CAR.....AUTOMOBILE....TRUCK........(speakers) EGAD!

[oldmako]

Going several miles out on a limb here since I have never seen this site blasplemed by car audio before but I figured I'd try.

Here be my dilemma-

I just bought a schweet 2001 Silverado Pickumup with blown 6.5 inch speakers in the front doors. In as much as yous guys are gear heads I was wondering if someone would be willing to offer a suggestion for replacement cones. Money is no object as I am fabulously weathly. Actually that's a lie. I eat government cheese and would like to keep them on the reasonable side of idiotic.

Fire away or flame away. Your choice.

[CECAA850]

If you're just looking to swap out stock speakers for aftermarket and you're not adding an extra amp, look at the Polk Audio speakers. They won't take mega wattage and abuse, but for a stock speaker swap, they're hard to beat. Sound really nice. For that matter, go to Crutchfield.com and plug your vehicle into their data base and you'll have more choices than you know what to do with.

[oldmako]

Thanks for that. I have been to the Crutchfield site and was a bit overwhelmed so I decided to post to try and narrow the choices down a bit. I read a number of very positive reviews for the Polk 650 series and have placed them on my short list. But, I know bupkis about car audi so I'm a bit lost.

I bought a new head unit which has several RCA outputs which will allow me to easily add an amp if I'm not happy with the speaker upgrade alone.

Thanks again.

[Quiet_Hollow]

In-line with Klipsch's mantra of maximum efficiency for minimum distortion at playback, I've always sprung for replacement speakers boasting the highest sensitivities. In light of that, Infinity (with Pioneer a close second) mobile audio product have had consistently high sensitivities over the years. I have both Infinity Reference and Kappa two-way coaxials in both my daily drivers in the stock cut-outs, and they can get down right far-king loud (and clear) using only the stock head unit as a source.

[BigStewMan]

I eat government cheese

we need more info...what kind of cheese?

[oldmako]

I eat government cheese

we need more info...what kind of cheese?

The Cheese Shop
by Monty Python










(a customer walks in the door)



Customer: Good Morning.

Owner: Good morning, Sir. Welcome to the National
Cheese Emporium!



Customer: Ah, thank you, my good man.



Owner: What can I do for you, Sir?



Customer: Well, I was, uh, sitting in the public
library on Thurmon Street just now, skimming through Rogue Herrys by
Hugh Walpole, and I suddenly came over all peckish.



Owner: Peckish, sir?



Customer: Esuriant.



Owner: Eh?



Customer: 'Ee, ah wor 'ungry-loike!



Owner: Ah, hungry!



Customer: In a nutshell. And I thought to myself, "a
little fermented curd will do the trick," so, I curtailed my Walpoling
activites, sallied forth, and infiltrated your place of purveyance to
negotiate the vending of some cheesy comestibles!



Owner: Come again?



Customer: I want to buy some cheese.



Owner: Oh, I thought you were complaining about the
bazouki player!



Customer: Oh, heaven forbid: I am one who delights in
all manifestations of the Terpsichorean muse!



Owner: Sorry?



Customer: 'Ooo, Ah lahk a nice tuune, 'yer forced too!



Owner: So he can go on playing, can he?



Customer: Most certainly! Now then, some cheese please,
my good man.



Owner: (lustily) Certainly, sir. What would
you like?



Customer: Well, eh, how about a little red Leicester.



Owner: I'm, a-fraid we're fresh out of red Leicester,
sir.



Customer: Oh, never mind, how are you on Tilsit?



Owner: I'm afraid we never have that at the end of the
week, sir, we get it fresh on Monday.



Customer: Tish tish. No matter. Well, stout yeoman,
four ounces of Caerphilly, if you please.



Owner: Ah! It's beeeen on order, sir, for two weeks.
Was expecting it this morning.



Customer: 'T's Not my lucky day, is it? Aah, Bel Paese?



Owner: Sorry, sir.



Customer: Red Windsor?



Owner: Normally, sir, yes. Today the van broke down.



Customer: Ah. Stilton?



Owner: Sorry.



Customer: Ementhal? Gruyere?



Owner: No.



Customer: Any Norweigan Jarlsburg, per chance.



Owner: No.



Customer: Lipta?



Owner: No.



Customer: Lancashire?



Owner: No.



Customer: White Stilton?



Owner: No.



Customer: Danish Brew?



Owner: No.



Customer: Double Goucester?



Owner: (pause) No.



Customer: Cheshire?



Owner: No.



Customer: Dorset Bluveny?



Owner: No.



Customer: Brie, Roquefort, Pol le Veq, Port Salut,
Savoy Aire, Saint Paulin, Carrier de lest, Bres Bleu, Bruson?



Owner: No.



Customer: Camenbert, perhaps?



Owner: Ah! We have Camenbert, yessir.



Customer: (suprised) You do! Excellent.



Owner: Yessir. It's..ah,.....it's a bit runny...



