good combo for speakers?

[someazn]

Was planning on replacing all six of my speakers with JBL GTO936 (6X9's) up front and in the rear and JBL GTO636 (6 1/2's) for the doors. Maybe add a amp and add some dynamat? I'm a noobie with sound systems, so suggestions are welcomed. thanks. (thru stock non-jbl headunit until i can afford the eclipse navi)

[theprodigy79]

What year Solara do you have?

[PhreakdOut]

It's a 2005. Check the CD site.

[GenerationOne]

Generally speaking, when building up an audio system don't start out with what speakers and all this and that stuff you want or think you want in your car. Several decisions for you in loudness, sound, clarity or perhaps setting up a 5 or 6 channel surround sound system-you said you plan on later installing the Eclipse navi unit. One more thing to remember is you can save LOTS of money by cutting certain corners, like name brands for one, but that is completely up too. Besides that, the best way to get the biggest bang for your dollar is to do tons of research before hand and installing the stuff yourself. JBL isn't bad, but in order to take full potential of the Eclipse deck you'll want better speakers than JBL. Crutchfield.com actually provides some rather helpful and basic jargon breakdown, just click any two speakers and then compare, each characteristic of the speakers has a link to a description. Just don't use Crutchfield as your source for purchasing speakers (Crutchfield=expensive). Oh one last thing, always try searching the forums first, then if no luck go ahead and post, because most members will ignore any repeat posts. Good luck on your project. If you still need help I can connect you with several reliable and knowledgeable sources. Peace.

[theprodigy79]

Setup of the Gen 2 is 6x9s front doors and rear deck with 1.5" highs up near the windshield. Keep it simple and go with 4 speakers instead of 6... four 6x9s and two 6.5s is a really funky combo (and I dunno where you would put them all)... Use the saved $$ from the extra two speakers on upgrading the speakers themselves. You can also do a whole lot better than JBL speakers for the same amount of money, do a bit of research before you make your purchase. If you're willing to do a custom plate for 6.5s in the front doors, do it in the rear deck as well... 6.5s are much more efficient speakers than the 6x9s, so there's really no reason to slack in the back if you're willing to take the time in the front (plus, the rear deck is a royal pain in the ass to take apart, so you will regret it if you don't do it right the first time). I, personally, wouldn't advise amping your speakers unless you're gonna go for a sub as well... It just sounds weird to me when people do it (or when I disable my subs)... If you don't want to do it all at once, start with the head and speakers... upgrade to a decent 2ch amp powering a good sub in a well made box (or go for a good 5ch amp to power your full system)... if you go for a 2ch, later upgrade with another 4ch amp to run the rest of your system... Sound dampening is definitely one of the best investments you can make... it doesn't have to be Dynamat (as it is usually more costly than other brands, but it definitely does it's job...) Purchase enough sound dampening to completely cover both doors and your rear deck (I used three Dynamat Xtreme door kits). As far as where to buy it all... after you do your research and determine what you definitely want, stalk eBay for a month or so to get an idea at where the lows and highs are for your product... look at the ended items and decide what you want to spend, then snag it from someone with a good rating (just make sure the ratings are from buyers of a various price range and not just from sellers, or low cost buyers)... I got my Alpine IVA-D900 for $800 (retail $2300), and two sets of Boston Acoustics Z6 for $500/pair (retail $1000/pair), all brand new on eBay... if you do it right, you can save a ton...

Good luck,

-James

[someazn]

thanks for all the info, im new to this so please bare with me. I was wondering which brands are considered good and how does sound dampening work? Do they cover the entire speaker or the entire door in general? Do i have to take apart my doors? I cant seem to find any 1.5" speakers for the ones under the windsheild. Are they tweeters? What's the difference between two way speakers and three way speakers?

[theprodigy79]

No problem, we're all new at some point Good is all in what you want to spend... For good quality, reasonably priced speakers (I'm guessing cost is a factor), check out the higher end speakers from Polk Audio, JL Audio, Infinity (essentially upper-end JBL), or Kenwood... Also check out the upper-middle range of speakers from MB Quart, Boston Acoustics and Alpine... All companies have a pretty full range of stuff, but the higher end speakers from the companies above are about equivalent to the upper mid range of the other three companies (which the higher end speakers go up to $1000 or higher)...

Sound dampening does just that... it insulates and helps to prevent flex and resonation of metal (trunk, doors, rear baffle, etc...), therefor helping reduce unwanted noise and keeping the energy of the speakers where it belongs (inside the vehicle). You do not cover the speaker, but any metal surface surrounding the speaker (generally the more you cover the better, but if you completely cover your doors and your rear baffle it's a great start).

Yes, you will have to take apart your doors... but it's pretty straight forward if you have a bit of patience and mechanical inclination... The biggest pain in the ass, however, is taking apart the rear baffle... Toyota, for some reason, decided to make that into a nightmare... So those of us with subs have to deal with a NASTY deck rattle that is VERY hard to fix...

The 1.5" speakers, while not true tweeters, are high-range speakers... They are located on top of the dash, just behind the front windshield to the far right and far left (by the pillars). If you remove the pillar trim pieces, I believe there is either one screw or a clip holding each cover down, then two screws holding each speaker.

Also keep in mind that there is a small, 4ch amplifier mounted behind your glove box near your cabin air-filter. If you swap your radio, remember to remove it (or at least by-pass it).

Let me know if you have any other questions.

