need your opinion on speaker upgrade

[lostatlantis]

Reading through some posts from searching for CDT and Focal (before I didn't know to search for them) has helped quite a bit in getting a feel for what to look for. But most people in those threads have a decked out system with amps and componenet speakers and subs, so I wonder if some of their choices are overkill for my Alpine HU.

anyway... just a quick recap of what I am looking for before i head to bed:

1) sound quality - bass should be decent since I won't have a sub, but I prefer a balanced and ACCURATE response over "boomy" speakers

2) price - $150 is probably max, would be great if lower. I am looking for the "best bang for the buck" deal, but do keep in mind the only thing behind these new speakers will be the Alpine HU. I won't be upgrading for a while after this, so I don't need much headroom.

3) installation - I don't know jack about this. So treat me as a beginner...

[02PewterBird]

Originally posted by lostatlantis:
02PewterBird, I bet you got some nice discounts off those speakers from CC... [img]smile.gif[/img] I worked at Circuit City during high school, and I know the huge employee discount they have for car audio. Almost everyone had a setup going. I got the alpine deck through that too. Anyway, I basically found the infinities just browsing through CC's website. Is that the best for $150? I am going to get all four speakers replaced, and $150 is a reasonable budget. Do you know if there's any big sales coming up, at CC or any other place?

by the way, do stores install speakers for free? and also, I noticed the firebird's speakers are actually 6 3/4 in, a somewhat odd size since most speakers are 6.5 in. Does that even matter at all?

The discount kinda sucks now. The speakers are probably what it's best for, but I still paid like $66 a pair. I came across the Infinity accomodation site for employees recently though and it has some incredible prices. I don't think you're going to do better than $150 for two pairs. Other than that promotion the cheapest I've seen is $79 a pair.

I'm not sure about other speakers, but the Infinity 6.5s fit perfectly into the stock mounting spots. It's probably not worth paying someone to install them. I installed them myself and it isn't that hard. Back ones are really easy, and the door panels aren't too difficult to remove, especially if you have a helper.

[02PewterBird]

Originally posted by lostatlantis:
3) installation - I don't know jack about this. So treat me as a beginner...

Rears are easy. Just pull the grilles on the sail panels off gently and the speaker is right there. You'll need a socket wrench to remove the bolts, but I can't remember what size. They're kind of a tight fit, so it's best to replace them with the screws included with the speakers. Pull the speaker out and it's held in with a black clip. Push the release on it and it comes right off.

Door panels are a little more difficult. I was going to write it out, but I just found a page with pictures and all, so this should help more.

http://shbox.com/page/windowmotor.html

The only part is trying to get the slider piece of the lock off. It might have just been my car, but my friend and I both tried for a while and couldn't get the thing off. We ended up going to Circuit City and having them do it using a tool with a 90 degree bend and a point at the end. After seeing them figure it out I did the second one in about five seconds with the tool the next day. Kinda hard to explain, but you pull the panel back, stick the tip in the curved part of the lock switch rod that sticks out of the plastic, and twist. <--That probably makes no sense.

[lostatlantis]

what's up all, I went with the Infinity 6.5s in the end... I got all four replaced for $200 out the door at Circuit City. I decided against higher end mainly because of price and installation issue. The improvement is definitely noticeable over the factory speakers!

However, the CC guy didn't install the infinity grill. He said it will "bust up the door panel". Is that true?

PewterBird, did you have the Infinity Grill installed? I really would like to have them, since they probably sound better (the factory grills look like there's a plastic film over the openings, I am afraid it's changing the sound). Plus the Infinity grill looks better too. Did I got ripped off by the CC installation guy?

[Arctc Wolf]

for good sound quality, I'd go eclipse or infinity kappa. go w/ 6 3/4" speakers that are 3 way preferrably, 2 way at least. the 2 way will give u better sound over a wider range than stock, but 3 way will get you very clear highs. the 6 3/4" will give u good bass response for rock and most rap. either manufacturer has a good track record of components over other aftermarket, and anything aftermarket will be better than stock, so u'll be good.

PS, why didn't u go w/ the 23rms/60 peak alpine hu's?

[lostatlantis]

arctc wolf, I don't think Circuit City had 6 3/4'' Infinity Kappa. I got the 6 1/2'' Infinity Reference

http://www.circuitcity.com/detail.js...&oid=67918&m=1

I got two pairs, and installation was $35 + 3.99 parts. It all came to about $208 with tax.

If you know of a better choice with similar budget, do let me know!

I got my Alpine HU four years ago [img]smile.gif[/img] It was model 7858. I checked the manual and it didn't list the RMS value, just peak at 45W. It would be nice to get a new HU but budget wise it ain't gonna happen.

[lostatlantis]

Interesting point, the factory speakers are also two way. I was expecting just one driver. It says Delco on the back though. The sound quality improvement is definitely noticeable, but right now the stock grills are on there and I think they might be adding extra coloration to the sound. That's why I was asking PewsterBird above to see if he had the Infinity grills installed.

[user1101]

The factory grills are adding zero coloration to your sound. It's all in your head.

You got a reasonable deal for $200 installed. The Reference series is a solid driver for the price. In fact, it's actually a more efficient driver than the Kappa equivalent. It does tend to roll off a little earlier on the bottom end, but it's not uncommon to actually prefer the Reference series to the Kappa series because the ceramic tweeter in the Kappas can sound a bit harsh to some ears. The softer silk-domed tweeters in the References sounds warmer.

I believe that Infinity discontinued their 6.75" Kappa/References.

[02PewterBird]

You don't want the Infinity grilles. The Infinity grilles mount to the speaker, not the door panel, so it wouldn't be flush with the door. It would look hideous like someone broke your door panel if you removed the stock grille.

I paid like $149 with wiring harnesses and installed them myself, so an extra $50 without a discount and installed is good.