Which front speakers?

[stevie_b]

I don't know much about ICE, so please bear with me...

I want to replace the stock front speakers because one of them is blown. I've read all about making up a MDF bracket so that I can fit 6.5" speakers. What is the advantage of bigger speakers (against, say 4")? More bass? Clearer sound?

I think I'll probably go for Infinity 6512s (£70 in Halfords), as a nice budget option, maybe with some dynamat in the doors. I could push the budget to about £100 if some better speakers were worth it. I'm not a big ICE fan and I don't go for loads of bass, just want speakers that work and sound OK. I'm going to run the speakers just from the headunit (recent Pioneer model, 50W I think), not an external amp.

I've heard that component speakers give a good sound. Are they hard to fit? Presumably I'd need to fit the tweeter separately, and that means cutting a hole for it in the door card, mounting it on a bracket, etc. Sounds like a lot of hassle to me! Also, for component speakers, would I need a spearate amp (which would definitely rule them out for me!)?

Any views appreciated!

[supRo]

Hey mate,
Yes, bigger speaker can handle more volume and produce bass better.
Your suggestion with the head unit and Dynomat is basically what I have except it's the Infinity reference 6500 6.5 " components - Very impressed with them and they are powered by the head unit. I fitted the tweeter next to the speaker - no brackets, just two small screws and a tiny hole to put the cable through. A doddle! See my garage pic and there's a pic of them. The tweeter runs off the crossover so no need for additional amp. My crossover sits inside the door - just pushes in and sits firmly :)
For £5 more go for these ;)
http://caraudiosecurity.com/shop/product/products_id/1555.html

Ro

[stevie_b]

Thanks Ro,

I noticed in your garage that you've got an amp: did you have any problems with running the infinity speakers just from the headunit? Been reading another forum too, and someone reckoned that infinity's aren't great without an external amp. I think the guy just had high standards though (typically any speaker will sound better through a decent amp I guess)

[supRo]

My head unit is a Pioneer 4 X 50W. Volume and clarity wise it's absolutely fine! Bass is not that loud hence the sub. But as you say you're not a bass head so you don't need it! Aftermarket amp will make them (speakers) sound better but I don't think you need it. My amp just runs my 10" Sub.

[stevie_b]

Thanks Ro :thumbs:

[RobSupra]

if your in halfrauds take a look at the vibe or focal components to, even there entry level stuff is very good and will cost you less than your £100 figure.
i have focal entry level components in my supe and have just removed the amp and run them from the stereo and there isnt a great deal difference in sound. It does depend on what stereo you have though to be fair ive been through a few the last few years kenwood and alpine are top dog but when i had my sony the components sounded naff so had to amp them

[McCoy]

if ur gona get some infinitys get them from a online trader rather than hellfrauds, I bought mine from hellfrauds and then found them online at £30 less so I took them back lol, but yeah iv got a pioneer 4 x 50 unit and infinty speakers and it sounds prety good 2 be honest, Iv also got a jbl amp and sub package for a nice bit of bass, if you like a lot of bass for not much cash then id recommend them 2

[DanStwo]

Generally the bigger the speaker the better it can reproduce midbass frequencies...

Personally if I was you I would go for 6.5 coaxials ran off the headunit, yeah sure you can run components off the headunit but as you say if you are not really into audio its will imo be more hassle than what its worth. Plus the crossovers tend to sap a bit more power than the inline crossovers on the coaxials.

With any speaker around the £100 there will probably be very little difference, best bet is to try and listen to as many soundboards as possible... even this isnt the best way to do it, but it will give you an idea of whats what.

Hope any of that helps

Dan

[stevie_b]

Thanks guys.

Another thing: how do I know what speakers will actually fit in the soop? There's a bewildering array of 6.5" speakers out there (I can't find the 6512's online: maybe they're being phased out?), so what measurements are the limiting ones? Depth of speaker (I mean distance between the "back plate" and the front of the cone), I'm guessing.

Edit: sorry, I found them on the same site suggested by supRo above! :)

[lockys96]

there are some infinity 6527 on ebay
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/INFINITY-KAPPA-652-7i-6-5-inch-225W-CAR-SPEAKERS-NEW_W0QQitemZ230003994271QQihZ013QQcategoryZ18799QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

[stevie_b]

there are some infinity 6527 on ebay

Thanks for the tip-off. Do you know if these would fit the soop? They're 6.75": is that too big for the template that's knocking around on the forum?

[lockys96]

they say 6.5 in the title and description.

if you like infinity just search 6.5 infinity in ebay