Decent 6" speakers?

[horsemanuk]

Can someone recommend a good pair of 6" speakers for the front? I've toyed around with some cheap Sony and Fli speakers and they've pretty much been a waste of money so far.

[coolcat]

Originally Posted by horsemanuk

Can someone recommend a good pair of 6" speakers for the front? I've toyed around with some cheap Sony and Fli speakers and they've pretty much been a waste of money so far.

You will want component speakers for the fronts for the best results.
If you really want to improve the audio then removing the plastic housings and fabricating an mdf housing will bring real dividends.
Also Dynamat the doors as well to reduce resonance which will make a huge difference.
Lots of choice in component speakers, best to set yourself a budget and shop a round and read reviews on products in your budget.
Feel free to check my shop on here,
I have component speakers available for less than £50.00

[neilbaker86]

I've had various speakers over the years, a set of the older (cast alluminium caged) Alpine type-Rs were good. Wasn't impressed with the Rainbow's in my other car though.

But by far the best are the ones in my ZT, I bought two sets so all four doors replaced with these:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1506833452...84.m1423.l2648

Not the cheapest, but they are excellent.

I have to say, I don't know why people keep going on about making MDF mounts, the plastic ones are, unsurprisingly, perfect for the job they were designed for, you just need to ensure there is a hole behind it into the door so the speaker has the correct volume of air in the door enclosure. I've read that the damp-proof sheet didn't have a hole in it behind the speaker on earlier cars, leading to poor sound quality. The plastic mount only holds the woofer to the door, and they are very sturdy if you make a decent job of fixing the woofer to it. I just used some nylon spacers, with some bolts and nyloc nuts.

[daniluvsuall]

I'd highly recommend Hertz by Elletromedia (google them) and they have a range for everyone, I've got Mille's in my car (Component 6"'s) and they are the best money I've ever spent.

Clear as crystal when driven by an amplifier, but this begs the question - are you going to be running them on an external amp or the head unit?

I'd go for something lower wattage if you're using your HU as it'll struggle to drive large speakers without an external amp = bad sound.

Hope that helps

[horsemanuk]

I've got a Sony head unit 4x45W. I wish I knew what brand/model the stock speakers in a Mondeo Mk3 are. It used to pump out the sounds really nicely. I don't particularly want earth shattering bass but I do want to at least hear to low frequencies of a bass line. I'm starting to think that just augmenting the system with an under seat active bass speaker might do the trick. I already have plenty of treble and mid-range.

[coolcat]

Originally Posted by neilbaker86

I've had various speakers over the years, a set of the older (cast alluminium caged) Alpine type-Rs were good. Wasn't impressed with the Rainbow's in my other car though.

But by far the best are the ones in my ZT, I bought two sets so all four doors replaced with these:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1506833452...84.m1423.l2648

Not the cheapest, but they are excellent.

I have to say, I don't know why people keep going on about making MDF mounts, the plastic ones are, unsurprisingly, perfect for the job they were designed for, you just need to ensure there is a hole behind it into the door so the speaker has the correct volume of air in the door enclosure. I've read that the damp-proof sheet didn't have a hole in it behind the speaker on earlier cars, leading to poor sound quality. The plastic mount only holds the woofer to the door, and they are very sturdy if you make a decent job of fixing the woofer to it. I just used some nylon spacers, with some bolts and nyloc nuts.

Hi Neil,

Would have to concour with your choice of speakers.
It's why I have Focals in my car, the only difference being for me is that I substituted the Focal tweeter for the Harman Kardon tweeter to keep the 'oem' look!
Although the Focal tweeters are of a much better quality!

Would have to disagree with the use of the plastic mounts though.
Sure, they do the job but using inert materials like Mdf reap audio benefits.
Plastic has a tendency to resonate at certain freqencies in a way that Mdf doesn't. This gives better control and less distortion over the dynamic range of the speaker.
It is also why it makes a real difference to use sound absorption material like dynamat on the doors as well.
It's the same reasons that you don't find many high quality domestic speakers made from plastic...
Professional Pa speakers are often made from blow moulded cabinets but this is for lightness and strength when being transported from place to place.
Move up the range in Pa equipment and that too will be made from Mdf, Marine Ply etc and plastic tends to dissapear.

Having said all that, upgrading the speakers on their own would give great gains on the sound quality compared to the cheap and nasty stock Goodmans efforts that are fitted.

