bondboy76

I know that componant speakers are better than coaxial, but how much better. Im just wondering since i am going to have Tweeters install my speakers and i heard that the component ones are alot more to install, and i cant run up the bill to much since its a b-day present. So im just deciding between the best coaxial or some preety decent componant. And any help with the best brands to buy will be a big help..thanks

BUMPIN~TL~S

It just depends what you want......You pretty much get what you pay for. I have Diamond Audio S600 component sets in the front and rear doors. I paid 200.00 for each set from a family member that works at a stereo shop. When these sets first came out they were running 350.00 to 400.00 a set, but the sound quality is 20 times better that any coax you can find in my opinion. Also remember components are only as good as the amp that pushing them. Some brands that make good coax as well as components are Diamond Audio, Eclipse, MB Quarts.....

fun03TLS

I'm sure you've done a significant amount of research on this subject. If not, you ought to. I've read quite a bit on this subject and from what I understand, there are only a few speakers that match the Bose head unit. The head unit has a fair amount of equalization to drive the 1 ohm paper speakers. However, the Focal speakers that are recommended are pretty expensive. Personally, I ripped everything out and built a large custom system worth 5,000 dollars. It's taken me several months and lots of frustration to get where I am. It is worth it to me and the project was a great experience. Just read a little bit more before you buy.

Good luck with your project.

TeknoKing

first things first before you go and get new speakers, get rid of the Bose crappy HU. Then you will truly enjoy and hear the difference with new speakers or even your stock speakers.

Some ppl to improve the sound, change the HU, and install a subwoofer, then they adjust inside the car the speakers to blast middle and highs, and all the bass only thru the subwooder, sounds pretty good.

optiknerve

go to www.thezeb.com get some of the CDT CL-61a's... they are originally $300, but marked down to $150, very good speakers. I own almost all CDT stuff.

bondboy76

yeah im def. looking at a new head unit...probally an eclipse one..love them..i dont want subs..i think they will add too much weight...so im looking at some MBquarts from ACARAUDIO.com they have very nice ones for about half price...but one more ?..do i have to buy an amp for the component speakers?..thanks for the help

Hawhyen51

Component speakers gives you better separation and imaging. There are a number of component speakers on the market. Best advice I can give you is to go to your local stereo shop and listen to 'em and then narrow them down to what sounds best to you. After you've narrowed them down to 2 or 3 then make your decision. See if you can work a deal. If not, there are a lot of online vendors and their prices are really decent. As far as brands go there are so many. A number of folks have listed them here like Focal, Diamond, MBQuarts, Infinity, and Boston Acoustics and the list goes on and on.

I would highly recommend a new HU and an amp to power them. There's not enough juice to drive speakers.

ou sig

the bose speakers are 4 ohm actually...not the 1 ohm rumor that has been going around. you can replace the speakers with any other speaker, the only problem is the bose EQ boosts the trebble very high so aftermarket speakers that actually have tweeters will be very bright sounding.

fun03TLS

Bondboy76,

If you go with replacing the HU just keep in mind, there isn't a kit available that will color/texture match the trim pieces for our console. Many people have tried various things and this includes me. I took someones advice on this ABS plastic that has the same burl wood finish. I got it from the same vendor he did and the plastic has good color but the texture is off. There are ripples due to processing and now I have to sand and lacquer, sand and lacquer several times to smooth things out and get the luster to match the trim next to it. Metra has a kit, but the color and texture is not correct. Plus you have this huge rhombus shaped hole that looks odd with only a DIN size chassis filling it. In otherwords, you need some more equipment around your deck to balance the apperance. If you ask me, lots of planning needs to be done before you rip out the Bose HU.

One other thing, get a sub. It doesn't have to weigh that much. A strong 10" with a couple hundred watts wouldn't add more than 40-50 lbs (including amp and enclosure). I have over 120 lbs in my trunk and I think the car feels more balance during hard cornering. Of course, I have Tein SS (2" drop all around), EDFC, and Comptech sways to to help things out. All in all, if your going to go through the trouble of replacing the HU and speakers, go a little further and cover the 20-20k frequency range.

Here is what I've managed to put together so far:

Nakamichi CD-45Z HU
Alpine RUX 4280 Bass processor
Audio Control DXS, DQT x-over and EQ
Alpine MRD-M500 (2) Sub amps
JL Audio 12W6v2 (2) Subs
Soundstream 500.4VG 4ch amp
Image Dynamics CD-1E Pro mini horns
Image Dynamics CX-64 Midbass drivers
SPL 1.2 Farad cap
and a whole bunch of wires

Have fun with yours!

bondboy76

Thanks for the input, yeah i have tome to plan all thsi stuff..i still got round 5 months..so i will plan this..im not going for a huge system..im doing more engine than system..just want to upgrade the stock one..thanks for all the info tho

fun03TLS

ou sig,

just a little correction, my OEM speakers have 1 ohm printed on the magnet. I haven't taken my multimeter to it to check for sure. I'll do that tonight just to satisfy the rumor. Maybe Bose is just printing it there to confuse us.

ou sig

hmmm definately not what I have heard or what mine said when I took them out...the sub on the other hand is 1 ohm I believe, but the door speakers should be near 4 ohm. That is why people can directly swap the door speakers out and still have stock levels of volume.

fun03TLS

ou sig,

Whelp! You're right, the door speakers measure 4.9 ohm's and the sub measured at 1.7 ohm's. I might have seen the 1 ohm value stamped on my old Accord speakers. Sorry about any confusion.

