Speaker suggestions?

[BigRedJeepster0381]

I'm looking to replace the stock speakers in my 98, especially the back speakers. I don't want to put a system in because I need the room in the back. Are there any speakers out there that could throw as good of a punch as a woofer? I'm also curious to see what speakers you went with when replacing the stock speakers.

I'm not an expert when it comes to audio equipment so any advice or suggestions will help.

Thanks!


Jeremy

 

[nosajwp]

Check out the Cerwin Vega Vmag speakers. That's what I'll get when I upgrade. You can get them from www.etronics.com. They have excellent low and high frequency extension.

Also, check out www.jeepforum.com. There's an awsome tech writeup about a sub enclosure a guy fabbed up in his rear cargo side "cubby" hole. Looks completely stealth.

 

[DDCxj]

I'm not real big on systems but last summer i put Sony Xplod 3-way speakers in the front (about $100 for the pair) and Kenwoods in the back (paid about $90 for those), and they work great. They handle a good amount of bass. If you want a sub but dont want to lose room in back, I remember seeing a custom box for a 10" sub that fits into the side between the rear wheelwell and liftgate but your gonna need a small amp to.

Dean

 

[Kejtar]

I'm looking to replace the stock speakers in my 98, especially the back speakers. I don't want to put a system in because I need the room in the back. Are there any speakers out there that could throw as good of a punch as a woofer? I'm also curious to see what speakers you went with when replacing the stock speakers.

I'm not an expert when it comes to audio equipment so any advice or suggestions will help.

Thanks!


Jeremy

Just go to a store and listen. I ended up getting some 3 way pioneer speakers cause I like their sound best.

 

[Eagle]

Are there any speakers out there that could throw as good of a punch as a woofer? I'm also curious to see what speakers you went with when replacing the stock speakers.

I'm not an audio expert either, but I know enough to know that this is impossible. The stock speakers in the rear are 5-1/4". Regardless of speaker quality and magnet size, there's no way a 5-1/4" speaker can match the bass output of a dedicated woofer.

Even if you don't choose to buy from them, Crutchfield lists specs for a huge assortment of speakers. Check them out and look at the frequency range each speaker covers. If you're interested in bass, look for the ones with the best low end and don't be as concerned about the high end.

 

[whosyourdaddy?]

Alpine speakers are far and away the best value. You can abuse them and they will play for years. If money is no option go for boston acoustics. Alpine 6x9's in the correct location or box will provide a decent amount of low end and don't require a lot of air space. I will post some pics of my 6" speakers that I mounted on the rear hatch and also in the doors. They do a good job of hitting the lows but if your looking for deep bass you need a sub.

 

[HossHoffer]

I made some speaker extension mounts for one of the XJs. Just little mdf circles or ovals. You can mount a much bigger speakers and not impinge on the cargo space.

 

[bustednutz]

I have a 98 XJ Sport, and I went with Infinity's all the way around. I replaced the fronts with their 6.5 inch 6002SI and went with 5.25 Infinity's in the rear. 5002i.
The bass from the fronts sounds clean, punchy and smooth.
There IS a difference in speaker quality.
I bought both pairs on eBay. Thats a great site to get the most bang for the buck when it comes to speakers.
I have a Blaupunkt Tampa Bay CD receiver powering the speakers. No external amps at all.
SOUNDS FANTASTIC!

You can't go wrong with Infinity. Reference or Kappa series. Kappa are huge money though.

 

[bustednutz]

one more thing. No cutting or drilling to install the infinity 6.5's in the front.

 

[Quarterwave]

Just been viewing this thread and was wondering if 6.5's will fit in the front of a 93' 2 door without any cutting ?

Whosyourdaddy - any chance of getting some pics for yr install of the 6x9's ? I have a new set lying around and want to put them in my rear cargo hatch, without taking up any cargo room....

Thx,
Quarterwave

 

[cherokee89]

Alpine speakers are far and away the best value. You can abuse them and they will play for years. If money is no option go for boston acoustics. Alpine 6x9's in the correct location or box will provide a decent amount of low end and don't require a lot of air space. I will post some pics of my 6" speakers that I mounted on the rear hatch and also in the doors. They do a good job of hitting the lows but if your looking for deep bass you need a sub.

I second the Boston's. If you want great sound without a sub, you will have to buy good speakers. The Boston Pro's will cost you at least $350/pair, but the sound will be awesome. How much are you willing to spend?

