Would appreciate opinions...

Tunes67 · Post by **Tunes67** » November 10th, 2006, 7:14 pm

I am starting to shop around for the speakers I will be putting into my GS. It still has all 4 stock speakers in it and no stereo at all. I am pretty sure I know what I am going to do with the head unit.. and I used to really like kicker speakers until I recently blew one just from the head unit amps output. So my opinion of Kicker speakers has declined. I am also not a big fan of Alpine stuff. But I would like to know what brands of speakers are considered top quality these days.. Bose? Bouston Acoustic? Infinity Reference? Etc.. I already have the adapters to fit 6.5" speakers into the rear.. so now I just need to figure out what to get. Thanks in advance

Tunes67

Vanished · Post by **Vanished** » November 10th, 2006, 7:26 pm

MB quart, referance or premium are affordable and good.
Polk is good,
JL audio I like.
Alpine type X as well. But you dont' liek alpine.

You were underpowering your old speakers. They NEED to be amplified, if not you'll turn them up and your head unit will send a clipped signal.

Amps, anything from

US amps
Zapco
PG xenon
JL
Alpine
Power Acustik

Lots of choices...just lisen to abunch of setups so you know what good and whats not. A high quality speaker is like a bottled water. You dont' really know if its good until you've tried something that is incredible.

ALSO: DO NOT REPLACE YOUR REAR SPEAKERS. Keep them stock, or get a cheap coaxial pair if they are blown. They are only meant for rear fill, so put the money into a component set for the FRONT. and fiberglass a good pair of kick panels for the best imaging.

Hopoe this helps

JWMX3 · Post by **JWMX3** » November 10th, 2006, 7:26 pm

Focal 165v2 6.5" components

Eclipse and Polk audio also very good

http://www.canadiancaraudio.com

SuperK · Post by **SuperK** » November 10th, 2006, 10:45 pm

I'm getting Polk's myself, the components with the MOMO design... I hear great things about them, and expect great sounds coming from them

They're built well and keep a nice MOMO "theme" as well. People prefer them over alpines is what I've gathered.

jschrauwen · Post by **jschrauwen** » November 11th, 2006, 10:49 pm

chew* · Post by chew* » November 12th, 2006, 1:11 am

I'm partial to POLK's Momo line of components however you must put power other than the head unit to them, and to overstate this fact when they say they handle 125 watts rms they are grossly underating the power handling, that said you will need a quality amp that puts out at least 125 watts rms per channel @ 4 ohms.

mr1in6billion · Post by **mr1in6billion** » November 12th, 2006, 1:21 am

I love my alpine amp and the head units of theirs i've seen are top notch. Polk speakers are good and arn't expensive. And you don't need adapters, 6.5's fit front and back just fine without them. It's been said enough, have you not searched already =b

Tunes67 · Post by **Tunes67** » November 12th, 2006, 2:23 am

I know about how to mount the speakers

I am more or less just wanting opinions of what people think sound best

I do like MB Quart and Polk Audio.. both are in my price range.. I have a simple carPC setup that will be going together when my tax return comes in. I have a spare dell 1ghz laptop laying around and a docking station.. going to run a VGA cable and a couple of USB cables from the rear hatch area up to the dash and utilize a DWW 6500 All in one touchscreen & head unit. I dont want to have to go with additional amplification though. Thats more power than I need. I have a USB GPS unit that can plug in and viola.. I will have a complete system... DVD.. MP3... Stereo... Touchscreen PC... GPS navigation. All for under $1000 including 4 new speakers

I just need to figure out which speakers is all

At this point.. I am leaning towards MB Quarts.. there are several sets on E-bay for reasonable prices. But I think I will make a trip to a local car audio shop and listen to a few different sets and check out what the speakers go for retail. Thanks for the opinions guys

Tunes67

jschrauwen · Post by **jschrauwen** » November 12th, 2006, 12:02 pm

Tunes, yo the MAN!!! Now where in the world did you get the idea for the Digitals DWW6500?

May I recommend the BU353 USB GPS. The DWW6500 has I believe 40 0r 45watts into 4 channels I believe. Have they taken your order for the display unit. I think they're finally releasing them now.
Speakers wise, I belive that Max owns MBQ and apparently the larger mother company may be or has already folded too (within last month or 2). That being the case, the time has been and will be even more so ripe to latch onto a set of choice of MBQ's as retailers will be getting lots of clearout items from the suppliers/manufacturers so as to clear out last of inventories. Both of those links sell them quirte cheap and they both occasionally list their items on ebay too. Realistically, you may only see a five or 10 doller difference from the ebay price to the site's price. I believe both of those sites routinely get discontinued stocks or end of production products and their a last chance clear-out option for some manufacturers. It was never a biggy for me to get the most current year production made speaker since I don't get that fussy and am not that discriminating against year old products. They're all the same to me. But hey, it all sounds good big guy. I'll have to peek into your worklog from time to time to see how your project progresses.
I really like to hear some detailed feedback on the DWW6500 when you get it, during the install and intigration with the PC.