Hey, how do you insert pictures in to the text section?

optiknerve

you just proved him wrong

4.9 would be classified as 5 ohms and 1.7 would be considered 2 ohms.

Nawww

You need to just go and audition speakers if you are really serious about buying. Never buy high-end audio equipment just on hearsay. If you want the *best* audio, go McIntosh www.mcintoshlabs.com but it's up to your ears. if you're really serious about it tho, you're going to need to get a different head unit and amps for sure BOSE sucks.

htownaccord

Mb Quart Q-Series or Boston Acoustics.... or FOCAL UTOPIAS!!! i have the Q-series (retail at tweeter is like 1200) on a Jl 300/4 ...sounds AWESOME...my system has all the mid bas and whatever hear all low notes...w/ the jl w7 .....i want to go with Utopias now...that i heard them....MB tend to lean more towards High notes..which irritate my ear sometimes.

ou sig

wow are we really that detailed?..I said near 4 ohm anyway. You really think any speaker is exactly 4 ohm or for your home 8 ohm? not quite

optiknerve

it is usually .1 or .2 off, not .7 and .9. That's a totally different load.

ou sig

ok you know all, and I was going off what what printed on the back of my Bose speakers anyway! I also hope you know that is an average load....the real load can vary drastically with the frequency of the sound being produced

fun03TLS

bondboy76,

back you your original post, I spent $400 for two pairs of infinity Kappa 60.5cs. I installed them in to all 4 doors and powered them with 125 clean watts. Personally, they lacked the midbass and therefore, could not provide a smooth transition from mids to lows that I wanted. They were pretty good from around 150Hz on up. The subs were good from around 80Hz down. I did a lot of adjusting to smooth the transition and nothing helped. If I added the x-over and eq that I have now, I'm sure that I could have made them work together better. Instead, I when with Image Dynamics horns and mids. After installing them up front and adding the processors, I'll never go back to the typical component setup. There are people that knock horns, but after proper equalization and x-over points, they are really sweet and show no weakness with volume. I can just keep turning it up and they don't break. I spent $600 through Sounddomain versus $1200 for a single pair of Focals. The midbass is right on as well as the highs. The transition from mids to lows is seamless.

I don't think you need to spend a lot of money to get a quality product. I also don't think you need to focus on labels. I do think you need to realize what you do want to spend and work from there. However, without spending atleast $1500 (ballpark) you probably won't have a considerable upgrade from stock. Replacing speakers alone is a waste of time and money. Do your homework and save your money for a system that satisfies your taste in quality and SPL. Our cars are expensive and deserve more attention than just a speaker upgrade. If you're really into car audio, get the cash/credit and do it right the first time. If you have the cash like some of the people on this forum, get the Focals. If you're like me, get an off brand that will save you money. Companies like Image Dynamics, and Audio Control do not advertise and keep their prices low. There are other companies out there that also have great quality. You just have to read the specs and follow up with reasearch.

Also, listening to speaker demos in the stores is lame. They cannot recreate your vehicles environment and since our cars configuration has so much to do with the sound quality, you will have to listen to peoples advice and experiment just like I did. It will cost both money and time to get to where you want. Orrr, just take it to Circuit City and let the 16 year olds play with your $32,000 car for $400.

This is all I've got on this subject. Good luck!

bondboy76

thanks for all the advice guys..im learning alot..i love this site

optiknerve

never heard of a resistance changing b/c of a frequency.

ou sig

try this link for some new info.

http://www.hometheatermag.com/powera...53/index1.html


quote: "The load on the amplifier, initially, is an 8-ohm resistor, as most speakers represent an 8-ohm average load to the amplifier. Ohms are a measure of impedance, which is an electrical measurement of how much resistance to current flow the speakers offer to the signal. However, a "nominal" 8-ohm load means that, at some frequencies, the impedance to the signal may be higher and, at other frequencies, it's lower. As the impedance drops, the amplifier can increase its output but must draw more current to do so. We test amplifiers, when they demonstrate an ability to handle it, with lower-impedance 4-ohm loads, as well. A theoretically perfect amplifier will double its power every time the impedance drops in half, but in reality few are capable of this. "

optiknerve

reading > you

ou sig

come again???

optiknerve

my point