System Upgrade Advice!

[chrisbmxr]

As soon as finances allow, i'm planning on upgrading the sound system in my cup.

So far I have decided on an Alpine HU and I know that I definetely dont want a sub!

Once i've installed my stereo i'm going to upgrade the speakers in the doors(components) and the ones in the rear(coaxials). I dont really want to have to amplify these so they will be running at 50w from the headunit. Has anyone done this? If so, what speakers did you use, and how does it sound?

I'm not looking for booming bass, but i dont want it to be too tinny either!

Cheers

 

[Pedro]

You will notice the improvement but it wont be breathtaking without the amp unfortunately..

Not sure if this helps you or not.

 

[wallop]

I'm sorry to say mate, but without a sub you will struggle for bass in most cases....

Even high end sound quality orientated installs still require a sub or two....

You need to consider how best it is to reproduce the lower frequencies, 13cm mid drivers simply aren't going to manage it....

Whilst an Alpine head unit will supply more output power, it will still struggle to supply low end grunt at even moderate volume....

You could opt for an active 3way front end, but this will require serious modding of your doors or kick panels, (probably both)....Assuming you select an Alpine which supports this, you would still require external amplification....

I would suggest you try to listen to a few different setups in various cars to get an idea of what is actually possible with or without external amplification....

I feel you may be expecting a little too much from head unit power alone....

 

[st3ve]

The only alternative to a sub afaik is a set of 3way 6x9's which you could fit into a stealth shelf and they can produce a decent amount of bass but they will need to be amplified.

Don't expect amazing sound without a sub or an external amp though.

 

[chrisbmxr]

In my old Baleno GSR I had standard door speakers, a 10 inch sub and 6x9's (amplified) and it sounded awesome. The only problem was that the sub tended to rattle most of the car loose!

I think what i'll do is put the Alpine HU in, then put some amplified 6x9's in and see how I get on.

Has anybody heard or used them kenwood 6x9 subwoofers that are available? I like the idea, but not sure how well it would work with the whole boot as an acoustic chamber!

Taa

 

[Dblock]

TBH i wont bother with 6x9's. They are good at making the car loud but it drags the sound stage back to much in my opinion. Better spending that money on an amp and good comps. WonkyJon on TA is doing a build for a clio pm him for a price for 6.5" comps as they will have better mid bass atleast.