-James

[vairdasol]

I personally swapped the rear speakers for JBL's 936. I love the sound quality and clarity. And they can BUMP. I ran the THX Ultimate Subwoofer Test. Good Times man

[solaris]

No problem, we're all new at some point Good is all in what you want to spend... For good quality, reasonably priced speakers (I'm guessing cost is a factor), check out the higher end speakers from Polk Audio, JL Audio, Infinity (essentially upper-end JBL), or Kenwood... Also check out the upper-middle range of speakers from MB Quart, Boston Acoustics and Alpine... All companies have a pretty full range of stuff, but the higher end speakers from the companies above are about equivalent to the upper mid range of the other three companies (which the higher end speakers go up to $1000 or higher)...

Sound dampening does just that... it insulates and helps to prevent flex and resonation of metal (trunk, doors, rear baffle, etc...), therefor helping reduce unwanted noise and keeping the energy of the speakers where it belongs (inside the vehicle). You do not cover the speaker, but any metal surface surrounding the speaker (generally the more you cover the better, but if you completely cover your doors and your rear baffle it's a great start).

Yes, you will have to take apart your doors... but it's pretty straight forward if you have a bit of patience and mechanical inclination... The biggest pain in the donkey, however, is taking apart the rear baffle... Toyota, for some reason, decided to make that into a nightmare... So those of us with subs have to deal with a NASTY deck rattle that is VERY hard to fix...

The 1.5" speakers, while not true tweeters, are high-range speakers... They are located on top of the dash, just behind the front windshield to the far right and far left (by the pillars). If you remove the pillar trim pieces, I believe there is either one screw or a clip holding each cover down, then two screws holding each speaker.

Also keep in mind that there is a small, 4ch amplifier mounted behind your glove box near your cabin air-filter. If you swap your radio, remember to remove it (or at least by-pass it).

Let me know if you have any other questions.

-James

James,

I'm quite a noob also when it comes to speakers and stereos and i need your advise. you seem knowledgeble in this field. i have a JVC Arsenal KD-AR560. i just want to replace the stock jbl w/ 6 dick cd changer on my 2006 v6 sport se. i just want to keep it plain and simple, nothing fancy. i want to replace the stock speakers on the front side. i wouldn't even bother replacing the ones at the rear coz you said it's a pain. what speaker should i go for knowing my jvc can only handle 20w rms/channel? what would be your recommendation? i'm planning to remove the high range speakers on the dash. or if i keep it what would be the best speaker to replace it. and if i dont want those tweeters on the dash, should i use 3-way 2-way or what speakers... i know its a noob question, but i really need help. tnx...

[theprodigy79]

Here are a few good sets of 6x9s to take a look at. If I list a couple models per manufacturer, the first ones are the higher end models, the second ones are still good quality but are a bit more conservative in the $$ area (dunno how much you're lookin to spend):

Boston Acoustics SL95 or SX95

Alpine SPR-69LP or SPS-690A

Eclipse SA8394 or SP8994 or SE8495

Polk Audio MMC690 or db690

Infinity KAPPA693.7I or KAPPA692.7I

Of the above I'd personally go for the Eclipse SA or Alpine Type R series. The Polk and the Boston Acoustics are also fantastic speakers. All of the above are pretty tight speakers and can be had for pretty reasonable prices.

As far as replacing the rear speakers... do it if you can. It's a pain in the butt, but it's well worth doing.

I'd, personally, remove the factory high range speakers in your front dash (I actually did so a loooong time ago)... Whether you want to replace them or not is something that you should decide after listening to your new speakers with a variety of music. If you find that your speakers are bass heavy and don't put out the highs you prefer (as many 6x9s are) you may want to consider purchasing a pair of tweets from the SAME SERIES as your speakers (cross-matching tweets with speaks can sound kinda weird due to the variances in materials and quality). The speakers I list above range from 2-way to one set that's 4-way (I believe)... 4-way is a bit excessive in my opinion; I'd stick with 2-way or 3-way...

You'll be happy with any of the speakers in the list above, but I would highly recommend going for the higher end ones if at all possible... As I said before, with a bit of searching, ANY of them can be had at a reasonable price.

Good luck!

-James

['00vegas-solara]

I just replaced all of my speakers with the Polk DB series, and I am rockin. Plus right now Crutchfield is offering half price for the 2nd pair of Polks. Plus if you spend over $200 and use this referral code: pdpre-7pu0a-3430k you will get another $20 off and I will get $20 towards my next order. Crutchfield prices are basically retail but they throw in the wiring harness adapters and install sheets for free. Heres what I ordered:
Component Set http://www.crutchfield.com/S-lxcytIGZGHd/cgi-bin/prodview.asp?i=107DB6500
6x9's
http://www.crutchfield.com/S-lxcytIGZGHd/cgi-bin/prodview.asp?i=107DB690

Both of these cost me $275 shipped because of their half off special.

[solaris]

thanks james.... i prefer the Infinity KAPPA693.7I. i checked crutchfield and they say this wouldnt fit at the front, only rear. they say for front i would need 6 1/2 or 5 1/4...
plus, where am i gonna mount that in-line crossover?:P

[theprodigy79]

Do you have a convertible??

[solaris]

no, i have a 2006 v6 se w/ jbl premium w/o navi

[JMSinMaryland]

I like Diamond and Focal though I have Infinity Kappas myself. I believe the Focal Utopia would be my number 1 choice. Jon.