i'm looking for some solid 6.5" components for the front doors of my golf. my search hasn't gotten really intense yet and i haven't opened my doors to make sure that it is actually 6.5s that i need, though i am fairly sure. for now i will be placing the woofer in the stock location and mounting the tweater right above which angles it up slightly more than the woofer would be. i eventually would like to create do a little fiberglass modification so that i can get everything pointed exactly as it should be, though right now i don't even know what sort of direction things should be pointed for optimal sound quality.
i was hoping that you might be able to help me out finding some speakers that would suit my needs. for now i will be running them from my alpine cda 7893, because i can't afford an amp. normally i would wait till i can gather everything that i need to make everything function as i want it to but the stock speakers in it right now are starting to get worn out and sometimes kick in and out so they need to be replaced as soon as possible because they drive me crazy.
basically any ideas on which type of speakers i should go with, or what else i would need to know for installing components would be greatly appreciated.
VW
Replies (17)
Ash on 09/10/2006 01:33:34
There are a good amount of sets that will handle the job. With a set spending limit and knowledge of your mounting depth, I'm sure we can come up with some doable suggestions.
Running off the HU shouldn't be a problem for now, just be sure to plan ahead for the amount of power you plan on using when adding a amp.
Whatever brands you should choose, I would recommend looking at some with silk tweets for smooth sound along with adjustable attenuation to help fine tuning. Swivel tweets are always a plus.
If tuned properly, kick panels may not be necessary although their imaging can be superior. That does not mean that door locations can't compete with them. Just use of a better component set will help. Stick with more audiophile quality sets to insure that as more too often attention to the sub setup is over-emphasied.
A good set should handle at least 50-80 watts rms at least with a good efficiency. 40 - 60 hz should be the minimum on the low end of the frequency response. This will help them integrate better with subs. If detailed specs are given, look for a healthy xmax (midwoofer excursion). 2.5mm one way is the minimum! 4mm and up would be better. Dont look too hard for this as only a select few will give that info. Look at the manufacturers website in the manuals links and if it is given, it will be there.
I'm sure the other members will give some nice brand/model suggestions, so I'll leave that up to them for now.
Grdevs24zero on 09/10/2006 02:11:17
Personally I am a huge fan of Infinity. Below is a link to an online retailer with nothing but 6.5" component sets. With the reviews already on there and the advice from others on this forum, I'm sure the right set will be found in no time.
http://www.onlinecarstereo.com/CarAudio/ProductList.aspx?CategoryID=16&PageNum=1&SortField=1&SortOrder=0&ShowAll=False&AttrID=1&AttrValue=6.5&RowIndex=8
emoboywyl on 09/10/2006 03:59:08
Since we're pimping out favorites here =)
Personally, I love Mb Quart, but that's me.
Give us a price range of about how much you'd like to spend, and we'll be able to better through some ideas at you.
Grdevs24zero on 09/10/2006 04:12:28
I'm sure anyone on here can tell you that pointing the tweets directly at you wont feel too good, let alone sound good.
The midrage speakers are far less directional so pointing them at you is much less harsh and is my choice when I install mine.
Most people find that the tweets facing 20-30 degrees off axis from your ears will be alot less harsh and you sill still get full sound.
Like Ash stated, kick panel pods are definately not needed, and in some cases you can get the same if not better sound from speakers in the door than in kicks. Also take into account if you drive a stick. I was initially going with kicks, then I realized that I'd be resting my foot on the speaker all the time, so I opted to put them in the doors.
If anything in that link above interests you, don't hesitate to ask about them. There's never a dumb question when it comes to choicing the right voice for your system.
Ash on 09/10/2006 11:41:54
When looking for a component set for myself, these were some brands/models that attracted me:
http://www.woofersetc.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=product.display&Product_ID=2457
http://www.woofersetc.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=product.display&Product_ID=3616
http://www.woofersetc.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=product.display&Product_ID=1090
Of course, JL makes some good ones, but you know at what cost.
