wanted to spew on about "what to do"
See.. its like this... I find demoing stuff on a soundboard in a store doing A/B comparisons to be a horribly unreliable way to judge a speaker. I need not say anything to anyone here about the tremendous advantages speakers have when they get to be demoed out of a store like compared to how they actually work in a car...
I mean, I *always* like speakers in a store... frequently I find much to complain about in a car.... so I like asking around and seeing what people like.

See, but in-car you're comparing installation and car environments.  While the store won't give you an exact picture of what the speakers will sound like in-car, they will give you a picture of the RELATIVE performance of each driver.  The issue isn't whether or not you like the speaker.  Yes, I usually like the speakers in store too.  The issue is which speaker you like BETTER than the rest.  This relative determination can easily be achieved in-store. 

New Project: 2003 Pathfinder
kfr01 
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Posted: April 10, 2005 at 10:15 PM / IP Logged  

wheelerdr wrote:
Yea i would get rid of it to everyone thinks jl is all that and my poor boy little fosgate p3 sounds better and will get more spl than the jl, but i can say that i do like the w3's. I have more of my customers say they are dissapointed in the jl w6, w7's, and wish the eclips would hit harder. I have them looke at either the fosgates or the new line of directed audio subs that i just got in amazing sound and very loud. Even the new kenwood excelon subs are nice they can even pound harder than the eclips titaniums, but sound a bit muddy unless driven with a lot of power. and all cost lots less.

It sounds like some of your customers actually see the downside in using lower efficiency woofers and the upside in using more efficient woofers. 

New Project: 2003 Pathfinder
Paradigm 
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Posted: April 11, 2005 at 1:17 PM / IP Logged  

For the love of God can we PLEASE put things in proper perspective. Anyone who buys A JL Audio sub to get "stupid loud" obviously doesn't know much about JL Audio drivers...

It's like, "I was thirsty, so I bought a Pepsi, but I was still dehydrated afterwards." DUH! Soft drinks are possibly the worst thing you can get for dehydration (for those of you who don't know). Same thing with JL Audio subs - they get loud, but that's not their primary function. They are primarily a SOUND QUALITY driver. Get it? Got it? Good...I need to turn $300 into speakers - Page 2 - Last Post -- posted image.

VEHICLE: 2002 GMC Sonoma ZR2
Alpine CDA-7940
AudioControl EQT x2
JL Audio 1000/1
JL Audio 10W6 (originals) x3
Kicker ZR120
Kicker ZR460
Polk GXR-6 x4
Polk GXR-4 x2
Page of 2

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