Car Audio
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Focal, A/D/S, Rainbow, CDT, Dynaudio, Diamond, MB Quart to name a few.
A/D/S are my favorite ones I've heard (haven't heard Rainbow or CDT).
I currently have Focal Kevlar line in my car and they sound good but have grown a little fatiguing to my ears. A little bright and sibilent.
A/D/S are my favorite ones I've heard (haven't heard Rainbow or CDT).
I currently have Focal Kevlar line in my car and they sound good but have grown a little fatiguing to my ears. A little bright and sibilent.
I thought that might be the case. I wonder if there are any specialized stores for car audio. I know we have some pretty awesome audio stores around here, but I haven't seen any car speakers. Do you guys have any recommendations for a set of car speakers that total in at under say...$400? Who makes good car receivers?
Thanks
Thanks
crutchfield actually has (had) a decent selection for car speakers. http://www.cardomain.com/shop/speakers also has an ok selection. There are tons out there on the internet.
I was a heavy fan of Polks when I was in college (and before I really got into this hi-fi audiophilia thing). Last set I owned was a 6-1/2" dB Series component set. My fave component set these days are the a/d/s separates - like kirknelson - very detailed, but not at all fatiguing.
Any of the brands mentioned thus far will do fine - just be careful with finding the correct fit and getting the optimal placement - probably the two biggest challenges with car audio.
Crutchfield has some decent offerings, but is by far the best place to go if you're new to car audio and want to try DIY'ing. Short of a specialized car audio shop (which have been hit or miss for me), I'd definitely browse the CF website.
Christian
Any of the brands mentioned thus far will do fine - just be careful with finding the correct fit and getting the optimal placement - probably the two biggest challenges with car audio.
Crutchfield has some decent offerings, but is by far the best place to go if you're new to car audio and want to try DIY'ing. Short of a specialized car audio shop (which have been hit or miss for me), I'd definitely browse the CF website.
Christian
Quote:
Beats best buy where he was going to look......
JBL, Polk, Boston Accoustics....they arent bad. Heck, did you even see the Kenwood anniversary speakers?
http://www.crutchfield.com/S-KRgb1jh...00&I=113XXV04S
Sure MB Quart, ADS, etc are nice. You could even go with Linn, MacIntosh, etc to go even better. I dont think he was looking for this.
| Neither Crutchfield nor Cardomain carry much good stuff. |
JBL, Polk, Boston Accoustics....they arent bad. Heck, did you even see the Kenwood anniversary speakers?
http://www.crutchfield.com/S-KRgb1jh...00&I=113XXV04S
Sure MB Quart, ADS, etc are nice. You could even go with Linn, MacIntosh, etc to go even better. I dont think he was looking for this.
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Do the same thing you would for home speakers...
Look up some of the brands I mentioned in my previous post and find the nearest dealer in your area.
Yes there are specialty car audio shops the same as there are specialty audio shops. Actually since the great installation is so important to a great car system there are likely to be twice as many specialty car shops in your neighborhood as specialty audio. Where ever you go make sure you take a look at some of the shop's handy work and get an idea of what the installs they are showing you cost.
My lesson learned story. I went into a shop and they had trophy's all over the place and a great demo car on the floor. I had them install my stereo and it looked and sounded really second rate. I questioned them about some of the things they did and then asked about the demo car and trophys. Came to find out those trophys were from "friends" of theirs that had won competitions while their cars never had and none of these "friends" actually worked in the shop. Also the demo car was "on loan" from the good people at PPI and had no offiliation with the shop.
So find out about the shops capabilities and experience BEFORE you have them do the install.
Look up some of the brands I mentioned in my previous post and find the nearest dealer in your area.
Yes there are specialty car audio shops the same as there are specialty audio shops. Actually since the great installation is so important to a great car system there are likely to be twice as many specialty car shops in your neighborhood as specialty audio. Where ever you go make sure you take a look at some of the shop's handy work and get an idea of what the installs they are showing you cost.
