Better speakers.
Thread Starter
Safety Car
Joined: Aug 2015
Posts: 4,708
Likes: 3
From: Ohio
Better speakers.
Greetings,
I have been following this forum for quite sometime. I see there are many who know what they are talking about and I have learned much from these threads. Now I have my own question on speakers. I have a 98 coupe. I installed the following components a while ago
https://www.kenwood.com/ca/car/excelon/ddx9904s/
https://www.kenwood.com/usa/car/amplifiers/kac-7005ps/
10 inch Pioneer sub and box from Dennis at DD when he was around. I am not certain the model.
https://www.crutchfield.com/S-RN02nw...Audio-L65.html
Also have Lightning Audio (I believe) 3 way component in the doors. No model number and could not find an image on google.
I really enjoy music. My sub is way to punchy for me and would really like to match new speakers to the head unit and amp. I am truly a noob with all this fine tuning. The amp has many adjustments I will be playing with to get the punchiness out of the sub. Either I have no clue what I am doing (which is true) or my speakers really suck. Can anyone recommend front and rear speakers for this setup. If I can get out the door around $200.00 on speakers that would be a plus.
The speakers came with the car and a single din pioneer. I believe the owner had best buy install it. I tore everything apart and and added all new wiring, sub, head unit, backup cam and amp. I am assuming the speakers were paired with the original Pioneer head unit and that is my problem.
Thank you in advance for any input.
EDIT: I forgot to mention most of my playback is lossless. .flac etc. I can listen to anything from old school rock to classical. I will say when playing Chicago Im a man (studio version) I hear many more instruments that I do on my home system in the vette (pretty cool). So it cant be that bad. The issue I have is some music sounds o.k. at loud volumes others is just distorted. I have played around with e.q and other settings but I just get frustrated.
I have been following this forum for quite sometime. I see there are many who know what they are talking about and I have learned much from these threads. Now I have my own question on speakers. I have a 98 coupe. I installed the following components a while ago
https://www.kenwood.com/ca/car/excelon/ddx9904s/
https://www.kenwood.com/usa/car/amplifiers/kac-7005ps/
10 inch Pioneer sub and box from Dennis at DD when he was around. I am not certain the model.
https://www.crutchfield.com/S-RN02nw...Audio-L65.html
Also have Lightning Audio (I believe) 3 way component in the doors. No model number and could not find an image on google.
I really enjoy music. My sub is way to punchy for me and would really like to match new speakers to the head unit and amp. I am truly a noob with all this fine tuning. The amp has many adjustments I will be playing with to get the punchiness out of the sub. Either I have no clue what I am doing (which is true) or my speakers really suck. Can anyone recommend front and rear speakers for this setup. If I can get out the door around $200.00 on speakers that would be a plus.
The speakers came with the car and a single din pioneer. I believe the owner had best buy install it. I tore everything apart and and added all new wiring, sub, head unit, backup cam and amp. I am assuming the speakers were paired with the original Pioneer head unit and that is my problem.
Thank you in advance for any input.
EDIT: I forgot to mention most of my playback is lossless. .flac etc. I can listen to anything from old school rock to classical. I will say when playing Chicago Im a man (studio version) I hear many more instruments that I do on my home system in the vette (pretty cool). So it cant be that bad. The issue I have is some music sounds o.k. at loud volumes others is just distorted. I have played around with e.q and other settings but I just get frustrated.
