3 Speakers in Doors, Advice Needed

Hi:

I have door panels that have provisions for a 5.25, 3.5, and a tweeter.  I'm looking for advice for a setup that would result in the best sound quality and sound stage. 

Some info I need are:

• type/brand of speakers
• cross overs required
• should I reinstall the deleted 4 x 6 speakers in the rear seat area?  Or will they ruin the soundstage?

The car's info:

• 2-door coupe
• has 8" sub in the hatch area and is powered by a mono sub

I'm not looking for pounding bass, just good overall sound quality that can play loud music well.  I don't know much, but I like the sound system in the Lexus SC400. 

Here's what the cabin looks like:

Thanks in advance!

SM

Thanks for the replies guys.

I can't seem to find a 5.25", 3.5" / 4", and tweeter component set for the life of me.  If anybody can point me to a nice set, that'd be great.  I'm willing to spend around $200-$250.

If I can't find 3-way components, here's my plan B:

• run 4" components in the stock tweeter and mid-range locations
• run a 5.25" speaker under the armrest
• use a 4-channel amp - send the mids & highs to the 4" comps and the lows to the 5.25" speakers
• keep the 8" sub in the hatch area, which has it's own dedicated amp

I like this route b/c it doesn't require cutting the door panels and I can re-use all the stock locations.

Any comments and suggestions are welcome as I'm still new to all this stuff.

Thanks again.

You are not likely to find a 3-way component set for $250.  I'm not even sure I could build one for that. If you proceed with your plans of adding a 5.25" midwoofer to a 4" component set, what do you plan to use for a crossover?  I also do not see how you can do this including the cost of the required new crossover and keep it under $250.  A better route for you might be to get a decent sounding 5.25" component set and forget about the 3" location in your door.  Just because there is a hole does not mean you must fill it.

If you are a good crossover designer, however, and want to try your idea, Madisound has some great closeout prices on some decent sounding Audax speakers.  One of these might work as your midwoofer.

I'll check out the website you listed, but I haven't the first clue on how to build a crossover.  What do you think is the minimum price of a decent 3-way component set?

As for crossovers, could I get a headunit that has an integrated crossover?  Use the crossover that's in the 4-channel amp?  Or use a separate electronic crossover?

Hey, you might be able to find a 3-way set that you like for your price, I'd just be surprised.  The ones I've seen have ranged from about $400 up to a couple thousand.  You need to go shopping and see what is out there and what you like the sound of.

There are a couple of head units that have 3-way active crossovers built in (look for those with a "pro" mode) but I suspect they may be out of your price range too, based on your speaker budget.  But if you want to try and create your own 3-way set, you either need good passive crossover building skills, or use an external 3-way electronic crossover.  Then you will need 6-channels of amplification (one amplifier channel for each speaker.)  I do not know of an amplifier with built-in bandpass crossovers, and that is what your mid (and maybe your 5.25" woofer too) would require.  A 3-way set is not an inexpensive proposition.  And remember what I said earlier, just because the door has a space for a speaker does not mean you have to fill it!

Look at these fine speakers. I agree with DYohn though, just because the space is there does not mean that you must use it.

https://www.eclipse-web.com/component/sc8355.html

Wow, thanks for the link to those speakers.  They do look good and both you and DYohn gave Eclipse speakers good reviews in previous posts.

The cheapest I've found so far is $329.99.  Have you come across a better price?
What amp would you recommend for them?

I know I could leave the extra space alone, but it'll just bother me too much.  I'm funny like that.

Thanks guys for the tips.

As I am a dealer and I am in Canada, my pricing as compared to what you can get in the USA is entirely different. Find a authorized Eclipse dealer in the US and get a good deal from them. As far as power goes, as small as 50w rms up to 100w rms is going to be more than enough. If these speakers are anything like the previous speakers, you will really enjoy them. (DYohn picked his up from some Canadian guy....)

What do you think of the the Nakamichi PA-1002 amp?  It's a 2-channel and is about 2 x 50 Watt RMS at 4 ohms.

Will I need any bass blockers (or the like) to prevent the low Hz from getting to the 5.25" fronts?

Thanks.

forbidden wrote:

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(DYohn picked his up from some Canadian guy....)

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... and loves them, although mine have the soft dome tweeters instead of the hard domes on the new sets, which is my preference.  Hard domes will sound brighter... it's simply a matter of taste if you like them or not.  Go give 'em a listen if you can.  $329 USD for the set is a good deal.

As far as bass blockers, I'd say no.  And I really like Nakamichi amplifiers (I own the PA-2004.)  Highly recomended.

Ok, so far so good.

The specs of the SC8355's mid range is: 1-1/2 solid aluminum hard dome

But what is the actual overall diameter of the entire speaker?  I've searched, but can't seem to find the info.