My lesson learned story. I went into a shop and they had trophy's all over the place and a great demo car on the floor. I had them install my stereo and it looked and sounded really second rate. I questioned them about some of the things they did and then asked about the demo car and trophys. Came to find out those trophys were from "friends" of theirs that had won competitions while their cars never had and none of these "friends" actually worked in the shop. Also the demo car was "on loan" from the good people at PPI and had no offiliation with the shop.
So find out about the shops capabilities and experience BEFORE you have them do the install.
What kind of car? What flavor of power, head unit or amplifier? Planning on a subwoofer as well? DIY or shop install?
Your options are almost infinite.
Feel free to PM me or e-mail me on the subject. I've been into car audio for 12 years now and can probably answer most anything you want to know on the subject.
Your options are almost infinite.
Feel free to PM me or e-mail me on the subject. I've been into car audio for 12 years now and can probably answer most anything you want to know on the subject.
I'd listen to some Focal, A/D/S, Diamond.
I ended up with some Diamond Hex S600S (silk dome) , truly overkill for my WRX...
car audio is tough...you think that dealer setups for home audio don't reflect your listening environment, car is night and day.
Be careful with brightness as well, in my WRX the tweets are higher and angled up and towards you. Even with the 3 dB cut adjustment on the crossover they tend to be hot up top. I have a rudimentary PEQ in my Kenwood DDX7015 I use to cut another 3 dB.
If you are mounting nearer the woofer on the same axis it should be more comperable.
Oh yeah, give it some juice too. You have a noisy enviroment and head units don't do anything justice! IMO it's a far more dire situation that in home theater where even a crappy receiver will actually put out over 35 WPC...
I ended up with some Diamond Hex S600S (silk dome) , truly overkill for my WRX...
car audio is tough...you think that dealer setups for home audio don't reflect your listening environment, car is night and day.
Be careful with brightness as well, in my WRX the tweets are higher and angled up and towards you. Even with the 3 dB cut adjustment on the crossover they tend to be hot up top. I have a rudimentary PEQ in my Kenwood DDX7015 I use to cut another 3 dB.
If you are mounting nearer the woofer on the same axis it should be more comperable.
Oh yeah, give it some juice too. You have a noisy enviroment and head units don't do anything justice! IMO it's a far more dire situation that in home theater where even a crappy receiver will actually put out over 35 WPC...
one thing we ALL overlooked.....
what is your budget?
Like others have said, installation is HUGE when it comes to car audio. Its like buying home speakers without a cabinet, then having someone "install" the speakers (cabinets = car). If you are getting anything semi custom figure on at least $1k for the install.
what is your budget?
Like others have said, installation is HUGE when it comes to car audio. Its like buying home speakers without a cabinet, then having someone "install" the speakers (cabinets = car). If you are getting anything semi custom figure on at least $1k for the install.
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What's it going into?
Unless you have a VERY discerning ear or plan to compete, for $1K you could (IMO) a damn fine system.
| Originally Posted by Xinith damn that much eh? I was planning on doing it myself, and I have some friends who could help me out some. I wanted to keep it under like 1k total |
Unless you have a VERY discerning ear or plan to compete, for $1K you could (IMO) a damn fine system.
right now i have a toyota Rav4, but I am going to be getting something new very soon. The speakers might influece my decision. Out of curiosity though, how hard is it to install speakers and a receiver in a car? My sister's friend seemed to do it pretty quickly.
Thank you guys very much
Thank you guys very much
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installation is extremely important, i can't stress that enough...if you can some how have the doors speakers enclosed within the door or at minimum use more than just a free air mount it will make a world of difference on the mid range and lower end.
kick panels are probably out of your budget
oh and yes, having sold car stereo equipment from Best Buy for 2 years, I'd really go online instead, you can find better stuff for equal or less $ out of the pocket..
kick panels are probably out of your budget
oh and yes, having sold car stereo equipment from Best Buy for 2 years, I'd really go online instead, you can find better stuff for equal or less $ out of the pocket..
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