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Author Topic: car audio  (Read 8446 times)

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Offline Lee

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Re:car audio
« Reply #15 on: December 08, 2003, 12:11:33 PM »
>>If you go with (or have) an external amp, look into the MB Quart (what I have and LOVE).  They are really power-hungry so you would need around 100 watts per channel for them, but they may be a bit outside of your price range.<<


i've been toying with the idea of putting some mbquart 5.25 or 6.5s in my car.  background on current setup:

'99 jeep wrangler with 8 speaker system.
standard is 4x6 in dash and 5.25 in overhead sound bar.  4x6 in dash are pretty worthless, but i replaced them with some pioneers back in summer '99.   also replaced the overhead soundbar with 5.25 pioneer premier 3 ways .  then added a pair of pioneer premier 6.5 inch 2 ways in the soundwedge box that goes on the wheelwell in the back behind the front seats.  added some lows and filled up the bottom of the car.  then i added a pair of 5.25 kenwood excelons up front in a kick panel style mount.  the kenwoods aren't bad at all for what i wanted them to do.  they definitely fill up the front area and give a very nice clean sound.  but they're a bit too bright

anyway, thinking of replacing the front 5.25 kenwoods or the rear 6.5 pioneer premiers.  think i should go the mb quart route.  i have 6 of the 8 speakers (not the 4x6) hooked up to a phoenix gold xs4300 amp (more than i needed but found it for half price) so i definitely have the power for some mb quarts, just wondering if you think it'd be worth it


>>I also think that Kenwood are some of the worst car speakers made, but a lot of other people seem to like them a lot.<<

regular kenwoods i'll agree on.  there are a few decent speakrs in the excelon line though.  but rule #1 i'll tell everyone is DON'T BUY FROM CRUTCHFIELD.  unless you like getting ripped off

Please tell me it's a hard top wrangler... it never ceases to amaze me how people will put 1000's of dollars of audio equipment in a vehicle you can break into with a pocketknife!

Back to the original question, everything I've heard from MBQuart is great, given the install to do over I'd go with them over Boston Acoustics.  The BA's are, as Jaimie said, a little bright/metallic sounding.  If you only have door speakers, that might work to your favor, but in the dash they're a little much for me.

I would definately go with an external amp, my Eclipse is great for full range and my Fosgate is great for subs.  The internal amps in the decks are pretty much crap, as most will agree.
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Offline jlykos

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Re:car audio
« Reply #16 on: December 08, 2003, 12:15:47 PM »
The internal amps in the decks are pretty much crap, as most will agree.

Depends on the receiver.  The Eclipse and Alpine head unit amps are OK, but no substitute for an external. They work well if you are driving a center channel speaker.  The rest are total garbage.
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Offline jlykos

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Re:car audio
« Reply #17 on: December 08, 2003, 12:27:39 PM »
>>If you go with (or have) an external amp, look into the MB Quart (what I have and LOVE).  They are really power-hungry so you would need around 100 watts per channel for them, but they may be a bit outside of your price range.<<


i've been toying with the idea of putting some mbquart 5.25 or 6.5s in my car.  background on current setup:

'99 jeep wrangler with 8 speaker system.
standard is 4x6 in dash and 5.25 in overhead sound bar.  4x6 in dash are pretty worthless, but i replaced them with some pioneers back in summer '99.   also replaced the overhead soundbar with 5.25 pioneer premier 3 ways .  then added a pair of pioneer premier 6.5 inch 2 ways in the soundwedge box that goes on the wheelwell in the back behind the front seats.  added some lows and filled up the bottom of the car.  then i added a pair of 5.25 kenwood excelons up front in a kick panel style mount.  the kenwoods aren't bad at all for what i wanted them to do.  they definitely fill up the front area and give a very nice clean sound.  but they're a bit too bright

anyway, thinking of replacing the front 5.25 kenwoods or the rear 6.5 pioneer premiers.  think i should go the mb quart route.  i have 6 of the 8 speakers (not the 4x6) hooked up to a phoenix gold xs4300 amp (more than i needed but found it for half price) so i definitely have the power for some mb quarts, just wondering if you think it'd be worth it


>>I also think that Kenwood are some of the worst car speakers made, but a lot of other people seem to like them a lot.<<

regular kenwoods i'll agree on.  there are a few decent speakrs in the excelon line though.  but rule #1 i'll tell everyone is DON'T BUY FROM CRUTCHFIELD.  unless you like getting ripped off

Those Phoenix Gold amps are totally badass.  Probably the best combination of flexibility and power available, but you sure as hell pay for it.  Nice pickup on getting one for half-price!