My main focus was the detailed specs given on the midbass driver, which helps a lot when doing kicks. Even when used infinite baffled, it is good to know how well suited they are for the application. Eventually I settled for a do-it-yourself setup using raw drivers (Audax) and viable prefab xovers (more economical for me).
swez on 09/10/2006 11:44:13
Good posts here guys!
There are many great speakers out there to choose from. It sound like you are leaning toward Component speakers up front? That's always a good plan as they use quality crossovers and speaker components too.
I have to agree on the use of silk or soft dome tweeters up front. After experimenting with metal dome tweets, they can be very bright, harsh and just too intense for front stage applications. Also, adequate power is also key to getting the desired results. A HU that delivers 15-20 watts if fine for some. But if you really want to hear what a good pair of Comps can do, amping is a must!
Amping brings a new dimension to solid Midbass performance, clean and crisp mids and highs too. You won't believe the difference when switching from HU power to outboard amping.
As for tweeter aiming, swivel tweets make for nice adjustment options. A little experimentation is needed to find the best aiming point here. I would start with aiming them up toward the rear view mirror and adjust as needed. Most tweeters have a narrow beam of dispersion patterning. On axis "beaming" is common in most dome tweeters. If aimed at the listener, "listening fatigue" will be a problem. Most tweeters have a 20-30 degree cone shaped dispersion pattern. So, aiming them up and away from the driver/passenger positions is often the best option. (Get out of the beam)
Finally, there are many very nice Comps out there to consider. It really depends on your budget, power requirements and mounting issues. If you want to know what size will fit this car, go here and plug in your car details. Then it will spit out a list of speaker sizes you can use in the front doors for Comps.
http://www.crutchfield.com/S-uKukOudz4Hj/cgi-bin/autoinfo/autoinfo.asp?vehicleid=0&typeCH=home&vb=Y&lp=%2FS-uKukOudz4Hj%2Findex%2Ehtml%3F%26id%3D0%26vehicleid%3D0&cm_re_o=fB5EzM*5yBpFwEAN*ctzfubflFYgzy
Swez
vwdriver on 09/10/2006 15:41:09
wow thanks for all the feedback guys its been really helpful, i opened up my car doors today and found out that they are actually 5 1/4s i believe. that is the actual woofer size and as far as i recall that is what you go by, i don't know why all the websites i looked at said 6.5s. i still plan on going with components and my mounting depth is about 3" but that puts it fairly close to the window when its rolled down so if i can go shallower and still get good quality thats what i would like to do. my price range is about $150-200 canadian, from looking around i think that that is a reasonable price range but i am slightly flexbible in that area. i would spend more but somewhere down the line i still have to upgrade another 2 sets of speakers (4" in the dash and 5 1/4s in the rear doors). the speakers for the dash and rear will not be as high of quality, as the front doors i just can't stand the crackly stock speakers.
thanks for all the help sorry i didn't have all the info of what i needed in the initial post.
VW
swez on 09/10/2006 16:44:49
What year Jetta is this anyway?
There are shim kits available to adjust deep speakers from hitting your window and other mechanicals. Many of the Comps I have looked at over the years are under 3" deep. (<75mm) So we can easily steer you around that aspect. These Kits also have adapters to allow 6.5" speakers to fit in some 5.25" mounts.
Can you give us a clearer picture of the factory speakers in this car? It sounds like 4" speakers in the dash and 5.25" in the rear doors? Are there any speaker locations available in the front doors?
Also, if we have been talking about just the rear doors at this point, consider going with an less expensive set of 2-way Coaxial speakers.
The best place for your Premium speakers, are the front doors or kick panel mounts. This is your "bread & butter" part of the system and where we focus our best gear and install efforts. If you only have 4" dash mounts up there in front, small format Comps can be used here if needed, but not the most desirable location for installing quality Comps either. It can be done, but the best we can get is midrange and tweets in that size speaker arrangement.
To get the best quality sound in the front stage, adding a pair of 6.5" woofers in the front door panels or using kick panels, will add a lot more dimension and Midbass, (MB) performance to your ride. These don't have to be expensive either, just very efficient with power.
