What car speakers?

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391 posts

Ultimate Geek

#981015 5-Feb-2014 21:10

Yes, but it would give me more room depth wise, as far as invading the boot space. But quality? Okay brand?

Your mother was a hamster and your father smelled of elderberries

Shapenz

518 posts

Ultimate Geek

#981047 5-Feb-2014 22:43

Have you considered a small set of 6X9 boxes for the back? They are relatively inexpensive and can be attached/remove easily

driller2000

935 posts

Ultimate Geek

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#981051 5-Feb-2014 22:50

johnr:
driller2000: simple answer - you need an amp - head unit amplifiers are poo

How did you come to this?

the hard way ie. installing car stereos in my cars and other peoples cars - trying to make the best of the hu - only to be disappointed - and then starting with one basic alpine amp and going whoa - thats much better!

fundamentally the amp in a head unit is tiny with overstated power figures - quoted at very high THD - so they sh@it themselves well quick - and end up sounding awful at any sort of loudish volume

e.g. Random HU - Sony MEX-GS600BT - $299 NZD - Power Output - Max 4 x 52W / Actually 4 x 17W RMS - BUT! at a horrible 1% THD - and these figures are typical of HU's
(http://www.hyperdrive.co.nz/product/head-units/128/headunit-mexgs600bt-rear-usb-bluetooth-5v-3rca/191542/detail)

even a "modest" dedicated amp will trounce it:

e.g. Random AMP - JBL GTO-504 Amplifier- $289 NZD - Power Output 55W RMS x 4 Channels at 4 Ohms / 70W RMS x 4 Channels at 2 Ohms / Signal-to-Noise (dBA) 105dBA (reference rated power into 4 ohms) / THD 0.02% (rated power at 4 ohms) - much nicer, cleaner and powerful sound
(http://www.parallelimported.co.nz/car-audio/car-amplifiers/jbl-gto-504-amplifier.html)

disclaimer: i don't sell this stuff - but friends don't let friends buy sh&t stereo gear :)

ps: re only buying speakers - as others have said get ones that are the same size as the factory installed - cutting metal, putting in risers and remounting is a pain unless you are well keen.

Stu

Hammered
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#981057 5-Feb-2014 22:59

But friends do accept and understand when friends say they are on a tight budget. ;-)

To the OP; can you give us a make/model of the car these speakers are to be installed in? Might help find the best bang for buck if we know what we're dealing with in regards to cavity sizes/spacing etc

BiggusDoggus

391 posts

Ultimate Geek

#981058 5-Feb-2014 22:59

Shapenz: Have you considered a small set of 6X9 boxes for the back? They are relatively inexpensive and can be attached/remove easily

Thanks for that. It's a little hard to describe though - I have a hatchback, which lost its parcel tray/cover thing eons ago. So I have screwed these crappy little box speakers (ok - I confess - it turns out they are fecking monitor speakers: now you can see that anything would be an improvement!!!) to the plastic frames where the cover used to sit - just behind the seatbelts.

Any even moderately sized "proper" car speaker boxes just wont fit, and I wouldn't be able to get my cricket bag into the boot.

Soooo....I can get same alloy brackets made up at work which will support up 6" speakers if I have them on a bit of an angle pointing towards the front (still behind the back seats).

There's my life story in all its glory, lol.

In answer to above - it's a 1994 Toyota Corsa (Moa version, hatchback).

Oh, and just so you know how "low" end the HU is - it's an American Hi-Fi model 520, so I fully realise I'm never going to get a great quality of sound out of it.

Your mother was a hamster and your father smelled of elderberries

driller2000

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Ultimate Geek

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#981066 6-Feb-2014 01:06

ok - compromise time - by me that is : )

stage 1 - 2nd hand HU - some e.g.s:

http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/car-stereos/cd-players/panasonic/auction-693248210.htm $45
http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/car-stereos/cd-players/kenwood/auction-693134999.htm $30

stage 2 - replace existing door speakers - run off the HU - probably 4 inch (or maybe 5.25 inch?) - some e.g.s:

http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/car-stereos/speakers/other/auction-692141215.htm $50
http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/car-stereos/speakers/jvc/auction-691471786.htm $35
http://www.parallelimported.co.nz/car-audio/car-speakers/pioneer-tsg-1044r-speakers.html $49

YOU COULD STOP HERE FOR A BIT - FOR AS LITTLE AS $65 SPENT

--------------------------------------------

and then.....

stage 3 - make a parcel tray = bit of ply + jig saw + paint + maybe a couple of ali channels as stiffeners + foam for the undeside edge + some string + your time = free-ish

stage 4 - bang in a pair of 6x9's in the "parcel tray" (because plastic box speakers are poo too) - again run them off the HU - an e.g:

http://www.parallelimported.co.nz/car-audio/car-speakers/sony-xsgtf-6937-speakers.html $79

ALT OPTION - Pair of 6X9's installed in wooden boxes ($36 per pair for the boxes) sitting on the hatch back floor.

stage 5 - FINALLY get that amp i mentioned way back when - an e.g.

http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/car-stereos/amplifiers/4-channel/auction-692739601.htm $100

AND FOR ONLY $179 MORE - YOU WOULD BE DONE

MAYBE.......

