upgrade audio?, i know nothing about audio Options

[cnelson]

Hey guys.. heres what i know..

My stock headunit says.. "50Wx4" so does this mean 50W for each of my speakers? (I have four)

I want to get four, or (at least 2 now and 2 later) I know the fronts are 6.5in.. but are the rear speakers the same size? They look like there differant..

Should i buy an amp? I think the answer is yes.. because i want more power to my speakers.. (nothing hardcrode just a little more) I was thinking about getting a 250 or 500 wat amp.

And than maybe some 175 wat speakers than upgrade later if i really want?

Should i install all this my self of get someone to do? I have some experince with wireing lights in my car but nothing more than that.

I was thinking maybe going to pep-boys or buying everything off ebay and doing it all myslef?

Also where would i mount the amp? I would want it in a visible place? I was thinking the sealing?

Thanks for any help.

This post has been edited by cnelson: Mar 8, 2007 - 10:22 PM

[Manny]

Hey guys.. heres what i know..

My stock headunit says.. "50Wx4" so does this mean 50W for each of my speakers? (I have four)

I want to get four, or (at least 2 now and 2 later) I know the fronts are 6.5in.. but are the rear speakers the same size? They look like there differant..

Should i buy an amp? I think the answer is yes.. because i want more power to my speakers.. (nothing hardcrode just a little more) I was thinking about getting a 250 or 500 wat amp.

And than maybe some 175 wat speakers than upgrade later if i really want?

Should i install all this my self of get someone to do? I have some experince with wireing lights in my car but nothing more than that.

I was thinking maybe going to pep-boys or buying everything off ebay and doing it all myslef?

Also where would i mount the amp? I would want it in a visible place? I was thinking the sealing?

Thanks for any help.

My stock headunit says.. "50Wx4" so does this mean 50W for each of my speakers? (I have four)

Yes, that means it is a 200W head unit with 50W at each channel (Speaker).

I want to get four, or (at least 2 now and 2 later) I know the fronts are 6.5in.. but are the rear speakers the same size? They look like there differant..

In the Celica, there is no real need to upgrade the back speakers, it is such a small car that you will want thes sound coming from the front anyway.


Should i buy an amp? I think the answer is yes.. because i want more power to my speakers.. (nothing hardcrode just a little more) I was thinking about getting a 250 or 500 wat amp.

Most speakers you get will run fine off your head unit. Unless you are getting some high end speakers that require more power, you only have 4 speakers and 50W is enough to drive each one.

And than maybe some 175 wat speakers than upgrade later if i really want?

If you are talking about adding sub's then you will need an amp to drive them.

Should i install all this my self of get someone to do? I have some experince with wireing lights in my car but nothing more than that.

Since you are not going to be doing any major wiring, and just replacing speakers and a sterero, it is real easy to do it yourself.

I was thinking maybe going to pep-boys or buying everything off ebay and doing it all myslef?

Ebay has some good deals, but make sure you buy good speakers with good reviews. in most cases, stock speakers are better quality than the "bargain" speakers found on ebay.

I would not go to pep buys or any auto parts store to purchase my car audio equipment. I would do some research online for speakers, then when you find the ones you want, call around to ausio shops and even check online to ook for the best price.

Also where would i mount the amp? I would want it in a visible place? I was thinking the sealing?

You can mount the amp wherever you want. Since you have a coupe, you can mount the amp in the trunk near the sub box...


I have been setting up, wiring and installing stereos for about 14 or 15 years... If you have any questions, I'd be glad to help....

[cnelson]

Alright so maybe just a pair of like 75w speakers for the front? Than i won't really need an amp right?

[Manny]

Yea, any decent pair of 6.5" 2 way speakers will work well.

If you want to go with 8" I would reccomend an amp. The front holesa re actually 8" holes with an adapter for the smaller 6.5" speaker.

The premium audio packages came with 8 speakers and an 8" in the door.

[cnelson]

i'll probably just go with 6.5

[GTS13]

Ok so this might contradict what others have said so far but I'm an audio nut. I'm actually kinda unsatisfied with the acoustics of the Celica, whenever someone sits in the front seat their leg blocks most the sound for my right ear so I depend on the rear speakers; what are you gonna do eh?
Anyway, I would recommend that you do some research on www.crutchfield.com it's an awesome site that lists the specs most places don't.
Installing everything yourself is pretty easy, except for the front speakers because they are an 8" gap and you have to make your own custom mounts for 6.5" speakers. I didn't feel like doing that so I just went to CarToys and had them make them for me.

I recommend:
4x 6.5" speakers.
1x 4 channel amp for all the speakers.

Amps clarify your music at all volumes, even if you buy expensive speakers they're still not going to sound their best until you put them on an amp.
Oh and one more thing, forget about looking at the peak watts of what a speaker can do or what a amp can put out, none of that matters. What does matter is the RMS which is the amount of continuous power, measured in watts, that an amplifier produces. This is also true for your head unit that probably puts out about 22 watts RMS x 4.
So check out the RMS output per channel on the amp and the RMS on the speaker. Try to match them up and keep in mind that it's better to overpower your speakers than underpower them.

If you're interested in learning more on your own, this should help.
http://www.crutchfieldadvisor.com/S-aXMfSC...ningcenter/car/

[GTS13]

Oh, also, (I'm not to sure if there isn't already since I own a hatchback) but if I owned a coup I would totally cut holes in the rear deck and put 6x9's back there. But that's just me.

