Which 17cm Speakers?

[johnnyboy666 195 1 Cars]

ive decided to change my audio setup slightly, i currently have 13cm front speakers from theloudestdotcom and standard rears, ive decided that the rears are far past their best so im going to put the ones from the front in the back and get some larger ones in the front with a little help from some mdf

 

i was just wondering if anyone can recommend me something, i was going to get the larger versions of the ones i currently have as they are quite a decent speaker and very well made but they are nearly £50 so i just thought i'd see if my money could be spent better on a different make/model?

thanks in advance

john

[DrSarty 90 1 Cars]

A 5.25inch speaker fits in the front, which is a 13cm speaker. 17cm speakers (~6.5inch) WILL just fit with a spacer/baffle of trimmed MDF. I suspect you'll have to cut the metal door skin too though, so DON'T expect this to be an easy job.

 

An addition, I don't really believe it'll be worth the effort, especially if {a} you'll be running a sub as well and {b} you'll only be powering these new larger speakers off the head unit.

 

You will get equally good results with 5.25inch speakers fitted onto solid, well made MDF baffles of 12-15mm thickness. This is what I have, and they are really punchy and clear, however that's because they compliment the sub and are cut-off below 80hz. Basically this means they aren't playing too much bass, as they can't.

 

The rears are a complete waste of time, either as standard or if you're prepared to go to town and try and cram the old fronts in there.

 

Long story short: MDF baffles and proper 5.25inch component speakers in the front (i.e. separate tweeters) at about £100. Proper MDF stealth parcel shelf (~£80) with 6x9s in at about £40. Seriously, this is as good as a basic system gets if it's put in properly.

 

If you're going further with this, amps etc then I'm glad to help more, but I'm really trying to help you here (and others) in thinking money makes a better sound. It doesn't; installation does.

 

Speaker brand X / model Y are all the same at anything up to £200 a pair, and anyone other than someone going in for sound-off competions only needs to spend half that and then put it in properly to make something pretty special. Naturally the head unit is important too.

Edited April 27, 2009 by DrSarty

[Simes 248 2 Cars]

I've not bothered with 6x9's for ages (they also fit in the front doors behind the standard grills with help from dremel)

 

A well driven pair of components up front and a sub does the trick (spelt:drowns out the exhaust)

[johnnyboy666 195 1 Cars]

i am running a small amp for the front at the moment, and have recently removed a stealth shelf with 6x9s and also removed an amp, sub and power cap, as they were just too damn heavy! i'm now jus looking for someway of getting a bit of sound in the rear as at the moment its all up front.

i hadnt done measurements yet but i was planning on getting some mdf between he speakers and the door, probably 12mm and glue 2 layers together and then shave/sand them at a bit of an angle to face the speakers towards me a little more than they are as standard

as for subs i have been on the lookout for one of the under-the-seat type jobbies but im not sure yet, i would like the extra bass but i dont fancy lugging my 12inch around any more

[DrSarty 90 1 Cars]

Glad you got rid of the power c®ap; complete waste of money and space. Technical myth and proven wrong, and in fact worse than a battery.

 

There's not much room to angle the door speakers such that the angling made any difference. You'd just be making your life difficult. What's more important is the positioning of the tweeters and how tightly the mid-woofers and baffles screw to the door skin.

 

Underseat sub...hmmm..maybe. Better than nothing I suppose. If all you want is 'some' sound in the rear, then the standard 3 & a gnat's cock inch speakers are fine. Otherwise, if you're not going to put a shelf in I'd agree with Simes and simply not bother.