One more thing...If you aren't willing to get into a very expensive addiction, stay away from high-end audio. It will be great for a while, then you will want more. Whether it is bass, sound quality, whatever, it will never stop. :guitar:

 

[Cherokid]

My understanding is that you want to spend more money on the front speakers. That is what you'll hear most. Also, to get good bass response you have to run decent power. (I've got a 45watt head unit that has plenty of punch.) I too have a set of 3 way sony xplod fronts. I went with the three way because the mid range really comes alive. (vocals, brass, piano and guitar all get showcased as they should.) Running 2 ways in the back will keep the mid range stronger up front. A little less expensive speakers in the back won't be noticeable as they will be there just to fill the sound and generally (because of the location) get better bass response keeping the low frequencies a little more prominent in the back. The people in the back won't notice the difference because usually you'll be talking and not doing a sound check with 4 in the car. Make sure you don't run them so hard that they distort. Distortion will kill a speaker quick.

Summed up. I'd go with more money on 3 way fronts. A little less on 2 way rears. And if later you want more bass, add the box btwn the wheel well and hatch.

Now, will that be Vivaldi or Van Halen?
Cherokid

 

[Cherokid]

P.S. The intention of a sub is to overcome the vibrations the engine generates on the speaker mounting surface. Try this. With the engine of listen to the bass on any music you're familiar with. Then start the jeep and listen. The bass response will degrade. The subs original intent was to bring that lost low end back. Adding a sub also means you can filter out some of the bass frequencies sent to your other speakers, working them less and making them last longer.

Mozart or Motorhead?
Cherokid

 

[Beej]

P.S. The intention of a sub is to overcome the vibrations the engine generates on the speaker mounting surface....... The subs original intent was to bring that lost low end back.

I'm not trying to call you out here, but could you explain where you learned this theory? I have been a bassplayer and audiophile for many years and have had many systems in cars and home, and this is the first time I have ever heard this as an explanation for "why" subs are used in vehicles. Are you sure you are talking about "subwoofers" and not mounting systems or soundboxes?

Adding a sub also means you can filter out some of the bass frequencies sent to your other speakers, working them less and making them last longer.

I have an idea how to filter frequencies, but how would you do it in an automobile application? Also, how does removing bass from a speaker make it last longer than one that plays bass, especially if they are designed to do so?

Any info would be great for clarification as I am a bit confused about these assertions.
Thanks,
B.

 

[Gridikal]

P.S. The intention of a sub is to overcome the vibrations the engine generates on the speaker mounting surface. Try this. With the engine of listen to the bass on any music you're familiar with. Then start the jeep and listen. The bass response will degrade. The subs original intent was to bring that lost low end back. Adding a sub also means you can filter out some of the bass frequencies sent to your other speakers, working them less and making them last longer.

Mozart or Motorhead?
Cherokid

wtf?????

ok ignore that post...

If all your looking for is bass from stock sized speakers in the rear soundbar, go with a component set. The woofer cone can dis lace more air due to the fact that there isnt a mid woofer, tweeter, or supertweeter in the way. With that being said, if you are running them off the cd player, get a component set that has the max rms closest to the the recievers max rms output. Getting speakers that are intended for higher power applications will not produce as good bass as speakers that are powered closer to their max rms ratings. Also, you could grab up a pair of high pass filters and run those to limit the fq. running to the speakers, so all you would get is fq. below say, 2000 hz.
- second note, the speakers frequecy range will more or less be 40hz-20k hz depending on models. Try and find a set that has a lower minimum fq. then, another option would be to bandpass the speakers which would limit the lower fq. and the higher fq. so the speaker wouldnt be trying to reproduce fq. that are below it min fq range. nor the fq above about 2000 hz.
- I recall seeing a post above that said alpine blah blah blah. sure alpine has some good stuff like the type r's, and the f1 systems. bulletproof?? ha, its all in how you treat the speaker and how it is set up as to what determines its longevity. Alpines are good though. but get like a 6-1/2 component set and you will be as happy as you could get withstanding subs and having the component powered by an amp.
- OR you could do this to the sound bar:

completley fiberglassed and sealed to house 7" components from audio bahn.( just not finished yet obviously- all that orange is glazing putty btw)
well theres my $1.50

 

[junkxj]

There has been alot of good info. posted here, so listen to what has been said. One thing I would add is to get good sound out of any set of componets you will need an amp. I know most head units have advertised power that will run the speakers, but an external amp will put out much cleaner sound, and be more powerfull even when rated the same as the head unit(also in my opinion make the speakers last longer as a result). In my old pathfinder I ran two sets of kappa componets off of a 75x4 alpine amp and it sounded pretty good. Like said before if you really want low end , there is nothing to take the place of a sub, even a small low powered one. Just my 29.34 cents.