Finally, if your car does have front door speaker mounts, forget the 4" dash speakers. Just disconnect them. If you can fit 5.25's - 6.5's in the front doors and same in rear doors, this should be a big improvement. As a final touch, you can always add a small sub woofer in the trunk and get very nice results. Just plan things out well, buy as your budget permits and ask/answer lots of questions.
Swez
PS Car audio is usually very modular and we often need to upgrade a few things at a time. (Budget permiting) As long as things are well planned out in advance, your end results can be superior to what a stock system delivers now.
cybersailor420 on 09/10/2006 16:53:13
Swez, I believe he is talking about the front doors. The rear doors were in his list of things to upgrade in the future.
-Ian-
vwdriver on 09/10/2006 18:29:51
sorry swez i didn't specify that yes there are stock speaker locations which was where i was planning on putting the new components. as Ian figured the dash and rear speakers are a project for a later date. will i be much better off with 6.5" speakers than 5 1/4"s, i will be adding a 10" sub as soon as i have these speakers installed. i didn't want to put a sub in before i changed the front speakers because it likely would just drown out all the music. the sub and amp i have already its an alpine mrp-m350 paired with a alpine type e for now and a type r once i get money. the type e and the amp came out of my old vehicle. anyways i don't think i will really need bass from my speakers so i thought i would be alright going with 5 1/4s. but if you think that 6 1/2s would blend in better with the low end from the sub i could look into building some kind of a spacer so that i could mount 6 1/2 in the 5 1/4 location. just making sure, the hole for the speaker is 6" that would mean that the speaker size is 5 1/4 right?
so what kind of speakers do you think that i should go with and do you think that i will be able to get a good pair for under $200 canadian?
Thanks, VW
Ash on 09/10/2006 23:20:28
Did you ever state what year it is???
swez on 09/11/2006 05:24:27
OK, the picture is getting less fuzzy, but we still have not determined the best fit of speaker for your front door location.
AGAIN: What year is this Jetta?
It would be good if at least one pair of door speakers using a 6.5" woofer/midbass speaker. (Front or back doors) This gives us the warmth and punch that is often lacking in most factory installs.
What year is this Jetta again?
Swez
vwdriver on 09/11/2006 08:58:09
sorry guys i forgot to post that, its a 1997 volkswagen golf 4 door.
emoboywyl on 09/11/2006 11:32:53
That's not a Jetta at all =)
swez on 09/11/2006 19:26:26
OK, according to Crutchfield, your front doors can handle 5.25's, 6.5's or 6.75" woofers. The rear panels are 5.25"
Now, we can offer some brand names to look at, but since you're in Canada, the exchange rates to USD's may make it difficult to hit your price range limit.
Also, some of these speakers may require a trim ring to mount the woofer in the stock location. The keys here, are not overly deep, need reasonable efficiency and a place to locate your crossover network so it remains dry and out of the way.
Brands to consider: High fidelity, gets loud w/ amping = SQL
Alpine
CDT
Polk
Infinity/JBL
Kenwood Excelon
Budget models: (Fair to poor performance, but cheap)
Pioneer
Kenwood
Sony
Lanzar
Power Acoustik
Pyle
Just a thought for you... there are many great products out there that can be had for well below retail. These are akin your Alpine amp and a type R sub... "Investments in a greater plan". Some careful shopping and getting useful input from others will help. However, buy the cheap stuff now... just because that's all I can afford" well, they'll not satisfy, will be replaced in short order and we spent 2x the money and did the work twice.
Comments?
Swez
vwdriver on 09/13/2006 09:01:04
i realize that buying the cheap stuff will cost me more in the long run, and if i have to spend more than my budget so be it, i was just shooting out a number that looked reasonable to me and that would let you guys know that i don't have unlimited funds. does anyone have any suggestions what sites i should look at for these speakers that would have good prices and would ship to canada? is it worth looking on e-bay for speakers or should i look to buy them from a reputable site?
swez on 09/13/2006 14:28:58
Good, we are on the same page... buy good when, ENJOY a long time.
As for where to look and buy, there are many sites on the net that will ship to Canada. Here's just a short list of try a "google search" on.
http://www.best-price.com/procSystem,showProductSearchByUserSearch,,0,Car+Audio+Canada.html?cat=electronics&gclid=CMbbysjkqocCFRMhWAodyW5HbQ
http://www.onlinecarstereo.com/Help/HelpPolicy.aspx
Poke around at some well known brand names as mentioned and after a little research, we'll chat some more.
