I need to turn $300 into speakers

So I have a really crappy job waiting tables and usually I make no money what-so-ever and am chronically broke.

Just so happens, of all things, I make like way more money than usual tonight and I really wanna do something about my wasted set of JL Audio VR series comp's I have now (the 5 1/4 midrange is busted and in the 4 week process of getting fixed.. so my semi-shady JL dealer told me)... either way I was thinking about getting a new set of front comps for awhile now and this would I think, be a great time.

I'm really sensitive to harsh highs and I always tend to run my tweeters at full-negative attenuation (whatever is the highest setting on the crossover.. on the VR's, -3dB) and, anecdotally, silk tweets are the way for me. Still, I demoed some Alpine SPA-156A's (I think), which had a 1-inch silk dome tweeter and a 2-step adjustable crossover.. I thought "perfect" but the salesmen just had to ruin my intent by showing me a pair of MB Quart Reference 5 1/4's, which were also *highly* impressive... A/B comparision would definately fall to the Quart's.

So now i'm kinda lost... my JL dealer offered me a set of Boston Pro's for $350 and I was thinking I could scrape up the extra $50.

Anyone have some suggestions on where to look? Comparable or better sound to a set of JL VR525's?

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"I'm finished!" - Daniel Plainview

I would stay jl i like to keep my system the same if all possible, but the mb quart and the bostons are great sounding either one would be a nice addition

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Yea I could throw in another set of VR speakers.. they sound amazing... but I kinda wanted to do things at least a *little* differently.

Besides, I'm about to get rid of that stupid 13w6 so the "JL Theme" doesn't really matter anyway..



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"I'm finished!" - Daniel Plainview

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.

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<TELL ME ABOUT IT>

That stupid W6 was $450, AND that was like 20% off retail...
its certainly a *clean* woofer... I've never heard anything make such subtle distinctions so low in the spectrum.. but there is absolutely no volume what-so-ever... really not much louder than a single 12W0 I had in my car wayyy back when I started my system... and that is a *cheap* sub. Seriously I have my w6 gettin almost twice RMS.. about 800 watts... and still almost nuthin out of it.. it sucks.

I was thinking about a pair of Eclipse 12's.. but I'll prolly go with my perennial favorite: the Infinity Kappa Perfect 12.1's.

I was also thinking of 3 Infinity Reference 10's... I could run a solid 200 watts to each of 'em and I bet that would *pound*.. I'm kinda worried about transient response and what-not though with subs that cheap...




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"I'm finished!" - Daniel Plainview

I'll say it again: go shopping.  Go out and listen and buy whatever you can afford that sounds good to you.   That's all that matters.

Oh, and the recomendation that you "keep the system all the same" is 100% a matter of personal preference.  There is no real reason to do this other than if you want to, or if you are being paid to!

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Support the12volt.com

Since you heard them already why don't you just buy them online for cheapers?

https://www.onlinecarstereo.com/CarAudio/ProductDetail.aspx?Productid=11416

https://www.woofersetc.com/product.asp?0=357&1=359&3=2021

https://www.woofersetc.com/product.asp?0=237&1=238&3=1254

Or does this forum frown on non authorized dealers? If they aren't authorized, makes you wonder how they got all that inventory in the first place.... I've never been able to figure that one out. They even sell Memphis online:

https://www.woofersetc.com/product.asp?0=374&1=376&3=3356

Yes, in general this forum frowns on non-authorized dealers. 

But more than that, this forum tends to want people to understand what they get when they purchase from non-authorized dealers.  In general this means loss of factory warranty, possible B-stock or refurbished products or even fakes (which is one way non-authorized dealers "got all that inventory") and the hassle of dealing with internet sellers and having to mail gear back and forth in case something does go wrong.  The best way to get support and service for any product is to purchase from authorized retailers, and the best authorized retailers are the ones with businesses in your town.  Plus, I always recomend you never, ever purchase audio equipment based on brand name, friend's (or internet) recomendations, looks, or price alone.  What matter is how it sounds TO YOU and unless you have actually listened to something you do not KNOW how it sounds to you.  There is nothing worse than spending money, installing a piece of gear, firing it up the first time with that feeling of expectation, and being disapointed by what you hear.  Shopping for price alone is a fools game.  Plus, be sure to include the cost of shipping and handling and possible taxes VS only local taxes in any Internet/local price comparison.

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Support the12volt.com

Thanks DYohn for making my speech for me! I have a TON of install work to do today ( 3 JL 13.5"  W1V2s in a custom box) I don't know if I could of made the "non-athorized" dealer rant today. lol

I'm sure when you go shopping and tell the sales dude how much money your willing to spend its way better than telling him what kind of sound you want and all that bs. From a sales prospective it's easier to work with a budget. So go shopping and FLASH THAT DOUGH!

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Tell the Snap-On guy I'm not here!

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. 

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New Project: 2003 Pathfinder

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!!!

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"I'm finished!" - Daniel Plainview

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.

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"I'm finished!" - Daniel Plainview

I prefer my Pros over comparable JLs and Quarts anyday.  They're more natural sounding.

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My ex once told me I have a perfect face for radio.

sedate wrote:

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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.

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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. 

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New Project: 2003 Pathfinder

wheelerdr wrote:

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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.

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

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New Project: 2003 Pathfinder

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...

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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