Recommendations for speaker upgrade?

[Soylent]

Hi I have the non-JBL, base system, and I really want to upgrade it. I've seen people here recommend Infinity 6010cs or even the Infinity Kappa's 63.7i or 62.7i (what's the difference?) I want something that will sound better than what's in there now, and is easy to install. Also, I'd really rather not have to install an amp, but I am willing to replace all the speakers.

What brand/model would you recommend?

[wbaldwin]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Soylent @ Sep 15 2006, 11:53 AM) [snapback]320199[/snapback]</div>

Hi I have the non-JBL, base system, and I really want to upgrade it. I've seen people here recommend Infinity 6010cs or even the Infinity Kappa's 63.7i or 62.7i (what's the difference?) I want something that will sound better than what's in there now, and is easy to install. Also, I'd really rather not have to install an amp, but I am willing to replace all the speakers.

What brand/model would you recommend?
[/b]

Hi,

I just had my local CircuitCity replace my non-JBL speakers with a pair ofPolkAudio db650 (6.25") in the rear doors, and a pair of Polk's db6500 (6.25" in the front doors plus A-pillar tweeters), and a complete DynaMat doorkit in the front, and small speaker-area kit in the rear doors. As of yet, I haven't installed an amp. Alas, the sound, to my ears, is the same.

At first anyway. The mids are definitely more apparent and the bass is much cleaner, but other than that? I'm not sure my new speakers were worth it. The DynaMat insulation has given the front doors a slightly more solid "heft" to the weight of the doors, and people I've talked to swear it helps with road noise (not that a Prius needs it) and with heating/cooling. So that alone may have helped the sound, and in particular, the bass.

Now I'm looking at installing the smallest possible four-channel amplifier, hopefully under the front passenger seat. Many of the "professionals" and friends I asked recommended that I put the amp in with the speakers; I wanted to see if the brand-name speakers alone would give better sound. Guess not. So I'll have to see what the amp does for me now. I definitely don't want to put it in the back, I need that space often. So I'm hoping my boys won't kick the amp if I put it under a front seat!

Good luck with your system, I hope you have better luck!

[PA]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Soylent @ Sep 15 2006, 02:53 PM) [snapback]320199[/snapback]</div>

I've seen people here recommend Infinity 6010cs or even the Infinity Kappa's 63.7i or 62.7i (what's the difference?) What brand/model would you recommend?
[/b]

The Kappa 63.7i is a 3-way speaker (woofer, midrange, tweeter). The 62.7i is a 2-way speaker (woofer, tweeter). In general, a 3-way speaker should be better than a 2-way speaker, since each speaker has a smaller range of frequencies to reproduce. I believe the 6010cs is more of an entry-level speaker. All of the above are 6 1/2" speakers which will fit just fine.

For the front speakers, you will need component speakers (where the woofer and tweeter are completely separate and installed in different locations). Each component speaker set comes with a crossover to split the music between the speakers. Both speakers will be installed in the front doors in the factory locations. The Kappa 60.7cs is the equivalent component speaker. The woofers are the same as the other Kappas, but it has separate tweeters to fit up near the dash. The tweeters are also sold separately as Infinity Kappa 10.7t.

If you have basic wiring skills, you can do it yourself. Search for "speaker relacement guide" by ~sparky~. It's excellent and tells you everything you need to know for the rear speakers. I have not seen one for the front speakers, but I took some photos when I did mine and maybe I'll be able to post them sometime if there is interest (just dropped off the film).

I also did double layers of Dynamat Xtreme in the doors. I'm not sure how much that cuts down on road noise but you can certainly tell the difference just rapping your knuckles on the doors - it's now a solid thud instead of the hollow ringing.

There are many choices of speaker brands and models. I chose the Infinity Kappas because they seemed to be the most commonly recommended. Others will have other opinions which may be just as good. Just get those factory speakers out of there. You're listening to cardboard. Almost any quality aftermarket speakers will be better. I noticed a HUGE difference in sound clarity with mine.

