Speaker suggestions for a decent sound system

[1967coronet]

Im not a stereo guy... but I did make/ buy a set of in the trunk speaker covers aprox 6" deep and 8x10" they were from wally world, small baskets made for something else LOL , little foam in the bottom 1/2" .
covered both 6x9s pioneer triaxels base's on the bottom of the rear package tray.
What a improvement ! head unit is a older 100 watt jvc..
pretty much doubled the sound and sound quality from the unit/set.

 

[Paul Boucher]

JBL MR-22
4 x 45w
4-8 Ohm

If it (the JBL head unit and the PA MM651 speakers) sounded half a good as my 2009 Ram truck's factory unit/speakers at talking level, I'd be happy. But sounds like total crap a normal listening levels at 1 meter distance.

Unfortunately you will not be able to get good sound out of that combination. I thought you might be using these speakers in your boat from previous comments. You probably won't get any decent sound out of that head unit with out an amp. I checked and those speakers are rated for Marine use which is good, but the main issue is they are under powered and designed to be used with an amp. Also, I would not use them with that head unit as you can have issues and burn up the head unit due to the Ohm compatibility issue. I would bet if you add an amp, those speakers will wake up and sound pretty good. I would also bet your 2009 Ram is using an amplifier. If it is, the amplifier is set up to use crossover points specifically matched to the factory speakers they installed. This helps with the sound quality. Your head unit probably only has Treble and Bass adjustments which is not going to do much for the sound. Even if you add an amp, it will most likely be limited by the head units audio processing capacity, which unfortunately with that unit is not much.

 

[biomedtechguy]

The space behind the speaker (cabinet, enclosure, trunk, box...) can have a big effect on how they sound.
Speakers move air. If they have an appropriately sized "cabinet" like a trunk for this example, they can be more efficient in their operation.
There are sealed and ported enclosures. Usually sealed gives a tighter sound, ported gives a deeper bass because the port itself produces a sound wave. In my house, I have a combination of both, including a twist on the "sealed" cabinet.
My subwoofer in the Theater Room has 2 long excursion 14" powered woofers, but it also has 4 x 14" passive radiators. That basically increases the speaker surface area by 200% and still gives the predictable controlled excursion (movement) of the 2 active (powered) speakers. My front 3 towers have ports, but they're tuned to allow a measured amount of movement and resistance, while not as tightly controlled as the subwoofer, there are other factors that help do that job.
And this is my last post in this thread.
I'll get carried away.

 

[69L48Z27]

This is the only place I disagree. Done right a curved glass can work well for you. I was able to hit 136db in my 1990 Dodge Daytona Hatch Back throwing the woofers off the glass using only two 75 watt rated Precision Power amps (American made versions) Took the class (75-150 watt) due to the low watt ratings. Two 12" Cerwin Vegas port tuned to 35 hrtz. with PPI amps and Soundstream (American made versions) SPL components in the rear, front kick panels, and dash. Man, that was a great system!

I don’t think @Kern Dog is winning any SPL contests with his 6x9’s. My perspective was adding a hint more ‘tinniness’ to his setup in the context of clarity/quality. For SPL that back window will for sure help blow your ear drums out.

 

[Ernie ingling]

Don’t care what system you use if I can hear it in my car windows up it’s too f ing loud. So adjust accordingly

 

[Paul Boucher]

Don’t care what system you use if I can hear it in my car windows up it’s too f ing loud. So adjust accordingly

I concur with this as well! Even though I had systems that would rattle the dishes inside the house, I never turned it up in traffic, in the city limits, or in a neighborhood. It is about respect and I can't stand when people do that. Same thing with these jack wagons now and their God awful loud exhaust pipes on their trucks. Have had some ride by that would literally blow your ear drums. Just like there were sound ordinances enforced on stereos, there should be on those obnoxious trucks!

 

[Paul Boucher]

I don’t think @Kern Dog is winning any SPL contests with his 6x9’s. My perspective was adding a hint more ‘tinniness’ to his setup in the context of clarity/quality. For SPL that back window will for sure help blow your ear drums out.

You are correct there. I concur with it probably having an effect on his overall sound.

I would bet most of his tinniness is coming from them being under-powered, and probably not sealed/boxed correctly.

