Moe.Yaqub

Alright So price is not a problem really. but lets be reasonable also. I have A 2005 c230 sedan. I want to know what the best possible set up I can go with when it comes down to the speakers and the sub. it would be helpful if you throw in an amplifier idea also but Im not to worried about that. Can you guys please help me out here. Some sites are telling me that i cant 6 3/4 speakers in there and some are telling me only 6.5 so im not sure which to go with.

Has anyone on here done this possibly if so let me know the set up you got and if you like it or not. I Really want to change this stuff in my car Because I just got it and the stupid speakers that came with the car factory stock are blown! please help me out. Thanks and greatly appreciated.

ELBMAN

Both 6.5 and 6.75 will fit, although the depth on some 6.75 will not work. The "Best Possible" setup is going to involve pulling new wire from your new amplifier to each speaker location, and a quality set of signal cables from the new head unit back to the amplifier. Tap the power for the AMP at the battery, not the SAM or the Fusebox up front. Regardless of the brand of equipment you choose to use, it will all sound substandard if you choose to go cheap on the cables and the installation.

coldbud3

Well, my speakers are soon to be busted, i hear buzz buzz buzz whenever there is a high pitch sound. The rear behind headrest tweeter is out, stealer wants $175 for it.
Now the sub is not doing well and the center(on dash) speaker is buzzing too.
I think is gonna be a pain in the a$$ to do it myself.
I went to BestBuy and got quoted $1500+ for a complete job.
New component speakers 2 amps, trunk sub, hidden in a double wall board to mach oem back of the trunk and not visible.
At the end of the conversation and talk about most of the possible top quality configurations, the guy tells me that this price is only for the labor !
So my friends, i gave up the ideea. Also crutchfield's prices for the component speakers are not too bad, but paired up with install it makes me wanna just ...give up.
I could probably change the door speakers myself, the sub and the tweeter(rear) without new wires... and thats about it.
But that rear tweeter ...hmmm... i cand find one anywhere, except dealer.
I have a 05 C230K with Nav and Harman/Kardon 9 speaker factory setup.
By the way.... if anyone knows where i can get the tweeter for a better price, please let me know.

TemjinX2

i think you should state whether you wants highs or mid sounds. Because different speakers are better in different areas. You should be able to do the install yourself. There even a wire area where you can funnel the wires under the door sills. Just click on my car computer thread to get any idea of the wiring.

Glyn M Ruck

Stop playing so loud. The HK amp is clipping & that's why you are blowing tweeters. If you want to continue listening at high SPLs you will need a more powerful amplifier to stop blowing tweeters. Amps with wimpy power stages blow speakers. More powerful amps don't as long as you are not stupid.

Glyn M Ruck

I'm not talking the latest in car audio fashion - Just plain simple good sound - More crap is spoken in the car audio industry than I've heard anywhere else in audio - and I mean absolute nonesense.

Matthew Polk at Polk Audio is making some very nice speakers that fit the W203 without cutting the car to pieces & Infinity - also part of the Harmon empire is also good. Both of these are reasonably priced for their performance. Then you need a decent amp with high current capability and decent power supplies - NO CLASS D - they are crap crap crap. Only thing in their favour is they run cool. You don't need huge BS power specs that quote nonesense peak power outputs in the 1000s of watts. You just need a good 50 watts per channel RMS or greater amp in a black box. You don't need flashing lights, bells & whistles, power meters & all that crap. They do nothing but degrade performance. Buy a simple beefy amp & hide it away.

Cables are another huge scam. Use a decent high SWG cable for the power supply connected to the battery. Use a reasonable, decently screened cable from the head unit to the amp. The best speaker cable you could possibly use in a car is a 20 buck - bright orange - heaven forbid! - Weed Eater extension cable from Home Depot (made in the Philippines) that would wire 10 cars so buy the shortest you can get & you will be happy. High signal strength cables, such as speaker cables, make very little difference in the short runs in a car.