Last edited by johnson333; Jul 17, 2019 at 03:55 PM. Reason: more info
Thread Starter
Safety Car
Joined: Aug 2015
Posts: 4,708
Likes: 3
From: Ohio
Agreed. That was my next step. I just thought I can do better then the Audio Lightning speakers. Not sure they were sufficient for the amp. Thank you
Burning Brakes
Joined: May 2019
Posts: 765
Likes: 182
Ok..tried looking up lightning audio..no go..so
I put jl speakers in my vert and they sound good and were around 300 for both front and rears...go to crutchfield and see what fits..my rears i had to use spacers ..they were a little too deep..if you change speakers and get a tune you should still be in your budget
I put jl speakers in my vert and they sound good and were around 300 for both front and rears...go to crutchfield and see what fits..my rears i had to use spacers ..they were a little too deep..if you change speakers and get a tune you should still be in your budget
Le Mans Master
Joined: Oct 2012
Posts: 9,366
Likes: 969
From: Out back
HU you have is a great one...the amp and speakers, not so much. That amp isn't very powerful at all. The speakers you're using are 4 ohm, so you're only getting 40W RMS to them (which is their max rated power anyway). So the current amp/speaker setup is matched...AND maxxed out. So if you want more, you need more amp and speakers. For a large speaker 6.5-8" typically, you should be in the 100-150W RMS range. This is why your combo sound "lacking" especially if playing FLAC files. If your sub is "punchy" it's a input, output, or EQ issue. I'm assuming no external DSP, but your HU is quite capable of doing some great adjusting. So tuning from the HU is a viable option until it doesn't meet your needs.
What kind of budget are you looking to spend? New amp and speakers are in order I think.
What kind of budget are you looking to spend? New amp and speakers are in order I think.
Last edited by Pb82 Ronin; Jul 19, 2019 at 10:45 AM.
Thread Starter
Safety Car
Joined: Aug 2015
Posts: 4,708
Likes: 3
From: Ohio
Ok..tried looking up lightning audio..no go..so
I put jl speakers in my vert and they sound good and were around 300 for both front and rears...go to crutchfield and see what fits..my rears i had to use spacers ..they were a little too deep..if you change speakers and get a tune you should still be in your budget
I put jl speakers in my vert and they sound good and were around 300 for both front and rears...go to crutchfield and see what fits..my rears i had to use spacers ..they were a little too deep..if you change speakers and get a tune you should still be in your budget
Thank you
Thread Starter
Safety Car
Joined: Aug 2015
Posts: 4,708
Likes: 3
From: Ohio
HU you have is a great one...the amp and speakers, not so much. That amp isn't very powerful at all. The speakers you're using are 4 ohm, so you're only getting 40W RMS to them (which is their max rated power anyway). So the current amp/speaker setup is matched...AND maxxed out. So if you want more, you need more amp and speakers. For a large speaker 6.5-8" typically, you should be in the 100-150W RMS range. This is why your combo sound "lacking" especially if playing FLAC files. If your sub is "punchy" it's a input, output, or EQ issue. I'm assuming no external DSP, but your HU is quite capable of doing some great adjusting. So tuning from the HU is a viable option until it doesn't meet your needs.
What kind of budget are you looking to spend? New amp and speakers are in order I think.
What kind of budget are you looking to spend? New amp and speakers are in order I think.
Thank you
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Thread Starter
Safety Car
Joined: Aug 2015
Posts: 4,708
Likes: 3
From: Ohio
The fronts are Lightning Audio 6 inch (2 way if i remember correctly) and 3 inch tweet. There is no model number to find. I believe Best Buy put them in from what the previous owner said. A real crappy job hung in the doors with aluminum straps. I have the adapter plates I will use for the new speakers when I get them. The sub is a 10 inch Pioneer in a custom built box that goes into the storage well. I do not know the model number. I do plan on pulling the sub and speakers as soon as this heat subsides to a decent temperature.
Thank you
Le Mans Master
Joined: Oct 2012
Posts: 9,366
Likes: 969
From: Out back
All speakers are 6.5"s? Can you post a pic of the sub? I maybe able to help you figure out the model of it.
I would spend $500 of your budget on a JL XD 700/5v2 and replace all your speakers with 2 ohm models. That will give you 100W RMS per channel and 300W RMS for your sub. Should be plenty more power and not break the bank, not to mention, it's a TON of power in a TINY amp. Once we figure out what sub you got, we can move further towards reaching your goal.
I would spend $500 of your budget on a JL XD 700/5v2 and replace all your speakers with 2 ohm models. That will give you 100W RMS per channel and 300W RMS for your sub. Should be plenty more power and not break the bank, not to mention, it's a TON of power in a TINY amp. Once we figure out what sub you got, we can move further towards reaching your goal.
