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

[BowerR64]

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.

[Sniperx]

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! 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.

[BowerR64]

Originally Posted by Sniperx

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! 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.

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.

[Sniperx]

Originally Posted by BowerR64

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.

I do, in fact that is what I want in a front speaker, bright. That is what they used to call West coast sound, and they called flat audio sounding systems east coast sound. I prefer bright higs and mids and the bass at a moderate level front he front doors. I usually cross over the sub at about 120~ 150 as well.

[BowerR64]

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?

[Sniperx]

Originally Posted by BowerR64

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?

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.

[rdaex]

Super cool thread, thanks for sharing your knowledge and findings.

[geewhizbang57]

The speakers in my 2000 Ford Focus did sound pretty good. I'm not very thrilled with the performance of the much more expensive Sony sound system in my 2013 model.

[ducrider]

Great info. Years ago I spent a lot of money replacing the Ford factory speakers with aftermarket Advent, and heard virtually no difference, even when I had one of each, and compared botn over a long period of time with different input sources.

[Sniperx]

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.