Incidentally, I bought my speakers through amazon and the Dynamat from ebay. Hope this helps.

[Rangerdavid]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(PA @ Sep 15 2006, 08:08 PM) [snapback]320306[/snapback]</div>

The Kappa 63.7i is a 3-way speaker (woofer, midrange, tweeter). The 62.7i is a 2-way speaker (woofer, tweeter). In general, a 3-way speaker should be better than a 2-way speaker, since each speaker has a smaller range of frequencies to reproduce. I believe the 6010cs is more of an entry-level speaker. All of the above are 6 1/2" speakers which will fit just fine.

For the front speakers, you will need component speakers (where the woofer and tweeter are completely separate and installed in different locations). Each component speaker set comes with a crossover to split the music between the speakers. Both speakers will be installed in the front doors in the factory locations. The Kappa 60.7cs is the equivalent component speaker. The woofers are the same as the other Kappas, but it has separate tweeters to fit up near the dash. The tweeters are also sold separately as Infinity Kappa 10.7t.

If you have basic wiring skills, you can do it yourself. Search for "speaker relacement guide" by ~sparky~. It's excellent and tells you everything you need to know for the rear speakers. I have not seen one for the front speakers, but I took some photos when I did mine and maybe I'll be able to post them sometime if there is interest (just dropped off the film).

I also did double layers of Dynamat Xtreme in the doors. I'm not sure how much that cuts down on road noise but you can certainly tell the difference just rapping your knuckles on the doors - it's now a solid thud instead of the hollow ringing.

There are many choices of speaker brands and models. I chose the Infinity Kappas because they seemed to be the most commonly recommended. Others will have other opinions which may be just as good. Just get those factory speakers out of there. You're listening to cardboard. Almost any quality aftermarket speakers will be better. I noticed a HUGE difference in sound clarity with mine.

Incidentally, I bought my speakers through amazon and the Dynamat from ebay. Hope this helps.
[/b]

Hay,, PA, did you do your yourself? or did you take it somewhere in Raleigh. If so, please tell me where and what it cost if you dont mind. thanks

[PA]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Rangerdavid @ Sep 15 2006, 08:34 PM) [snapback]320320[/snapback]</div>

Hay,, PA, did you do your yourself? or did you take it somewhere in Raleigh. If so, please tell me where and what it cost if you dont mind. thanks
[/b]

I did it myself. The speakers were easy. The Dynamat complicated it a bit more, but it's still a do-it-yourself project if you're so inclined. It just takes longer.

[DocVijay]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(papawithprius @ Sep 15 2006, 07:29 PM) [snapback]320291[/snapback]</div>

Hi,

I just had my local CircuitCity replace my non-JBL speakers with a pair ofPolkAudio db650 (6.25") in the rear doors, and a pair of Polk's db6500 (6.25" in the front doors plus A-pillar tweeters)...
[/b]

These are great speakers. My brother and I installed some of these in his Subaru Impreza. Sounds much better now. Bass is deeper, highs are crisper.

Pretty much any decent speaker will sound better than the average factory setup. Sometimes, in a "Premium" system, the manufacturer actually does use some pretty good speakers, and you won't get much improvement unless you redo the WHOLE system.

Anyway, best way to decide on a speaker is to go and listen to them all yourself. Bring a couple of CD'd with you of the types of music you listen to, the more variety the better. Any good shop will let you listen to the speakers for as long as you need to decide.

Try as many as you can in one day, as it is easy to forget after a day or two. Once you get your favorite(s), listen to those again to narrow it down to one or two, and there you go.