It all depends on how far you want to take the speaker install

[Godfer]

Originally Posted by coolcat

You will want component speakers for the fronts for the best results.
If you really want to improve the audio then removing the plastic housings and fabricating an mdf housing will bring real dividends.
Also Dynamat the doors as well to reduce resonance which will make a huge difference.
Lots of choice in component speakers, best to set yourself a budget and shop a round and read reviews on products in your budget.
Feel free to check my shop on here,
I have component speakers available for less than £50.00

Given your new venture, would you consider the manufacture and supply of 'Speaker Upgrade Kits' - drive units, crossovers, wiring, MDF mounts and Dynamat at all?

I too would love to upgrade but would be stumped when it came to the MDF mounts.

Just a thought!!!

[neilbaker86]

Originally Posted by coolcat

Hi Neil,

Would have to concour with your choice of speakers.
It's why I have Focals in my car, the only difference being for me is that I substituted the Focal tweeter for the Harman Kardon tweeter to keep the 'oem' look!
Although the Focal tweeters are of a much better quality!

Would have to disagree with the use of the plastic mounts though.
Sure, they do the job but using inert materials like Mdf reap audio benefits.
Plastic has a tendency to resonate at certain freqencies in a way that Mdf doesn't. This gives better control and less distortion over the dynamic range of the speaker.
It is also why it makes a real difference to use sound absorption material like dynamat on the doors as well.
It's the same reasons that you don't find many high quality domestic speakers made from plastic...
Professional Pa speakers are often made from blow moulded cabinets but this is for lightness and strength when being transported from place to place.
Move up the range in Pa equipment and that too will be made from Mdf, Marine Ply etc and plastic tends to dissapear.

Having said all that, upgrading the speakers on their own would give great gains on the sound quality compared to the cheap and nasty stock Goodmans efforts that are fitted.

It all depends on how far you want to take the speaker install

Fully respect your opinion coolcat, I still however don't think you'll get any worthy benefits at all from making mdf mounts, especially when using woofers with cast frames such as the Focal ones, once I bolted them to the plastic housing it's totally solid, the Focal units weigh a tonne and when the whole thing is securely screwed to the door I've never had any resonance at all, I've even tried a frequency generator through them at nearly full volume to try and find a low resonance frequency but couldn't get it to rattle.

I think the biggest return for your money are a decent set of speakers, and upgraded headunit, also, the Harman amp is a cost-effective, neat and easy(ish) way to get some extra punch too.

I used the Focal tweeters, I kept the original grilles and hot-glued a small piece of black silicone coolant hose behind the trim which I pushed the tweeter into. It does work fine in use, but you'll find you have to re-glue it should you need to remove the trim for any reason (such as fitting powerfold door mirrors!) as when you flex it the glue will give up.

[coolcat]

Originally Posted by neilbaker86

Fully respect your opinion coolcat, I still however don't think you'll get any worthy benefits at all from making mdf mounts, especially when using woofers with cast frames such as the Focal ones, once I bolted them to the plastic housing it's totally solid, the Focal units weigh a tonne and when the whole thing is securely screwed to the door I've never had any resonance at all, I've even tried a frequency generator through them at nearly full volume to try and find a low resonance frequency but couldn't get it to rattle.

I think the biggest return for your money are a decent set of speakers, and upgraded headunit, also, the Harman amp is a cost-effective, neat and easy(ish) way to get some extra punch too.

I used the Focal tweeters, I kept the original grilles and hot-glued a small piece of black silicone coolant hose behind the trim which I pushed the tweeter into. It does work fine in use, but you'll find you have to re-glue it should you need to remove the trim for any reason (such as fitting powerfold door mirrors!) as when you flex it the glue will give up.

They say the proof of the pudding is in the eating
Having already done many door pod modifications to various cars I can say I certainly notice the difference
Just to put your minds at ease, although the online shop we have set up here is new, our company ( Clacton Electronics Ltd ) have been trading since the mid seventies as a Sole Trader and more recently we became a Limited Company.
Originally our company started by building High Power Pa Amps, Speakers and Lighting solutions.
We still service and maintain many of those products from yesteryear that are still going strong, although I think many will be a bit like Triggers Broom
I have been working as an audio engineer at Clacton Electronics since 1997 and have been involved in the audio service, repair and installation business since leaving college in 1988.
As you see, I have a little bit of experience in this field although as with anything audio related you will be the person listening to your install and if it sounds good to you then that's all what matters.
As I said previously it all depends on how far you want to take your installation and how much you think (if any) the gains are worthwhile.
It's all subjective in the end
I like your idea with the tweeters, this may be a little modification I shall copy

[coolcat]

Originally Posted by Godfer

Given your new venture, would you consider the manufacture and supply of 'Speaker Upgrade Kits' - drive units, crossovers, wiring, MDF mounts and Dynamat at all?

I too would love to upgrade but would be stumped when it came to the MDF mounts.

Just a thought!!!

We already sell those