component or 3 way ???
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Fleet Mechanic
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 1,365
Likes: 6
From: Ketchikan, AK.
component or 3 way ???
hi all, im trying to reasarch and order a system for my 99f250 sd, cc. i have never used component speakers before, so im looking for advice on whether to use them or not. i beleive all 4 doors right now have 5x7's as stock. should i just go with some good 3 ways, or get components. if i go with components, do they have to be amped? and, for the front, are you guys putting the mid and crossover in the door, and the tweeter up on the a-pillar? and what about the rear? i was going to just not even use them.... just use the fronts with my jlaudio stealth box 10" downfiring center console sub(btw, they are an awesome install...havent heard it fire yet, but super clean stock install). ohh, and should i just get a 4 channel amp, and bridge 2 channels for the sub, and then run the fronts off their own channels? i hope im not making myself sound clueless, just want to order the right stuff the first time.... thanks everyone !!!
matt
matt
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Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 2,881
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From: North of Tulsa, Oklahoma
There are some very good and some excellent quality 3 and 4 way speakers available now. I had the Pioneer 4 way 5x7's in my '97 F150 and was amazed at the clarity and highs that those tweets produced. Crisp and piercing is what I would call them. I did not try powering them from the pioneer head unit. I had an amp pushing 150watts to them and they sounded great. Probably not as good as components but for the money and quick and easy install they were worth it. They only lacked good low bass excursion. In my current truck I have some Cadence components with the crossovers behind the door panels and am pushing 150 watts to each channel also. They do sound great. The bass is better. And the remote tweets allowed me to put them higher and closer to the front for better sound imaging. I've currently got a Jensen head unit and will be upgrading to a Pioneer for WMA/MP3 capability and better head unit SNR.(94% on pioneer). The four channel amp with a built in low pass filter and xover for bridging the two channels for a sub would be a good idea. I'm using a 3 channel amp for two front components and the 3rd channel for the sub.
Thread Starter
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Fleet Mechanic
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 1,365
Likes: 6
From: Ketchikan, AK.
thanks for the advice ron.... i was wondering then... on your system, are you still using the rear door speakers, or just not at all. and, how many amps is your sub? im not sure how big i should go, but i was thinking somewhere around 125-150 watts per component set, and then around 250-300 for the sub??? is it better just to get a 1 channel amp that is set up just for a sub? then i could just get a 300 watt amp and run the components? thanka again !!
matt
matt
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Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 2,881
Likes: 1
From: North of Tulsa, Oklahoma
Well, my current truck is the 1978 F150 standard cab in my gallery. I've only got the front speakers and a 10inch cerwin vega sub and ported box behind the seat. The sub can handle 500w rms, but I'm only sending 150w rms and that is plenty to rattle nearby windows or to really accentuate the kick of a drum. As for the amp choices, it would probably depend on how much work and $$$ you want to put into it. The optimal way to go would be with seperate amps for the subs and components. But that requires more amp space and wiring in the cab. A single amp would be a quicker install, but the cost would be more.
Postmaster
Joined: Jul 2004
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From: Bixby, OK
Personally I'd have to say I'd put in components because they produce more mids and have better tweeters which sound more accurate. Something you could do, is put in kickpanels for the components and then upgrade your door speakers and add dynamat into them as well. This is what I'm working on currently. I have Eclipse 5 1/4's for my front doors and for the back panels, I have Eclipse 5x7's. I think I'm going to lay my own fiberglass for the kick panel and put in 5 1/4" Eclipse or maybe Focal component speakers in there with the tweets integrated down there to space out the sound, but the tweets still aimed at the ears. Then I'm going to add tweets up to each corner of the windshield to space out sound and have good SQ as well.
As far as amps, I'd go with a mono-channel for the sub (do you have an amp for it yet? or is it just sitting there?) Don't you have a W6 in there? Anyways, I'd a mono for the sub, since it will have some filters and stuff in it, and then get a 4-channel for the doors, and another 2 channel for the components and just wire the extra tweets in with the components. This is the expensive route lol. The other way would be to get a 5-channel amp which would power your door speakers, and sub.. and I guess you could add the components on there too but it wouldn't be as loud as if you added another 2-channel to it for the components.
As far as amps, I'd go with a mono-channel for the sub (do you have an amp for it yet? or is it just sitting there?) Don't you have a W6 in there? Anyways, I'd a mono for the sub, since it will have some filters and stuff in it, and then get a 4-channel for the doors, and another 2 channel for the components and just wire the extra tweets in with the components. This is the expensive route lol. The other way would be to get a 5-channel amp which would power your door speakers, and sub.. and I guess you could add the components on there too but it wouldn't be as loud as if you added another 2-channel to it for the components.
