ICE questions (not VR4 specific)

[ritch_w]

I'm asking you guys as I dont want to post on some ICE forum for kids and seem like an old fart!

I recently replaced the factory head unit in the Outlander for something with AUX inputs for mp3 player and bit more power 4x60W - loud enough for me! :)
I think the factory 6.5" speakers are letting the side down now, so I'm looking for advice on what to replace them with? I dont know what 2 way, 3 way coaxial, mtx etc all mean and which is best suited for direct replacement of factory speakers without amps, flux capacitors and shiney disco balls!
All I want is too here my music loud and clear! so I'm hoping a few of you may have done the same and can advise on what to go for:afro:


thanks :happy:

[Beastlee]

Infinity Kappa 6.5" two ways if you only have a speaker in the bottom of the door or a 3 way if you have tweeters and you want to replace both.

Best value for money you can get!

[ritch_w]

spooky - was just looking at these on the bay
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/INFINITY-KAPPA-62-7i-6-5-inch-225W-CAR-SPEAKERS-NEW_W0QQitemZ330221597876QQihZ014QQcategoryZ18799Q QssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

are these the ones?

[Beastlee]

Yep, them's the ones. Good price. Got me interested now as I have no rubber surrounds in my front speakers and the sound is atrocious.

[Turbo_Steve]

TBH I'd be REALLY surprised if your head unit can really deliver 4x60watts.
When you say the factory speakers are letting the side down....factory speakers in cars are usually surprisingly good: they're designed to work specifically within the enclosure within which they are fitted. Whilst aftermarket speakers DO often sound better, it's only if they're pretty expensive.
Have a look at the sensitivity rating of any speaker you choose: Factory speakers are usually designed with a sensitivity of around 90dB...that's pretty hard to match in aftermarket components: 89dB is almost half as sensitive!
Given that the sensitivity is where the detail hides, this is a big deal.

Most aftermarket speakers are rated to much higher wattages, and designed to either attempt to reproduce, or bandpass out, lower frequencies. To achieve this, you have bigger magnets with heavier wire and often less turns and stiffer suspension. If you're actually quite happy with the sound, but it isn't loud enough, chances are you'd do better to put a high-pass passive filter on your fronts, and change your rears for speakers specifically designed for bass reproduction. Even more benefit can be had from running the bass side (i.e. the rears) off a dedicated amplifier.
Pioneer cottoned on to this with FIE, which allows you to use the rear speakers for bass only on the built in head unit. This generally means you keep the volume lower, saturate the amp and front speakers less.

This is considered heresy in car audio circles...but it's been proven true in blind listening tests.

Saying all that....

The Infinity's rock....I've used them previously with good results replacing damaged speakers.
However, if you're really looking to improve things....buy Focal. They're expensive but they're pretty much the best.

[ritch_w]

thansk for the advice chaps, Steve the head unit says 4x60W - but I see what your saying. I think the speakers are letting the side down as the sound quality is not too hot (as it was with the standard head unit - but even more so), what i mean by that is the sound can be muffled sometimes and the bass level (not up full) has to be dropped to compensate, but the quality and clarity of the sound is still average.

thanks again for the words of wisdom!

[Beastlee]

The speaker output is PMPO which is nothing like the RMS values anyway. Still silly overquotes but normally you'll see at least a 10A fuse in a head unit so more feasible.