Swez
i was hoping that you might be able to help me out finding some speakers that would suit my needs. for now i will be running them from my alpine cda 7893, because i can't afford an amp. normally i would wait till i can gather everything that i need to make everything function as i want it to but the stock speakers in it right now are starting to get worn out and sometimes kick in and out so they need to be replaced as soon as possible because they drive me crazy.
basically any ideas on which type of speakers i should go with, or what else i would need to know for installing components would be greatly appreciated.
VW
Replies (17)
Ash on 09/10/2006 01:33:34
There are a good amount of sets that will handle the job. With a set spending limit and knowledge of your mounting depth, I'm sure we can come up with some doable suggestions.
Running off the HU shouldn't be a problem for now, just be sure to plan ahead for the amount of power you plan on using when adding a amp.
Whatever brands you should choose, I would recommend looking at some with silk tweets for smooth sound along with adjustable attenuation to help fine tuning. Swivel tweets are always a plus.
If tuned properly, kick panels may not be necessary although their imaging can be superior. That does not mean that door locations can't compete with them. Just use of a better component set will help. Stick with more audiophile quality sets to insure that as more too often attention to the sub setup is over-emphasied.
A good set should handle at least 50-80 watts rms at least with a good efficiency. 40 - 60 hz should be the minimum on the low end of the frequency response. This will help them integrate better with subs. If detailed specs are given, look for a healthy xmax (midwoofer excursion). 2.5mm one way is the minimum! 4mm and up would be better. Dont look too hard for this as only a select few will give that info. Look at the manufacturers website in the manuals links and if it is given, it will be there.
I'm sure the other members will give some nice brand/model suggestions, so I'll leave that up to them for now.
Grdevs24zero on 09/10/2006 02:11:17
Personally I am a huge fan of Infinity. Below is a link to an online retailer with nothing but 6.5" component sets. With the reviews already on there and the advice from others on this forum, I'm sure the right set will be found in no time.
http://www.onlinecarstereo.com/CarAudio/ProductList.aspx?CategoryID=16&PageNum=1&SortField=1&SortOrder=0&ShowAll=False&AttrID=1&AttrValue=6.5&RowIndex=8
emoboywyl on 09/10/2006 03:59:08
Since we're pimping out favorites here =)
Personally, I love Mb Quart, but that's me.
Give us a price range of about how much you'd like to spend, and we'll be able to better through some ideas at you.
Grdevs24zero on 09/10/2006 04:12:28
I'm sure anyone on here can tell you that pointing the tweets directly at you wont feel too good, let alone sound good.
The midrage speakers are far less directional so pointing them at you is much less harsh and is my choice when I install mine.
Most people find that the tweets facing 20-30 degrees off axis from your ears will be alot less harsh and you sill still get full sound.
Like Ash stated, kick panel pods are definately not needed, and in some cases you can get the same if not better sound from speakers in the door than in kicks. Also take into account if you drive a stick. I was initially going with kicks, then I realized that I'd be resting my foot on the speaker all the time, so I opted to put them in the doors.
If anything in that link above interests you, don't hesitate to ask about them. There's never a dumb question when it comes to choicing the right voice for your system.
Ash on 09/10/2006 11:41:54
When looking for a component set for myself, these were some brands/models that attracted me:
http://www.woofersetc.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=product.display&Product_ID=2457
http://www.woofersetc.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=product.display&Product_ID=3616
http://www.woofersetc.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=product.display&Product_ID=1090
Of course, JL makes some good ones, but you know at what cost.
My main focus was the detailed specs given on the midbass driver, which helps a lot when doing kicks. Even when used infinite baffled, it is good to know how well suited they are for the application. Eventually I settled for a do-it-yourself setup using raw drivers (Audax) and viable prefab xovers (more economical for me).
swez on 09/10/2006 11:44:13
Good posts here guys!
