Car Stereo Speakers
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Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 791
aficionado
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OP
aficionado
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 791 |
This hobby has finally taken over. After owning Axioms I'm on a new quest for great audio in my car. Like everyone here, I don't want to spend a fortune on revamping the speakers in my cars.
Does anyone recommend a good component type speaker? I'm looking for similar qualities that the Axiom's have. It’s a shame that Axiom doesn’t offer car stereo speakers.
Thanks,
Tom
M80's VP150 QS8's Earthquake SuperNova MKV-15 Integra DTR-7.4 Outlaw 755 Outlaw M200's Outlaw ICBM
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Re: Car Stereo Speakers
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Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 16,441
shareholder in the making
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shareholder in the making
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 16,441 |
I'm going to go out on a (relatively strong) limg here and say you'll NEVER have Axiom-like sound quality in your car. Cars are not very good environments for sound. That being said, you can definitely make it sounds a heck of a lot better than it does now. Just keep in mind that car speakers are like in-wall speakers: their sound quality depends greatly on the structure they are mounted to.
To make the biggest difference, you'll also need to put in sound and vibration damping.
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Re: Car Stereo Speakers
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Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 791
aficionado
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OP
aficionado
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 791 |
Ok, I understand.
I guess I should've just asked what everyone here likes for car stereo speakers.
M80's VP150 QS8's Earthquake SuperNova MKV-15 Integra DTR-7.4 Outlaw 755 Outlaw M200's Outlaw ICBM
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Re: Car Stereo Speakers
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Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 1,703
connoisseur
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connoisseur
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 1,703 |
I've been installing my own (and friends) car stereo's for going on 15 years now. There is no such thing as *best*. Usually it depends on what you want to spend (IMO).
That said I've had good experiences with Boston Accoustics, Quart, Polk, Kicker among others.
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Re: Car Stereo Speakers
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Joined: May 2003
Posts: 1,501
connoisseur
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connoisseur
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 1,501 |
This company is suppose to be pretty highly regarded:
http://www.cdtaudio.com
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Re: Car Stereo Speakers
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Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 791
aficionado
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OP
aficionado
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 791 |
Thanks everyone. The car stereo world sure has changed...
I don't recognize the brands anymore. I have a friend that owns a custom car audio store. I listened to all sorts of brands and found that Focal sounded very good. However, the price tag is lofty $1099.99 + installation (retail). He would be willing to "hook" me up with cost, which He said is around $400.00 or so.
I’m definitely going to look at all of my options. The CDT audio stuff looks like good stuff. I need to find a dealer to hear these gems.
Tom
M80's VP150 QS8's Earthquake SuperNova MKV-15 Integra DTR-7.4 Outlaw 755 Outlaw M200's Outlaw ICBM
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Re: Car Stereo Speakers
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Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 1,703
connoisseur
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connoisseur
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 1,703 |
I have heard good things about Focal. Haven't heard em myself.
One other thing I'd like to note. You may never be able to match a well setup home theater for accuracy in a car, but a interior stereo setup will never match the intensity of a well setup car stereo. If you like those sort of things.
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Re: Car Stereo Speakers
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Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 791
aficionado
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OP
aficionado
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 791 |
I'm just trying to make my windshield time as pleasant as possible. I'm not interested in over exaggerated bass or over bearing highs. I just want the best bang for the buck.
I think most of the "high end" car audio dealers over emphasize bass and SPL's.
M80's VP150 QS8's Earthquake SuperNova MKV-15 Integra DTR-7.4 Outlaw 755 Outlaw M200's Outlaw ICBM
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Re: Car Stereo Speakers
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Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 427
devotee
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devotee
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 427 |
Sounds like a good deal with the Focals, go with them. They are highly regarded and for that price, a steal.
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Re: Car Stereo Speakers
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Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 3,270
connoisseur
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connoisseur
Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 3,270 |
Hi tleigh,
Though I don't write about car audio anymore or keep up to date on the car audio scene, I did cover the subject for many years when I was editor of Sound&Vision magazine in Canada up until the mid-'90s.
During that time, MB Quart car speakers had an excellent reputation but they were expensive. I served as a judge of sound quality (not SPLs, thank heavens!) for a competition in Toronto called "Northern Thunder". I heard some awful as well as very good sounding installations. Some of the latter used MBQuart or Alpine component setups. At the lower end price-wise, there were a series of surprisingly good-sounding Sony coaxial speakers that used titanium tweeters.
I don't know Focal but I would expect that MBQuart are likely still building good car speakers. The car interior and speaker mounting locations are huge determinants, but if you start out with reasonably well-designed drivers, you are ahead of the game. I was never impressed with Polk car drivers and Pioneer car drivers were pretty awful, although there head units and amplifiers were excellent.
Some car audio dealers used to car-interior mock-ups that let you get some idea of installed driver quality. If you can find a dealer like that, check out some of the good brands mentioned. I don't recommend doing your own installation unless you are young and flexible. It's a nightmare when you get inside doors, dashboards, and window mechanisms. Leave that part to a pro installer.
Regards,
Alan Lofft, Axiom Resident Expert (Retired)
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