More speakers?

Post Tue May 15, 2007 11:28 am

I have 2 parcel shelf and 2 front speakers and just put an amp and sub in the boot,i also have a couple of 6x9 speakers that i was thinking about putting in the rear cards but am unsure if it will make any difference to the sound quality is this pointless or would it sound better?

Post Tue May 15, 2007 11:52 am

personally i think rather than chopping up parts of the interior, if you have a well powered head unit (either internally or by amp) then along with a good sub in the boot and the 4 speaker set up, the sound is really good.... just make sure all 4 speakers are quality pieces of kit. this set up in my last 3 E30's has been more than enough.

but i am not looking to create Db records....

Post Tue May 15, 2007 12:37 pm

the speakers were great in there day 4-6 years ago but im thinking maybe a bit out of date now,with the 5 speakers in at the moment the sound is ok but not as crisp as i would like and when turned up loud they destort fairly easily,i dont want to bounce to work but do like to have it loud,is it a case of replacing all speakers if so what for?

Post Tue May 15, 2007 12:50 pm

yep - just upgrade the speakers... make sure they can cope with more rms than the head unit or the amp kicks out.

ICE fanatics will give you loads of options but i put in sony xplod speakers in the front footwells (40w rms IIRC) and alpines on the shelf. and i just replaced the stock speakers with the same physical size. my boot houses a JBL btx250 active tube... the sound is great - and doesn't distort.

it is a downward spiral though... my friends love the sound in my car, my family thinks it is too loud but now i want more bass!!!!

Post Tue May 15, 2007 1:00 pm

go for a pioneer headunit!!! there the best, as with the decent models you can fully customise the sound with only mid range and high range sound coming out of the interior speakers and a decent LPF for the sub, filtering the sound so that you've got only bass coming through it...

i personally wouldn't have any thing from sony in my car though

Post Tue May 15, 2007 1:03 pm

lets not let this degenerate into a bitch fest about brands and products.. i was explaining i was happy with the sound and was illustrating the basic products used.

Post Tue May 15, 2007 1:32 pm

boxclever1753 wrote:yep - just upgrade the speakers... make sure they can cope with more rms than the head unit or the amp kicks out.

Why?

Post Tue May 15, 2007 1:37 pm

less chance of distortion - unless the head unit is really low-powered and it is running at max volumes...

Post Tue May 15, 2007 1:38 pm

but not ridiculously more rms as then there won't be enough input to power them...

Post Tue May 15, 2007 1:44 pm

If you have an amp the amp should be more powerful than the speakers. You want nice clean power from an amp that isn't working hard and has reserve power, instead of a hard working amp that will be distorting because it's not got enough power.

I've had one genesis stereo 60 (170ishwrms) per side on my front speakers for two years now without them failing. I think the speakers are rated at 60-80wrms.

Post Tue May 15, 2007 1:49 pm

yep, true - it is better that the source is not running at full power... thanks chu.

Post Tue May 15, 2007 11:41 pm

i found easiest upgrade was just to get a damn good set of components in the front doors as thats where most of the sound should be from anyway, found i didn't need a sum as the bass was more than enough from front. i sold the sub and amp i had ready and used the money to fix the rest of the car

Post Wed May 16, 2007 1:11 pm

what sort of speakers/head unit should i be looking for,what power ect for a good sound and other bits you think impotant??

Post Wed May 16, 2007 5:32 pm

This is the spec from my old car:-
- Infinity components and tweeters at the front...
- Sony 6x9's in rear shelf
- Infinity 6x9's in rear shelf...

all of these were amped....about 75W rms each....and it sounded crystal clear....

Oh, and i had 4 15" subs in the car, and the sound was still crystal clear when i cranked it up high....

I'd always go for 6x9's, or any 2/3 way speakers over components, as they produce a much more balanced sound....i used to have 2 sets of components in my previous car, but took one out in preference of the 4 x 6x9's....!

I'm doing an install in my e30 now, so watch out for it!

Post Thu May 17, 2007 10:26 am

is the reason the speakers are distorting due to not enough power from the head unit if so could i take a feed off the amp that is powering the sub and add power that way?

Post Thu May 17, 2007 10:32 am

salami wrote:is the reason the speakers are distorting due to not enough power from the head unit if so could i take a feed off the amp that is powering the sub and add power that way?

Almost certainly. Depending on whether you've got any spare channels on the amp, you may well need to buy another amp for the speakers that are currently running through the headunit.
Virtually any external amp is going to be better than even a relatively good headunit - & will make a BIG difference to how your setup sounds

Post Thu May 17, 2007 1:02 pm

nice one, im off to halfrauds tonight to see what i can get

Post Thu May 17, 2007 1:08 pm

salami wrote:nice one, im off to halfrauds tonight to see what i can get

You'd be better off with eBay tbh - or surely there'll be a better ICE place near you than halfrauds?

Post Thu May 17, 2007 4:31 pm

There must be some where local but im unsure and if i only need an amp them wont one of there's be any good?

Post Thu May 17, 2007 5:55 pm

go to halfords (or any other retailer who sells amps), and get them to demonstate the sound from any amps in your budget....most places will even install it in your car (as long as you have power/earth/remote wires in place!!

then go home,

search for that amp on ebay (or any other auction site, or cheap audio supplier), and buy it off the net...

you'll nearly always get it cheaper....and as you'll have already heard what it sounds like, and will have asked any q's in the shop, you can install it on arrival knowing it'll do the job!!!

Post Thu May 17, 2007 9:16 pm

Will do ive been down tonight and seen a few bit that look ok but as you said the chap also said take the car so they can have a look so its going down staurday...after ive put my new scorpion system on

Post Sun Jun 10, 2007 8:49 pm

i personally wouldn't have any thing from sony in my car though[/quote]

i second that, ive got a sony minidisc player in my touring and every time i get in and drive away i want to cut my wrists. the sound is AWFUL. i want an alpine again

Post Sat Jun 30, 2007 4:22 pm

tomtomis - Nice to see somebodies on the same page as me, lol