Stock Speaker Quality

[CjRasmu]

Hey all,

I am currently doing my best to get my hands on a 2003 Conquest (The Goose). I then plan to put my Eclipse sound system in. :P

I will be using an Eclipse Head Unit, with a 4 channel amp running the stock speakers as well as a pair of 6x9" Eclipse speakers in the rear parcel shelf. I will probably split 2 of the channels to run the 4 stock speakers. Should be plenty of power though.

Will also have a 12" sub running of its own amp.

What I would like to know, is how well will the stock speakers in the front and back doors will perform once hooked up to the amp? Will they be loud enough and clear enough at high volumes?

Cheers,

C.j

[D'Ice]

let me put it this way... sound quality wise and efficiency wise wat u'r doing isnt 100%... the best thing would be to buy some decent splits for the front n run them off the speaker amp... if u can get another set of splits to replace the back speakers n amp those too or u could just get some decent 2-3way speakers n amp them off the spare 2 channels

now u'r supposed to have the sound coming from up front... n i know that the new corollas have theyr rear speakers in the door... technically up front for the rear passengers... so it would sound much better if u replace them with splits rather than having 6x9s at the back... 6x9s r only usefull when u dont have a sub... but since u'r getting one then going for splits in the door is a verry good option

now with all that i'm going to note that the most important part of a good system would have to be decent amped splits up front... they'r just as important as having a sub

oh n stock speakers dont tend to hold well when amped they start losing clarity at higher volumes

go for front amped splits u won't regret it

[CjRasmu]

Bugger...

Thats what I didn't want to hear. I was trying to get by without having to buy more gear. So you think it would be best to not even bother with the 6x9"s, and just upgrade the speakers in the front and back doors? And where would you put the tweeters in the rear?

Cheers for the help,

C.j

[JJCRU23R]

yea 6x9s provide heaps of bass.

but you shouldnt install them if you plan on getting a sub.

also.. yea just dont hook up the stock speakers to amps please!

[D'Ice]

most high grade sound quality systems dont even have back speakers... they'r just there to keep the rear passengers happy... if u'r on a tight budget then don't even bother getting splits at the back just get a decent set of 3way speakers... or if u r on a tight budget u could just get a 2ch amp for the front splits instead of a more expensive 4ch and just replace the back speakers if the stock ones r that bad leave them unamped

[CjRasmu]

Hey,

I already have the amps, so thats not the problem. So, I'll upgrade th front ones to splits for starters. Is there even a point to have the back ones wired up at all? I don't give a crap about my passengers, and I'll rarely have any anyway. Will it make much difference to the overall volume or 'suround sound' for the people in the front, e.g me.

I already have the 6x9"s aswell, is there any harm in putting them in, even though I have a sub? Or maybe sell them to help fund the front speakers.

Cheers,

C.j

[JJCRU23R]

just get 2 or 3 ways for your front doors, then a sub in the boot.

if you wanna improve the sound even more, get some sound deadener installed. - i havent bothered with that though.

you dont need to disconnect the stock speakers in the back doors, but you wont even notice the rear stock speakers after youve installed this. i chose to leave the rear stock speakers in place.

i got this same setup in my car as well.. absolutely no complaints!

heres my car:

http://au.toyotaownersclub.com/forums/inde...c=9266&st=0

Edited April 14, 2007 by JJCRU23R

[CjRasmu]

Hey,

Well I guess my question is answered. If I want decent sound, then amping the stock speakers won't cut it. I will go have a look at some speakers for the front doors and go from there I guess.

Cheers,

C.j

[D'Ice]

if u dont care bout the rear passengers then just leave the stock speakers runnin off the deck... yea as JJCRU23R said soud deadening is a verrry good investment... n kinda like him i dont got it either hehehe i just cbf

u said that u got the 6x9z n the 4ch... now coz u'r only gonna be running 2 splits upfront u'r gonna end up with 2 extra wasted unused channels... so y not sell that amp n get a 2ch instead... save you more money

oh n one other ting wit havin 6x9z in the parcel shelf wit a sub.... it may cause SOME bass cancelling by interfering with sub since they'r both sharing the same boot space... its kinda like having an out of phase system... that's y i highly reccomend not having any speakers in the parcel shelf... so my verdict is sell them too

but how ironic is it... coz my system actually consists of 6.5"splits up front and 6x9z in the parcel shelf and a 36hz ported sub... BUT in my defence i didn't know any better when i got the 6x9z... i'm gonna take em out n go custom fg pods for the back doors... ie: learn from other people's mistakes

oh i just noticed that whenever an ICE problem happens its mostly me n JJCRU23R that come to replies hahaha...

(borat style) NIIICE :D

Edited April 15, 2007 by d_ice

[Nunga_08]

If you want a seriously good sounding system, why not run your front stage actively? D'ice says you have two channels wasted on a four channel amp, but I disagree. Unless your deck has active crossovers, running an active front stage makes a lot of sense (just means your splits crossover is now useless).

But like has been said above, the stock speakers off the deck will keep back-seat drivers happy.

If you have the 6x9s you might as well use them, but honestly when you have a subwoofer they're just a waste of space. Rear speakers are there just for fill more than anything else.

What is your budget for splits? If you have under $500 to spend, the only things worth recommending are the Response Precision Kevlar splits @ $150. If you have $600ish to spend on 2-way splits, I suggest Morel's Elate splits. They are very good. Upwards of that can get you some brilliant equipment.

Edited April 15, 2007 by Nunga_08

[CjRasmu]

Ok,

Now you've lost me. What do you mean by active front stage? Do you mean the tweeters get amped aswell as the 6"s?