 

[Ernie ingling]

Lost most of my hearing at RUSH concerts my choice. Car going by house and blocks out GYC that tears it

 

[Kern Dog]

The 2007 truck sounds pretty decent to me for a stock stereo. Not too strong on bass but the midrange is really good. I would be happy with that for the Charger. I like classic rock and some stuff few here have even heard of, Electronic Dance Music. Years back, people have called it Techno or Rave. It has a strong midrange tempo and can be heavy on bass. I play it in the truck and on my Job Rocker radio but in the Charger, its as if I am listening to it on the iphone....weak and tinny.
I did have a homemade box under the speakers but as I said, I don't think that it made a difference.
Regarding the speakers only being as good as my ears....GOOD point and I would agree. I have dealt with hearing loss since I was a kid. Nothing major, mostly high frequency but enough to get me discharged from the Army before I could finish basic training.
I can hear well enough to know that my truck and Challenger sound better. I do have the 60 something amp alternator in the car and everything is well grounded. The engine side harness is 6 years old. I'm not against installing an amplifier. I'll get out to the car to get the specs from the speakers. I may have the manual for the stereo in the glovebox. That should have info in it too.
Thanks for the suggestions. Some are miles over my head. I must have just chosen a mismatched set of components because in other cars years ago, I just slapped in a cassette deck and 6x9s and had a pretty damn good setup....probably just by dumb luck!

 

[BSB67]

Unfortunately you will not be able to get good sound out of that combination. I thought you might be using these speakers in your boat from previous comments. You probably won't get any decent sound out of that head unit with out an amp. I checked and those speakers are rated for Marine use which is good, but the main issue is they are under powered and designed to be used with an amp. Also, I would not use them with that head unit as you can have issues and burn up the head unit due to the Ohm compatibility issue. I would bet if you add an amp, those speakers will wake up and sound pretty good. I would also bet your 2009 Ram is using an amplifier. If it is, the amplifier is set up to use crossover points specifically matched to the factory speakers they installed. This helps with the sound quality. Your head unit probably only has Treble and Bass adjustments which is not going to do much for the sound. Even if you add an amp, it will most likely be limited by the head units audio processing capacity, which unfortunately with that unit is not much.

Thank you.
It is in the boat.
So, what do you recommend for speakers?
Biomed recommended some JBL 93 dB @ 3 ohm speakers in a previous post. My new Polk 94 dB speakers @ 3 ohm speakers don't work.
The JBL MR-22 head unit came with the boat and 4 speakers. Certainly it sounded acceptable in 2003 when it was new. And if I can simply get back to that, I'd probably be happy.
I do feel a little bit like I'm stepping all over KD post, but it seems to me that he might have the same challenges that I'm having.

 

[themechanic]

What I have in the Coronet. https://www.forbbodiesonly.com/moparforum/showcase/stereo-upgrade.4998/

I would not compare the sound of a modern car's audio to one from the 60s and 70s. The insulation and sound deadening in newer vehicles is hard to duplicate in classic cars without spending a ton of money and/or raising the volume. Controlling the volume in stop and go traffic is a hassle even with head units that do it automatically.

Also, do not install a low profile sub under any seat you will have passengers sitting. They complain about how it tickles their behinds even at moderate volume.

You can have a really nice sound with a blue tooth speaker by Tribit or JBL.

I have the Tribit and can hear it throughout my house.

One last point, you can have loud pipes or good sounding tunes but you cannot have both with spending a lot of money.

https://www.amazon.com/Tribit-Bluetooth-Speaker-Portable-Waterproof/dp/B0784ZQFHZ/ref=sr_1_3?fst=asff&qid=1577053755&refinements=p_89:Tribit&rnid=2528832011&s=electronics&sr=1-3

 

[Kern Dog]

The stereo unit:

The specs:

Now the rear 6x9 speakers:

 

[Kern Dog]

Forgive me for coming across as a little slow, but....
Is it fair to say that since the speakers are rated at a LOT more power than the stereo unit is making, the speakers are just not getting enough power? Would one solution be to switch to a lower rated speaker OR should I rig in some type of amplifier?

