Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums Modifications Audio Questions on upgrade

Hi all. Kinda new here but been reading and searching for a few months.

Sorry for the lengthy blethering also !

My previous car was a 95 Escort GT. After a trip to Best Buy and spending 350 bucks or so on a Sony 52x4 CD player, Pioneer 6.5 inch doors and Sony Xplode 6x9's and enclosures I discovered that it sounded like total crap compared to the 80w (rms or peak...not sure) factory stereo in my 99 Taurus. Most of the difference was the low bass frequencies were not there in my aftermarket stuff. My Taurus has really good bass response from the factory 6x8's.

So...now with my recently bought tour I have a couple of questions. I'm planning on a Pioneer or Kenwood HU...may consider the Sony but wondering about Sony in general after the previous experience. The Pioneer HU at Best Buy for 109USD I was considering is 50x4 peak and 22x4 rms.

So..first question...would the Rockford Fosgate 6x8's the have on their site for 99USB be noticable better than than the 60 dollar Pioneers or Kenwoods with the aforementioned HU ?

Second question would be....am I gonna be asking myself "Wheres the bass?". I don't mean loud thumping sub bass of course but just wondering if I will get the full range and not hear the speaker wimp out when a song hits one of the really low frequency notes. If my factory Taurus stereo can do it then whats up with aftermarket stuff unless the Taurus has good component stuff ?

Ok...I'll stop with the babbling now ! thanks for any ideas or answers y'all =)

Also noticed the Polk Audio and Infinity sets for 99USD. Any thoughts on those ? Frequency response rating is different from most of the cheaper ones. I'm pretty dumb at the fine details of this stuff tho so enlighten me ! Thanks !

I think the Infinity should do good, but make sure you match the RMS ratings between the headunit and the speakers.



....then again, I have a set of components hook to my headunit (Infinity 6500cs 90wrms hooked to Pioneer 22wrms) and it sounds pretty punchy, better than stock.

I would suggest you allocate money for an amp for the front speakers, no matter which you choose. To most rear fill is not that important, so HU power on them would be fine on them. But front speakers, even coaxils with an amp that puts out 30w-50w each will make a world of difference in the sound.


Personally, I wouldn't even change the stock rear speakers unless they are blown. That saving right there is a small amp.