Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums Modifications Audio door speakers..........again...

i don't check this forum all that often, so forgive me for asking a question that's probably been asked a couple hundred times already.

my (stock) front driver's side door speaker crapped out on me this week, so i'm suddenly in the market for new door speakers. it's been one of my "intended" upgrades for several months but i've always found other ways to use up my extra cash.

i don't intend to spend more than about $150 or so, and less would be better. i've always wanted to get separates, so the focal set that's been linked to recently (zalytron) seems interesting...i've got a 35wpc 2ch clarion amp lying around that i can use to power a pair of separates with if i go that route, though i was kind of leaning toward just buying a pair of drop-in full-range speakers and running off the HU for the time being (HU = eclipse 5440). the infinity kappa 572.icf for $75/pr (as linked to here - [ http://www.millionbuy.com/inf5721.html ]) looks awfully enticing, though - i could get two pairs of those for my budget and upgrade the door speakers all around.

installation wise, i think i can handle a simple drop-in type installation but am leery of tackling any amp wiring or separates.

thoughts? any other recommendations? should i go w/ something like the focal separates for $129 or the infinity kappa's?

fwiw, i've also got an 10" MTX thunder 5000 sub driven by a phoenix gold XS2300 300w amp, so bass output isn't all that critical from the doors.

thanks...

Well, the Focals will sound better than the Kappas but if you are going for ease of installation, the Kappas would probably work fine. Seems to be a pretty good price on them.

If it were me, I'd get the focals, but your priorities are probably different.

I'd rather have one set of good components up front and stock rears than 4 good Kappas. Oh wait, that's what I have. You don't have to use the external amp to enjoy them, especially if you're just a novice at this kind of stuff. I think components are easy to install, especially if you buy an adapter (I made mine).

I have an eclipse HU as well, and ran eclipse 5x7s on that HU for a while. Liked it. Had to drill different holes for the speakers, no biggy. Oh yeah, my drivers side window clips the magnet ever so slightly.

Anything, ANYTHING is an improvement over stock. If you've always wanted separates up front, might as well do them now.

I just hooked up an amp to my door speakers, and yeah, it's a lot better. They sound very full and can handle a lot of bass w/o distortion.

Now I don't know about that......

:rolleyes:

ok ok, i got carried away.
Now that I think about it, Kappas for $75 is an awesome deal! If you'd someday want to do separates, I wouldn't go through taking off these damn front doors more than I'd have to. FWIW
-dd

thanks for the input....i finally found my old post on this subject and re-read some of the responses there.

one thing that i'd forgotten about was a clarion pro-audio plate speaker that my local stereo installer had recommended. how would something like that compare to the kappa's or to the focal's? and how does this focal component set stack up to the "polykevlar" series and other much-more-expensive component sets? i don't know much at all about focal....i'd never heard of 'em till tim kirk said he had gotten some. i'm somewhat familiar w/ mb quart and a/d/s, but not such that i can discuss any of their attributes/shortcomings intelligently.

having just bought new speakers for my home theater, i'm fully aware of the benefits of auditioning speakers...but for a $100-$200 set of door speakers (vs. many times that for home speakers), methinks it's not too risky to rely on the opinions of experienced folks like y'all....

anyhoo, thanks for your thoughts thus far. i'm gonna stop by my local stereo guy this weekend to see if he has anything new that tickles my fancy, but until then i'll keep piddling around on the internet...

blake

I think I like the Clarions better than the Kappas, but I would probably like them less than the focals. I'm not sure how I would compare them to the polykevlar. I think the biggest difference between them would be the crossover and the power handling. I guess to make an analogy, these focals compare to polykevlar the same way MB Quarts midgrade (DSD??) compare to their Q series.

well, i think i'm down to two choices:

1. infinity kappa 572.iCF, ~$76/pr @ http://www.millionbuy.com/inf5721.html . ($100/pair at crutchfield)

2. clarion proaudio SRC5753, $105/pr @ http://www.discountcarstereo.com/Clarion/Src5753.htm . ($150/pair at crutchfield)

if i decide to go w/ components later, i can always move this pair to the back...right? (i ask the question in case either pair won't fit back there.)

my local stereo guy was trying to steer me toward a pair of diamond audio 5x7/6x8's that he described as partial components or something like that (separately aim-able tweeter mounted in the center of the speaker, blah blah blah). retails for ~$230/pr + $45 installation + tax = ~$300 out the door. compare that to the kappa's at $75/pair or the clarion's at $105/pair, and i don't see how i'm gonna notice 3-4x the difference by going w/ the diamond audio ones.

so, those are my thoughts on the matter....does anyone have any experience w/ either of the above retailers (millionbuy.com, discountcarstereo.com) - good/bad/indifferent? also, if i do decide a month or two down the road to go for a set of components (i.e., the focal's at zalytron, etc.), will the sound "mesh" better w/ one or the other (clarion vs. infinity)? does it matter? i know that in home theater it's very important to have timbre-matched front left/center/right speakers and moderately important to rears that match the fronts; is this pertinent to car audio (obviously, i'm not dealing w/ 5.1-channel sound, but i do want the sound to blend from front to rear).

thanks again for the help....
blake