Printer Friendly Forum Posts - 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.

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GgGgGgGiZak!!

My personal favorite is infinity kappa series. they have eother 2 way (62.5I) or 3 way (63.5I).

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

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I need quality equipment, feel free to donate.

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?

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Top Secret, I can tell you but then my wife will kill me.

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.

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GgGgGgGiZak!!

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

jvc's internal amp sux i sell them quite alot because of price point and they work for most people the nice thing about that deck is the 7 band eq if tune right sounds ok at best ... one common misconseption is the whole 50x4 crap the decks only put out 15-22 watts most around 17-18 .. yes your "stock" system was a match done by nissan who installed your stereo .? where there any caps put on the speakers? if you dont have caps and it was a professional install.. i.e. not chucks audio... or don pedros you can do some speakers .. depends on the type of tunes you listen to.... rock rap .....elect. country.... metal dome tweeters or fabric ... go to your local shop and just ask to hear a sample of both types.. and see what you like first..

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dont be a pet monkey ..use your dmm

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.

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GgGgGgGiZak!!

I am definitely not an expert, nor am I even a professional installer, but my two cents is that I've never heard stock speakers strong enough to sound clear at the volume level you are talking about. After reading your last post, I would be willing to venture a guess that there is nothing wrong with your radio or your speakers. You are just asking too much out of them. It is time for you to upgrade, my friend. I always recommend a component set as a replacement for the front speakers. Being that I am not sure your level of knowledge, a component set comes with 2 midrange woofers, for your car probably 5.25 or 6.5. The set also comes with two tweeters usually 3/4-1 inch. Finally, the set comes with two crossovers, one for each side of the vehicle. It comes as one inclusive set and personally I think is much better than just getting replacement door speakers. I am fortunate enough to have pods in my doors for tweeters, so I didn't have to modify anything to fit my component set. If you do not have a factory space for tweeters, you may want to start with just replacing the door speakers. Maybe one day you'll delve into the world of kick panels. That's probably a long way away. For now, upgrading the factory speakers will help, and getting an amp to power those speakers will really help. That's my opnion anyway.

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I be tossin and flossin, my style is awesome. Causin' more family feuds than Richard Dawson.

If the problem is that it isn't loud enough, and it is clipping when you try to make it loud enough, then you need an amplifier. Forbidden is correct when he says you aren't getting that "50 watt" rating to the speakers. My guess is that you turned up some boost in the head unit, causing it to clip it's internal amplifier a little earlier. But if you buy a 2 channel amp and even hook it up to the front factory speakers, then you will get what you are looking for. That's where I recomend starting, and then upgrade the front speakers later on.

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Won't amplifying factory speakers most likely blow them? I always thought that pretty much any amount of power above what a head unit will destroy factory speakers.

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I be tossin and flossin, my style is awesome. Causin' more family feuds than Richard Dawson.

If the factory speakers say 25 wattas on them, I'd put my money down that 50 watts rms, possible even up to 60ish wouldn't blow them. However, a there's now way around the fact that todays decks do not provide sufficent power to the average person looking for "loud" music. A quick suggestion would be to buy an amp before anything else, if possible purchase everything at once. As far as amp selection, I would look into something that puts out 40 watts rms if your plannin gon keeping for facotry speakers for a while. However if your planning on buying nice speakers, look into the 75+ watts RMS amps and you won't be disspointed. I'm not sure your price range. Once we get your price range I'm sure we could all help you out.

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R.Troy

I could be wrong but that doesn't make any sense to me. I wasn't turning up any boost in the head unit, in fact I was tuning it down from default. If what you're saying is now I need an amp to make my stock speakers louder - or as loud as they were before, then the internal amp in my factory head unit was more powerful then the one that came with my aftermarket head unit? I suppose it's possible, but that would just be wrong hehe.

And thanks Ezekial for the suggestion on component sets, the sentra does have built in sockets where stock tweeters are so that will be nice to upgrade as well, just need to check how the stock wiring is setup.

