help me out with stereo equipment...

[ckhd]

Looking to replace some speakers. I'm not up on it enough to know which are good and which are bad.

If you would, rate the following from 1-10, with 10 being the best speakers ever. If it makes a difference, I'm looking for 4" speakers. I'm not looking for high-end top-of-the-line, just decent, not-too-expensive speakers:

• Pioneer
• Infinity
• Sony
• Jensen
• Rockford Fosgate
• Kenwood
• JBL
• Clarion
• Alpine
• Any I missed you think are worth mentioning

What do you think of the Sony and Jensen speakers sold at Wally World? I know that sometimes they get lower quality stuff and that's how they sell the 'same' stuff cheaper.

[4x4Poet]

Ha! If only it were that easy to rate speakers. They vary within brand, let alone between brands. I think I can only say, in general, that speakers by manufacturers that only make speakers usually sound better, size for size/RMS handling for RMS handling, than speakers branded by a maker of car stereo components other than speakers.

Boston Acoustic makes some of the best. So does Infinity, and maybe Polk. But you said inexpensive. I would just buy speakers with heavy magnets and waterproof cones from a name brand that's on sale. 4" ain't gonna get you much, anyway.

Some online sights:
Vendor:
http://www.cardomain.com/shop?ref=gogw6
Info with links to vendors:
http://www.carstereo.com/
http://stereos.about.com/

[Matt67C10]

Check out www.crutchfield.com
I've had very good luck with them.

[tnblazerk5]

Originally Posted by Matt67C10

Check out www.crutchfield.com
I've had very good luck with them.

they have good prices and good stuff in there !!!!!!!!! and i have had good luck with them too

[boraxman]

I would have to agree w/ Crutchfield. Fast shipping, free istall instuctions, adapters. Look for sale items, you will get more for your money.

[shifty]

Originally Posted by ckhd

Looking to replace some speakers. I'm not up on it enough to know which are good and which are bad....<snip....I'm looking for 4" speakers.

In a 4" speaker you probably won't be able to tell the difference. 4": Speakers put out nothing but midrange (and lots of treble if you buy a 4" coaxial)

The blue pioneer (or jensen) dual-cone 4" and 3.5" speakers you often find at walmart produce a very "tinny" (not tiny, tinny as in metallic, "tin") sound.

I suggest hitting Cardomain and finding a nice pair of Infinitys if you're dead set on using a 4" speaker - but 4" speakers suck and I would use at least a 5¼" coaxial speaker if possible.

[bouncytruck]

It used to be that Polks and Infinity weren't very efficient. They took a lot more power to push them, often more than a reciever could product. Pioneers were amoung the most efficient. Is this still the case?

[shifty]

I always use an amplified system; not really sure on that bouncytruck.

Out of the list of brans posted here, if you want the most bang for your buck and best sound quality, Polk and Infinity are the way to go. and if you have enough money for Boston Acoustics, you don't need to worry about price and probably aren't driving a truck like ours

I always thought Infinity was overrated, but I had nothing but joy out of the Infinitys I had in my '03 Sierra SLE. I was pushing ~50w into them (RMS) from a JL Audio amplifier, though...

I know they produce exceptional sound. And I also know you're not going to get much of a freq range out of a 4" speaker in a stock enclosure (or open mounted in your cab)

[Tanker350]

If you want to get into money, look at MB Quart and Eclipse. Thats what I had in my Old Truck. Awesome stuff but alot of money.

[shifty]

Sorry - I don't mean Cardomain, I mean Sounddomain ( www.sounddomain.com )

They're just like crutchfield, only their prices are usually better (IMO) and the service is just as good.

[4x4Poet]

Shifty, sounddomain and cardomain are the same company. If you enter sounddomain.com and click on car stereo links, you'll be sent to cardomain.com

[shifty]

Gotcha. I knew they were related, but I think if you go to cardomain, you look at cars and if you go to sounddomain, you look at stereo stuff.

I've known about crutchfield since back in the early 90's. I've always thought they were way overpriced (usually 5-15% markup over everyone else) and I never need any of the extra crap they send me. Sounddomain was terribly easy to order through and they shipped ultrafast (got here in 2 days by ground). I ordered all of my mids and highs from them, along with all of my wire, connectors and other stuff. After that, Crutchfield permanently lost me as a customer. Sounddomain always has good sales and clearances each quarter and I typically cash in on them.

[bouncytruck]

Car domain is out of the Seattle area.

I always though that Crutchfield was overpriced too. They have nice info and specs, but I'd comparison shop. Especially nowadays with the web making it so easy.

What about Kenwood? Are they junk these days?

[shifty]

I'll say the same thing about stereo equipment I say about cell phones:

Every manufacturer has a "crap" line and a "kickass" line. If you spend **** for money, you're going to get **** for product. You get what you pay for.

Almost all of the higher end stuff from most manufacturers is good. If you must buy cheaper, you might try Overstock.com or something and hope they get stuff in.

[ckhd]

Thanks for the info guys. I'll look in to making the holes bigger to accept the 5¼" speakers. I'm not the type that has an amp and listens loud, so I don't need wonderful stuff, just better than the 15 year old cracked Alpines that are in there now.

[1978steven]

I agree with Shifty you pay for what you get. I really enjoy Kicker and Alpine myself. Stay with Alpine and just replace the 15 year old ones you currently have!

I have used a place called Hooked On Tronics several times. Good deal, great prices, and awesome products.

www.hookedontronics.com