Best components for a strict budget?

garretcar wrote:

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Need some help identifying the best component speakers for my limited, low budget of about $200.  What is the best I can do with this budget?  These will be 6 1/2 or 6 3/4 components up front.  I've heard good things about JL Audio, MB Quart, Infinity, but I don't know enough about them to decide which is best.  Obviously, I'll most likely be working with the lower end of their product ranges, but any help/insights into these or other good brands based on your experiences is appreciated.

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I just ordered the Crystal SSCS 6.5" component set  for $175 shipped.  They are suppose to be excellent speakers and rank up there with $800 dynaudio speakers.  This has come from multiple sources so I am confident that they are good.  Also CDT has some really good speakers for the cost of them.

Regarding shopping..yes, I've been out looking some, but I usually run into the same problem.  What I hear in a store NEVER sounds like what  I hear when I get them in my car.  This happened a couple times before over the years.  That's why I wanted to ask for some opinions first.  Kind of a back-asswards way of going about it.

Anyway, I appreciate the input from all.  The names CDT and Crystal come up alot in some web/forum searches.   Are these speakers similar?

DYohn (or anyone else), what do you mean when you say that JL, Infinity, MB, etc all sound very different.  I don't have local shops where I can hear all of the recommended speakers like Crystal and CDT, so comparisons are going to be tough.  Are you saying that some emphasize different frequencies more, or is it more subtle than that.  Hate to bother you all with such basic questions.  If there is already an overview of such comparisons, please point me to it.   Basically, I listen to alot of rock, progressive metal, and also some jazz/classical, so I run the gambit for tastes.  I don't want some overwhelming tweeter that pierces my ears, although I love crisp, clean highs, nor do I want or need the thumping bass like you might want with some music styles like rap.  Basically I just want a clean, well-balanced, sound  - neutral I guess you'd say.  Thanks for the help again.

https://www.thezeb.com/p-CDT-Audio-EF-61-6-1-2-inch-Component-System-108381.htm

Very good sound that fits your budget.  These have a silk tweeter that you would probably prefer over metal...according to your musical tastes.  I do, for sure.  I use the lower line Classic series in my car and I'm very pleased with the sound with all types of music.  (...my budget's stricter than yours!...)

And yes, the various brands all sound different.  Tonal quality, voicing, however you want to say it...plus the big difference in tweeter sound between the silk and the metal domes.  But a good and proper installation in the factory locations with the tweeter near the mid driver on about the same axis...and the doors well-damped and sealed...will bring out the best of any components.

I posted last week about choosing 6.5" / 6.75" components on a budget, but now I've made some further decisions that may limit my choices and wanted to ask for some more specific feedback.  I've decided not to buy an amp (for various reasons), so I will be driving my speakers with only a Kenwood head unit (22 rms).  As a result, I've narrowed down to a few of the low/mid end speaker choices which seemed more in tune with power handling without an amp.  Originally, I thought about CDT (CL-61), but it seems a bit ridiculous to purchase $300 110W RMS speakers and drive them with a head unit of 22 RMS.  Am I right on this conclusion?

Anyway, here's what I've narrowed down to considering I'll have no external amp.  I've listened to some of these in stores, but it's so hard to tell what it'll sound like in the car.  And the setups in stores haven't allowed direct one-to-one comparisons of these models, so it's difficult to decide.  I'd appreciate any input on these based on your experiences (and again, any other choices you might know of that would be good candidates).  I've gotten some good info from this forum so far, so many thanks in advance:

Alpine S-SPS717A 6.5" (90 sensitivity, 1" textile tweeter, 8-50W rms power handling, 35-25k freq resp.)

DEI CSX650 6.5" (90 sensitivity, 0.75 silk tweeter, 50W rms power handling, 65-21k freq resp.) (these are the most expensive of the choices)

Infinity 6010cs 6.5" (92 sensitivity, 1" silk tweeter, 2-90W rms power handling, 53-21k freq resp.)

JL Audio TR650csi 6.5" (91 sensitivity, 0.5" textile tweeter, 50W rms power handling, 59-22k freq resp.)

Polk Audio db6750 6.75" (92 sensitivity, 1" silk/poly tweeter, 10-100W rms power handling, 35-23k freq resp.)

Kenwood KFC-p705ie 6.75" (92 sensitivity, 0.75" laminate cloth tweeter, 8-55W rms power handling, 30-25k freq resp.)

Just about any coaxials will do when you're powering with a standard head unit.  At that level of sound system you're not going to get much appreciable differences among the brands.  No use looking at components, and get speakers that boast a sensitivity down to 2 watts power input.

When you do go the route of setting up a basic system with amplification, you can upgrade then. 

As far as asking for input from the forum on these speakers goes, anybody here will have made comparisons with the speakers properly amplified....how they sound with deck power is another story. 

note to Oxygen65:

I bought a set of Focal 3-way comps for $4500, way underpowered.  Definately not cost-effective, but great for beatin' up on those SQ vans! lol