I dont have any 6" speakers, but I do have the crossover box thingy and a pair of tweeters. Can I still use these somewhere?

Cheers,

C.j

[D'Ice]

u CAN run the splits actively... but i mean i highly doubt its going to be a competition car... i think it'll be more economic to buy a cheaper 2ch amp instead of the 4ch n plus u'r gonna need custom crossovers too...

the response splits are pretty good when it comes to bang for u'r buck... i haven't personally heard them so i cant comment on them... but try Alpine Type S splits u CAN get them for $160 if u look hard enough... or u could get a set of Rainbow splits for... ALLOT :D

[CjRasmu]

Out of all the brands you guys have mentioned, the only one I know is Alpine. What about Fusion, Focal Eclipse?

And I don't really want to sell my 4ch amp, because I won't get what I want for it. I will ask the guys at the store about trading it in though.

Cheers,

C.j

[Nunga_08]

Alpine Type-S speakers are sh*t. Fusion speakers are sh*t. A lot of Focal's gear is brilliant (upwards of $500 at least), and the same goes for Eclipse. Brands like Rainbow, Morel, Dynaudio, Alpine's Type-X, Diamond, Boston- these are the ones you want to look at. They cost more, but you pay for quality.

And someone please tell me how the hell is it more economical to buy a 2ch amp when the guy already owns a 4ch amp? If anything, he can still amplify the rear speakers with it.

Before I upgraded to my Rainbow Profis I had a set of Response splits, and for the money they are brilliant. To be honest I had to go up to the $900 Rainbows to find a speaker that, in my mind, sounded better. But you notice the difference when you're cranking the volume. Noice is one thing, but clarity at high volumes is a totally different kettle.

[CjRasmu]

Ok,

So my price range will allow for the "Response Precision Kevlar splits @ $150". Next problem, where the hell do I find some?

And I will just amp them with the 4ch, still leaving me with 2 channels. Should I throw the 6x9"s in or not? Maybe put them somewhere other than the parcel shelf?

And do I bother with my spare pair of Eclipse tweeters?

Thanks for all the help so far,

C.j

[JJCRU23R]

response is a JAYCAR brand isnt it?

[D'Ice]

umm yea i guess if u wont get u'r money back or wateva then yea u got a point... how powerfull is the 4ch amp?? maybe u could bridge the other two channels to run the sub... or u could just get better speakers for the back n amp them

yea Alpine Type S rnt the best but for $160 they'r pretty decent... n when it comes to sound especially with splits it depends on the person... some people enjoy $150 response splits way more than they enjoy some expensive Alpine Type X splits... my reccomendation is go and have a listen n compare before u buy

n yes response is the jaycar brand

Edited April 15, 2007 by d_ice

[CjRasmu]

Are these the Response speakers you guys mean?

Clicky on da Linky

And are these the Type-Rs you mean? They are a tad more than $160 according to this site.

Clicky on da 2nd Linky

Also, which Focals should I be looking at, which range?

Clicky on da 3rd Linky

Cheers,

C.j

[CjRasmu]

Sorry for all the questions, but you guys are just full of useful info

Brands like Rainbow, Morel, Dynaudio, Alpine's Type-X, Diamond, Boston- these are the ones you want to look at. They cost more, but you pay for quality.

Had a look at woofersetc.com for these brands, and the cheapest were as follows.

Boston Acoustics

and

Diamond Audio

But both are still more expensive than the Response Kevlars, so which is the better choice?

Also, my Eclipse system is high voltage. I have the deck with 8v pre-out and I run my amp at the highest voltage I can for sound quality, without being too quiet. If possible, I want to up the voltage without a loss in SQ. On my current speakers, which aren't that great, when I turned the voltage down, it got louder, but started to get a bit tinny and crappy quality.

Also, how much of a sound system do you need before you bother with capacitors?? And what brand, and how many farad?

Cheers,

C.j

[D'Ice]

And are these the Type-Rs you mean? They are a tad more than $160 according to this site.

Clicky on da 2nd Linky

the Type-S's were for $160 on sale

[Nunga_08]

Adjust the gains as necessary to get optimal sound quality, but also not to risk blowing your speakers. It all depends on the amps and the speakers.

Capacitors are a waste of money for basic systems. First thing I'd do is upgrade your battery. You shouldn't have any problems with your stock battery because your system probably isn't that powerful (I'd say you'd have 1000W absolute max?) but a better battery (say something from Optima) wouldn't go astray.

For $150, go to Jaycar. You will not be disappointed.

[CjRasmu]

Hey,

Here are the specs for my 2 amps.

Eclipse 2 channel

Eclipse 4 channel

I had an Optima Yellow top in my Celica with this sound system, was good, didn't keep dieing like the stocko. I have since learned that you can get old BMW batterys with the same amount of CCA for half the price. Just don't look as pretty.

And if these Jaycars are good, then it's hard to go past that value for money.

BTW, is there a more suitable forum around that I should be posting questions like these on?

Cheers,

C.j

[D'Ice]

www.mobileelectronics.com.au

it used to be called Car Audio Australia... it's one of THE best forums out there for car audio

yea capacitors r a total waste... for that money u can get a better battery... my stock battery (which i bought from the wreckers a year ago for $5) is still going strong after pumping a little less than 800Wrms through it

[CjRasmu]

Ok, signed up there so I'll bug them with my newblet questions now

[selyaT]

The ZZE hatch parcel shelf isn't the greatest for 6x9's anyway, I say leave them out :)