Well, I've been on the internet for about 2 hours now, all over eBay, and quite a few car audio manufacturer websites, and even a couple of online stores like thezeb.com.
I've been looking at speakers, in several different sizes, mainly for two vehicles I own. Of course, with them being on the internet, I cannot possibly sample any of them before buying, unless I get lucky enough to find a dealer near me that sells them, and I've been checking on that too whenever the option is offered. Only found one local dealer that sells any brands I was looking at, and it was Clarion.
So anyway, the point is, I can't know how they sound, all I have to go on is numbers, and reputation of the maker. So I've been avoiding the lower end middle brands that I know of like Profile, Jensen, Pioneer, Sony. Obviously, I haven't been looking at no name stuff or Pyramid's or anything like that either.
And I've also been letting looks influence my decisions too. That's the part I figured you'd think is stupid.
Everyone knows I want it to sound good. That goes without saying. I also want a decent looking speaker. Not too wild, and not too benign looking either. Some of these speakers have yellow cones or some other wild color, and that would look ugly with a red interior, unless it was a sports car, which it's not. Classic black would look good, but those are getting rarer and rarer. Then there's the appearance issue. Rockford Fosgate makes a speaker with a big triangle right in the middle for the tweeter. So does Kicker. That's ugly as sin.
I could find some that would look good colorwise and appearance wise, but then the grill is a problem. It has to have a grill that looks like it would offer some protection to the woofer. Kicker for example has a grill that looks like a bunch of teeth around the speaker, and anything thin or sharp and pointy like a screwdriver or an inkpen or accidentally dropped car keys can go right in and hit the woofer cone. Can't use that. I want the speaker to look good in the door, but be protected. See?
These issues are every bit as important to me as sound quality.
I looked at components to avoid some of these issues, like the grills and ugly triangles and all. Even colors were better. A lot of them are too deep to mount in my doors and overpriced too. Found a few that are OK.
Does anybody else go through any of this when you look for new speakers?
Replies (11)
audeogod on 02/10/2005 22:35:27
Oh, forgot to say. Brands I've already ruled out.
Adire Audio....too expensive!!
Cadence...didn't find anything that looked good
Eclipse...also too expensive
Boston acoustics...one good set of coaxials and affordable too...too deep to mount
MB Quart...can anybody afford these? Not me.
Dynaudio...my god, I don't make that much money in a month
JL Audio...again, money
Blaupunkt....didn't like the looks
Rockford Fosgate...triangle issue, also foam surrounds, if I'm gonna pay that much for them, they should be rubber
Kicker....also triangles and no good grills
A/D/S....money, money, money
Brands I'm still considering.
Clarion
Infinity
Phoenix Gold
M A Audio
Cerwin Vega
Memphis
Planet Audio
Kove Audio
Alpine
CDT
Focal
Soundstream
Image Dynamics
JVC
Now I have a strong feeling I'll be cutting a few of these from the list tomorrow cause of pricing. A few I didn't list are not listed because I just think they are too common like Pioneer, Panasonic, and I've already heard a few of you say they aren't that good, which I agree with.
The point of this post....well, there really is no point. I'm just rambling. Just write whatever you think when you read it, or don't write at all. It doesn't matter.
Victor on 02/10/2005 23:20:05
Try looking at the Blaupunkt "Velocity series".Give a look to the Blaupunkt PCc540 and the ODc540, i dont know the sixe u are looking for, but there are comps and coax available in different sizes.
The ODc series is developed for tight mounting situations, their mounting depth is very less, they got protective grills like you are looking for and got a decent blau symbol on it, They play very good for the price.
And, I wonder why you are not considering "Polk".
Victor..
Ps. You have listed most of the best possible manufacturers in the market, seems you are being toooo choosy over here.
uochronos on 02/11/2005 02:55:53
ya all the manufaturers you listed are top line stuff... its a matter of finding one you like... BTW where do you live that no one in your area sells those brands??
Chronos
audeogod on 02/11/2005 09:17:56
Yeah, I forgot to put Polk on the list. I did look at them, but I didn't find anything so far that I liked the looks of. They used to make a GXR6 coaxial with a solid grill. Then the grill got changed to a spokey looking thing that's got too many openings in it. THen that model got dropped all together. That's the only one I found that I liked.
I live in eastern Kentucky, and around here, we have a Wal-Mart that sells mostly junky low end stuff. Sony, Pioneer. That kind. Then we have a Circuit City, and they sell Polk DB, Infinity Reference, Alpine, Panasonic, Sony, Pioneer, Jensen, Profile, Kicker, and a little Audiobahn. There are a couple of audio shops that sell JL and Eclipse along with the other names I already said. They ususally have big price tags compared to CC and W-M. I'll try hitting them, but they are over in West Virginia. I gotta take a road trip to get them, about an hour. Other than that, it's flea markets galore.
None of the places I know sell any Rockford Fosgate, Infinity Kappa, Phoenix Gold or the other high end names I listed.