There are many great speakers out there to choose from. It sound like you are leaning toward Component speakers up front? That's always a good plan as they use quality crossovers and speaker components too.
I have to agree on the use of silk or soft dome tweeters up front. After experimenting with metal dome tweets, they can be very bright, harsh and just too intense for front stage applications. Also, adequate power is also key to getting the desired results. A HU that delivers 15-20 watts if fine for some. But if you really want to hear what a good pair of Comps can do, amping is a must!
Amping brings a new dimension to solid Midbass performance, clean and crisp mids and highs too. You won't believe the difference when switching from HU power to outboard amping.
As for tweeter aiming, swivel tweets make for nice adjustment options. A little experimentation is needed to find the best aiming point here. I would start with aiming them up toward the rear view mirror and adjust as needed. Most tweeters have a narrow beam of dispersion patterning. On axis "beaming" is common in most dome tweeters. If aimed at the listener, "listening fatigue" will be a problem. Most tweeters have a 20-30 degree cone shaped dispersion pattern. So, aiming them up and away from the driver/passenger positions is often the best option. (Get out of the beam)
Finally, there are many very nice Comps out there to consider. It really depends on your budget, power requirements and mounting issues. If you want to know what size will fit this car, go here and plug in your car details. Then it will spit out a list of speaker sizes you can use in the front doors for Comps.
http://www.crutchfield.com/S-uKukOudz4Hj/cgi-bin/autoinfo/autoinfo.asp?vehicleid=0&typeCH=home&vb=Y&lp=%2FS-uKukOudz4Hj%2Findex%2Ehtml%3F%26id%3D0%26vehicleid%3D0&cm_re_o=fB5EzM*5yBpFwEAN*ctzfubflFYgzy
Swez
vwdriver on 09/10/2006 15:41:09
wow thanks for all the feedback guys its been really helpful, i opened up my car doors today and found out that they are actually 5 1/4s i believe. that is the actual woofer size and as far as i recall that is what you go by, i don't know why all the websites i looked at said 6.5s. i still plan on going with components and my mounting depth is about 3" but that puts it fairly close to the window when its rolled down so if i can go shallower and still get good quality thats what i would like to do. my price range is about $150-200 canadian, from looking around i think that that is a reasonable price range but i am slightly flexbible in that area. i would spend more but somewhere down the line i still have to upgrade another 2 sets of speakers (4" in the dash and 5 1/4s in the rear doors). the speakers for the dash and rear will not be as high of quality, as the front doors i just can't stand the crackly stock speakers.
thanks for all the help sorry i didn't have all the info of what i needed in the initial post.
VW
swez on 09/10/2006 16:44:49
What year Jetta is this anyway?
There are shim kits available to adjust deep speakers from hitting your window and other mechanicals. Many of the Comps I have looked at over the years are under 3" deep. (<75mm) So we can easily steer you around that aspect. These Kits also have adapters to allow 6.5" speakers to fit in some 5.25" mounts.
Can you give us a clearer picture of the factory speakers in this car? It sounds like 4" speakers in the dash and 5.25" in the rear doors? Are there any speaker locations available in the front doors?
Also, if we have been talking about just the rear doors at this point, consider going with an less expensive set of 2-way Coaxial speakers.
The best place for your Premium speakers, are the front doors or kick panel mounts. This is your "bread & butter" part of the system and where we focus our best gear and install efforts. If you only have 4" dash mounts up there in front, small format Comps can be used here if needed, but not the most desirable location for installing quality Comps either. It can be done, but the best we can get is midrange and tweets in that size speaker arrangement.
To get the best quality sound in the front stage, adding a pair of 6.5" woofers in the front door panels or using kick panels, will add a lot more dimension and Midbass, (MB) performance to your ride. These don't have to be expensive either, just very efficient with power.
Finally, if your car does have front door speaker mounts, forget the 4" dash speakers. Just disconnect them. If you can fit 5.25's - 6.5's in the front doors and same in rear doors, this should be a big improvement. As a final touch, you can always add a small sub woofer in the trunk and get very nice results. Just plan things out well, buy as your budget permits and ask/answer lots of questions.
