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How the OEM speakers stack up to upgrade speakers (pictures)

74K views 69 replies 27 participants last post by  95maxrider 
#1 · (Edited)
A few months ago i wanted to upgrade the stock speakers in my 07 SE i found a guy on craigslist with a set of Alpine and a set of CerwinVega then decided if i get a double din with DVD i may want the same speakers in the front as the back so i decided not to mismatch the front and the rear.
I found another guy selling a kenwood single din and 4 pioneer so i went with those insted since they were all 4 the same.
When i went to replace the spakers i noticed that some one who owned the car before me replaced the drivers door with one of the "shaker" componet drivers so thats why i have one. (i think they are the shaker componet drivers?) or premium speakers, mach?

Also i bought these 6X9 tweeter add on things from parts express it has a big plastic cross holding the tweeter to the speaker basket (middle speaker)

The 5 speakers i tested


Here is the plot for all 5 speakers


next to the componet speaker the oem has decent bass and good high end even though its just a "whizzer" type. Tlhe componet driver uses a seperate dome style tweeter yet it doesnt seem to be much better in the higher frequencies.


By adding the seperate "super tweeter" to the stock speaker it gained some more high frequencies but took a big dip between 4-10K


Whats the most interesting is how well the stockers do against the well known brands. The alpine seems to have a tad bit more bass around 100-200hz and seems to go lower then the stocker and vega between 40-60hz


The vega has the most top end but its a "3way" so i figured the 2 extra tweeters on the top give it more top end. compareed to the OEM speaker the Alpine will probobly sound warm. The vega brighter then all of them, not as much bass as i figured it would have.

What i found the most shocking was how flat the FORD componet driver is. It must have a crossover in it how the bass slopes. IMO it has the best curve of them all if you run a sub. The stockers are better then i figured they would be though. IMO i would keep the stock speakers and save money for a better head unit.
 
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#40 ·
Nicely done test! Graphs and all! Are those stock speakers the same as would be in my 04, ZX3, non blaupunkt non amp system? I did swap out to a brand new Kenwood Excellon head unit so I can add my amps and sub box. But right now, I am using the stock speakers and probably will till late July or so to install my system.
 
#41 ·
Yeah im not sure what all speakers come in the different model cars. I just wanted to test and show what i thought i heard after spending the time and money and then not being very impressed with the "upgrade"

Adding an amp helped with a sub ofcorse but replacing the factory speakers didnt seem like a night and day difference.

Ive since added a dvd headunit and front and rear amps as well as a rear sub amp and im about to try and set it up so it sounds more natural like my hope system.

Im going to try and adjust the eq and stuff of the car setup to match as close as i can to how it sounds inside using REW

I dont have a very good ear for what needs in or out. I figured if i plot both systems i could see where its high or low on a graph.
 
#42 ·
I started doing car audio in the early ages of car audio (about 1980) . I have probably installed 300 systems to include some very high end equipment in many exotic and normal cars. I am also a broadcast television engineer who specializes in system design and installation. That being said, and fairly needless to say, I can't leave a stock system in my cars. I even had a system worth (including my installation time) about $5000.00 in my 1986 Isuzu Trooper 4x turbo diesel hunting truck that I only paid $250.00 for the truck! [rofl]Anyway, my plans for this car are a 4 or 5ch amp (depending on whether I want rear speakers) and a sub box I will build using a box program specifically for the sub I choose, and where I want to put it. Here at work i can get great deals on Amps and install equipment since we are also dealers for a place called DBL Distributing. I think I will use the Alpine 6x8s up front, and a quality sub and do a 4ch amp since rear speakers never are needed for my tastes in a small car.
 
#43 ·
Do you have a pretty good ear for speakers? Do it the way i did and see if you hear much difference.

I just replaced the pioneers with a set of infinity kappas i wanted a round speaker insted of an oval one.

I didnt notice much different in the bass or midrange but these are ALOT brighter sounding. A little to much for my liking but i guess infinity is just like that.
 
#45 ·
Ive heard that before the "west coast sound" i just prefer a more laid back sound not so much IN YOUR FACE. I think i need to rotate the tweeter a little.

They can be swiveled to more aim them i think if i point them more to the floor it will tame the brightness down a little.

I have them crossed at 120 up the sub is 120 down.

So are you going to change everything at once or change the head unit first thent he speakers or vise versa?
 
#46 ·
Depending on sub response and charastics, I cross them so no "mud" is present like low voice Hz or anything that makes them fudgy. Depends on the sub but generally if you don't drive the sub so hard you can hear all that muddy stuff they sound great at around 120 or so. A few sound like crap above 80hz though. I now only use a single 10 due to saving space and the tight sub sound as opposed to the overly loud bangin dual 12s route I used to go with.
 