Customer: Oh, I like it runny.



Owner: Well,.. It's very runny, actually, sir.



Customer: No matter. Fetch hither the fromage de la
Belle France! Mmmwah!



Owner: I...think it's a bit runnier than you'll like
it, sir.



Customer: I don't care how ******* runny it is. Hand it
over with all speed.



Owner: Oooooooooohhh........! (pause)



Customer: What now?



Owner: The cat's eaten it.



Customer: (pause) Has he.



Owner: She, sir.



Customer: (pause) Gouda?



Owner: No.



Customer: Edam?



Owner: No.



Customer: Case Ness?



Owner: No.



Customer: Smoked Austrian?



Owner: No.



Customer: Japanese Sage Darby?



Owner: No, sir.



Customer: You...do *have* some cheese, don't you?



Owner: (brightly) Of course, sir. It's a
cheese shop, sir. We've got--



Customer: No no... don't tell me. I'm keen to guess.



Owner: Fair enough.



Customer: Uuuuuh, Wensleydale.



Owner: Yes?



Customer: Ah, well, I'll have some of that!



Owner: Oh! I thought you were talking to me, sir.
Mister Wensleydale, that's my name.



Customer: (pause) Greek Feta?



Owner: Uh, not as such.



Customer: Uuh, Gorgonzola?



Owner: No.



Customer: Parmesan,



Owner: No.



Customer: Mozarella,



Owner: No.



Customer: Paper Cramer,



Owner: No.



Customer: Danish Bimbo,



Owner: No.



Customer: Czech sheep's milk,



Owner: No.



Customer: Venezuelan Beaver Cheese?



Owner: Not *today*, sir, no.



Customer: (pause) Aah, how about Cheddar?



Owner: Well, we don't get much call for it around here,
sir.



Customer: Not much ca-- it's the single most popular
cheese in the world!



Owner: Not 'round here, sir.



Customer: (slight pause) and what IS the most
popular cheese 'round hyah?



Owner: 'Illchester, sir.



Customer: IS it.



Owner: Oh, yes, it's staggeringly popular in this
manor, squire.



Customer: Is it.



Owner: It's our number one best seller, sir!



Customer: I see. Uuh...'Illchester, eh?



Owner: Right, sir.



Customer: All right. Okay. 'Have you got any?' he
asked, expecting the answer 'no'.



Owner: I'll have a look, sir........nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnno.



Customer: It's not much of a cheese shop, is it?



Owner: Finest in the district!



Customer: (annoyed) Explain the logic
underlying that conclusion, please.



Owner: Well, it's so clean, sir!



Customer: It's certainly uncontaminated by cheese....



Owner: (brightly) You haven't asked me about
Limburger, sir.



Customer: Would it be worth it?



Owner: Could be....



Customer: Have you --SHUT THAT BLOODY BAZOUKI OFF!



Owner: Told you sir....



Customer: (slowly) Have you got any Limburger?



Owner: No.



Customer: Figures.Predictable, really I suppose. It was
an act of purest optimism to have posed the question in the first
place. Tell me:



Owner: Yessir?



Customer: (deliberately) Have you in fact got
any cheese here at all.



Owner: Yes, sir.



Customer: Really?



(pause)



Owner: No. Not really, sir.



Customer: You haven't.



Owner: Nosir. Not a scrap. I was deliberately wasting
your time, sir.



Customer: Well I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to
shoot you.



Owner: Right-Oh, sir.



(The customer takes out a gun and shoots the owner)



Customer: What a *senseless* waste of human life.

[AnalogWave]

Whatever you choose, I’d argue it’s just as important to put

a small amp in the system, something used of CL and use Dynamat or a similar

product in the doors to keep road noise down. It’s quite remarkable the difference.

[germerikan]

I would be one for the Focal crowd, great sounding and prices starting at around 250 for lower models and go up well over 5,500

If they are 6" x 9" I would suggest the PC 690, not the deep bass but very clean and they also live in the mids and high region, combined with a good sub you gots you a rocker!!!

[Quiet_Hollow]

Here's the Inifinty Kappa 62.9 in action, powered by a stock GM head unit.

0:50 into the video.

[Vital]

I run Focal components all the way around in my truck. I have not heard another system as clean and clear as mine IMHO. It will have your ears ringing if you want it to. I run a four channel Alpine digital amp to the components (100 x 4) and I also have an extra set of Focal tweeters in the dash columns facing the windshield so they bounce back at you, super clean! So I'm running four 6.5's and 6 tweeters with two JL Audio 10" with another digital Apline pushing the woofers. I'm running the Alpine INA-W900 7" touch screen and Apline 6 disc DVD changer. Focal and Alpine blend beautifully together!

