replace speakers?

[halo02]

I have an audiophile system in an '04. Can any one tell me anything about the quality of the door speakers? Can I improve the sound quality significantly by replacing the door speakers, and if so, what brand speakers should I use?
thanks

 

[kalel33]

Aftermarket speakers are always so much better than factory. I would recommend infinity kappas or kappa perfects.

 

[janikphoto]

You can almost always improve the quality over ANY factory system. I would suggest similar as above... like infinity, boston acoustics, focal or mb quart component speakers (also known as seperates). They will come as a tweeter, midrange (6 1/2 or 5 1/4) and a crossover box. They will not directly bolt in to the 6x8 opening in your door, but can EASILY be made to fit with a mounting plate/adaptor. They will be a LOT better sound quality, but will run about $250 to $350 for the speakers and another $100 for install. It may seem like a lot of $$$, but if you LOVE music, it's worth EVERY penny!

 

[janikphoto]

Oh, and you'll notice a big difference just doing the front speakers if you don't want to spend extra $$$ on the rears too. You could actually get by with a decent set of matching brand coaxial speakers for the rear if you wanted. Same brands as above, but since the tweet is mounted in with the mid, the install will be half price. The speakers run about $60 to $100 and they have a 6x8 size coax that will bolt right in. You lose some sound quality because you have a smaller, cheaper tweeter and no complex crossover network to divide up the frequencies with precision, but the rear spakers are just there for fill, so it won't matter as much...

 

[Jonny813]

Well, I like MB Quartz personally, I have 4x 5x7 Coax's in my 98 Sport and they sound fabulous, even with a stock head unit, and they crank up high. But, if you want to save some money, install them yourself, speakers are a breeze to install. It took me about an hour and a half to install my all 4 without knowing what I was doing.

 

[halo02]

thanks.
is there much difference in sound quality between components vs. just putting in 5x7 coax?

 

[drivehard]

i dont want to thread-jack but i have always wondered do aftermarket speakers have like a universal plugin that will match up with the speaker plugin that came stock or do you need a whole new wiring harness that involves splicing into the existing wiring? thanks

 

[janikphoto]

Components will sound much better to an audiophile than coaxials (unless you are talking about coaxial components, but that's another story), but I don't know your level of perfection when it comes to music. It is like any other quality versus quantity issue. Is the extra quality worth the extra price? For me personally: in speakers and restaurants, yes, in some other things, no. I LOVE music and notice small nuances that a better quality speaker set-up will bring out. My brother-in-law spent the money on the better speakers, but he cranks them til they sound like any other crappy speaker filled with distortion...

To answer the universal plugin question: Crutchfield has been know to include plug adaptors for their customers, but usually you just snip off the stock plug and wire in the new speaker. Stock plugs and aftermarket speakers don't mix. Metra may make speaker plug adaptors too. Look them up online...

 

[halo02]

Can you help me with components? 1. if i put components up front, will i have to do some cutting, or will both the woofer and tweeter fit in the compartment in the door? 2. if i do have to cut for the tweeter, where should i put it? 3. if my budget is limited, am i better off putting components up front and leave stock in back, or change all four doors to coax?
thanks

 

[Drewfus04]

I personally don't notice enough of a difference with after market components to really change them. If you have a good head unit, components don't really matter much to me. Your stock ones do the job. They crank on my X, with no problem at all. That is, with my Pioneer HU, but with a stock HU, you might find it different.