A car is a hostile environment for audio & there are limits to what you can achieve. You also don't need all that gold plated crap that makes the car look like it's been to a suspect dentist. Good Luck

coldbud3

I'm worried about the center speaker tho'.
The one thats above the dashboard, i looked at it from above and doesn't look like is removable from the top.
It looks like it need open heart surgery.
Well i think you guys are right about the other speakers, but what about that sub, should it stay where it is right now(behind rear left headrest{behind the headrest of the passanger behind the driver } ) or be moved into the trunk ?
What about the overall completion time for such a project ?
Is there a DIY on the center speaker removal ?
Thanks guys.

TemjinX2

i dont think its really worth removing the center speaker if your going to get subs. A good quality components will give you your highs and the subs will give you your lows. The sub will overwhelm anything the center speaker will put out.

maybe you should state what kind of music you listen to? So we can get a better idea. The best speakers for opera won't sound as good for hip hop. If you get the idea.

Glyn M Ruck

Forget the centre speaker it's a WOT anyway - just disconnect it.

ELBMAN

When I was referencing cables, it was the mistake alot of people make of buying a quality piece of hardware and then thinking a piece of 16ga speaker wire and grounding it to the mounting screw on the amp is a proper way to power it. Between that and the cheap 20ft for $5 RCA interconnects you'll be chasing noise for years......

TemjinX2

i used cheap walmart rca's and walmart speaker wire. The only quality wire i bought was a 4gauge and 8 gauge from a speaker shop and i dont have any noise what so ever.

Its not like physical properties of copper wire changes when you pay too much for it or anything.

Glyn M Ruck

Yes Mike - Oxygen free copper wire does not stay oxygen free for long. As you know I'm a High End audio nut that has spent what people do on houses on my system & placed it in a purpose built listening room. The car audio industry, like the tyre industry, is generally populated by a thinly disguised bunch of hoods. They will relieve you of your hard earned money on a lot of crap. Car Audio has become a fashion statement rather than the quest for decent sound. Most of the esoteric bits of wire I have bought over the years costing more than an AVR for 1 metre have been consigned to the bin. I just run middle of the line Monster cable & the like in most applications. Harry Pearson - founder of Absolute Sound magazine - is running Home Depot extension cable wires on the most expensive speaker system ever made in his Seacliffe residence.

It is frankly more important to use highly flexible wire that can tolerate the endless opening & closing of doors than any other property.

paypaboi

Get Focal speakers and you won't go wrong. I have them in my car and everyone ALWAYS says the sound is amazing because the bass is really loud but the speakers overpower it by far and it just comes through crazy clear! and I have a 5year old AMP when i get the Alpine 4 Channel PDX its going to be ridiculous! 4speakers 2 tweeters is my set up...no speakers in the rear deck and you will not be able to handle the sound. I can only handle it because im use to it but anybody not use to loud music that gets into the car will definitely complain that it is too loud.

skittles

i think the guy forgot about his thread. anyway it all depends on your taste of treble and bass. i personally like the sound naturally clear and my bass to be a smooth low sound. not the common punchy sound that makes your car make unecessary sounds like claping plates. i went with DLS separates front and Alpine Coaxial on the rear. Sub is a rockford 10inch banpass box.

Glyn M Ruck

If one is serious about sound then it does not matter about treble, midrange, bass taste. It depends what sounds closest to the real thing live or in studio.

If you want a ghetto blaster that damages your hearing then that is a different matter.

Glyn M Ruck

Focal make reasonable speakers - very efficient & easy to drive - tend to be over bright.

coldbud3

Well, i listen to euro music, like Scooter, Paul Van Dyk, Dj Tiesto, Trance music and sometimes Bocelli.
So i love deep bass, rich full surround...but not very loud, the most like 80% max volume.
I love the high pitched sound effex and deep reveb sub sound but dont wanna over do it like the getto machine.
So im thinking of 4 component set setup + 1 sub and 2 amps.(1 amp dedicated for the sub)
To disconnect the center speaker do i have to remove the Head Unit or can it be done from the top(remove grill) ?

