3 or 4 way speakers

[Tavery1]

Hey guys, just installed a 12inch sub and 600watt amp in my 98. It sounds crisp and clear when its turned somewhat up. But when I go on the highway with my windows down and turn it up so I can hear it well there's a lot of break up, I've adjusted my amp and sub so I know its not coming from them. I'm looking into getting some upgraded speakers, my only question is I see Pioneer 3 way and 4 way speakers.

Whats better, and as far as wattage goes do I want more rated watt or "peak power" I'm not looking to make my car shake uncontrollably just a nice crisp bassy sound through the volume levels.

Also, can someone tell me what size openeing's the 98's have crutchfield is showing both 5 1/4- 5x7
Thanks.

 

[Robert Nick]

Look for the Best Rated Power Specs. Peak Power Ratings are Specs. for Short Durations not Continusous Output.

 

[scucci]

The openings are 6x8" and 5x7" also fits. Look at the spl specs of the speakers. The higher the spl the louder the sound for a given input power. Also Pioneer makes replacement speakers just for the expy - they actually say ford on them. 3 or 4 way is a matter of personal preference. I like 3 way. Also you should purchase the speaker wire adapter harnesses so you don't need to cut the terminals off the speaker wires.
Just my opinions.

 

[Dan Whitaker]

Are you running your current speakers off an amp or the HU? If the HU look for speakers that match the RMS wattage of the HU. Too little of power to a speaker will hurt it as much as too much power.

IMO Pioneer speakers are junk. I've tried a couple of different Pioneer spakers and neither were worth the card board box they came in. I've always had good experience with Keenwood.

You can run a 5-1/2 or 6-1/2 round speaker but you will need to buy or make an adapter for them to fit propperly. Round will give you better sound. Oval will give you more mid bass.

Your ears will never be able to tell the difference between a 3 way or 4 way speaker. If you want better clarity & sound go with a set of component speakers.

 

[Tavery1]

I'm running them off the HU, what wires are running to the speakers? I was under the assumption it was just power and ground like home stereo speakers.

 

[cybergasm]

IMO Pioneer speakers are junk. I've tried a couple of different Pioneer spakers and neither were worth the card board box they came in. I've always had good experience with Keenwood.

So what did i get ?

 

[Robert Nick]

Some Speakers are sensitize to Speaker Wire Polarity. Three/Four Way Speakers probably have Cross-Over Circuits within the Speaker Assembly. Bottom Line: (+) Polarity needs to match from the HU/Output Amplifier to the Speaker, same for (-) Polarity. This is critical if the Cross Over within the Speaker uses Electrolytic Capacitors.

 

[Dan Whitaker]

So what did i get ?

Sony's in the front Kenwoods in the rear. All 5x7. You did get the cheap amps though

 

[NRA4ever]

Get a good set of 6.5 two way components. They will sound better than any 5x7 or 6x8. I just replaced the pioneer 6x8s in My F250. I have a set of MB Quart 3 way components in their place. No comparison The Quarts are way cleaner & louder. I'm running them with a USAmps Merlin 4x90 amp.I have the mid bass on the rear channels& the 4s & tweeters on the front 2 channels. It rocks now.

 

[Jason94sport]

Aftermarket speakers rarely sound good with stock HU's. They need amps. As you found out when you turn it up with the windows open. Any system I setup was like this until I got external amplification to those speakers. Thinking adding 3, 4, 5, or 6 way speakers isn't the answer.
In this application basic 2 ways will work.

You can try to minimize it by getting speakers with a low RMS rating & high SPL rating.

 

[Tavery1]

Aftermarket speakers rarely sound good with stock HU's. They need amps. As you found out when you turn it up with the windows open. Any system I setup was like this until I got external amplification to those speakers. Thinking adding 3, 4, 5, or 6 way speakers isn't the answer.
In this application basic 2 ways will work.

You can try to minimize it by getting speakers with a low RMS rating & high SPL rating.

Its not the stock HU it has an older Pioneer HU. How do component speakers work as far as do I run the wires to the amp?

 

[Jason94sport]

Same applies IMHO. Even aftermarket HU's don't put out much power. When you add a sub, you turn the volume up naturally to hear the bump. This in turn plays the regular speakers louder into distortion cause there isn't enough power to compensate for the added base to get a balanced sound.
You could also try to buy a new HU that has a built in hi & low pass filter. This will allow you to run the low pass to your sub, & high pass the speakers from the HU so they don't play below 80hz or so.
This is what I am doing currently with my HU. I would like to add an external amp but do not have the room for it the way I use my X to haul stuff.

 

[NRA4ever]

Get a 4 channel amp for your speakers. A 25 by 4 to a 50x 4 rms per channel is plenty. It will give you the sound you want. A HU might put out 15 rms if your lucky. Round 2 way speakers would be a good choice for you. The tweeters are built in so you don't have to mount them.

 

[Anime]

Pioneer's low end speakers are pretty good for lower power setups.

I run their "bottom of the barrel" 2-ways from the G-series, and pushed with just 20W RMS each, they are crystal clear, more than loud enough to cause hearing loss, and the woofers shake the rear view mirror as if they were subs. I would not hesitate to run these off a head unit, either, as it's pretty much what they are made for.

You can get their 3-ways for the same price though ($50-60 online or even $59.99/pair in most walmarts), which are "better" in that they have rubber surrounds, but I like the cloth surrounds of the G-series more, plus they handle 30W RMS, where the 3-ways handle 40W RMS.

Pioneers are also nice because they are "drop-in" 6x8's, the exact factory size. Most others are 5x7's, which fit, but are smaller. Kenwood 2-way 6x8's would fit the bill as well, if you can find a pair or two.