Stock HU, worth a speaker upgrade?

[bobby_7 0]

hey fellas,

i recently bought a new car, a 1999 olds 88 ls. its a grandpa car, i know, but thats ok, cuz i like it. now i like keeping the stock look for now, and dont have a lot of time/money/energy to put into the stereo right now. the stock system is ok for now, but i would like to upgrade the speakers for a little more clarity, midbass, and maybe the ability to turn it up a little louder with a little less distortion (though i realize this is probably also because of the stock cd player.) im wanting just some low-mid level upgrades for front and rear speakers. front speakers will probably come first.

first question, is this even going to be worth it, if im not adding any amplification or an aftermarket head unit? if you answered yes or even maybe to this question, continue to question 2.

second question, what are some suggestions? i dont want to go component because i dont want to have to cut any holes for the tweeter or run wires or anything. i did look at the elemental designs e3.65i system, because i can put the tweeter on top of the mid, and still have the crossover, but i dont know if it will still fit behind my door panel.

anyways, any suggestions are appreciated. thanks

[KU40 173]

I would say that you would most likely gain from upgrading the speakers. I doubt they put very high end stereo equipment in that car, so maybe even a pair of coaxials would be an upgrade. But what you should do first is go out and measure the speaker hole, both for diameter of driver and depth available. Depth is usually the limiting factor in selecting speakers. However, also note if there is any extra room between the speaker and the grill or door panel so that you may be able to put in a spacer to bring the speaker out a little bit to gain some extra room for the depth.

What is your budget exactly? You can take a look at crutchfield.com, which has a tool that will allow you to input your car make and model and it will tell you which speakers will fit and at least give you a starting point. My friend has some lower-end pioneer coaxials in his car and they surprised me with how good they sound.

[bobby_7 0]

What is your budget exactly? You can take a look at crutchfield.com, which has a tool that will allow you to input your car make and model and it will tell you which speakers will fit and at least give you a starting point. My friend has some lower-end pioneer coaxials in his car and they surprised me with how good they sound.

My budget is around $75, mayyyyybe $100 if i can get a better speaker for a little more than $75. that is per pair of speakers of course.

also, i have shopped at crutchfield before but never bought anything from them. how accurate are their measurements on whether the speaker fits in the car or not? am i able to rely on those measurments?

[///M5 2,833]

If that is per pair, instead spend that on one pair and spend the same on an amp for that pair. Fronts with an amp is WAY better than front and rears without.

[bobby_7 0]

If that is per pair, instead spend that on one pair and spend the same on an amp for that pair. Fronts with an amp is WAY better than front and rears without.

yea, no doubt that is true, and that is in my future plans, but for now i just need to stick with some coaxials and no amp. if i had some more time and energy i probably would, but for now i just need a plug and go thing.

[///M5 2,833]

A small amp is pretty darn plug-n-play and probably would take less time than installing rears which are completely useless anyways.

[kryptonitewhite 1]

If that is per pair, instead spend that on one pair and spend the same on an amp for that pair. Fronts with an amp is WAY better than front and rears without.

X2

BTW I swore I would NEVER ever use an LOC, but I'm running my factory HU.... and I love the tweets!

[bobby_7 0]

so im reviving this thread, i may need to make a new topic in the general forum but im lookin for some opinions.

i thought it over some more and now im getting the itch to put a complete (or at least somewhat complete) setup in. so i've decided that i want to do one 8" sub, and i want to amp the door speakers. i still plan to go with coaxials as i do not want to cut into any panels to mount the tweeters. i still want to stick with the stock HU as well. i plan to get new door speakers first, then shoot for the LOC then the amp and sub.

are there any recommendations for door speakers first off?

secondly, i've never used an LOC, so i dont know the in's and out's of them. are there some equalizer functions on them, or do i have to use the plain ole' bass and treble settings on the stock HU. any other hints/tips/recommendations on them?

thanks for talking me into spending more money fellas

[KU40 173]

I'd just get a 4 channel amp and use the front channels for your front speakers and bridge the rears for your sub.

An LOC doesn't have any equalizer functions on it. It's simply a way to switch signal from high level to low level (speaker wires from the head unit into RCAs to go to the amp).

[lorenzo 0]

Look into audiocontrol products. They have step downs/L.O.C. that are a lot more advanced than just your run of the mill l.o.c.s. Im talkin in dash eqs with step downs and line drivers. Great if youre tring to keep a factory hu. I will admit that they generaly run about 100 bucks or more.