Component speakers. What should I be looking at?

I have decided to skip the FM modulator because honestly, the Blaupunkt HU that is in my Legacy sucks and the speakers are even worse.

I was thinking about doing component speakers up front and full ranges in the rear doors. I noticed that Crutchfield is running a sale on Polk DXi stuff that fits my legacy and they get decent reviews based on stars alone and the price is right. However, after reading the reviews they report less than optimal bass output.

I'd like to avoid spending a ton of extra money on amps and a sub. Should I be looking at another brand? I don't need ear drum pounding bass as I mostly listen to punk/indie rock but every once in a while I get a wild hair and I want to listen to something with a little more bass.

I bought the Infinity 609CS's the other day from amazon for $138. I'll report back when I get them put in....

My experience is if you're not going to amp them and spend big money, just get the 'best bang for the buck' stuff. Basically, spend <$150.

Does your current HU do the things you want, and have a pre-amp (RCA) output?

If so, my advice would be to skip replacing the HU and the rear speakers. Get a set of components for the front, a small 8" sub for the back, and a 4channel amp to run them all. Run the components off the front channels of the amp, and bridge the back channels to power the sub. Either unhook the rear door speakers, or if you really want/need the fill, run them faded off whatever HU channels aren't used by the pre-amp output.

No components are going to give you good lows off the HU, and even great ones off an amp won't give you the bass response of a dedicated 8".

Yup, you're not going to get component speakers to play down low with any authority off HU power. And like mentioned above, even with an amp, they're just not intended to sound like a sub.

If you want much output under 100 Hz, you need a dedicated sub.

Getting components without at least SOME amplification other than the HU is pointless and will be disappointing to say the least.

If you want a simple amp to package and install, check out Alpine's KTP-445U. I have one in my 05 LGT and the speakers go in tonight, I'll be able to give more feedback then. It's very compact and can run off the HU circuit as long as it's rated for 15 amps or more. Gives you 45 WRMS x 4 channels.

The current HU is junk. I'll be replacing that as well. I've been eyeing Kenwood Excelon units in the $150-200 range. I'm not looking for sub low by any means out of the door speakers just ones that don't totally lack bass but also sound nice off of HU power.

Provided I did want to run an amp for the door speakers, how much would that run me?

Provided I did want to run an amp for the door speakers, how much would that run me?

Anywhere from $100 to $1000. You can get a decent used amp for $100 or less, but a new KTP-445U will run you about $120.

Check out JVC HUs as well. They pack a bunch of features and a powerful amp into a nice package at a decent price.

Oh, and shameless plug

http://legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php/fs-ma-phoenix-gold-sapphire-amplifier-bazooka-bass-tube-203316.html

Anything JVC wise I should be looking at for my situation?

If I DO go the amp route I'd want something I can hide under a seat easily such as the Alpine KTP-455 which may even fit behind the dash. I could always do a fiberglas enclosure for the rear and find somewhere to hide the amp for the sub.

Personally, if I were looking for a single DIN under $150, I'd snag this:

http://www.crutchfield.com/p_105KDAHD57/JVC-Arsenal-KD-AHD57.html?tp=5684

Besides all the features, a reason I like the JVCs over the Kenwoods is that they're CEA-2006 compliant. Explanation C&Ped below:

A voluntary standard from the Consumer Electronics Association that advocates a uniform method for determining an amplifier's RMS power and signal-to-noise ratio. Using 14.4 volts, RMS watts are measured into a 4-ohm impedance load at 1 percent Total Harmonic Distortion (THD) plus noise, at a frequency range (for general purpose amplifiers) of 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz. Signal-to-Noise ratio is measured in weighted absolute decibels (dBA) at a reference of 1 watt into 4 ohms. This applies to both external amplifiers and the amplifiers within in-dash receivers.

So it standardizes the power output measuring method. This is only applicable if you plan on using the built-in amplifier of the head unit.

If no plans to use the built-in amp exist, then yes, some of the Kenwood units have similar features as the JVC, so it would come down to aesthetics and UI preferences.

Anything JVC wise I should be looking at for my situation?

 

If I DO go the amp route I'd want something I can hide under a seat easily such as the Alpine KTP-455 which may even fit behind the dash. I could always do a fiberglas enclosure for the rear and find somewhere to hide the amp for the sub.

As small as the KTP-455 ...& cheap?

Good luck.

Btw, diyma, mobilesound, & caco classifieds. You can always try CL or the bay ...but meh, you'll more than likely be wasting your time.

You might be able to find a used Vibe Litebox (discontinued, as far as I know) floating around (100 or less). I can wrap my fingers around those:P

I'm going to stop there because it's pointless picking out names/models. Just thought I'd throw it out there because they're one of the more well known "small footprint" budget amplifiers ...or at least were. The alternative to ARC's mini series.

I would have kept it all stock anyways & tossed in an MS8 & called it a day, hehe. ..maybe toss in some $5 super sensitive drivers from PE cuz I'm cheap, lol.

dbl, I crossed my SLS's at 50hz & they took it like a champ:P

45wpc is probably plenty for me on the door speakers.

However, I do like the looks of the Vibe Litebox! Their Slick line of amps also looks good but I can't seem to find many US distributors or at least ones that carry the Slick 4 and 5.

I stumbled across the Pioneer App Radio 2 today as well. Crutchfield says that it doesn't fit in my car though I have to wonder how hard it would really be to get a double din HU to fit. I'd have to run an amp with it though as it only puts out 14wpc RMS. It also doesn't have a preamp output for a sub. I'm sure there is a way to run a sub off of it though. I require more reading on this as I know almost nothing about car audio.

http://www.sonicelectronix.com/item_27743_Stinger-RKXDK.html

You won't regret it.

Diyma sells Alphadamp. Alphadamp is quite a bit thicker, & Don's CLD tiles are thicker yet.

From my experience, Roadkill is the easiest to work with & the best bang for your buck. Sure, you won't have to apply as much Alphadamp as you would Roadkill to achieve the same results, but lmao the thicker it is, the more of a PITA it is to install (around curves, etc).

Heat gun comes in handy. I tried using the oven but my g/f got all over my case.

Oh yeah, stay away from Fatmat. You go that route, you might as well head up to Lowes & pick up some peel n' seal.

________________

You're wasting your time replacing your drivers w/out installing them correctly. Don't skip out on deadener.

I'm not kidding.

ZeroNoise.com currently has free shipping on all Cascade products. I got their Deflex pads for my recent install, and I had some R-Blox left over from my last install. I got a 50ft² package and I've done 3 cars with it. The real noise reducer will be your mass loaded vinyl. I skipped it on the LGT for budget reasons, but it's a great addition to quieting the car.

A heat gun works wonders as well, just warm it up then roll it.