Thread Starter
Safety Car
Joined: Aug 2015
Posts: 4,708
Likes: 3
From: Ohio
All speakers are 6.5"s? Can you post a pic of the sub? I maybe able to help you figure out the model of it.
I would spend $500 of your budget on a JL XD 700/5v2 and replace all your speakers with 2 ohm models. That will give you 100W RMS per channel and 300W RMS for your sub. Should be plenty more power and not break the bank, not to mention, it's a TON of power in a TINY amp. Once we figure out what sub you got, we can move further towards reaching your goal.
I would spend $500 of your budget on a JL XD 700/5v2 and replace all your speakers with 2 ohm models. That will give you 100W RMS per channel and 300W RMS for your sub. Should be plenty more power and not break the bank, not to mention, it's a TON of power in a TINY amp. Once we figure out what sub you got, we can move further towards reaching your goal.
Thread Starter
Safety Car
Joined: Aug 2015
Posts: 4,708
Likes: 3
From: Ohio
All speakers are 6.5"s? Can you post a pic of the sub? I maybe able to help you figure out the model of it.
I would spend $500 of your budget on a JL XD 700/5v2 and replace all your speakers with 2 ohm models. That will give you 100W RMS per channel and 300W RMS for your sub. Should be plenty more power and not break the bank, not to mention, it's a TON of power in a TINY amp. Once we figure out what sub you got, we can move further towards reaching your goal.
I would spend $500 of your budget on a JL XD 700/5v2 and replace all your speakers with 2 ohm models. That will give you 100W RMS per channel and 300W RMS for your sub. Should be plenty more power and not break the bank, not to mention, it's a TON of power in a TINY amp. Once we figure out what sub you got, we can move further towards reaching your goal.
Here are some new pics. I started on the adapter plates. The door speakers are 2 way, I had to dremel out the adapter to fit the speaker. I believe I messed up and used the wrong solder to connect the twiddler. I have no sound from it.. Here is the solder.
Other pics
Any advice is greatly appreciated.
Thank all of you for your replies.
Jeff
Le Mans Master
Joined: Oct 2012
Posts: 9,366
Likes: 969
From: Out back
This is the sub you have:
https://www.pioneerelectronics.com/P...nt/TS-SW2502S4
It's not a bad shallow sub, and you're driving it with the right amount of power. What this means is that if that is not enough sub for you (meaning you want more bass), you will need another sub and more power...or a bigger sub and more amp. But you mentioned it was "too punchy" for you which to me means you need to EQ it. I would also need to know your signal sine wave...IE making sure your HU is not sending a clipped signal. Good news is this is all part of "tuning."
As far as the tweeter goes, where does the other end of the wire go to? Are you running a crossover? Direct into the amp? I didn't see X-overs in any of the pics. If you send a full signal to a tweet, you can kill it in seconds. So far man...don't spend a dollar on parts yet (even on the amp I recommended). It sounds like all you need is tuning. You won't know if 40-50W on the speakers isn't enough until you tune it. Got any good audio shops in the area?
Side note, do you have any sound deadening in the car?
https://www.pioneerelectronics.com/P...nt/TS-SW2502S4
It's not a bad shallow sub, and you're driving it with the right amount of power. What this means is that if that is not enough sub for you (meaning you want more bass), you will need another sub and more power...or a bigger sub and more amp. But you mentioned it was "too punchy" for you which to me means you need to EQ it. I would also need to know your signal sine wave...IE making sure your HU is not sending a clipped signal. Good news is this is all part of "tuning."
As far as the tweeter goes, where does the other end of the wire go to? Are you running a crossover? Direct into the amp? I didn't see X-overs in any of the pics. If you send a full signal to a tweet, you can kill it in seconds. So far man...don't spend a dollar on parts yet (even on the amp I recommended). It sounds like all you need is tuning. You won't know if 40-50W on the speakers isn't enough until you tune it. Got any good audio shops in the area?
Side note, do you have any sound deadening in the car?
Last edited by Pb82 Ronin; Jul 22, 2019 at 09:27 PM.
