All Four Infinity Door Speakers Blown
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Race Director
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From: Phoenix area, AZ
All Four Infinity Door Speakers Blown
I have two Infinity 5032CF speakers (135w max, 45w RMS) in each door of my 2000 coupe. They are hooked up to a JL Audio 700w 5-channel amp that also powers two Infinity 6032CF's in the rear and a 12" JBL subwoofer.
Sometime in the past couple of weeks all four of the door speakers have blown, and as they are out of warranty CarToys will not accept any responsibility for them. What would be a dependable replacement for these speakers?
I love my music and I love cranking it up so I need something that can handle near max power on a regular basis.
Sometime in the past couple of weeks all four of the door speakers have blown, and as they are out of warranty CarToys will not accept any responsibility for them. What would be a dependable replacement for these speakers?
I love my music and I love cranking it up so I need something that can handle near max power on a regular basis.
Tech Contributor
Joined: May 2003
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From: North Augusta, SC
Al four blowing in such a short time tells me that you have another issue, most likely with your amp. I'd try to get that fixed or you'll probably just pop the new speakers unless the old ones just weren't compatible with your amps power output.
Thread Starter
Race Director
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What kind of problem do you think the amp might have? I have an appt. for Monday morning for them to take a look at the system. I'd been thinking that they might have set the amp incorrectly for the power the speakers could handle, but I don't know enough about them to know what would be a proper setting. These speakers are a little over a year and a half old so I know they shouldn't be blowing already.
Tech Contributor
Joined: May 2003
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From: North Augusta, SC
It's probably just a combination of speaker/amp compatibility and the setup. If you crank it up on a regular basis and the setup allows the speakers to clip at higher volumes then they're a lot more likely to blow.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Mar 2004
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From: NCCO Oklahoma
If you have a JL Audio XD700/5 amp, you're putting out 75 watts/channel to your Infinity speakers. If they are rated at 45 watts then it's no wonder why they blew... a year and a half is somewhat surprising, considering that you're pushing almost twice their rated power to them.
If you're looking for some replacements, be sure to go with something that can handle the kind of power you are pushing. I don't know what your budget is, but I'd upgrade the front speakers to a 6.5" as a minimum for starters. The JBL MS-62C component set gets really good reviews over on DIYMA. They average about $299 for the set, but I've seen them for as low as $189 or so.
You might want to touch base with Dennis at Double D Mods... he's a forum vendor,and from what I hear, he's got some of the best prices around for audio gear.
Let us know what your budget is and we can probably make some better suggestions.
If you're looking for some replacements, be sure to go with something that can handle the kind of power you are pushing. I don't know what your budget is, but I'd upgrade the front speakers to a 6.5" as a minimum for starters. The JBL MS-62C component set gets really good reviews over on DIYMA. They average about $299 for the set, but I've seen them for as low as $189 or so.
You might want to touch base with Dennis at Double D Mods... he's a forum vendor,and from what I hear, he's got some of the best prices around for audio gear.
Let us know what your budget is and we can probably make some better suggestions.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 2,863
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From: Woodland CA
Yes pumping 75w into a speaker rated at 45w RMS is too much. Normally I like to be no more than +/-10% than the RMS rating of the speaker. Since the speakers are blown, I would pick up a set of speakers that have a RMS rating between 70-80w. Take a look at the Kicker 40CS54 if you are looking to stay with the 5-1/4 sized speakers.
Thread Starter
Race Director
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From: Phoenix area, AZ
If you have a JL Audio XD700/5 amp, you're putting out 75 watts/channel to your Infinity speakers. If they are rated at 45 watts then it's no wonder why they blew... a year and a half is somewhat surprising, considering that you're pushing almost twice their rated power to them.