Glyn M Ruck

Sounds good. I think you have to remove the centre air vent cluster to access mounting for the triangular shaped grill that covers the speaker - not sure.

coldbud3

Holly mollllyyyyy, Thats quite a bit of surgery that needs to be done in order to disconnect the center speaker, mabye i could sneek in a long scalpel and gor for the speaker wire (Vena Cava)
Whats your toughts on the rear sub ? Keep in mind that i have the H/K 9 speaker factory setup. I have a feeling that it should have a better place in the trunk, but i'm worried about the overwheeellmmingg vibrations .
Ohh.. and you guys think that the current speaker wires are acceptable for a new component setup ?

ELBMAN

The vent is only held in by two screws inside the lower corners and pops out.

I've replaced the entire HK System in my C. You have fiber from the head unit back to the amplifier in the passenger side wheel well of your trunk, this is where all the speaker wires to the doors can be found. Take the HK Amp off the bracket and you have a great place to mount your component crossovers. I also have an XM tuner back in the same location, there actually is a great deal of room behind the carpet there.

Glyn M Ruck

I think the speaker wires will be fine. BTW the centre triangular grill clips in & out to reveal screws below. You will have to be careful prying it out so as not to damage the dash - Understand a butter knife & cloth for protection does the trick.

ebargados

I have to disagree with you. There are a lot of Class D amps that do sound good, Alpine and JL Audio amps to name a few. They are high current, have ample power, sounds clear, runs cool and comes in a much smaller form factor. If you haven't listened to these amps then you really can't say that they are crap. Having said that, you still need good speakers with proper placement if you want good sound.

One should always audition speakers before buying with music that are familiar to the listener. Bring a variety of music, typically ones you'll listen to. If you listen to live music then by all means bring them. Acoustic guitars and sax solos are excellent music to differentiate the subtle characteristics of good speakers. If the set is good, you should almost hear the pick hitting the strings or the throaty sound of the sax.

Turn them up loud with the bass and treble settings on flat. If they sound painful to your ears then move along to the next set. Good speakers will always sound good no matter what type of music you're listening to as long as the source is good.

Components with titanium tweeters tend to be bright but could be overly bright at times. Silk dome tweeters are usually subtle and reserved but could also be pricey. A good feature to look for is tweeter level attenuators.

Again, a good source is important. Don't expect hifi sound from a low bit mp3. Instead try to use original CDs, AAC is ok but DVD audio is better.

Glyn M Ruck

I have heard the Alpine class Ds & don't like them. In fairness Class D is probably just about OK for car sound which is compromised at best. I have been involved with high end audio all my life & run a Super Maggie surround sound system with Audio Research amplification & premium front end components. I've tried every decent (& damn expensive) class D design on the market for the Home Theatre side of the system & they just don't hack it compared with Class A or A/B - a long way to go I'm afraid. OK for Subs. So I stick to my statement.

Things in favour of class D are, cheap to build, compact, low heat generation. Now someone needs to try and design out the cold, clinical, lifeless sound.

I agree with your other comments apart from tweeters. That's old thinking. B&Ws diamond tweeters are of some of the hardest material around & are spectacular but reserved. Nearly as good as the Magneplanar ribbon. It's all in the engineering.

W203E35

I don't know much about speakers and sound systems (although I know how to wire them) but +1 on Tiesto and Trance.

Don't forget about Armin Van Burren

bumpnzx3

not sure if it's been mentioned yet or not- but the stereo is only going to sound as good as the install. i can get a low-range set of speakers to sound much better when property prepped and installed in the same vehicle that a high dollar set of speakers were just dropped in. don't waste your time and money on expensive speakers if you are just going to drop them in. you need to seal and deaden the door skins, a little egg crate foam behind the drivers, etc......

focals aren't bad- but they are quite harsh. i'm not a fan of most anything mainstream aside from the GTi subwoofers from JBL. i also agree with Glen- the true idea is to reproduce the music perfectly. that's part of the reason i like to listen to a lot of old bb king, john lee hooker, etc. even though the recordings aren't the greatest- that's part of the music and it sounds "great" to me.