I was hoping to get by with just replacing the stock (non-bose) speakers with higher quality ones, but I guess that's not really possible without upgrading the head unit or getting an amp. I'm not sure how much power our stock head unit pushes out, but the guy at Crutchfield estimated around 10W max (per channel, I assume). So if a speaker is rated for 100W, then we're only giving it 10% of its max power. From what I understand, if I want those speakers to really sound good, I need to give them at least 50% of their max power consumption. 10W wouldn't cut it.

Thus, I need an amp

 

Well, for a really good sound, you will certainly need a good amp, but I had a very noticeable and good result when I replaced my stock speakers with Focals. It sounded quite well, but adding the amp made it much better of course.
You don't need such expensive speakers to get a much improved sound - I guess what I'm trying to say is that the stock head unit's amp is not THAT bad or weak. With decent new speakers, you will get much better sound than with the stock paper crap speakers, and won't break the bank either.
Later on you still might decide to add an amp if you want, but if you're OK with just the new speakers, it's not a requirement.

 

10 watt per channel means its 40 watts.

Don't believe the jerk.

Go to someone who doesn't lie.

Check the specs on the car.

Our system is much better than that.

If you don't have the basic modle you probaly have the 300 watt stereo.

 

Which is also the ILS power rating instead of the RMS power rating.

ILS = If Lightning Strikes.

The 8 in any form is far from a good stereo by any means.

 

I don't have the basic model but I also don't have the Bose system (by choice.).

I got a 60Wx4 amp. The speakers I want are 2 ohm, and I'm just not sure if it's a good idea to be hooking up 2 ohm speaks to our headunit. The consequences of that are pretty unknown, but I don't want to be the guinnea pig on that one!

 

Now I need to cut through the lies about how much it will cost to install. One guy said $150...per PAIR of component speakers. $90 for regular coax. I was like, WHAT? Your very same store even told me $57 last week, which is already the highest price I've been quoted. Ridiculous. I can't stand salesman who try to cheat.

Guess how many speakers I bought from that store? None. I would have liked to, since it is convenient, and I also used the store to listen to the speakers and get a feel for what I want, but if they are going to lie to me - or try to pressure sell me $1000+ of stuff I don't want - then I'm not going to reward that by giving them my business. Those sort of sales tactics **** me off...

 

Get it in writing as to what the exact charges are for. Remember that a set of components is multiple items to install, whereas a coax set is simple. Coax = no rewiring, plug it in for the most part and you are done. Simple, no? A component we have to put a crossover either inside the car or on the protected side of the moisture barrier in the door, then we have to mount them, then we need to mount the woofers, then we need to mount the tweeters, then we need to wire them all. I charge $100.00 to do components (labour only, parts extra) as it is indeed more work. A basic set of coax speakers, vehicle dependent is $45.00 (sometimes less and sometimes more depending on the vehicle).

If the person was quoting you including all parts (like custom building mounting plates for example), the pricing might not be that bad. You need to know exactly what it is that you are being quoted on. Mounting adaptor plates are usually $30.00 a pair and made out of 1.4" black abs when I make them.

As far as 2 ohm speakers go. If you have a 60w x 4 rms amp and this is it's 4 ohm rating, the amplifier (and most amplifiers) tend to double their ouput when driven into a 2 ohm load. This now makes the amp a 120w x 4 rms amplifier. If you are thinking that the factory headunit has a 60w x 4 amplifier in it, chances again are not very good at all. This requires a fuse size of about 60 amps and a good size heatsink. Deck power, it's going to be struggling to produce 20w rms x 4. I would not recommend the 2 ohm speakers personally, especially when the load may damage the circuitry of the internal amp that is used to drive the system. Aftermarket amp, knock yourself out dude, it should handle it.

Why I would not want a 2 ohm speaker system. People buy them because they play louder and we all want louder, right. This usually comes at the expense of tonal quality and the fact that loading an amp down like this = more heat output from the amp. Summer months, loud music + heat = disaster waiting for a place to happen. Reconsider your options again.

 

Thats a new one!

 

$100 I understand, and $45 also sounds reasonable. He was talking $90 for coax, per pair. Not reasonable.

Also, I'm not choosing these speakers because they sounded louder. I tested every speaker at the same volume level. I liked them because they sound better. Highs were crisper, mids stood out more, and they had a nice bass sound too. But I hear your point, and have read that it is an established fact that people tend to choose the speakers that are louder.

I decided to play it safe and get the aftermarket amp. It is 60Wx4 and rated 90Wx4 for 2 ohms. It has a 40A fuse. I don't plan on testing the limits of the system. I'm not into blasting my music (anymore. Used to love doing that!). I'm just looking forward to hearing the nuances in a CD that producers go out of their way to put in, that are getting completely lost in my factory speakers. I think this should meet my expectations. The only thing I'm worried about is how difficult it will be to install these 6.5" speakers in the front. How do those mounts work, to take a 6.5" round speaker and place it in the 6x8 location?

 

Due to the high moisture content found in doors, I make my mounts from 1/4" black abs instead of 1/4" painted mdf that absorbs moisture and warps. The mounts I make are made to fit the bolt pattern of the stock 5x7" speaker and is elongated in the center to mount a 6.75" round speaker. This is something that is done on a router or a jigsaw at slow speed.

 

hi, do you think a 1000w 12" rockford sub is too much for the 8? i am currently using only infinity components and 6x9 bose for the back. do u think the bass will just drown out the rest of the sound?

 

You can have a sub with 10 jiggawatts of power, if you only feed it 100, don't expect it to get loud. If you have it in the wrong box, don't expect it to perform to it's true abilities. If you have a 1000w rms sub, it is a far cry from a 1000w peak sub. ILS rating is a fancy word for peak. If you have no way to control the sub, yes, expect it to drown out the other speakers. Turning the "bass" **** down on the deck affects all speakers in the system, not just the sub. DO a search for Audio Control LC6 as it is what you need.