Swez
PS Car audio is usually very modular and we often need to upgrade a few things at a time. (Budget permiting) As long as things are well planned out in advance, your end results can be superior to what a stock system delivers now.
cybersailor420 on 09/10/2006 16:53:13
Swez, I believe he is talking about the front doors. The rear doors were in his list of things to upgrade in the future.
-Ian-
vwdriver on 09/10/2006 18:29:51
sorry swez i didn't specify that yes there are stock speaker locations which was where i was planning on putting the new components. as Ian figured the dash and rear speakers are a project for a later date. will i be much better off with 6.5" speakers than 5 1/4"s, i will be adding a 10" sub as soon as i have these speakers installed. i didn't want to put a sub in before i changed the front speakers because it likely would just drown out all the music. the sub and amp i have already its an alpine mrp-m350 paired with a alpine type e for now and a type r once i get money. the type e and the amp came out of my old vehicle. anyways i don't think i will really need bass from my speakers so i thought i would be alright going with 5 1/4s. but if you think that 6 1/2s would blend in better with the low end from the sub i could look into building some kind of a spacer so that i could mount 6 1/2 in the 5 1/4 location. just making sure, the hole for the speaker is 6" that would mean that the speaker size is 5 1/4 right?
so what kind of speakers do you think that i should go with and do you think that i will be able to get a good pair for under $200 canadian?
Thanks, VW
Ash on 09/10/2006 23:20:28
Did you ever state what year it is???
swez on 09/11/2006 05:24:27
OK, the picture is getting less fuzzy, but we still have not determined the best fit of speaker for your front door location.
AGAIN: What year is this Jetta?
It would be good if at least one pair of door speakers using a 6.5" woofer/midbass speaker. (Front or back doors) This gives us the warmth and punch that is often lacking in most factory installs.
What year is this Jetta again?
Swez
vwdriver on 09/11/2006 08:58:09
sorry guys i forgot to post that, its a 1997 volkswagen golf 4 door.
emoboywyl on 09/11/2006 11:32:53
That's not a Jetta at all =)
swez on 09/11/2006 19:26:26
OK, according to Crutchfield, your front doors can handle 5.25's, 6.5's or 6.75" woofers. The rear panels are 5.25"
Now, we can offer some brand names to look at, but since you're in Canada, the exchange rates to USD's may make it difficult to hit your price range limit.
Also, some of these speakers may require a trim ring to mount the woofer in the stock location. The keys here, are not overly deep, need reasonable efficiency and a place to locate your crossover network so it remains dry and out of the way.
Brands to consider: High fidelity, gets loud w/ amping = SQL
Alpine
CDT
Polk
Infinity/JBL
Kenwood Excelon
Budget models: (Fair to poor performance, but cheap)
Pioneer
Kenwood
Sony
Lanzar
Power Acoustik
Pyle
Just a thought for you... there are many great products out there that can be had for well below retail. These are akin your Alpine amp and a type R sub... "Investments in a greater plan". Some careful shopping and getting useful input from others will help. However, buy the cheap stuff now... just because that's all I can afford" well, they'll not satisfy, will be replaced in short order and we spent 2x the money and did the work twice.
Comments?
Swez
vwdriver on 09/13/2006 09:01:04
i realize that buying the cheap stuff will cost me more in the long run, and if i have to spend more than my budget so be it, i was just shooting out a number that looked reasonable to me and that would let you guys know that i don't have unlimited funds. does anyone have any suggestions what sites i should look at for these speakers that would have good prices and would ship to canada? is it worth looking on e-bay for speakers or should i look to buy them from a reputable site?
swez on 09/13/2006 14:28:58
Good, we are on the same page... buy good when, ENJOY a long time.
As for where to look and buy, there are many sites on the net that will ship to Canada. Here's just a short list of try a "google search" on.
http://www.best-price.com/procSystem,showProductSearchByUserSearch,,0,Car+Audio+Canada.html?cat=electronics&gclid=CMbbysjkqocCFRMhWAodyW5HbQ
http://www.onlinecarstereo.com/Help/HelpPolicy.aspx
Poke around at some well known brand names as mentioned and after a little research, we'll chat some more.
Swez
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