New speaker help, any car audio guys out there?

[nfpgasmask]

So, I need a full set of speakers for my VX. I don't want to spend a fortune, and I want something that will be easy to install and fit in the stock positions with no or little work. Has anyone bought anything recently that fits the bill?

Thanks - Bart

[ipd]

My advice is to stay away from components then. They may sound slightly better, but they usually require more work & a custom mount location. I'd probably stick to 2 way speakers (or even 3 way) for more simplicity.

As to brand, that's REALLY up to user choice, but I've loved the Pioneer TS-D's I've had in my GTO for years.

P.S.

I don't know if you plan to use an amp or not. If not, make sure you purchase speakers designed to work with less power. If (for example) you use 100w speakers but can't supply them with >50w of power, they simply won't sound as good as 50w speakers on 50w of power.

[nfpgasmask]

Thanks, and yes, no amp, just want to replace the stock speakers. So what sizes do I need? I want to replace all four plus the small tweeters in the doors. Then, I can pick out what brand I want from there I guess.

Thanks again,

Bart

[ipd]

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=sr_hi_6?rh=n%3A172282%2Cn%3A!493964%2Cn%3A3248 684011%2Cn%3A1077068%2Cn%3A226184%2Cn%3A760560%2Cp _6%3AA2TGMCZ4O2P52Z&bbn=760560&ie=UTF8&qid=1441338416

Discounts Jungle used to have it's own website, but I guess this is where they ended up. Still great prices, imho.

[ipd]

I'm reading a variety of different reports on the sizes, everything from 5" to 6.5" to 6x9 (rears). I don't have my VX on me at the moment (it's still new to me), so I can't recall the tweeters at all. I remember only the door speakers by the footwell, and the rears. What I can say from experience is that you can usually fit pretty much anything in a door speaker, if it will fit the enclosure. Many have plastic mounting enclosures, so if you use self-tapping screws, you can "make" your own mount holes in them & toss in whatever size (diameter) will fit. On my GTO, this meant replacing 6.25" with 6.5". There's a caveat to this though.

You have to make sure the magnet depth doesn't impede the window. If magnet is too deep, it will block the window from retracting. Alternatively, if the face of the speaker is too high, it won't fit properly under the stock grille. Here's an example of what I did with my GTO. I clipped the webbing out from behind the grille, and that allowed me to place the Pioneer speaker grill BEHIND the OEM grille in the car, kind of a "stealth" install, if you will.

http://www.3si.org/gallery/data/586/PICT0738.JPG

Of course, if you can get some aftermarket grilles, (custom make your own, fiberglass your door card, etc)--then there's virtually no limit to size/depth of what you can mount there.

[ipd]

One more thing, don't pay attention to people who try to convince you that any one brand/type of speaker is absolutely better than everything else. I've had this argument with people about headphones (sennheiser ftmfw, btw). It really, truly depends on a variety of factors. What music do you listen to? How much of a bass-head are you? Are you willing to sacrifice a little clarity for a little more "thump"? I can promise you that whatever setup you have that masterfully & accurately reproduces classical music in your VX....will probably sound mediocre if you play dubstep or thug rap....and the inverse is also true.

My advice for this is to pay attention to the frequency ranges that speakers can reproduce. This is where components & 2/3 ways really do great, because you have multiple speakers which are each handling different frequency ranges--rather than trying to force 1, single 5" speaker to push everything from 15hz to 25,000hz. At a basic level, your sound system should have a variety of speakers that can each handle different, overlapping parts of that frequency range--without gaps. That's what I'd aim for first. It gets very complex from there, trying to balance the soundstage so that all soundwaves reach the listener at the same time (which also varies based on which seat in the vehicle is occupied).

[simonsayz1]

Just replaced all speakers and radio from www.crutchfield.com. Used Kenwood KFC-1065S 4" 2-Way Speakers for the rear and Kenwood KFC-1665S 6-1/2" 2-Way Speakers for the front, both required zero cutting. You also get wire harnesses so there is no splicing just plug and play and they send you a master instruction sheet with detailed instructions (with pics of the vehicross interior) on how to remove the existing speakers. Take the back seat out when doing the rear speakers, makes life alot easier!!!

[sporg]

I too went through crutchfield for my gear recently. I went with two pair of Kickers and will be getting a small all-in-one sub to fill out the sound a bit better. Oh, one word of advice, I had to get an antenna extension because the antenna port on the head unit I picked up (Kenwood) was on the opposite side of where the factory one runs. Some vehicles give you some play, but the VehiCROSS antenna cable didn't have enough to get it plugged in. Save yourself some frustration and double-check that when you order. Reading over your post again I see you just mentioned speakers, but keep that in mind if you ever change out the head unit.