[Manny]

Ok so this might contradict what others have said so far but I'm an audio nut. I'm actually kinda unsatisfied with the acoustics of the Celica, whenever someone sits in the front seat their leg blocks most the sound for my right ear so I depend on the rear speakers; what are you gonna do eh?
Anyway, I would recommend that you do some research on www.crutchfield.com it's an awesome site that lists the specs most places don't.
Installing everything yourself is pretty easy, except for the front speakers because they are an 8" gap and you have to make your own custom mounts for 6.5" speakers. I didn't feel like doing that so I just went to CarToys and had them make them for me.

I recommend:
4x 6.5" speakers.
1x 4 channel amp for all the speakers.

Amps clarify your music at all volumes, even if you buy expensive speakers they're still not going to sound their best until you put them on an amp.
Oh and one more thing, forget about looking at the peak watts of what a speaker can do or what a amp can put out, none of that matters. What does matter is the RMS which is the amount of continuous power, measured in watts, that an amplifier produces. This is also true for your head unit that probably puts out about 22 watts RMS x 4.
So check out the RMS output per channel on the amp and the RMS on the speaker. Try to match them up and keep in mind that it's better to overpower your speakers than underpower them.

If you're interested in learning more on your own, this should help.
http://www.crutchfieldadvisor.com/S-aXMfSC...ningcenter/car/

I see your point... but I have the 8 speaker setup... so the only things covered by peoples legs are the 8"... so i never have a problem.... I didnt even think about that being an issue with the standard..haha... but yea... I can definitely see how that would be a problem.....

[cnelson]

so if i tried to put 6.5's in the front would i have more troblue trying to do so?

[Manny]

so if i tried to put 6.5's in the front would i have more troblue trying to do so?

Not really..... but if you dont want to have to make your own adapter, just go to any car audio shop and they can do it for you.

[cnelson]

hows this sound.. 2 8in subs in front doors.. than 2 6.5's in the rear.. with like a 1000wat amp? Does that sould like it would do the job?

What subs/speakers/amp would you recormend.. i can' speand more than like 300$.. =\

[Manny]

hows this sound.. 2 8in subs in front doors.. than 2 6.5's in the rear.. with like a 1000wat amp? Does that sould like it would do the job?

What subs/speakers/amp would you recormend.. i can' speand more than like 300$.. =\

You need some kind of mid/high speakrs in the front.
If you only have lows, all your mids and highs will b coming from the back and IMO will not sound very well.

Since you are going with 4 speakers, i would go 6.5 all the way, since thats whats there now.

If you want subs, you can either put them in the trunk, or cut out holes on the rear dash behind the seats and put in some free air subs..

This is just my opinion, if anyone else has any sggestions or have done a different setup, let us know.. I am actually curious what everyone else has.

My system is still pretty stock. I installed a near competition grade head unit, integrated it with the stock amp and am runnin the stock 8 speaker setup.

IMO a good head unit makes a bigger difference in a system than expensive speakers.

[cnelson]

yeah i know my head unit isn't good but, its a in dash dvd player also so i can't get a new one really.. thats why i'm thinking about getting an amp.

[Manny]

Then yea.... research some amp/speaker combinations on crutchfield and check other forums to see what others have....

I am pretty partial to Pioneer, but everyone has their prefferences. If you search around this site, you will no doubt find topics where people argue over which speakers and amps are best. I always tell everyone, get what you can afford and if you are happy with how it sounds... screw what everyone else says.....

[GTS13]

I totally agree, screw what everyone else says, stick within your budget and with the proper amount of research it's going to sound just as good. The brands I prefer are Infinity, Kenwood, and Pioneer.
Depending on what type of music you listen to you may not even need subs after amplifying some aftermarket speakers, trust me.

[cnelson]

think i found some i like..

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?sk...d=1118844006009

i'd get four. 2 for the front, 2 for the back..

and this amp..

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?sk...d=1134701297748

[GTS13]

Oh, another recommendation I would like to make is that 3-way and 4-way speakers are overrated. I know that it should sound clearer since you're dividing up the frequency ranges to different cones or woofers, but since you're putting your mid all on a 1" cone you lose some of the punch that the mid has. Probably great if rap is your first choice of music, but the overall performance really can't be any better than a normal 2-way/coaxial speaker.

Looking for stuff in your price range I would recommend:
http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showdetl.cf...tnumber=267-295

I can understand if you wanna get those 4-way speakers anyway since they light up with use, but I would still recommend these for the price vs. sound.

http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showdetl.cf...tnumber=263-942

And don't forget the cost of the wiring kit too. Those are just some suggestions that sit within the cost of the stuff you're looking at.

And if you wanna stick with those blue speakers you picked out, there's some more affordable amplifier options on partsexpress.com that you can get to do the same thing.

[cnelson]

yeah.. and i wouldn't have best buy do it.. just talked to them and its way to exspenive.. i'll just do it myself.. i'm think about what you said..

http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showdetl.cf...tnumber=267-295
two pairs of those.

http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showdetl.cf...tnumber=263-942
and this amp..

[GTS13]

Awesome, I need to get the amp for my speakers still. Be sure to keep us updated on what you think of the sound when you're done, I'm sure a lot of people would love to know what you can do with such a small amount of money when compared to what other people have spent.

[cnelson]

Alright, so after a while of look around and learning, i think i'm going to be buying speakers soon..

Does everyone think that 60 watt RMS will be pretty good? I'd go 6.5's all the way around.

I might get two 6x9 subs and throw them in the rear deck.. i'm just afaird of cutting holes but it would be the only place for them because my trunk has golf clubs.

I'd get two amps, one for the speakers, one for the subs.