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hey ya'll,

i'm shopping for components and i wanted to get some feedback. my budget is somewhere under $120, maybe under $100. i guess that will depend on if the difference is worth it. i can't audition any sets because hurricane ivan destroyed all of the car audio shops around here, so any info from ya'll would be greatly appreciated. i'm 100% SQ but would like some low-end response from my components because it'll be another month or two before i get a sub. i'll be powering these guys with 50 to 75W RMS. here's what i'm looking at(prices dont include shipping):

Crystal CPE60s - $70
Infinity Reference 6000s - $80
Alpine SPR-176A - $110
JL Audio TR650-CS1 - $120
Orion C6.2 - $120

if youve got a recommendation not on this list and within my budget, please throw it out. i think i would prefer soft dome tweeters based on what i have read about tweeters so far. i listen to all kinds of music and just want natural , good SQ sound. i have heard great things about Crystal speakers and am leaning towards those, considering i can get them for $70 bucks. point me in the right direction guys, i'm new to this and really want to get the best setup for the small budget i'm working with. thanks for all your help.

You can also look into CDT, Image Dynamics, MB Quart, Diamond, (more expensive ones to look for on eBay: Dyn-Audio, Rainbow, Focal (most have metal tweeters though), Morel, JL Audio (XR line), CDT (the higher models), ...)

Out of the ones you have found, I'd go with the JL Audio first, Alpine second. But I have not heard either the Crystal or Orion component sets, so I cannot really tell you anything about those. Infinity is good, but midbass is lacking in their coaxial speakers, not sure how similar the component sets are though; I know their Perfect components are much better.

if you want great components with some low end the RE components are right around youre price range, there a little more 150 but well worth it im sure.

thanks guys. appreciate the feedback. slight change of plans though. my 4runner is an '84 and has absolutely no place to mount speakers in the door. i was planning on making a custom box and surface mounting it on the door but the other night i made a model of the box out of cardboard to see how it would fit and it just took up too much space (not much legroom in those old toyota trucks). so.....the factory speakers are 4"'s in the front/bottom of the dash facing forward. i guess now i'm looking at 4" components. got my eye on these guys: http://www.carstereoworld.com/crystal/crycomp.html - the CSC40s. i'm pretty disappointed, i wanted to have some decent bass upfront, but i'm not gonna get it with 4" speakers huh?

i'm also putting a 10" Alpine Type-R in the back of the 4Runner. Should I add some 6 3/4 midbass speakers in the backseat? From what i have read, rear speakers kind of mess up the imaging, and originally i wasnt going to put any in, but should i now to get a better midrange sound? or will the sub pick up where my 4" comps leave off?

i was originally just going to buy a 4channel amp (65x4rms) to power the comps and the sub, but now i'm thinking i may have to use the amp to power the comps and the rear speakers(if i get them), and get a mono amp to power the sub. that's getting a little out of my original budget, but i'll do it if it will sound a whole lot better.

what do ya'll think? will adding the rear speakers be enough of an increase in sound quality to justify $400 over budget or would i be ok for now just to have the 4" comps up front and 10" sub in the back with a 4ch amp for power for now? thanks guys. sorry if i'm rambling; i hate that my original plan is screwed up. i thought i had it all figured out.

however, i did get my new Alpine CDA-9827 saturday, installed it, and it kicks a@@!

you could always make kickpanels...especially in a big 4x4 like that they might fit nicely.

yeah that's a good thought, i thought about that. you would be suprised how little space this truck has for legroom. not only would it take up too much space, but the fuse box is behind the driver's side kick panel.

i did some looking around for shallow 6.5" comps and found that the Infinity Reference's only have a top-mount depth of 1 15/16" as opposed to the 2.75" i was originally looking at. i might be able to squeeze that in. does anyone know of any other shallow 6.5" comps?

when flush mounting the speaker box on the door, can i leave off the back of the box and have the back of the speaker all the way up against the door, or do i need to give it space to breathe?

will low end 6.5" infinity's sound better than a good set of 4" comps?

any ideas on the most space-efficient way to surface mount 6.5" speakers on a door with no speaker cutouts?

i was thinking about cutting a hole in the door panel to get me an extra 1/2" maybe. even further, i was thinking about actually cutting a whole in door itself. behing the first layer of metal i have about another inch and a half before the power window mechanism is in the way. would that not be a good idea?

any ideas on the most space-efficient way to surface mount 6.5" speakers on a door with no speaker cutouts?

Dremel tool

Just put a hole in the plastic and be happy

J.W. wrote:yeah that's a good thought, i thought about that. you would be suprised how little space this truck has for legroom. not only would it take up too much space, but the fuse box is behind the driver's side kick panel.

i fit kickpanels into a 03 zx2. there is zero leg room in that thing. of course im a freaking toothpick. if you make em small enough, you should be fine. (and they'll sound 10x better)

thats it. out comes the saw!! any tips or considerations on cutting through metal?

Cut once



be careful what your cutting....