 

[Cherokid]

I'm not trying to call you out here, but could you explain where you learned this theory? I have been a bassplayer and audiophile for many years and have had many systems in cars and home, and this is the first time I have ever heard this as an explanation for "why" subs are used in vehicles. Are you sure you are talking about "subwoofers" and not mounting systems or soundboxes?

I read about it a long time ago when subwoofers first came out. It was the ORIGINAL intent before people thought it was cool to set off alarms with subs. Too often (in my opinion) a lot of bass is the goal, not a faithful reproduction of the music. Just try it and you'll hear the difference between the motor on and off.

I have an idea how to filter frequencies, but how would you do it in an automobile application? Also, how does removing bass from a speaker make it last longer than one that plays bass, especially if they are designed to do so?

I've seen these filters at some stereo shops. If you remove the lower bass frequencies that is causing distortion (when played loud) the speaker will last longer. A 5inch speaker that has too much power delivered to it will sound bad at high volume. (distortion) Drive it hard too long and the sound quality will degrade even at lower volume levels.

Cherokid

 

[Beej]

I read about it a long time ago when subwoofers first came out. It was the ORIGINAL intent before people thought it was cool to set off alarms with subs. Too often (in my opinion) a lot of bass is the goal, not a faithful reproduction of the music. Just try it and you'll hear the difference between the motor on and off.

Now you really lost me. A subwoofer is a speaker driver designed to operate over the low bass portion of the audio range, they are usually targeted somewhere in the range of 125Hz and below. That said, I have a bass guitar amplifier and speaker cabinet from the early 1960's that is equipped with four 10" subwoofers. I have another one from about 1970 with two 12" subwoofers. They are all true subs, targeted at below 125Hz. As far as vehicles when they "first came out", I remember rolling around in my dad's friend's Cordoba in the mid seventies when I was about 8, listening to his eight-track stereo he had rigged up with 12" subwoofers mounted behind the rear seats. This was probably 77 or 78. All of this aside, I still don't "hear the difference" you are talking about aside from the natural sound masking that occurs when two similar or exact frequencies are played over each other at the same time. That occurs whether you use subs or not, as its due to the physical properties of sound, and the psychological perception of that sound.

I've seen these filters at some stereo shops. If you remove the lower bass frequencies that is causing distortion (when played loud) the speaker will last longer. A 5inch speaker that has too much power delivered to it will sound bad at high volume. (distortion) Drive it hard too long and the sound quality will degrade even at lower volume levels.

Sounds like you mean bandpass filters. How would you use them in a vehicular application?

 

[Cherokid]

Beej,
Bandpass filters? Bass blockers? (per Crutchfield, see quote below) Not sure the proper name but....

"If you like it loud, protect your speakers from bass distortion and enjoy cleaner sound with Bass Blockers. Each Bass Blocker handles up to 50 watts RMS with a 6 dB per octave roll-off. You'll find some general guidelines below for matching Bass Blockers to speaker size. For smaller speakers (3-1/2"s, 4"x6"s, 4"s), the 600 Hz Bass Blockers work well with low-powered systems, while the 800 Hz Blockers are a better choice for high-power applications.

Speaker Size Cut-off Frequency

6-1/2", 5"x7"/6"x8" — 150 Hz
5", 5-1/4" — 300 Hz
3-1/2", 4", 4"x6" — 600 Hz (low power)"

Whatever frequency you block off at would be picked up with your sub-woofer.

Regarding engine vibrations affecting the sound. It seems obvious to me. A speaker generates sound by creating vibrations. 20 to 20k cycles/sec. If the surface that speaker is mounted to is vibrating it has to affect the vibrations the speaker is generating. Even if slightly. I've heard the difference in about every car I've ever owned.

Your thoughts?
Cherokid

 

[Gridikal]

I mentiond most of that in my post and that is also why none of my speakers are in stock mounting locations