#50 ·
Ill put it this way, I have had a couple poeple ride in my car and turned it up and they think it has not only an amp, but very hingh end after market speakers and it has stock speakers, and a simple aftermarket Kenwood Excellon head unit. Sure the head unit is pretty hing end but there is no amp or sub. I am going to stick in a 300w monobloc amp and a 12in sub in a sealed enclosure in the trunk and be done with it unless i don't get the sound needed from the front speakers when the sub goes in. If I need I'll do a 300w per channel amp in front too. and yes, I am talking RMS not peak.
 
#51 ·
I have a 2001 Zx3 and honestly I've done alot of installs especially in focuses and people always tell me they are going to get new speakers. I tell them no and let them listen to my stock speakers which are being pushed from a double DIN pioneer head unit and I have the high pass filter turned all the way up so no bass is coming through just miss and highs and people swear I spent mad money on my system. I love the test you did tho.
 
#52 ·
Funny all the other threads where they talk about how bad the stock speakers are.

I was thinking about upgrading but now it seems maybe I wont. Here's the deal id like a bit more clarity and Im wondering if its just a lack of power. Im not keen on ditching the head unit as I just like the look, Id like to keep the steering wheel controls and its the 6 disc changer.

Do you think I would see any benefit from amping the stock head unit with the stock speaker? I don't need more volume it gets loud enough. What I'm looking for is more clarity and separation. If Im not going to get that then Id just assume leave it alone. I mean its fine the way it is really it would just be nice to get a bit of improvement.
 
#53 ·
Agreed. I have same feelings, sound is good at moderate levels, but when you want to rock outt, it turns to ugh.

I have been debating for a while, but in the spring I think I'm going to put in a leftover set of crossovers and tweeters from a previous ride. Hopeing that is a way to "clear" things up.
 
#54 ·
I agree that cross-overs should make a world of difference. I dont get why they are driving to drive bass through the mids (and maybe the tweeters) when they put a sub in the back.

Sent from my Galaxy Note 2 using Tapatalk.
 
#58 ·
I am wondering if my 2003 ford focus wagon has the same speaker setup. i have a kenwood headunit and all stock speakers. my front speakers come in clear, but when i push the rear speakers too much, they become muffled. i wonder why. i have a set of 2 kenwood speakers and im thinking of replacing the rear muffled speakers.

does anyone have any takes on this idea? is it worth it?
 
#59 ·
Well the stock speaker IMO isnt really a speaker to crank up loud. Mine sounded good but the louder i pushed em the worse they sounded.

I think many low end speakers cant handle alot of power clean.

Your issues could be many things without looking at them its anyones guess.

They could be weather rotten, a window could of been broken out and rain could of damaged them, they could be torn from being cranked to loud, something could have fallen in and its touching the cone, the door could of been kicked and damaged.

Some speakers have a sort of shelf life. The cones usually hold up for many years. The part that breaks down on most is the suspension around the edge of the cone. Most are like foam rubber or something this part can dry rot crack and split. When that happens the cone has no control and it starts to flap around and distort quickly. When this happens your only real option is to replace them. You can try and fix it but ive never had any luck at that.

What about the settings on your head unit? Most of the newer radios ive messed with have an electronic crossover in them to allow you to cut some of the low end out. These arnt woofers, they arnt designed to pound a ton of bass like a 12" driver they have limits.

IMO the key to a good sounding radio is finding that sweet spot your radio. amp and speakers sound best. I dont feel the need to try and get lots of bass from my door speakers thats the job of my sub so i cross mine about 100-150 and i let the sub handle everything under that.

The higher i cross mine the louder i can turn them up before they start to sound muddy. I think mine are at 120 or 150 i cant remember its been a while since i messed with that part of my head unit.

My radio also has this setting called "speaker size" if you play with that also it can change the curves of the sound. Sometimes a different speaker size can bring the best out of a certain speaker.

In the early days of car stereo you had to get a ton of different equipment to cross speakers over so they sounded good loud now days everything is built into the head unit so you really should dig into the settings and play with the radio settings. This can save you money, the proper radio setting is free so take the time to adjust it and see if they sound better.

