newbie need advice from experts on speakers

[bhawk]

I want to create a sound system that has lots of volume for those days driving down the road with windows down, with some reasonable bass, but I don't like that heavy bass sound my son gets with his sub-woofer\amp setup.
I am thinking of a decent head unit, say 50 watts x 4, with an amplifier. I want to run 2 speakers in front and 2 speaker in rear, so I guess I need a 4 channel amp. Assuming I am not going with a subwoofer, what kind of speakers are best. I saw some component speakers on ebay where you have a separate tweeter from the woofer, I guess you call it. Are they much better than the 3 way or 4way (whatever that means)all in one speakers.? If I went with component speakers, does the tweeter have to be close to the woofer or can it be one or 2 feet from the woofer. How many watts should the amp be? I have a 100 amp alternator and don't want to run into alternator problems. Your experience and advice appreciated.

 

[Ranger#1]

a good 400 true watt amp would be good enough componets are the best way to go jl sells a good set but there kinda pricy as tweeter location try to put it at a location that points twards your ear

 

[Pistons23]

heres an option. get a decent 4 channel. power the front speakers off of the a/b channels. then bridge c/d channels for a sub. most 4 channels will put out around 100-200 watts if you bridge the rear channels. then you can power the rear off of the headunit, or not use them at all.

these are probably the best youll find for $100 shipped.
http://www.woofersetc.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=product.display&Product_ID=6952

honestly if your going to spend the money on components why not go for an optimal staging and lose the rears. you could use the money that you were going to spend on the rears and buy some sound deadening. a layer of dynamat on the doors should make a noticable improvement.

 

[bhawk]

thanks for the replies. I surfed some other car sites today and also got advice to amp the front speakers, and power the rear speakers off the head unit, and also use a subwoofer. So, I think a 4 channel 400 watt amp would be about right. I would bridge the amp so the other two channels power a sub. Now, this is for a car, not my son's Ranger. I was thinking about putting the sub up near the center stock opening in the rear package tray. There is a 5x8 hole there for a speaker (stock old car rear speaker, car is 1965 chev). Any problems with putting a sub within a few inches of such a hole?
For the fronts, I am thinking of 5 or 6 inch round speakers in the kick panels, as I can get special kick panels moulded to house them. But if I go separate tweeters, they won't be pointing very well as they would be pointing at each other at foot level. What if I put both tweeters in the stock front speaker opening on the passenger side of car. I could point them at my ears, but they would be side by side, within two inches of each other. Is that going to lose their benefit by doing that?

 

[Pistons23]

you could use a 6" sub infinite baffle in those 5x8 location. you would probably have to trim the hole and then get a 7" or 8" sub grill to cover it. ive never used a sub infinite baffle so im not sure how the output would be. or you could have put a sub box in the trunk with an external port. have the ports fire through the rear deck 5x8 holes and then seal off the rest of the rear deck. but those 2 options are only if you lose the rear speakers. otherwise i dont think youd have any cancellation issues running a sub that close to the rear speakers.

yes you can just put the mid woofer in the kicks and mount the tweeter higher up in the door panel. when you aim the tweeter aim for the dome light(if you dont have one, just imagine there is one).

here are some nice 6" subs
http://www.edesignaudio.com/product_info.php?cPath=1_21&products_id=33

 

[Gum-B]

i have tried any and everything that can be done to a vehicle. If you want good sound start with a good head unit buy name brand Alpine, Kenwood, Clarion, Or pioneer. Then find speakers, components have the ability to give you the best sound. You want the tweeter to be no farther than 18 inches from the woofer, other wise it fractures the sound stage. Next find an amp the is well suited for you speakers. again buy name brand. In car audio you get what you pay fore. Look for amps that have a stated RMS power. That is the power it will run while listening to the music. Peak power is bull, and does not give you any thing useful. as far as infinite baffle in the rear with 6in subs its a waste of time. A simple 10in woofer will provide good sound and response, and not be annoying, also it was made for low frequency a 6in woofer struggles to produce bass properly. I would invest in dynamat i cannot say enough about it. My entire truck is sound deadened, it is as quite as a tomb in there. The final thing is don't skimp on wire. Wire is vital to the sound. I know there is cheep wire out there, but it sucks. if you spend you hard earned cash on quality parts, then support it correctly. my final advise is be cautious of ebay and online stores. Made sure the manufacturer has authorized internet sales, because no warranty sucks.