Here's what I went with and had zero issues installing. Crutchfield is pretty good about letting you know what will fit right in and what won't. I may at some point go with something different in the rear - but that would require cutting and I just wanted to get things up and running since the rear speakers were blown. Also, keep in mind that I'm running an aftermarket head unit, so these speakers would probably sound different with the stock setup. Sound is a pretty subjective thing and everyone has their own preferences.
Front:
http://www.crutchfield.com/p_2064CS654/Kicker-40CS654.html?tp=95
Rear:
http://www.crutchfield.com/p_2064CS44/Kicker-40CS44.html?tp=102


As far as sub is concerned I may try to throw this under the passenger seat. I started throwing cash at this vehicle and had to stop myself on the pleasure items because there's some other stuff that needs to get taken care of first :)
http://www.crutchfield.com/p_777B8PTD/Sound-Ordnance-B-8PTD.html

[WormGod]

Crutchfield is WAY overpriced. Find what you want from there (research and such), then find that same product on Amazon or Newegg. Save yourself the $$.

I have done a LOT of custom stereo work to my VX so my advice would not exactly help you much, heh. Dremels, heat guns, and solder are probably not among the steps you want to hear. In any case, make it FUN. Dont make a job out of it. The VX is actually a pretty fun and easy car stereo install platform.

[ipd]

I agree about crutchfield. Again, discount jungle is your place.

[nfpgasmask]

Thanks, all, this is exactly the info I need.

Bart

[ipd]

sure thing. let me know if you have more questions.

[nfpgasmask]

Dremels, heat guns, and solder are probably not among the steps you want to hear.
Yeah, I have all that. You forgot heat shrink. :) Are you saying that this is the best way to splice in your speakers? Basically, one of the rear speakers is horribly blown. I want to swap out the tape deck and install a newer head unit and while I am doing it, replace all the speakers. I was planning to keep this VX 100% stock, but I just can't deal with not being able to plug in my iPod any longer. lol

Bart

[simonsayz1]

If you go with a different headunit get the antenna extension like sporg said, very frustrating but all is easy to install. When I ordered through crutchfield they also included a cubby to replace the the cd changer.

[mrlarrys]

[went to crutchfield and went with kickers - front replacements went in easy as if they were stock - 4 screws each but rears seem to be a nightmare installing so just went with new fronts. sounds good with only two for now.

[simonsayz1]

Mrlarrys, the rears aren't as bad as you think. I planned a whole day but it only took a couple hours, TAKE THE BACK SEAT OUT!!! I think I still have the instruction sheet from crutchfield if anyone wants it.

[ipd]

Again, crutchfield is WAY overpriced. If you're not using an amp, I wouldn't worry too much about what head-unit you want to use. Nor would I worry about iPod connectivity. Get one with a USB port & plug one of these into it. 128GB is PLENTY of music, and you can just plug it in the USB port & forget its even there. I've got one on the way for my head unit. Plus you don't have to worry about the battery on your phone/device.

http://www.amazon.com/SanDisk-Ultra-128GB-Flash-SDCZ43-128G-G46/dp/B00YFI1EBC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1441408161&sr=8-1&keywords=ultra+fit+128

FWIW, I used quick-splice connectors when I did it. Butt splicing, twist splicing, etc--these all are a pain, hard to reverse, and potentially can fail. The splicers I got are reusable, you just put a wire in from each end, and snap it closed. Cake. For the head unit though, I HIGHLY recommend getting a loom (wire harness). This item plugs into the stock head-unit plug & then is custom-wired to fit your aftermarket head-unit. The beauty of this is that you can simply unplug the loom & directly plug in the stock radio without any work. Plus, if you swap out head-units in the future & you've already chopped off the stock plug, you get more and more of a rat's nest over time.

P.S.
One last thing. Don't pay attention to the peak wattage of speakers or head unit. Pay attention to the RMS of both--they should be near the same range for maximum results (assuming you are not using an amp).

[tjh]

I have 2 cents.:)

recently fed my kenwood kvt 516 a knuckle sandmich, it was hungry trust me! I preplaced it with a blaupunkt toronto 420bt... most definitely the clearest sounding head unit I have ever owned. The bluetooth is garbage though. Had kenwood speakers for a trip to moab one year, i pulled them out as soon as I returned home, they were horrible. I went with boston acoustic component after that only, complaint is that the cross-overs should have been setup to solder the wires in. The screw that secure the wires are a joke. I have recently solder most of them in,Yay. On the cheap spectrum of speakers I've had tolerable results with sony explodes, they are muddy but good enough.