I probably am being too picky. I'm gonna look again today, maybe even at some of the brands I already ruled out. They might have some stuff on eBay that are older models that meet my needs. I mostly looked at coaxials, only a few comp sets. Most comp sets would have solid grills I think. Just gotta find one that has the midbass woofer no more than 2 1/4" deep and that I like and can afford.
Victor on 02/11/2005 09:44:43
Wait a sec........ What about kenwood...?? Decent SQL stuff with them..
http://www.kenwoodusa.com/product/product_type.jsp?productTypeId=22
http://www.kenwoodusa.com/product/product_type.jsp?productTypeId=44
http://www.kenwoodusa.com/product/product_type.jsp?productTypeId=44&sortBy=price&pageId=2
http://www.kenwoodusa.com/product/product_type.jsp?productTypeId=44&sortBy=price&pageId=3
you can find a nice deal for those if you look around on the internet..
Victor...
uochronos on 02/11/2005 12:27:42
Goto the manufaturers web sites most of them have a search so you can find the closest dealer to you...
wow i guess i'm never moving to kentuckey lol...
Chronos
UKinstaller on 02/14/2005 13:49:35
audeogod where do you live in kentucky?? what county?? i'm in louisville, go to school in lexington though.
-UK
audeogod on 02/14/2005 20:11:54
I live in Greenup County, city of Flatwoods, near Ashland. Right across the Ohio river from Ironton, Ohio, and Huntington, West Virginia. Except for Huntington, this area is otherwise "dead". I recently took a trip over into Huntington and while I was there, I looked for a couple of audio shops. Found one that sells a few things. Can order even more. I was hoping they would have some of the brands instock and on display that I could preview. Their speaker board was not working so I didn't get to hear any.
I'll be in Lexington at the end of the week for a continuing education class for electrical contractors. While I'm there, I plan to look around and see what I can find.
audeogod on 02/14/2005 20:17:21
By the way, it's kinda cool to hear that I live sorta close to another person using this forum. I always thought I was the only one here from KY. I seen your name with the UK and thought of University of Kentucky, but I figured it stood for Britain or something. You know, United Kingdom.
saintanddolphin on 02/14/2005 20:20:23
ALPINE!
Guilt by association.
IMHO the very best bang for the buck.
You can find Alpine products very cheap with a little looking around but I would suggest an authorized dealer for warranty purposes.
It might cost a little more but WELL worth it if anything should ever go wrong.
UKinstaller on 02/17/2005 04:44:48
yeah i live here in lexington. nice place, but the traffic is among the worst i've ever seen, and i've been to a lot of places.
there's a couple of good car audio places here. there's a place called Autosound, they are one of the premiere car audio places in the nation, but the guy that owns it is a JERK. so i am kind of boycotting them right now. there's a couple of other places, too.
-UK
I've been looking at speakers, in several different sizes, mainly for two vehicles I own. Of course, with them being on the internet, I cannot possibly sample any of them before buying, unless I get lucky enough to find a dealer near me that sells them, and I've been checking on that too whenever the option is offered. Only found one local dealer that sells any brands I was looking at, and it was Clarion.
So anyway, the point is, I can't know how they sound, all I have to go on is numbers, and reputation of the maker. So I've been avoiding the lower end middle brands that I know of like Profile, Jensen, Pioneer, Sony. Obviously, I haven't been looking at no name stuff or Pyramid's or anything like that either.
And I've also been letting looks influence my decisions too. That's the part I figured you'd think is stupid.
Everyone knows I want it to sound good. That goes without saying. I also want a decent looking speaker. Not too wild, and not too benign looking either. Some of these speakers have yellow cones or some other wild color, and that would look ugly with a red interior, unless it was a sports car, which it's not. Classic black would look good, but those are getting rarer and rarer. Then there's the appearance issue. Rockford Fosgate makes a speaker with a big triangle right in the middle for the tweeter. So does Kicker. That's ugly as sin.
I could find some that would look good colorwise and appearance wise, but then the grill is a problem. It has to have a grill that looks like it would offer some protection to the woofer. Kicker for example has a grill that looks like a bunch of teeth around the speaker, and anything thin or sharp and pointy like a screwdriver or an inkpen or accidentally dropped car keys can go right in and hit the woofer cone. Can't use that. I want the speaker to look good in the door, but be protected. See?
These issues are every bit as important to me as sound quality.
I looked at components to avoid some of these issues, like the grills and ugly triangles and all. Even colors were better. A lot of them are too deep to mount in my doors and overpriced too. Found a few that are OK.
Does anybody else go through any of this when you look for new speakers?
Replies (11)
audeogod on 02/10/2005 22:35:27
Oh, forgot to say. Brands I've already ruled out.
Adire Audio....too expensive!!
Cadence...didn't find anything that looked good
Eclipse...also too expensive
Boston acoustics...one good set of coaxials and affordable too...too deep to mount
MB Quart...can anybody afford these? Not me.
Dynaudio...my god, I don't make that much money in a month
JL Audio...again, money
Blaupunkt....didn't like the looks
Rockford Fosgate...triangle issue, also foam surrounds, if I'm gonna pay that much for them, they should be rubber
Kicker....also triangles and no good grills
A/D/S....money, money, money
Brands I'm still considering.