If you think that the Kenwoods are a bit bright, then you may not like the Quarts.  Most definitely listen before you buy.  Where the Quarts are better than other speakers are their crossovers and the integration of the tweeter with the woofers.  Very smooth and natural.  But bright.  You almost need a sub with the Quarts to balance out their high end.

Part of the problem may be the kick panel mount system for the Kenwoods.  This way is convenient and space-saving, but I find that the speakers often sound better when mounted in a more conventional way.  Sound from the woofers often gets eaten up by the road noise from the floor which makes you drive the speakers that much louder, which in turn makes the tweeters more strident and bright.  The imaging also loses in that arrangement.

Replace the front speakers first, and then the rear only if you really feel like it.  The rear speakers should only be for fill and for the rear passengers to hear something; they should NOT comprise an integral part of your soundstaging / sonic experience.  I don't know how well the Quart and Premier speakers interact with each other sonically, but if you use them for rear fill only, it should be OK.
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Offline scb

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Re:car audio
« Reply #18 on: December 08, 2003, 12:42:18 PM »
>>Please tell me it's a hard top wrangler... it never ceases to amaze me how people will put 1000's of dollars of audio equipment in a vehicle you can break into with a pocketknife!<<

hard top for pretty much 9 months a year.  soft top during the summer.  i wouldn't call it thousands of dollars of audio, but maybe a grand total....

i put everything in with the most obscure bolts/screws imaginable.  if you want to steal my shit, you better have half of the home depot tool section with you :)


thanks for the info on the quarts.  i do find the excelon's a bit bright, but apparently that's one of the characteristis of the speaker.  i got it because it was supposed to be bright, but i think it's a bit too bright if you know what i mean.  

i'm completely happy with my system now, but you know, we're always looking for tweaks...

Offline JeffK

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Re:car audio
« Reply #19 on: December 08, 2003, 09:15:27 PM »
Eclipse and MB Quart both make coaxial speakers with external crossovers which are great for the money... and ease of install.  I think Orion also makes some.  The above mentioned all mount the tweeter separate from the midbass driver, yet still fit into your stock speaker locations.  I may actually have a pair of 5.25" eclipse w/crossovers still around... I'll take a look.

Amps are crucial, along with a decent source unit.  Try and get 4v (or higher) pre-outs on the source and then a decent amp.  Hifonics makes good amps for the $$.  I'd suggest a single 8 or 10" sub.  Alchemy Alumapro 10" is about as solid as it gets there, in a small, sealed box.

Offline Ed.

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Re:car audio
« Reply #20 on: December 09, 2003, 02:08:01 AM »
I spent just about $2k on my car system back when i was 18.  Since then its been moved to 4 different vehicles in the last 5 years.  It still works well, but it is by no means as cool as it was when i was 18.  Plus i have no trunk space.  I hope to be getting a new GTO (if pontiac ever releases them) within the next couple of years, hopefully the stock system will be good enuf.  My friend and i went and test drove a saturn vue this weekend.  It comes stock with an 8in sub, i was pretty impressed.

if i were you, i'd just throw a decent cd player in it, get some decent all around speakers and put 150watts behind them, get some bass blockers for the front and it shouldn't sound all that bad on the inside.  An 8in sub will make the lows more defined, but that might also sacrifice some room.  Crutchfield is a bit more expensive than just ordering from the net, but they'll hook you up with diagrams and charts showing you how to take your car apart.  A lot of times tho, installation is free at best buy type car audio places if you spend a certain amount of money.

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Offline jlykos

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Re:car audio
« Reply #21 on: December 09, 2003, 09:50:06 AM »
Plus i have no trunk space.  I hope to be getting a new GTO (if pontiac ever releases them) within the next couple of years, hopefully the stock system will be good enuf.  

You may still want to keep your big car stereo system and see if JL Audio makes a drop-in sub system for that model car.  JL makes these awesome sub systems that are molded to the contours of lots of leading brand automobiles (Pathfinders, Mustangs, etc.).
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Re:car audio
« Reply #22 on: December 09, 2003, 12:49:26 PM »
I have the Infinity BassLink system in my car and have been MAJORLY PLEASED with it.



10" woofer, 200 watt RMS internal amp.  Extremely small package (can be mounted either horizontally or vertically) and once broken in provides ample tight bass without rattling the back hatch in my station wagon ;D

Here are some reviews
« Last Edit: December 09, 2003, 12:51:06 PM by npsinboro »
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