It seems like a lot of people here have opted to change out their rear speakers with Infinity Kappa's and I'm just wondering....what makes them so good? (I've never used these)

I know audio really comes down to personal preference but I was just wondering why an Infinity Kappa 6x9 might be better then say; a Pioneer 6x9 5 Way speaker? (which I've used in the past )


I'm considering a stereo upgrade in the near future and I was looking for some opinions.

Thanks!

 

kappas have a good amount of wattage ... they are more powerful than most speakers... and can handle alot... honestly... i am keeping the bose system and just adding a sub.... cus the bose have good quality.... just not power... and for power.. i just want 2 feel the music... thererfore the point of a sub....... if u want other people outside of the car to hear your music loud.... then get infinitis... otherwise.. no point.

 

I could be wrong about the Bose system but I think they use 2 ohm speakers. I have the base HU and the speakers are 4 ohm. If you look at after market amps, alot of them will say something like 100 watts with 2 ohm and 80 watts with 4 ohm. I don't really know if there is a difference in sound or not. I was told by an aftermarket speaker guy that the OEM speakers are usually tuned for more bass and if you replace them, you can lose bass response. I plan on adding a 5 channel amp and sub and seeing how the OEM speakers sound after that.

 

The rear speakers are on the bose system are 2 ohms, so are the infinity 6x9's .... so it only makes sense.

Most aftermarket speakers are 4 ohms, some of the infinitys are 2 ohms which makes them ideal for us.

 

btw- on the bose system...

all 5 tweeters are 4 ohms
the rear 6x9's are 2 ohms
and the door subs are .5 ohms

9 speakers total

 

one last thing:

if you install a 4 ohm speaker to a 2 ohm amp it will work fine, however, the amp will only be supplying 1/2 the power because you have increased the resistance. In turn, not playing as loud.

You cannot do the reverse, that is, using a 2 ohm speaker on a 4 ohm amp. This will cause the amp to overheat.


The kappas have a very high sensitivity rating which also help. Every 3db is twice as loud per watt. so a 90db speaker would take half the power as a 87db speaker to play equally as loud.

 

I can't speak for the Kappas since I never did a speaker swap-out (maybe another time), but Infinity has a long-standing reputation for making excellent speakers... Both for home and car use. I've had Infinitys in three cars (and two different home systems) and was always pleased with the results.

Of the widely-available brands that are not priced out in the stratosphere, Infinity makes some of the best. Throw in the fact that they appear to be directly compatible with the stock sound system in the 8, and that's probably why you read so much about them.

Pioneer? I'm sure they make some fine stuff, but my feeling is that when it comes to speakers you should always buy from companies who ONLY make speakers. Long-standing prejudice of mine but I still stick to it.

Basically, you can't go wrong with Infinitys in my book. I don't currently own any Infinity stuff in my car or my home, but I wouldn't think twice about the brand if I was in the market.

As for the bass response, that may be true in a certain respect, as most stock systems are made to "thump" to impress buyers who aren't too critical about CLEAN bass (just like mass-market for home theater systems). I have the base system tuned down to like -4 on the mid and 0 on the bass, but have the treble cranked up. The sound isn't perfect but it's acceptable, and if I popped in aftermarket speakers I reckon that the mid would be set at 0 and the bass on +2 or +3, with the treble down to +2 or +3 as well. Just a hunch.

 

Actually, I know that infinity is Pioneers high end stuff for home audio. I don't know if it's the same for car audio. If you wanted to hear what they sound like you can listen to my setup. I have the Kappa perfect 6.1 6 1/2 in the front and the kappa 6" x 9" three-way loudspeaker for the rear.

 

I use infinitys in home and have kappa perfect subs in the car.. i love them.

but the "if they only make speakers" reasoning doesnt entirely work with infinity since they are owned by harman international.. so they do make the electronics they just label them under H/K and label speakers under JBL and Infinity.

either way you look at it, they make terrific speakers. Everyone loves the sound in my apartment with my 7 infinitys and HK receiver

 

Good to know! i think i am going to try the install myself since i have had some experiance. Question. If you hook the LC6i to the rear amp it will give you a clear signal and then you do not have to worry about ohms any more you can go from that unit to the amps to supply the rest of what ever speakers you want as long as they fit right? I too have heard alot about inifiniti's but if one uses teeh LC6i does it then not matter? I want to go all round with Alpine. After all Crutchfield does say the Alpien Type R 6x9 will fit in our car.

 

Correct. Once you have derived a new preamp signal to go into a new amp, it no longer matters what the speaker impedence is that you choose.

An example of this might be similar to this. Take two speakers, both 93db sensitivity (and measured on the same scale). Speaker "A" is a 2 ohm and is running on a new amp that is rated at 50w x 2 into 4 ohm or 80w x 2 into 2 ohm. Speaker "A" gets 80w. Speaker "B" is 4 ohm and is hooked to a 80w x2 amp. Both speakers will be equal for overall output power. One glaring difference though is how cool the amp will operate at. 2 ohm drive on a amp is going to put out more heat. There is no increase in power draw.

 

I have 2 infinitys and 2 alpines in my car, with a kicker sub. 1 amp on the speakers, 1 on the sub. Honestly, I cannot tell the difference inbetween the infinity and the alpine. And the infintys are $25-50 cheaper. Go with infinity and an amp for those 6x9s and everyone will be jammin' even 4 blocks away

My 2c

 

You know what I meant. I am quite aware that Infinity is part of a conglomerate.

 

Thanks for all the info guys! I got a chance to listen to Rotary Rasp's Infinity Kappa's yesterday and those things are SWEET!

 

They are good speakers, you won't be dissapointed. My friend had one blow out and it still sounded good.... there was a big *** crack through the speaker. LOL.(But that was his fault btw for cranking it too loud, I havn't had any problems, I've had my speakers for about 5 months now)