I was in the middle of buying Focal 165HC's for my rear speakers, when I realized that they might not fit. I've checked everywhere online and even brought it to a Circuit City (which said it should fit diameter wise, but unsure about depth) and still don't have a final answer. I have a 2002 SE. Should I be getting the 130HC's (5 1/8") instead? I don't think I want to be cutting stuff.

Also do you think the Sony XM-7547 (can get pretty cheap) is a good amp to power my speakers? I can't decide between that, the SOny XM-475GSX, Alpine MRV-F340, MTX thunder 4244, MTX thunder 6304, or possibly the JL 300/4 (a lil too expensive for me). Any other recommendations? I don't want to spend more than $250.

What are some cheap, effective RCA connectors I can get for my in-car speakers to my amp. Where can I get them?

Finally I need to get all this stuff installed, because I haven't got the slightest idea what to do. Is Tweeter any good? Are they better than Circuit City (lifetime warranty on installation)?

Thanks a lot to all those that reply for their help. I'll post my system when it's finally installed.

Sincerely,
George

 

circuit city...up my way...sucks at installs, they did my install and i had to take it all apart and pretty much re install it...poor ground, drywall screws on my speakers to hold them in...laziness...scratched my amp!!!!!(100 discount for that happening and just a lotta bullsh!t happened and i was very un satisfied!!

 

Sony amps are good, but compared to the rest on your list - well... let's say you're better off scrapping the idea of a Sony.

I'd go for the JL, Alpine, MTX then Sony in that particular order. As far as speakers go, you can get 6-1/2" in the back doors.

Btw, like any chain retail stores your mileage will vary when it comes to how good they are at installing audio equipment. Ask around and get recommendations.

 

Go with the MTX or Alpine amps. If you want some good, cheap RCAs, go to RadioShack and get the Gold series. As for installation, try to stay away from the reatil chains. If you know people who have systems, ask where they had them isntalled at. Try to find a good local shop with a good rep. You never know with the chains, some stores are much stricter than others when it comes to hiring so the quality really varies from store to store.

 

id go for the 6304 i know a couple guys who have them and they sound great and have plenty of power and as far as install goes i work at cc and although i dont consider my self a bad installer i have seen some installs come from other stores and they were crap so do what you like if you have a friend who knows how to install have him do it and help him so you learn how to do it thats how i got started

 

I have mtx amps in my car and I love them.....the mtx8302 runs my focal 165K's great!

 

I ran Focal 165A (the 6.5" components, mid bass, and separate tweeter), and I must say, I was disapointed. They were no where near what I consider acceptable. My old Alpine DDDrive components kick the crap outta these Focals. So I returned them last weekend.

I mean, these are good speakers, they just aren't good enough for me. The attenuation on the mid range, and tweets were awesome. But the Focals felt like they had a HUGE hole in the frequency range. Compare the Access to the polykevlars and you'll know what I mean. The PK's don't have that huge hole in the frequency range in the upper mid range.

So instead of spending the hundreds I would need to get the car audio speakers that would satisfy me, i.e. Focal Utopias, or Alpine DDDrive SPX-177A (in the $1000 Canadian range), I'm having an acoustic engineer setup my next speakers.

According to him, the stuff in car audio is good, but the mark up is RIDICULOUS to say the least. What you are paying for is someone to match up the right tweet to the right mid bass, design the correct cross over, and 5hitloads of hype after that. Parts alone are only 10% of the cost on average, at retail prices. So imagine the profit margins when they buy in bulk at whole sale!!! Yes, agreed lots of research, development, etc needs to be assessed into the price, but still.

The Focal Access which I bought for $300 Canadian could be duplicated in performance/sound for about half that. The thing is, the cheaper you go, the more difficult it is to duplicate the sound quality for the same price, mostly because of the cheapness at which they can get materials/components. But as speakers go up in price, it gets easier and easier to match, or exceed for less.

Right now, I'm running an Alpine CDA-7995 for the deck, an Alpine MRV-F540 4 channel amp (85W x 4), Soundstream Reference 500SX 2 channel (250W x 2), JBL 15" GTi, Dynamat everywhere (all four doors, under the carpet, and ALL of the trunk), and stock speakers. The improvement the Focals gave me over the stock were noticeable, but not for the $345 after taxes. The deck for $700 Canadian was worth it for things like speaker focus (delaying/advancing various speakers for correct imaging) adjustable cross overs from the deck, bass focus, three 4V preouts, etc, etc). The 4 channel is simply a mind blowing amp with clarity not easily matched at $700. As for the JBL which is like $1000+ Canadian, and the Soundstream which is like $750+ Canadian, bought used (about 1 year on the sub, 4 months in a basement, 8 in the car, amp 1 year old as well), for $600 together (bought from a fellow car audio buddy) I couldn't beat that dollar for dollar. In retrospect, I feel bad for kinda hardballing him, but that was back when I was going to go all go, and no sound.

As for the speakers I am going to run with this setup, the speakers I have chosen are DIRT cheap compared to what I have already spent. The mids are like $60 each, the tweets $20 each, the parts for the cross overs, about $75 each. So that's about $310. Which is basically what I paid for the Focal Accesses. And I am damn sure these are gonna SMOKE the Focals. They are arriving hopefully the end of this week, at which point my friend the acoustic engineer will work out the cross overs for the speakers. I have a feeling it won't be done this weekend, although I have been surprised before. The speakers are made by a company named Danish Sound Technology, specifically Peerless. Just check out the specs on the 6.5" CSX 165C mid bass, and the RDC 2000 for tweets. CRAZY eh?! Never thought speakers for that cheap could do what they do huh?

 

best bet is to NOT get rear speakers, and use the left over money for a better amp

eric

 

My amp choices don't include JL anything or Alpine either. Too expensive for what you get, which is a brand name.

For quality power and damn good price, I love Audiobahn and the chrome shines up real nice for show. I also love Soundstream and PPI amps, serious power quality and anything that will run 1 or .5ohm stable can't be all bad. Prices are reasonable too.

People love the Fosgate Punch series and they are quality amps, little pricey, but worth the money if you want a brand name and confirmed power with a birth certificate.

Don't spend much on your back speaks if they are in the doors, you can't hear them pretty much at all. I have some real nice coaxs that I wish I hadn't bought after having to be in the back seat to hear em. Just my .02