I spoke with Dennis yesterday and he's working with me to figure out where to go from here. The first step is having CarToys check the system out on Monday, and I will be bringing up the point that they never should have sold me the Infinity speakers to begin with because of the RMS difference between them and the amp. I'm probably going to go with a 6.5 inch replacement speaker instead of sticking with the 5.25 inch. As Dennis pointed out, they most likely only suggested the smaller speakers so they could make more money on the sale. I'm looking at spending somewhere in the $200 or less range.
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Race Director
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From: Phoenix area, AZ
Yes pumping 75w into a speaker rated at 45w RMS is too much. Normally I like to be no more than +/-10% than the RMS rating of the speaker. Since the speakers are blown, I would pick up a set of speakers that have a RMS rating between 70-80w. Take a look at the Kicker 40CS54 if you are looking to stay with the 5-1/4 sized speakers.
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Tech Contributor
Joined: May 2003
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From: North Augusta, SC
If the amp puts out too much on paper you can always tune it down for your speakers
Race Director
Joined: Jan 2008
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From: oregon
the jl audio c3 components are the way i would go in c5 doors if you want them to match the output of your amp. cost is roughly $329 from online vendors
the jl audio c2's don't sound bad and can be had for $140-150, but, they can't do loud volume levels.
mentioning of volume you need to get in touch with what a speaker can and can not do. distortion is almost always the cause of what blows speakers and or being over driven. if you hear any distortion turn it down. if a voice coil is slapping the magnet, turn it down. there are limits to what any amplifier or driver can handle
if you really have to stay at the $199 shipped price point the kicker 11ks6.2 components would be a thought. they aren't bad with power handling and provided you aren't overdriving or clipping them they should hold up for you.
all of these will sound better than your infinitys, at least warmer
crossover point is also extremely important with components. a lot of guys set it at 80hz on the HPF but you may need 100hz if there is any magnet slapping going on at high volume
the jl audio c2's don't sound bad and can be had for $140-150, but, they can't do loud volume levels.
mentioning of volume you need to get in touch with what a speaker can and can not do. distortion is almost always the cause of what blows speakers and or being over driven. if you hear any distortion turn it down. if a voice coil is slapping the magnet, turn it down. there are limits to what any amplifier or driver can handle
if you really have to stay at the $199 shipped price point the kicker 11ks6.2 components would be a thought. they aren't bad with power handling and provided you aren't overdriving or clipping them they should hold up for you.
all of these will sound better than your infinitys, at least warmer
crossover point is also extremely important with components. a lot of guys set it at 80hz on the HPF but you may need 100hz if there is any magnet slapping going on at high volume
Thread Starter
Race Director
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This pretty much describes my car stereo usage. 
My speaker replacement is going to depend heavily on what CarToys does on Monday. If they accept responsibility I'll be looking at one pair of 6.5's that have around the same value as the two pairs of 5.25's that blew. If they don't I'll be looking at some other options that Dennis at Double D has available; he's mentioned Arc Audio 6.5's, but Focal might be an option as well.
My speaker replacement is going to depend heavily on what CarToys does on Monday. If they accept responsibility I'll be looking at one pair of 6.5's that have around the same value as the two pairs of 5.25's that blew. If they don't I'll be looking at some other options that Dennis at Double D has available; he's mentioned Arc Audio 6.5's, but Focal might be an option as well.
Tech Contributor
Joined: May 2003
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From: North Augusta, SC
Regardless of what speakers you end up with, this time the setup has to be done so you can't clip the speakers even at max volume on the radio.
I have a 3-way active system in my doors that WAS fed from the stock Nav until earlier this year, now I have an x920BT. I set it up on the oem Nav so I could turn up my ipod all the way with Nickelback playing and not clip the spekers. Now with the AVIC I have to be careful not to crank it up too loud since it CAN clip my speakers (and make my ears bleed at the same time). I would adjust the amp gains down to prevent the possibility of clipping, but it took me months to get the balance right the first time, so I'm not too eager to mess with it now.
