non-JBL sound system / stereo upgrade

i have the exact same questions and posted last week about this but nobody helped

 

I replaced my non-JBL front speakers with Infinity Kappa 60.7cs that I got on e-Bay for just over $100. incl. shipping. This was a nice improvement. Attached are some notes I gleaned from others (thanks!) on installation.

PA P

 

For that budget:

You don't really have to get the Cleansweep DSP. Do a search for banjoman's solution. It's much cheaper, and you can use the money saved on new speakers and an amp.

A Kenwood sub would be a good investment.

No need to upgrade rear speakers.

 

The Kenwood KSC-SW1 fits nicely under the driver seat. For less than the price of the DSP it does a lot to enhance the sound.

BTW, if you don't have JBL then why do you even need the Cleansweep??

 

For $300-400 I'd add an amp and a pair of Diamond D661s speakers. I've no idea what the frequency response of the stock stereo looks like. If it's flat, you don't need a CleanSweep 441dsp. If it looks like a silhouette of the Himalayas, like the JBL, you'll need one sooner or later.

Infinity makes a good $100 (Ebay price) speaker. Diamond makes a good $200 speaker. Focal makes a good $500 speaker. Go outside these price ranges and you'll find each of these mfgrs are not as competitive as they are within their sweet spots. For instance, for $200 I'd rather have Diamond Audio D6s than a cheap pair of Focals.

A subwoofer would be the last thing I would add. A lot of clean power, poured through some good component speakers, will produce plenty of bass. The subwoofer in my system is really not necessary, unless it's there to annoy the neighbors.

 

Are the JBL sound systems the same in all the Prius' packages? I have package 6, and it certainly does not compare to the one in my ES 330 Lexus that I traded in. I mostly listen to XM's classical stations, so the symphonies sound pretty bad. Any upgrade to improve without spending a bundle or adding a lot of equipment? I can live with it the way it is, but would like it to sound better, if possible.

 

I have HEXes in my Acura and I actually like the cheaper D6s better (though some of this may be due to the crappy Bose headunit which I haven't addressed yet). They have identical tweeters, and the crossovers, though packaged differently, look the same inside. The only difference is the woofer.

There are a lot of good amps available, but many of them will not fit your budget. I'm partial to MTX amps because they are such a bargain. They're a step below an Alpine or DLS or JL Audio, but they're available dirt cheap on Ebay, and tend to be overbuilt and underrated. I have four of them, though I did have a problem with one of them not turning on, which was resolved by taking a soldering iron and touching a bunch of the pads underneath the PC board to eliminate any cold solder joints.

 

1) I'd say 50w/channel is adequate unless you like to play music at levels that cause hearing damage, then you'd want maybe twice that. You'll only be pulling 3-7 watts continuous at most typically if you want to avoid hearing loss. Be careful of how the amp is rated. Mfgr's can play tricks with power ratings by not specifying the conditions under which the amp power is available. These include

• Input voltage, since at 14.4V the amp will be rated much higher
• Distortion level, since any amp can produce more power at intolerable levels of THD
• Continuous, since any amp's peak power rating is much higher than the continuous rating
• All channels driven, since power supplies in multi-channel amps often can't drive all channels at maximum rated power simultaneously.
• Load impedence, since most amps can put more power into a low-impedence load (unless they're unstable when driving low-impedence loads).

There is something called "CEA-2006 compliance". It's a specification for a common set of conditions for rating car stereo amplifier output. It was created to make it easier to compare the power ratings of different amps, and make it more difficult for mfgrs to play tricks in rating amp power output.

2) Yes. Or a four or more channel amp if you want to plan for the future. Another option for the future would be to operate the two-channel amp in bridged mode to power a subwoofer, and buy another amp for the door speakers.

 

Hi all,
Would just a new set of front speakers help on a factory non JBL system? I used to be a audio enthusiast but can't afford it anymore. I notice with the non JBL factory setup, I experience sound fatigue after 10 minutes or so. Any recommendations for a decent inexpensive set of speakers that won't be too hard to install that can help overcome sound fatigue? I listen to the radio more then CDs/Ipod as of late, so just improvement to the factory JBL (without the cost of package 3 is all I need). My wife's 09 Corolla has the JBL and it is much better for normal radio.