 

[themechanic]

I would buy a 4 channel amplifier and some RCA wires from the pre-outs on your Kenwood to the amp and some good speaker wire to the speakers.


https://soundcertified.com/best-budget-car-amplifier/

 

[Dennis H]

The 6x9’s sound great. Not sure of manufacturer. The Alpine is a good unit, does more than I’ll ever figure out. The boomer in the trunk is the key. Tweeters really round out the sound. Yes it is a pia, thought it would fit under the shelf. Too big. Does the job though, stays secure, and still have plenty of trunk room.

 

[RJRENTON]

In days of old, speakers were always matched to the amplifier's capabilities in terms of impedance (similar to resistance) like 4, 8 or 16 ohms AND the maximum output (watts) the amp could produce at a specified frequency range. The better speakers had a frequency range of 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz., over a specified decibel range, like +/- 3 to 5 db over a specified frequency range. The human ear can discern frequencies from about 40 Hz to 10,000 - 12,000 Hz......but you can "feel" the extremes. Usually, paper cone speakers cannot accurately reproduce frequencies above 10,000 Hz. Those frequencies are reproduced via metallic devices, which react faster due to their lower mass. The transitions from lower frequencies to higher frequencies are routed thru a "cross-over" network comprised of capacitors and inductors "tuned" to certain frequency to switch between the low frequency to mid frequency to high frequency "speakers"
The other factor that was considered was the "efficiency" of the speakers. The lower the efficiency, the better the speaker system could reproduce the sound but it required more driving power (watts) produced by the amplifiers.
Today's sound system components are designed to compliment each other and their installed environment. Bose was always noted for their coordinated components. Its biggest objection was its cost...but...you only get what you pay for. Mix matching components USUALLY results in poor performance and sound quality. But if one's requirement is loudness (ear bleeding window rattling intensity) rather than faithfully reproducing audio, then quality will be second only to cost. These LOUD system generally require high amperage power sources, which will require higher smp alternators, wiring etc. Soon, alternators will be required to produce "arc welding" power to support the sound system.
To me, it seems to make sense to buy the sound system you desire at the time the vehicle is purchased rather than trying to "shoe maker" an after market system. But this controversy is just getting started....much akin to which oil is best or which beer is better or which spark plugs are best.....etc, etc..... Just my opinion of course.
BOB RENTON

 

[NoCar2023]

More power is always good.
But maybe a speaker with a lower RMS requirement will work for you.

 

[biomedtechguy]

The stereo unit:
View attachment 884817

The specs:

View attachment 884818
View attachment 884819
Now the rear 6x9 speakers:
View attachment 884820

Max output: 50W x4
If you don't change that amp, you MUST buy the most efficient (dB/watt) speakers you can find, that also sound good to you.
22 WPC is pretty weak, and that is the "optimal" steady output power capability of your amp.
Those speakers are, well...not that good.
Remember this! "It's all electricity until it hits the speakers!"
Really good, highly efficient speakers are THE most critical part of ANY audio system!
Like my signature on a popular audio forum used to say...
"Klipsch...So good it Hz!"
Unfortunately they don't make car speakers.
Look at JBL again...

 

[RJRENTON]

More power is always good.
But maybe a speaker with a lower RMS requirement will work for you.

Not necessarily....usually at higher power levels, DISTORTION levels (garbling or resonance..booming) occurs when speakers are overdriven and is a squared function.... RMS (Root Mean Squared) is square root function of the peak value impressed, and is frequency dependant. If the device (speaker) is capable of high peak values, then the RMS (or average value) will fall within the acceptable value at the specified impedsnce. Not matching the impedance will result in power loss and possible amplifier damage speaker damage or both....especially at high power levels. An audio engineer (not the Best Buy sales person) would be the best source for information.
BOB RENTON

 

[Dennis H]

View attachment 884832 View attachment 884831 View attachment 884830 The 6x9’s sound great. Not sure of manufacturer. The Alpine is a good unit, does more than I’ll ever figure out. The boomer in the trunk is the key. Tweeters really round out the sound. Yes it is a pia, thought it would fit under the shelf. Too big. Does the job though, stays secure, and still have plenty of trunk room.

This can make the car shake. Is it facing the wrong way?