I posted this response in another post, but I figured I would re-post it here so that my opinion can be known.

I just put BA in the front of my 07... And to be honest, they sound worse then stock. I had several people listen while I switched back and forth and they all agreed the BA sounded worse then the stock Bose. I am leaving the speakers in for a little longer, but I am think I may send them back. If someone is interested I can sell them. I am considering trying the Kappa's but I am a little bummed about the 3.5" BA. BTW I have Infinities for the rear, I have not put them in yet.... maybe I will just scrap the whole idea of trying to cheaply improve the system.

 

You can get a better sound with inexpensive upgrades, but that is not saying much when you consider how bad the Bose system is to start with. I would save and shop smartly for better components and an amplified system w/sub. Then install yourself and put the money into the components. I left my rear speakers stock to just act as fill and put my money into the doors. With an amp and a sub to go along the difference is dramatic, not just an improvement but an entirely different experience.

 

Infinity Kappa 6.1 Perfects.... I love them!

 

If one were to post a poll of wether or not replacing the Bose speakers with Infinities or BAs improved the sound quality, my guess is that more than 95% would say that it did. Not to audiophile quality, but a definite improvement. I agree with one other poster..double check the wiring. The wire colors are confusing.

 

There's a thread going from bomax that discusses this very same thing. Verify polarity to make sure you don't have a phase issue, as pointed out by Mark in that thread. My point though is even if you get polarity correct, the shortcomings of the basic design of the system become all the more apparent when using a quality speaker.

To quote myself:

 

I used that very thread to do refrence my which was positive and negative. I still would like to know if the Infinity Kappa might sound better. The BA kinda seem not as loud with less dynamic range. I have fooled around with the EQ to try and get them to sound better.

Where is the amp in the coupe?

 

The amp, whether Bose or not, is in the passenger footwell. The non-Bose system is driven entirely from that amp, the Bose system has self-amplified subs.

 

Any "upgrade" to the stock system is a bandaid to the real acoustical problems in the C6. Wake up and follow the dozens of C6ers that have done the work to make the sound system perform decently. No need to bemean the folks that liked the upgrade. Admitedly the recommendations were based of the 05-06 C6s and if any changes were made for the '07 then all holds are off!

There are thousands of posts - why not take advantage of all that experience and spend the $?

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/show....php?t=1149625

 

Please see my post (#12) regarding why they may not sound as good as you like.

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/show....php?t=1658350

Best regards.

Mark

 

I was not trying to take away from what others have offered I was simply giving my opinion (that was clearly stated in my post) I do have some expereince as a listener, and that of an amature builder. I was hoping that others faced with the same question as to upgrade might be diswaded in the seamingly vast amount of posts claiming that there was a significant improvment. I am going on record to say I heeded and read all of the post claiming an improved sound quality and I waisted my money doing so. The 07 maybe the problem, I never tried this on my 05 so I cannot offer any advice for 05-06. As for the 07... BA "upgrade" is a waist of money. I may keep them and try to upgrade the amp... but I am not sure any more. I might just save the money and put it into the engine.

 

I just put the BA's in 2 weeks ago. I don't understand how you can't hear a difference. Granted it's not a dramatic change, but it is more noticeable when you raise the volume. I'm happy with my switch.
Maybe you're just Nitpicking

 

Dynamic range will not be affected by a speaker change, that's a function of amplification.

Here's a question - did you make sure you turned off the auto-level sound control on the Bose? It doesnt just affect volume on the Bose, but tries to re-EQ the system on the fly to compensate for road noise. If that is on, the system will actually try to deminish any additional frequencies the new speakers may be giving.

I think most people who are changing the speakers are just looking for some additional high/mids to compensate for the louder environment of a top down, or aftermarket exhaust. The C6 audio system was more a of a convenience than an audiophile grade ( as I think more Vette owners would rather hear the enigne singing than the radio).

I have heard a few local guys who have swapped out the speakers AND amp and the replacements were astounding. Leave the new speakers, swap the amp and you will be smiling, Im sure.

 

I just changed the BA for Infinity Kappas. They are amazing! There is a huge sound improvement over the BA. If someone in San Jose wishes to here them, I will meet them (I am in San Jose). I have BA in the passenger door and Infinity in the Driver. The difference is night and day. You cannot even put them on the same level... not even close. I will change the passenger door tomorrow. The infinities = Very nice improvement over stock... the BA = Slightly Better at higher volume then stock worse at low volume. The BA are a subjective bit sharper then the stock but they do not seem to have equal footing when it comes to efficiency. The Infinity are louder then the Bose and MUCH clearer.... night and day. This is one mans opinion.

 

Tell us the model number of the infinities. I was just going to do a thread asking if anyone had experience with both the BA S35/55s and Kappas and which they perferred.

 

32.5cf kappas. They are actually component speakers not coaxial. They are 2 ohm (because of the external crossover) but they work just fine with the Bose amp. Trust me I am not alone on this... I have had at least 7 people agree that the Infinities are by far better then the BA and of course the Bose. My car is an 07 so there maybe some differences in the 05-06 models. As for the 07... if you get the BA you will not be very impressed. The difference is so slight that you would be trying to justify that there was any difference at all. That's what I was doing... I finally stopped trying to convince myself that I was hearing a significant improvement with the BA's. I am not saying that the Kappa will make you fall on your knees with sound pleasure happiness, but you will hear a good sound stage improvement. The difference being you won't have to justify leaving them in you car just because you bought them. You will keep them becasue they sound better then the Bose.

Many people will disagree with me because they have made the choice to go with the BA's. That's fine, they are entitled to their opinion, As am I. I orignally posted several weeks ago asking which was better. I got varied responses. I made the wrong choice for me... I have now corrected that choice. Nobody had a strong opinion when I orignally posted my question as to which 3.5" speaker to use. I am now giving a strong opinion... one is better then the other by a large amount... The Kappas are better. I am sure that I will get a lot of flak, people may feel that I have diminished their opinions in favor of my own. So be it... sorry to all of you that might be offended in advance.

For the record. I sat with the door off and 4 different 3.5" speakers.

3.5" kickers
3.5" BA's
3.5" Bose
3.5" Infinity Kappa's

I listened to XM, FM and various CD's from pop to country and everything inbetween. I did this not just for me, but for everyone on this forum. I have found this forum to be very helpful and in return I wanted to do the same. I had someone change the speakers while the music was playing. My eyes were closed and I chose the Kappa's everytime. I then perfromed the same test on three different people. All different music genres.. one guy loved country, another hip hop and the other guy loved rock. They all chose the Kappa's.

The reason for the excessive testing was not for me to justify my opinion but to rather strenghthen others to be confident in which way to spend their money.

 

I was torn between the Bostons and the Infinities. I have always loved Infinity speakers but have been hearing so much about the BAs. However, after hearing C6 NITPICKERs extensive review I will go with the Infinities.