Thread Starter
Safety Car
Joined: Aug 2015
Posts: 4,708
Likes: 3
From: Ohio
This is the sub you have:
https://www.pioneerelectronics.com/P...nt/TS-SW2502S4
It's not a bad shallow sub, and you're driving it with the right amount of power. What this means is that if that is not enough sub for you (meaning you want more bass), you will need another sub and more power...or a bigger sub and more amp. But you mentioned it was "too punchy" for you which to me means you need to EQ it. I would also need to know your signal sine wave...IE making sure your HU is not sending a clipped signal. Good news is this is all part of "tuning."
As far as the tweeter goes, where does the other end of the wire go to? Are you running a crossover? Direct into the amp? I didn't see X-overs in any of the pics. If you send a full signal to a tweet, you can kill it in seconds. So far man...don't spend a dollar on parts yet (even on the amp I recommended). It sounds like all you need is tuning. You won't know if 40-50W on the speakers isn't enough until you tune it. Got any good audio shops in the area?
Side note, do you have any sound deadening in the car?
https://www.pioneerelectronics.com/P...nt/TS-SW2502S4
It's not a bad shallow sub, and you're driving it with the right amount of power. What this means is that if that is not enough sub for you (meaning you want more bass), you will need another sub and more power...or a bigger sub and more amp. But you mentioned it was "too punchy" for you which to me means you need to EQ it. I would also need to know your signal sine wave...IE making sure your HU is not sending a clipped signal. Good news is this is all part of "tuning."
As far as the tweeter goes, where does the other end of the wire go to? Are you running a crossover? Direct into the amp? I didn't see X-overs in any of the pics. If you send a full signal to a tweet, you can kill it in seconds. So far man...don't spend a dollar on parts yet (even on the amp I recommended). It sounds like all you need is tuning. You won't know if 40-50W on the speakers isn't enough until you tune it. Got any good audio shops in the area?
Side note, do you have any sound deadening in the car?
Thank you.
Jeff
Burning Brakes
Joined: May 2019
Posts: 765
Likes: 182
No xover...hmmm..doesn't sound right...poor tweeters are getting same signal as the mid woofer...unless there is some kind of internal xover.
unless you have these: https://www.crutchfield.com/S-YBAbDQ...dio-L65-S.html
which do have an internal crossover.
Crossover: Each tweeter has an integrated 6 dB/octave high-pass crossover, simplifying installation.
Wiring: Each woofer has two sets of wire terminals, shorted together. The tweeter wire connects to one set and the amplifier to the other.
yes I'm sitting at work ..bored...lol
unless you have these: https://www.crutchfield.com/S-YBAbDQ...dio-L65-S.html
which do have an internal crossover.
Crossover: Each tweeter has an integrated 6 dB/octave high-pass crossover, simplifying installation.
Wiring: Each woofer has two sets of wire terminals, shorted together. The tweeter wire connects to one set and the amplifier to the other.
yes I'm sitting at work ..bored...lol
Last edited by mfi2000; Jul 23, 2019 at 07:28 PM.
Thread Starter
Safety Car
Joined: Aug 2015
Posts: 4,708
Likes: 3
From: Ohio
No xover...hmmm..doesn't sound right...poor tweeters are getting same signal as the mid woofer...unless there is some kind of internal xover.
unless you have these: https://www.crutchfield.com/S-YBAbDQ...dio-L65-S.html
which do have an internal crossover.
Crossover: Each tweeter has an integrated 6 dB/octave high-pass crossover, simplifying installation.
Wiring: Each woofer has two sets of wire terminals, shorted together. The tweeter wire connects to one set and the amplifier to the other.
yes I'm sitting at work ..bored...lol
unless you have these: https://www.crutchfield.com/S-YBAbDQ...dio-L65-S.html
which do have an internal crossover.
Crossover: Each tweeter has an integrated 6 dB/octave high-pass crossover, simplifying installation.
Wiring: Each woofer has two sets of wire terminals, shorted together. The tweeter wire connects to one set and the amplifier to the other.
yes I'm sitting at work ..bored...lol
They sure do look the same. The last time I did this I could not find a model number on the speaker. Th will be doing the passenger side in the next few days. I will see if there is a model number.
Thank you