If you haven't done so and would like a WIFI capability and happen to have a spare mini PCI slot available, try the Toshiba/Askey AR5BMB-43, PA3373U-1MPC, WLL3070-D4. It uses the Atheros chip. Google any one of those number sets for that Mini PCI card.

*edit* Oh ya, I believe that the MBQ's components all come with tons of mounting hardware and adapter plates for just about any set-up. They also give the flexability to convert from a component set-up to a co-axial with the need of any extra parts purchase. (All included within the package)

Tunes67 · Post by **Tunes67** » November 12th, 2006, 12:33 pm

Now where in the world did you get the idea for the Digitals DWW6500?

Heh... I knew you would say something about that after your post in the toronto forum.. but believe it or not.. Barry found this for me back in august when He and I first started discussing what I should do for a system in my GS. And I havent ordered one yet.. I figure I will order it in late January or early February with my tax return.

A friend of mine said "Wait a minute.. you have a spare laptop? Your a real bastard sometimes Eric.. you know that?" LOL

Since I also have a docking station for it.. all I really need to do is route power to it and run the cables from the hatch area to the dash.. since my interior is completely ripped out its more or less a piece of cake. I will be using a (you guessed it) spare Orinoco Silver 802.11b wireless card with it. I could go for something fancier.. but this will allow me to plug and play with my home wireless network. So I can do updates and file transfers from my driveway. I may get something fancier down the road.. (pun intended LOL) but for now its more a matter of getting it functional and expandable. And before I can get to this stage.. I still have a lot of work to go to get the GS back together.. new rims and a dyno run even. I am hopeful this will be done before 2007 and this coming tuesday I finally have my meeting of creditors for my bankruptcy proceedings.. this will determine if I can start working on her again or if I have to wait till the paperwork is finalized in late december. Heh.. you guys should see the pile of parts I have sitting here in my living room and in my storage shed.. just waiting for installation

Everything from a custom CAI setup to a new drivers door.. It will be fun when done though

Tunes67

jschrauwen · Post by **jschrauwen** » November 12th, 2006, 12:59 pm

Eric, you'll probably find on mp3car.com a lot of good stuff on there. You'll also be able to search others who have done a similar set-up (laptop with docking station). From what I've read about those config's, the biggest issues are signal loss via the either the VGA or USB cables used. Most times the run is too long and (good) powered usb hubs are usually called for. A good quality VGA cable from the laptop to the monitor will mean probaly a custom made one so as to minimize any excessive lengths/line loss. I think there's also a list of good suppliers for all sorts of cabling needs to accomplish this.
I'll look for you on mp3car if you've already registered. Still use the same nic too, just like Jeff and me? Makes it easier, but don't use Jeff's avatar................. he's a little sensitive about that ........ LOL

Tunes67 · Post by **Tunes67** » November 12th, 2006, 1:30 pm

I have a decent quality VGA cable.. that should be ok.. and I knew that USB cables are typically only good for 7ft. I havent decided which powered hubs I want yet.. but I am figuring I will need one up at the dash and another one back at the docking station. Ideally.. I'll be able to find something easily adaptable. I'll cross that bridge when I get to it.. I dont need those installed before I reinstall the interior. I'll join you guys over at mp3car when I get closer to this project.. so far this project consists of prerunning some cables

Tunes67

superman_t11 · Post by **superman_t11** » December 6th, 2006, 4:55 am

2 12" rockford fossgate punch subs and 900w fossgate amp. run infinity all around you will be very satisfied with the quality and performance of the sound.

Tunes67 · Post by **Tunes67** » December 6th, 2006, 3:23 pm

Yeah I dont need super bass.. I just want clean sound. Nor do I want to sacrifice my cargo space for a huge box & amps. I am sure that would sound good.. but not my cup o tea. Besides.. These cars rattle when the bass thumps.. makes the cars seem chincy in my mind

Tunes67

neutral · Post by **neutral** » December 6th, 2006, 3:53 pm

For a really nice, but not outrageously space config'd/high priced upgrade, I'm running 4 matched Kenwood 1689ie 6.5" spkrs and like em a lot. Price is right too at ~$50/pair. They were just the right max depth that could fit into the door mounts without interfering with window operation too. my .02 fwiw

Key Features
Car Speaker Type Component
Elements 3-Way
Car Speaker Function Tweeter • Mid-Range Speaker
Size 6.5"
Nominal Power Handling 2 Watt RMS
Technical Features
Peak Power Handling 200 Watt
Frequency Response 30 Hz - 30 kHz
Sensitivity 92 dB
Impedance 4 ohm (Dual Coil)
Components
Tweeter Design Dome
Tweeter Size 0.38"
Woofer Material Poly / Plastic
Surround Material Rubber
Mounting
Enclosure Non-Enclosed
Top Mounting Depth 2.06 In.