replacing the speakers

[-=Z=-]

Where to begin? I just got my first car, a 1989 Accord LX-i. The previous owner put in a Blaupunkt RPD-545 CD receiver which is really nice, but the back two speakers are completely blown and the front two are beginning to crap out. I have no idea if they are original speakers, but they probably are.

I don't need to rumble the whole neighborhood when i turn up the music, and i don't need it to be so loud that they can hear it in the next state. So I'm thinking i'll just replace the four speakers with good quality 6 1/2"s (I think the rears are 6x9s now, but a 6.5 will work... right?). By the way, how deep can the speakers be?

The guy at Best Buy recommended Kenwood KFC-1677 speakers, which are a good price and have good reviews. However, sounddomain.com says the recommended RMS power rating is 80 watts, and my receiver only puts out 45 per channel... does that just mean I'll never get anywhere near blowing the speakers, or will quality suffer because i'm nowhere near the recommended level? Another possibility is the Cerwin-Vega HED-162 which have excellent reviews are are rated at 50 watts.

Final question: what would it take to add a tiny subwoofer? I don't want anything big, but the Cerwin-Vegas are notorious for bad bass. If there's a way to just hook up a small subwoofer to the receiver, I may think about doing it... but if i need an amp or any other equipment it probably isn't worth it.

Thanks!

[‹^› ‹(•¿•)› ‹^›]

WELL LET'S SEE!!! UR BEST BET IS TO LISTEN TO SOME SPEAKERS!!! AND GO WITH WHAT U LIKE!!! I HAVE TWO 6'1/2 ( 225W INFINITY ) & TWO 6X9 ( 200W SONY XPLOD ) NO AMP YET ...SOON!!! MY 4 SPEAKERS SOUND KEWL!! SO JUST PLAY IT BY EAR..

[catalin]

Originally posted by -=Z=-
recommended RMS power rating is 80 watts, and my receiver only puts out 45 per channel... does that just mean I'll never get anywhere near blowing the speakers, or will quality suffer because i'm nowhere near the recommended level? Another possibility is the Cerwin-Vega HED-162 which have excellent reviews are are rated at 50 watts.


Don't worry about power ratings, they will not matter in your application. However if you add an amp then you should be looking at power ratings.
With any head unit you could damage the speakers(regardless how much the're rated at) by simply turning up the bass too high or turning on the loudness at higher volume levels. The Kenwoods are an average speakers and they will do the job well, with the Cervin Vegas I have no experience.


Final question: what would it take to add a tiny subwoofer? I don't want anything big, but the Cerwin-Vegas are notorious for bad bass. If there's a way to just hook up a small subwoofer to the receiver, I may think about doing it... but if i need an amp or any other equipment it probably isn't worth it.

Thanks!

With a sub you'll need to run a two channel amp. Almost any amplifier will do as long as it has a built-in low pass x-over.
Pioneer does claim that with some of their higher end CD Players you could actually run a subwoofer off their rear channels. Have I done this before or heard one?? Nope.. but you can give it a try. :)

[89bumblethumper]

listen to speaker at the store (I suggest pioneer) but do NOT buy them at the store...becuase there are places on the net where you can get them for near half the asking price in a store. try

www.ikesound.com
www.ttadirect.com

or even ebay.

the above 2 listed sites ive purchaced from...both no hassle...ikesound ive delt with over 5 times and no fuss at all

And if you do plan on getting a sub dont get a 2 channel amp for it...get a mono channel sub...2 channels aren't really designed for subs...they work...but the mono channels are more efficient for subs.

[catalin]

Originally posted by 89bumblethumper

And if you do plan on getting a sub dont get a 2 channel amp for it...get a mono channel sub...2 channels aren't really designed for subs...they work...but the mono channels are more efficient for subs.

I was going to say mono too, but he doesn't seem like he wants to spend all that much money, nor does he want a big booming system.

[88lxicoupe]

www.millionbuy.com haha they even ship to canada now too

[catalin]

The prices are pretty similar to www.futureshop.ca much better service and support from Future Shop.

[sanjay]

Hey man how are you doing?
If you are going to go budget, listen to the guys who've posted above. Net prices are always cheaper because they don't include labour and storage costs. I say, just get the same SIZE speaker, of whatever is in your rear deck. Stock Standard Accords have 6.5" Gaps in the back, 4" Gaps in the front. If you get 6X9's then you probably won't need a small sub. 6X9's give pretty decent bass, however, if you want a sub, then don't get 6X9's cause they compete with the subwoofer for bass. I'd say, if the previous owner has modified their rear deck to accomodate 6X9's, then get some mid range 6X9's and some mid range 4" speakers for the front doors. Installing them yourself shouldn't be too much of a problem, just get a mate who's done it before to supervise.
Anyways, if you have any problems just post, I'm sure there are plenty of us who'd love to help!

[Vanilla Sky]

an 89 lx-i has cutouts for 6.5's in the front, and 6x9's in the back... i like cerwin's, infinity, and the polks about the best, but it's all up to what you want your shit to sound like

with even cheapo x-plod speakers, you won't need the sub, but you can get better shit for less online... try www.crutchfield.com, they have a lot of useful info on speakers

trust me... the speaker sizes i just poseted are CORRECT... some accords do however come with adapter rings to fit in smaller, cheaper speakers... just get rid of those when you get new speakers

Derick

[shepherd79]

hey Z,
Welcome on board.
frist of all make a budget you want to spend on speakers.
second, go to any stereo store and listen to a few speakers.
when you are in the store it is hard not to buy a good speakers.
i have two alpines and i love it.

[-=Z=-]

Thanks a lot for all the responses!

Now I have one more question about power. The Cerwin Vegas supposedly have great mid and high range sound, but no bass. The Kenwoods supposedly have muddier mid and high range, but nice bass. If I put the Kenwoods in the rear and the Cerwin-Vegas in the front, would it cause any problems since they demand different amounts of power?

[Vanilla Sky]

that is called speaker matching... having a set good for one range, and another set good in another range... i however like the sound of 4 of the same speakers (same model line)... all the sounds compliment each other

jbl's are also good, and not too horribly expensive

Derick

[dXsquared]

speaker quality does matter. i went for JBL's in the front and PPI carbon fibre 6X9's in the rear. they do sound good with a 400 canadian dollar deck. i went ahead and bought a 250 watt four channel amp and it is sooo much nicer. i can play the speakers so loud and the bass is sooo rich. ne way... about the sub, if u have a department store that sells car audio(wal mart) just go there and pick up a cheap amp(150 watts X 2) and bridge it to a Wal Mart Sub. build ur own box and remember that small boxes are for high bass and big boxes are for low bass.
Travis

[Vanilla Sky]

i think what we all are saying is to get the best your wallet can afford

Derick