Any more you can get away with running all 4 door speakers off the head unit and 1 amp and sub can give you an AMAZING sounding system. The stuff is so cheap now also
 
#60 ·
thank you bowerR64. that was very helpful. oh I've played around with the equalizer alottt. haha. before i had a subwoofer i would turn the mids and the highs all the way down and put the bass all the way up and that made it have a lot of bass haha. but it was never really enough.

that's why i got the subwoofer. but its only a 50 watt bazooka tube. since its a wagon, the bass comes in really clear and nice. but i wish the sub was like 100 or 150 watts. it doesn't need to be like 700 800 watts. the 50 is pretty good, but i think if it were 100 or 150 i would def turn the bass all the way down on my door speakers and let the sub do all the work. but the sub really doesn't push out that much bass. :/

lol. oh well. mayb ill invest in a more powerfull sub. the only thing is i don't want to have to run all those wires to the battery and get one of those battery distributor things and have alternator problems lol.

i might take off the back door panel and hook up the new speaker and see how it sounds and if it isn't any different, ill just leave the stock ones on. the kenwood speakers i have are said to be peak 180 watts. rated at 30 watts. i think the stock ones are rated at like 6 watts. something like that. so the new ones HAVE to sound better, no? oh well. we'll see. haha. thanks for all the info though. it was very helpful.
 
#61 ·
First does your sub have 1 or 2 speakers in it?

I think mine is 150 watts and i dont have alternator problems. Mine is just a small 10" as well.

I noticed mine didnt sound very good on default i had to run the sub out of phase with the rest of the speakers. I think kenwood calls this sub setting "normal, or reverse"

You can do a similar thing by reversing the wires to the sub.

If all your door speakers are say running + from the radio to + tot he speaker and - to - then you do the same to the sub the sub could be running in phase with the rest of the speakers and by the time the sound gets to you its be canceled out by the rest of the speakers. Sometimes moving the sub around in the trunk can change it, sometimes more people in the car or reversing its phase.

My amp also has a setting on it called "delay" i can adjust the delay on mine also this can help but the phase setting is enough for my setup.

What you do is sit in your car like you normaly do when driving, then you adjust it where your sitting. I notice mine will change if i lean forward and my ear is not in the sweet spot. Its really weird its like im getting a phase cancelation off the window or something.

Cars can be tricky to setup and sound good, you just have to play around with it and change things and keep trying different things.
 
#62 ·
lol omg I feel the same way when I listen to my sub. I lean forward and im like hmmm it louder! then I move in the middle and listen. I go in the back seat. Its actually louder in the front seat. I thought that was strange. it sounds awesome if you sit in the trunk! haha. but who sits in the trunk? u cant drive in the trunk haha.

heres my sub. http://www.amazon.com/Bazooka-BTA85...&sr=8-1&keywords=ez+bass+50+watt+bazooka+tube

its a 8 inch 50 watt one speaker sub. it has a built in amp. theres no settings on it. all there is, is a volume level knob on it haha. its ok. the door speakers would be perfect if my sub was just more powerfull. eh...oh well lol.
 
#63 ·
What kenwood radio is it?

The radio is what im talking about that has a phase setting. It can send a reversed phase signal to the sub different from the door speakers.

Yours may already be set to the best bass sound or it could be in phase and then it seems to rob the bass.

WHen its set right its more effecient then it doesnt need as much power.
 
#64 ·
hmmmm. well since all my subwoofer requires me to do is plug one wire into the sub, and that same other end of the wire goes right into the back of the head unit. its like 2 pieces. I don't think theres much else I can do. I think I just need a bigger sub lol.

but today I was messing with my head unit a little more and I found out that I can set it to the size of my door speakers. it allowed me to select either (none) or (5x4) or (6x9). or (OEM). I think mine are 6x9. im not sure. their the stock speakers. it doesn't really change it much. it just changes the presets to sound better depending on the speaker size. idk. eh.

today I got my motor mounts replaced and my power steering pump. the pump was leaking to the point that I had no power steering fluid left. haha. the car is much quieter with the motor mounts replaced. I tried to find an aftermarket exhaust for the wagon but I couldn't find anything. I was so pissed. I wanted something that was more high flowing. so pissed. do you have an aftermarket exhaust?
 
#66 ·
The model # of the bazooka tube you gave me shows it has a built in amp and that requires 3 power wires +- and remote.

And either 2 RCA or 4 high level input wires right?

Who installed it?

You radio has the settings im talking about.

Ide set your HPF (high pass filter) to 120 for the stock speakers both front and rear. Make note of wher ethey are set if they are. Ide set the LPF to 120 as well. This way all the door speakers get 120 hz up and the sub does everything from 120 down.



On my stereo my radio defaults with the sub output off. If i unhook it, or i disconnect my battery or any power from my radio my amp output is OFF and i get no bass from it. Actually no SIGNAL to it. I have to manually go into the settings and turn the sub ON before i get any sound from it. All my othe rsettings are lost also. All my speakers go to "through" setting with it just full frequency no filtering. Also my phase swith goes back to default as well and im not sure where its at right now. Mine is a Kenwood though and they all pretty much have the same types of settings and the way they all work is simmilar.
 

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