This rather long message is in regards to a previous post by the Jakeman:

"Has anyone used Pioneer's TS-A6865 6X8 speakers. I see they are custom made for Ford and will fit in the Contique. They are rated at 180 watts. I would like to use them but only if they are good. I would probably use Pioneer's Supertuner III CD player at 45 watts. I am not looking to spend a lot of fortune. I just want something that sounds nice.

Also I have found the Speakers online for $75 a pair, better than Best Buy's $100.

What do you think?"
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This post just proves the old saying; ask a 1000 people the same question and you'll get a 1000 different answers.

My 2 cents is that the Pioneers', while not the best speakers on the market, are much better than what came stock in the car. It all comes down to how much money you want to spend in the long run; better speakers = more money = more power = more money = power cables, interconnects, fuse holders, etc. = more money. You get the point.

Here is my experience with my 98 Contour.
Bought and installed Pioneer TS-A6815 3-ways (6x8). Had better bottom end and cleaner highs than the stock stuff. Very efficient speakers, does not require a lot of power to drive them. Very decent speakers for the money.
Removed them after about a week because I got a pair of Infinity Kappa 572.1cf's (5x7). These had a MUCH better bottom end, but the Pioneers' have a better midrange and upper end. POWER HUNGRY! The measily 13 watts per channel from my Blaupunkt Aspen wasn't enough to drive them efficiently.
The 572.1cf's were pulled after about a month because I got a pair of Infinity Kappa 57.1cs. Essentially the same speaker with one important difference; this is a component system. The separate tweeter can be mounted anywhere remotely close to your ears. Same comments as the previous Kappas' except that the upper end is better due to the remote tweeter location.
The 57.1cs' were pulled after about two months because I got a pair of Infinity Kappa 6x9 3-ways. Heaven! These are it. I have found my Holy Grail. Everything is there; bottom end, midrange and top end. Yes, 6x9s' will fit in the front doors without modifications. Yes, they clear the window. Yes, they require oodles and oodles of power. I also have 6x9 2-ways in the rear doors. This required some MINOR cutting of the metal door handle bracket. I installed a 200 watt power amp to drive these babies.
If anyone is interested in listening to this system, I live in the San Francisco Bay Area. Drop me a message at wjang@earthlink.net.

By the way, size does matter; there IS a size difference between 5x7 and 6x8. The stock speakers as well as the Pioneers' are true 6x8. A lot of the others including the Infinity's are 5x7. I've measured them so it's twue, it's twue.

Last comment to this overly long post; If anyone is interested in buying a slightly used pair of Pioneer TS-A6815's or Infinity Kappa 572.1cf's, let me know at wjang@earthlink.net. I still have the original boxes, hardware and instuctions.

Has anyone noticed that I like Infinity's?