[CECAA850]

I suppose I should have asked his spending limit. As with all things audio, the sky's the limit. Once you start adding amps, crossovers or component speakers, subs, wiring etc, the $$$$'s start adding up. I went with a high end SQ setup in my last car but I could only critically appreciate it when I was sitting still, engine off. It was phenominal. Engine running, blower on, road and air noise thrown in, not so much. I decided to do critical listening at home and stay on the low end of diminishing returns on the road.

[CECAA850]

High efficiency speakers are a good idea as stated above. We put some really high efficiency JBL's in my son's van in an attempt to keep up with his sub. Be careful you don't select 2 Ohm speakers (very efficient) as they won't do well without an outboard amp.

[W27]

Just like any speaker it all depends on your personal preferences. I have Infinity Kappas in my truck now and I don't care for them. They're too bright for my taste. I ordered them online, and once I installed them they weren't coming out.

It sounds like your on a budget. I strongly recommend goin to a Best Buy or some stereo shop. You can listen to them there. Just get whatever sounds best to you that's in your price range. Like I said though... once you install them you're kind of stuck.

[Quiet_Hollow]

They're too bright for my taste. I ordered them online, and once I installed them they weren't coming out.

Even with the tweeter attenuation switch pressed in? That sucks. It's definitely a one way street for install. [] I run mine with the tweeters ducked -3dB just for that reason.

[mustang guy]

In a 94 Cutlass, I put together a sound system using the stock wires and a sub I built. Total cost for shipping and everything was $510.29, and it kicks butt.

Here is the setup:

94 Cutlass Supreme
Autotuba - $75
8" driver - $52
Dual amp $64
Tuner - new Pioneer 50wpc w/bluetooth and remote control flea market $80
Streetwires 8 guage $28
Streetwires fuse holder $10
AGU 25A fuse $1.29
Fronts 4" Boston Acoustics with 300hz bass blockers $80+$10
Rears 6"X9" Boston Acoustics $70
Used stock wiring with Crutchfield speaker harnesses free
Gold plated spades for amp $10
Misc shipping about $30

This system rivals the $2,400 Pioneer/JL dual amp system I put in my son's car for graduation!

The total cost of the system $510.29!

Here is the thread: http://billfitzmaurice.info/forum/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=16134

[Rdmarsiii]

Count me in with the Focal group. Completely amazing!!

[vnzbd]

I have run the Infinity lineup in most of my older cars with great success. I would go against a previous poster and look at the 2-3 ohm speakers if you have a decent head unit. You might not need the amp and if you go with the amp, most today all have built in crossovers and are 2 ohm stable with more power on tap. Another awesome brand is JL Audio. Crutchfield is a good resource for learning but almost always sell for msrp. In my experience everything is available for at least 20% under msrp including the JL Audio line.

[mustang guy]

I have run the Infinity lineup in most of my older cars with great success. I would go against a previous poster and look at the 2-3 ohm speakers if you have a decent head unit. You might not need the amp and if you go with the amp, most today all have built in crossovers and are 2 ohm stable with more power on tap. Another awesome brand is JL Audio. Crutchfield is a good resource for learning but almost always sell for msrp. In my experience everything is available for at least 20% under msrp including the JL Audio line.

I allways shop for sales at Crutchfield. That is why I decided on Boston Acoustics. [] They gave me wire harness adapters free, which has value also.

The audio installer next door to me actually installs systems for the price I pay at Crutchfield when I don't bargain shop. If you want Focal, you are probably gonna pay full price there. If you just want a good 5.25" coax or triax speaker, you can usually find one on closeout or sale.

[mustang guy]

Here is an example of a deal at Crutchfield:

http://www.crutchfield.com/p_777P52C/Sound-Ordnance-P-52C.html

It is a 5.25 component system with seperate woofers, directional tweeters, crossover network, installation gear, free shipping, and lifetime support for $79. It isn't Focal, but it's a damn site better than OEM in most cases.

[oldmako]

Wow lots of good info! Thank you my Klipsch Brothers, I hoist a beverage in your general direction.

I went to BBuy the other day and purchased a Kenwood head unit for $69. It was last years model and was on sale. Not only am I broke, I'm CHEAP! I'm operating on the assumption that the speakers and amp are far more important than the head unit. I hope I'm right.

Model KDC-348U. I visited two stores and spoke with two auto sales reps. The amount of knowledge those two guys had was amazing. Amazing as in "minimal". So, I just tossed a dart and went with this one because it had the features I wanted, the money was burning a hole in my pocket and I had the day off. I was overcome by the need to tear into the truck that very day.

It's got a USB interface on the front as well as an AUX input. I typically listed to Pandora and my iPod while driving except in the mornings when my local classical station carries the day. It also has three sets of RCA outputs on the back which will allow me to expand the system in the future if I desire.

I'd rather not add a sub because I don't want that big box in the cab and I hope that I won't need one. With decent speaks and an amp I HOPE that the door cavities will provide enough volume to provide adequate bass.

My plan is to use the stock wiring.

Thanks for all the suggestions.