[priusenvy]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(PA @ Sep 15 2006, 05:08 PM) [snapback]320306[/snapback]</div>

The Kappa 63.7i is a 3-way speaker (woofer, midrange, tweeter). The 62.7i is a 2-way speaker (woofer, tweeter). In general, a 3-way speaker should be better than a 2-way speaker, since each speaker has a smaller range of frequencies to reproduce.[/b]

At typical car audio prices, 3-way speakers exist for marketing, not technical reasons. The marketing hype works too - you're proof of it

Just about every maker of decent home speakers at and below the $2500/pair price point is a 2-way (2-1/2 way being a special type of 2-way). Very few (probably less than 1%) of people own a system with speakers good enough (and expensive enough) to justify a 3-way design. Such a system would cost as much as most people's cars.

There's a good reason why the best speaker in almost every high-end car audio manufacturer's line (Focal, CDT, Diamond) is a 2-way component speaker, and not a 3-way coaxial speaker. A 6.5" woofer can extend high enough that there is no need for a driver to reproduce frequencies below that of the tweeter. Look at the $6k/pair Thiel CS3.7. Three-way design with a five inch midrange driver. Now do you think your car needs a 1" midrange and 1/2" tweeter? Maybe Jim Thiel was just cutting corners on his $6k speaker when he left out that extra driver that your $100 Kappa 63.7i has.

I believe the 6010cs is more of an entry-level speaker. All of the above are 6 1/2" speakers which will fit just fine.
[/b]

The 6010cs are more expensive than either of the two Kappa models you mention, so what does that make them? Also, being component speakers, they're going to be a more difficult install in the rear doors of a non-JBL system, probably beyond what most home installers would want to attempt.

[PA]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(priusenvy @ Sep 16 2006, 05:21 AM) [snapback]320466[/snapback]</div>

At typical car audio prices, 3-way speakers exist for marketing, not technical reasons. The marketing hype works too - you're proof of it
[/b]

But it didn't work well enough for me to buy them.

The 6010cs are more expensive than either of the two Kappa models you mention, so what does that make them?[/b]

I was thinking of a different model. Thanks for the correction.

[kDB]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(priusenvy @ Sep 16 2006, 04:21 AM) [snapback]320466[/snapback]</div>

At typical car audio prices, 3-way speakers exist for marketing, not technical reasons...[/b]

i somewhat agree, but for the price i found my kappas, it wasn't much more.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(priusenvy @ Sep 16 2006, 04:21 AM) [snapback]320466[/snapback]</div>

The 6010cs are more expensive than either of the two Kappa models you mention, so what does that make them?[/b]

they are no longer listed on the infinitysystems website. the cs refers to component system, which is not just a set of 6.5" speakers, but also a pair of dome tweeters. and i believe a different crossover that is made to run both pair together. which would justify the higher price. and it being thier reference series speakers, thay are a little lower quality. not that they still aren't good speakers.

current prices.
kappa63.7i $95, kappa62.7i $75, kappa10.7t $55

ref6010cs $95, i believe this is a pair of ref6012 ($44) and a pair of ref1011t ($33 different store)
also i think the kappa version of this is kappa60.7cs ($139)

basicly it all depends how much your wanting to spend. and if possible always listen to them first. some people won't notice a big enough difference between two speakers to make the more expensive one worth it, some will.

[DocVijay]

I would suggest spending an amount of money on your speakers that correlates to the amount of time you spend in your car. Since I spend a minimum of about 2-3 hours each day driving, the stereo is crucial. Keep that in mind.

Now you also need to balance that with how well you can hear the differences in speakers. Listening to a pair of speakers mounted in a wall at the local electronics store is not an accurate representation of how they will sound in your car, but if all of htem are similarly mounted then at least that will be minimized. So make sure you can tell a difference between the speakers. If you can't tell a difference between a $50 pair and a $500 pair, then it makes no sense to buy the more expensive ones. However, if you listen and the $500 pair just blows the other ones out of the water, then it may be worth it...




As for the 3-way (and even 4-way) speakers, they are really not worth it. There is not really any benefit to it. A well designed speaker will have the minimum of drivers necessary to reproduce accurate sound. there are always compromises in splitting the sound between the different drivers. To do that really well costs a LOT of money. Get a decent 2-way or components. A competently designed set will outerperform any 3-way speaker.