Clarion
Infinity
Phoenix Gold
M A Audio
Cerwin Vega
Memphis
Planet Audio
Kove Audio
Alpine
CDT
Focal
Soundstream
Image Dynamics
JVC
Now I have a strong feeling I'll be cutting a few of these from the list tomorrow cause of pricing. A few I didn't list are not listed because I just think they are too common like Pioneer, Panasonic, and I've already heard a few of you say they aren't that good, which I agree with.
The point of this post....well, there really is no point. I'm just rambling. Just write whatever you think when you read it, or don't write at all. It doesn't matter.
Victor on 02/10/2005 23:20:05
Try looking at the Blaupunkt "Velocity series".Give a look to the Blaupunkt PCc540 and the ODc540, i dont know the sixe u are looking for, but there are comps and coax available in different sizes.
The ODc series is developed for tight mounting situations, their mounting depth is very less, they got protective grills like you are looking for and got a decent blau symbol on it, They play very good for the price.
And, I wonder why you are not considering "Polk".
Victor..
Ps. You have listed most of the best possible manufacturers in the market, seems you are being toooo choosy over here.
uochronos on 02/11/2005 02:55:53
ya all the manufaturers you listed are top line stuff... its a matter of finding one you like... BTW where do you live that no one in your area sells those brands??
Chronos
audeogod on 02/11/2005 09:17:56
Yeah, I forgot to put Polk on the list. I did look at them, but I didn't find anything so far that I liked the looks of. They used to make a GXR6 coaxial with a solid grill. Then the grill got changed to a spokey looking thing that's got too many openings in it. THen that model got dropped all together. That's the only one I found that I liked.
I live in eastern Kentucky, and around here, we have a Wal-Mart that sells mostly junky low end stuff. Sony, Pioneer. That kind. Then we have a Circuit City, and they sell Polk DB, Infinity Reference, Alpine, Panasonic, Sony, Pioneer, Jensen, Profile, Kicker, and a little Audiobahn. There are a couple of audio shops that sell JL and Eclipse along with the other names I already said. They ususally have big price tags compared to CC and W-M. I'll try hitting them, but they are over in West Virginia. I gotta take a road trip to get them, about an hour. Other than that, it's flea markets galore.
None of the places I know sell any Rockford Fosgate, Infinity Kappa, Phoenix Gold or the other high end names I listed.
I probably am being too picky. I'm gonna look again today, maybe even at some of the brands I already ruled out. They might have some stuff on eBay that are older models that meet my needs. I mostly looked at coaxials, only a few comp sets. Most comp sets would have solid grills I think. Just gotta find one that has the midbass woofer no more than 2 1/4" deep and that I like and can afford.
Victor on 02/11/2005 09:44:43
Wait a sec........ What about kenwood...?? Decent SQL stuff with them..
http://www.kenwoodusa.com/product/product_type.jsp?productTypeId=22
http://www.kenwoodusa.com/product/product_type.jsp?productTypeId=44
http://www.kenwoodusa.com/product/product_type.jsp?productTypeId=44&sortBy=price&pageId=2
http://www.kenwoodusa.com/product/product_type.jsp?productTypeId=44&sortBy=price&pageId=3
you can find a nice deal for those if you look around on the internet..
Victor...
uochronos on 02/11/2005 12:27:42
Goto the manufaturers web sites most of them have a search so you can find the closest dealer to you...
wow i guess i'm never moving to kentuckey lol...
Chronos
UKinstaller on 02/14/2005 13:49:35
audeogod where do you live in kentucky?? what county?? i'm in louisville, go to school in lexington though.
-UK
audeogod on 02/14/2005 20:11:54
I live in Greenup County, city of Flatwoods, near Ashland. Right across the Ohio river from Ironton, Ohio, and Huntington, West Virginia. Except for Huntington, this area is otherwise "dead". I recently took a trip over into Huntington and while I was there, I looked for a couple of audio shops. Found one that sells a few things. Can order even more. I was hoping they would have some of the brands instock and on display that I could preview. Their speaker board was not working so I didn't get to hear any.
I'll be in Lexington at the end of the week for a continuing education class for electrical contractors. While I'm there, I plan to look around and see what I can find.
audeogod on 02/14/2005 20:17:21
By the way, it's kinda cool to hear that I live sorta close to another person using this forum. I always thought I was the only one here from KY. I seen your name with the UK and thought of University of Kentucky, but I figured it stood for Britain or something. You know, United Kingdom.
saintanddolphin on 02/14/2005 20:20:23
ALPINE!
Guilt by association.
IMHO the very best bang for the buck.
You can find Alpine products very cheap with a little looking around but I would suggest an authorized dealer for warranty purposes.
It might cost a little more but WELL worth it if anything should ever go wrong.
UKinstaller on 02/17/2005 04:44:48
yeah i live here in lexington. nice place, but the traffic is among the worst i've ever seen, and i've been to a lot of places.
there's a couple of good car audio places here. there's a place called Autosound, they are one of the premiere car audio places in the nation, but the guy that owns it is a JERK. so i am kind of boycotting them right now. there's a couple of other places, too.
-UK
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