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GgGgGgGiZak!!

Honestly, I don't think you have a problem. Your expectations are ahead of your capabilities, that's all. You are definitely ready for the full upgrade. You got the car audio bug, and I got news for you, it will never go away. Once you go aftermarket, you'll never be able to go back. Personally, I love it. I am always trying to learn more about it everyday. I think once you get some new speakers and an amp, you will find happiness with your audio system and the next thing you know, you'll be fiberglassing your whole car. Your car will be made of fiberglass,lol. Good luck.

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I be tossin and flossin, my style is awesome. Causin' more family feuds than Richard Dawson.

Hehe, I'm trying to avoid that!! Already fell into that hole with my PC building. I originally wanted to go all out, dvd / gps navigation etc etc, but finally convinced myself that it wasn't financially smart. Trying to stay mid-range to upper mid-range, but the more I know, the more I want. NEED MORE POWER!! Lol. Damn christmas, forcing me to save money for other ppls gifts when I know they won't buy me car stereo stuff, they'll give me socks or cd-r's !! Hehe.

Anyways, I'm trying to stay around $200 to replace the 4 stock speakers/2tweeters. And hopefully $500-600 on 2 woofers and an amp. We'll see how well I can control myself, any suggestions within those budgets would help me out. I'm finding good prices on e-bay but I'm not buying until I get all the facts. If there's one thing smart I'm doing, it's researching before I on a shopping spree. Any suggestions on good deals for the average-upper average speakers works for me. Don't need 200watt 6.5's if I don't plan on buying an amp for 'em.

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GgGgGgGiZak!!

I know exactly what you mean and I know you probably have your mind made up, but I can't urge you enough to reconsider not buying on amp for your interior speakers. I understand the budget, believe me. I would recommend buying a component set to replace the fronts, and a small two-channel amp to run those. I would completely avoid rear speakers, they are unnecessary and in a car as small as a sentra, if your front speakers are decent, you won't even notice that there is no sound in the back. Then, I would get one sub rather than two, probably one ten inch. Gives you some nice fill, which is definitely necessary in my book. You could get a dual 4 ohm voice coil sub and a 2 ohm stable mono amp to run it. I think that would be a pretty inexpensive way to go. In terms of brands, that's a very tough call. As I'm sure you know, everybody has different tastes in what sounds good to them. Give me an hour, I'll come back with some ideas.

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I be tossin and flossin, my style is awesome. Causin' more family feuds than Richard Dawson.

haha this dude went from only wantin to replace his HU........to new components, couple amps, new speakers (possibly) and now a sub.......and all this in under 20 posts........yea man you got the car audio bug.....and like phoenix said.....it NEVER goes away.....i just got my first car 6 months ago.....all i was gonna do was put in a (cheap) cd player, and new speakers cuz they were blown.........haha yea right......i have over a grand in my POS car now.......whats funny is i bump louder than the rich kids.......give it time man you'll learn all you want to know eventually, but i think phoenix is right......you're just asking too much out of you're lil system......give it time

I would seriously look at the Alpine Type R Components on ebay. I am not sure if you need 5.25 or 6.5, but they have both sizes on ebay. The model number of the 6.5 is SPR-176 A and the model number of the 5.25 is SPR-134A. The 176A set costs about $130.00 shipped and the 5.25 is about ten bucks cheaper. Those speakers have an rms of 40 watts, which is perfect for what you are looking for. I think these speakers are a great place for you to start. They are good quality and a steal and the prices on ebay.

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I be tossin and flossin, my style is awesome. Causin' more family feuds than Richard Dawson.

my ma has nissan sentra with the same speaker setup. you must be listening to you music crazy loud. I put a LOC on it and two 8" subs and disconnected the factory amp, and it sounds a whole lot better. For rear passengers i put in some clarion 6.5 2 ways so they can get some highs.

For over all better sound is to replace all the speakers, disconnect the factory sub, cuz all the distortion is coming from that. Then add a single 10 to fill in.

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I need quality equipment, feel free to donate.