Heres the deal...........been to circuit city....hifi buys.....and some custom sound places.

All I want is the quality I can experience on a 60 dollar pair of Grado headphones in my truck.

Figure I'll just go to the speaker store.......find a pair that sounds good & have em put in.

Funny thing is.......They don't make a replacement speaker that sounds any better than the stock ones.

So now I'm looking at components...........Well now we got problems with fit.

But I found a fella who swears he can get in a pair of 1,000 dollar Boston Acoustics {which I like} or a 529 dollar pair of MD Quart's which I also like.In the door.

But then he says I'll need an amp to drive em.Says my factory "Head unit" aint strong enough.

So I say well how much for a amp........He figures about 425.

Now when you get the amp & cheap speakers installed with the wires & everything your lookin at 1500 bucks for a pair of 500 dollar speakers !!!!

No sub or sub enclosure.......no fancy got too many buttons on the friggin face head unit.And no rear speakers.........Just a pair of 529 dollar speakers !!!!

Somebody help me please !!!!

 

JL audio makes a nice pair of separate speakers. They are the XR series, they come in 6.5 and 5.25". The tweeters are mounted inside the middle of the woofers or you can pop them out and mount them where ever you want. So you don't have to worry about where to mount the tweeters if you really don't want to with these speakers. They sound really good, I thought it was a pretty dumb idea but they really sound good to me, a lot less money because you can get them for around 200 dollars. I only heard the 6.5" speakers. You will need a new deck and amp for sure no matter what you do.

 

the quart's are GREAT speakers..... i've done a couple of my cars with them. but, they require a better head unit, seperate amps, subs, and i used a stand alone crossover for the whole system. way more than it sounds like you want to get into. i put infinity 5x7's in my superduty with the stock head unit, and it sounds quite a bit better, but it is still limited by the electronics in front of them. but, for under 200 bucks, i think it was a good investment.

 

your sound isn't really going to be that great to begin with coming off a stock deck, what i'd do is get some infinity 6x8s front and rear and a fancy way to many friggin buttons on the face deck

http://www.crutchfield.com/S-Dh9Yrgy...p?i=113KFCP683
or
http://www.crutchfield.com/cgi-bin/S...0&I=130TSD680R

http://www.crutchfield.com/cgi-bin/S...=0&cc=01&avf=N

so 300 for the headunit + 2x180 for speakers -50 bucks rebate + 10 for wire harness=620 if you do it do it all yourself and although the alpine model doesn't allow for to much sound tuning.

this is another option works out to 200 bucks with speakers and everything
http://www.crutchfield.com/cgi-bin/S...=0&cc=01&avf=N

 

Take a closer look at the Pioneer offer...it's $200 PLUS 2 pairs of speakers. I think the Alpine's a better deal anyway...

 

Well I went to the last place today & guess I might have gotton lucky.They had some DB 5x7's/6x8's that sounded really good.and for 75 bucks a pair.

Anyhow I've listened to alot of replacement speakers in the last 4 days........And it seems the more they cost,The less efficent they are......In other words they need more power to make em sound good.

Well I don't want to spend the money on a amp & riggin so most good speakers were out.

The Tweeter is the most important part of a speaker for me.I can't stand a metal tweeter !!!!The way most folks describe a metal tweeter is "Tinny"...........But the reason they use metal is cause of heat,The metal gets rid of it where as the fabric tweeters will get hot & sound worse the longer they are played.But I'm willin to trade !!!!.Well these db's have a tweeter on em that produces a huge sound stage.Their splashy like just about every tweeter out there.But very nice with Enya singging.

None of the speakers I listened to did my hard rock justice.Just need power & big round cones for that.

Anyhow I'm gonna have em put in tomorrow up front & live with them for awhile.If I don't like them I'll re think the 1000 dollar solution,But for now I'm lookin at less than 125 bucks tax & installed.

 

a new head unit would help alot too

just something to think about before you drop 1000 on the top notch stuff

 

SS........funny you say that cause after being around all this audio visual gear, I'm gettin an itch for a folding tv, cd, dvd,mp3,fm,am thingy, to go in the dash.

But.....If you want to keep your factory radio......And would like to replace your factory 8 dollar ,paper cone,no tweeter spaekers.......

Then I'll tell you what I've learned from my travels.

First......the replacement is a 5x7 or 6x8 for my 2002 F250 crew cab.

Second.........the factory radio aint gonna push those heavy lookin speakers.....Heavy means they got metal on the cone or have a weave of fabric etc.Or got componets.

Third........It's a truck......A diesel truck........ & your not gonna create the sound you get outa a pair of quality head phones.

http://www.headphone.com/layout.php

The Grado 60's are super fly but a bit uncomfortable.But....If you listen to these you'll understand what a track is supposed to sound like.

So.......after listening to every replacement speaker made........And with my prior knowledge of what I want things to sound like........And with 100 dollars in my pocket I got the db's installed today & am very pleased.

Way better then factory..........But.....If you think your gonna get a killer system for 100 bucks installed.........Well......These are pretty good too

Now the thing I'm playin with, is the rear speakers........honestly I like drivin with the rears shut off.

Also got the 2 front windows tinted at the same time......200 dollars later I'm stylin.

Now I need tires....a dvd thingy & 79,000 more miles for my waranty to expire

 

Hers what you do. Most people go out and buy a whole setup at once. Go get your self the nicest head unit you can buy. I recommend Alpine and Eclipse. Connect it up and see how you like the sound. You'll be surprised at how much better you system sounds with this simple upgrade. You were having a hard time finding speakers that sound better, so im guessing you like the sound of your factory speakers? Anyways, try this first, and if you want to upgrade further, THEN consider a pair of speakers. Connect them to the head unit and determine if they need more power for your liking. Most will NOT necessarily need an external amp. Although, usually, the external amp will make them sound a bit better.
Go through these steps, and youll be much happier and probably spend alot less money.
Like I said above though, get a VERY nice head unit first. You wont be sorry.

 

I would concurr with Smokey's advice. Sounds like a good idea to me. You might be pleasantly surprised.

Regardless, you're not going to get ANY car stereo to sound like a pair of headphones. You need to take 2 very important things into consideration; soundstage and arrival time. It's just not possible.

I would also entertain the idea of using some type of sound deadener in your doors and under the carpet to start. Besides inadequate voltage to your components, road noise will make your stereo sound like crap quicker than almost anything. Dynamat is pretty standard, and easy to install. If you're really on a tight budget, you can use a few heavy coats of rubberized undercoating. That works pretty well too.

 

Agreed, definitely pick up some sound deadener. Makes a world of difference when applied liberally throughout the vehicle.