:)

ps:

1. assumes installed by you = free
2. i note that my e.g.s are quite the mish mash of brands etc - but it illustrates the point that improvements can be made for not too much coin

BiggusDoggus

391 posts

Ultimate Geek

#981091 6-Feb-2014 08:12

Driller, I truly appreciate the time and effort you have put into your responses. Thank you very much.

The tray won't work as its truly a big-ass cricket bag I have that I can barely fit in as it is now, but the rest is more than worthy of consideration.

Your mother was a hamster and your father smelled of elderberries

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BiggusDoggus

391 posts

Ultimate Geek

#981500 6-Feb-2014 20:29

Sorry - one last question please.

Boschmann 260 Watt speakers

Opinions based on what my current head unit can handle/drive please?

The reason I am considering these - yes, not as big as round 6" speakers, but the 6" x 4" size is attractive due to the limited space available. And, yes, the price is pretty good too.

Your mother was a hamster and your father smelled of elderberries

Niel

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#981538 6-Feb-2014 21:37

Reviews found on Google all say fine for basic entry level but not if you care about what it sounds like and not if you drive them hard.

My Volvo has 16 year old Blaupunkt OEM speakers which sound much better than new JVC etc. entry level speakers. The Blaupunkts are amazing at handling bass. I think you will do better buying second hand OEM speakers out of a good European car (like Volvo, BMW, Merc) than cheap new speakers.

You can never have enough Volvos!

BiggusDoggus

391 posts

Ultimate Geek

#981542 6-Feb-2014 21:45

Thanks Niel.

The thing that puzzles me is that for a low-end set of speakers, the RMS seems ridiculously high?

Especially when you look at something like this which is a "brand speaker" yet has a significantly lower (relatively) RMS?

Should I be treating the claimed RMS on the Boschmanns with some cynicism?

I assume, btw, that the RMS is what I should be focusing on, not the max wattage. Which makes the Boschmanns very appealing.

Your mother was a hamster and your father smelled of elderberries

driller2000

935 posts

Ultimate Geek

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#981548 6-Feb-2014 22:01

word of warning with 2nd hand car speakers from cars with a few ks on them - what you often find once you remove the speaker grilles is the cones and surrounds are often shot - this is due to the fact that the inside of a car can be very hot in summer and also damp if doors etc aren't sealed well - so it's a pretty hostile environment for speakers either way

furthermore oem speakers tend to be very cheap, with small magnets, and paper cones so durability is not great

personally i would far rather a new set of speakers (even cheap ones) - with new rubber surrounds for movement, a polyprop cone for durability and a decent magnet for throw/volume

Niel

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#981584 7-Feb-2014 06:12

On my Volvo S40 I've tried the route of decent lowish cost speakers and they distort on bass when I play a CD but not radio, because a CD has a wider frequency range. I would not go for any OEM speaker from a "normal" car though, not even new. I'd look at upmarket cars.

Last night I've found Blaupunkt speakers are not that expensive, but be prepared to pay up to double what you are looking at. And read reviews, don't trust specifications, trust your ears. Specifications are just as bad as saying your car can rev to 6000 RPM, but you know you will not do that to a cheap car as it will not last, only to a prevision engineered car which can handle it.

You can never have enough Volvos!

driller2000

935 posts

Ultimate Geek

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#981603 7-Feb-2014 07:33

as neil said - do your research (as you are) distrust specs (esp from no name companies) - see reviews (albeit the net does have fake ones) and most importantly trust you ears!!

also have a look at the build quality / materials

when purchasing pretty much anything this guidance will save you from getting a lemon

personally i also try and find the knee of the price vs value curve ie. the sweet spot where increases in price lead to diminishing returns, the flip side however is this is never the cheapest option either

Klipspringer

2385 posts

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#981604 7-Feb-2014 07:45

I have a Pioneer mechless MVH-355BT (Power Output MOSFET 50W x 4), they go for about $150.

Its in the lower range of head units.

I have a pair of 6 x 9 300W Infinity speakers in the rear, and a pair of Infinity 180W in the front.

Nothing really much about this setup. No separate amp, and sound is brilliant. But then I'm not one of those that like the to see the street signs rattling when I drive past. Base is great as it is, and its enough to get things shaking in the car if I do turn it up.

Shapenz

518 posts

Ultimate Geek

#981668 7-Feb-2014 09:44

Repco do a cheap set of Sony 6's for $30 if you want cheapish - they are the XSGTE1620

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