I have a 3-way active system in my doors that WAS fed from the stock Nav until earlier this year, now I have an x920BT. I set it up on the oem Nav so I could turn up my ipod all the way with Nickelback playing and not clip the spekers. Now with the AVIC I have to be careful not to crank it up too loud since it CAN clip my speakers (and make my ears bleed at the same time). I would adjust the amp gains down to prevent the possibility of clipping, but it took me months to get the balance right the first time, so I'm not too eager to mess with it now.
Thread Starter
Race Director
Joined: May 2012
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From: Phoenix area, AZ
Regardless of what speakers you end up with, this time the setup has to be done so you can't clip the speakers even at max volume on the radio.
I have a 3-way active system in my doors that WAS fed from the stock Nav until earlier this year, now I have an x920BT. I set it up on the oem Nav so I could turn up my ipod all the way with Nickelback playing and not clip the spekers. Now with the AVIC I have to be careful not to crank it up too loud since it CAN clip my speakers (and make my ears bleed at the same time). I would adjust the amp gains down to prevent the possibility of clipping, but it took me months to get the balance right the first time, so I'm not too eager to mess with it now.
I have a 3-way active system in my doors that WAS fed from the stock Nav until earlier this year, now I have an x920BT. I set it up on the oem Nav so I could turn up my ipod all the way with Nickelback playing and not clip the spekers. Now with the AVIC I have to be careful not to crank it up too loud since it CAN clip my speakers (and make my ears bleed at the same time). I would adjust the amp gains down to prevent the possibility of clipping, but it took me months to get the balance right the first time, so I'm not too eager to mess with it now.
That's what you call a businessman who cares.
Race Director
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From: oregon
that and either control your volume **** of turn the gains down to a point the volume **** isn't clipping when you turn it up
Thread Starter
Race Director
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From: Phoenix area, AZ
this sounds like a smart move. from what you're telling the guys here it sounds like $300-350 components will live a lot longer than the sub $200 range. power handling and sound quality just go up with more money
that and either control your volume **** of turn the gains down to a point the volume **** isn't clipping when you turn it up
that and either control your volume **** of turn the gains down to a point the volume **** isn't clipping when you turn it up
And I'm sorry, but my volume **** has a mind of its own. There's no controlling it.
Thread Starter
Race Director
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I just got back from CarToys. They basically told me the speakers are out of warranty so tough ****. They're going to let $100 worth of speakers cost them thousands in future business; as a retired person I have nothing better to do than create accounts on every car forum I can find and tell everyone who will listen about how CarToys treats customers that spend thousands of dollars at their stores.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Oct 2004
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From: Woodland CA
On a side note, I am not sure what you were expecting from a pair of $50 speakers. In my 2005, the front speakers were over $350 component speakers. I understand there are people that are not willing to spend that much for speakers, but I knew what my demands were when it came to sound quality/SPL and volume (I use to compete in car audio competitions in my younger days). Had my 2005 for 7 years before I sold it and the speakers were still going strong.
Plain and simple, you asked too much for the speakers you purchased and they died. If you don’t want to deal with this issue again, invest in a better quality set of speakers. If you need any suggestions on matching a set of speakers with the amp you already have, I would be more than willing to help.
Thread Starter
Race Director
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From: Phoenix area, AZ
Although I understand you are a little upset that your speakers are blown, but I don’t quite agree that the company has mistreated you in any way. The speakers you bought have a 1 year warranty and rated at 45w RMS. You had them for 1.5 years running 75w into them. This is not their fault that you were pushing close to double the rated watts and I completely agree with the company not to replace it under warranty.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Mar 2005
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From: Middle Earth
They're the ones who not only picked out the speakers and amplifier, they're the ones who set the levels on the amplifier pushing them. They never should have been sold to me to begin with as they are incompatible. The speakers sold for nearly $100 per pair. The $50 per pair is an Amazon price.
Did all four blow at one time? I am wondering if you had raised a flag when the first one blew, then maybe a different result could have been reached.