Speakers: Front vs. Rear.

[EastBay2300]

Hey TRS.com!
I apologize in advance if this topic has been covered previously, but a search of the forums didn't seem to turn up quite what I'm looking for. Any advice on an idea I had for the sound system in my truck would be appreciated.
Tomorrow, I am going to be switching out the door speakers in my '03 B2300 with some Pioneer TS-D6802Rs. I have noticed that the stock door speakers sound much better than the stock rear speakers; which got me thinking. I was only able to purchase one set of aftermarket speakers at the moment and was wondering if it might be worth my time to use the stock door speakers in the rear location until I can upgrade those as well.
I have read, on this forum and others, that the rear speaker mounts aren't enclosed very well, so I don't expect the door speakers to sound the same in the rear location as they do in the doors, I do however think it'd be hard for them to sound as bad as what is currently back there.
Has anyone here tried the front speakers in the rear? Or, does anyone have an opinion on whether or not it might be enough of an improvement to make it worth the extra effort? Especially considering I intend to buy a second set of Pioneers in the next few months.
Thanks for any opinions/advice.

Tim

 

[veefer800canuck]

i dunno about the 03 mazda, but as I recall doing the speakers in my 94 ranger, all 4 factory speakers were physically identical.

so any difference in performance to your ear, comparing front to back, is due to one of a couple different things:

-speaker placement and the amount of free space behind the speaker
-possibly damaged speakers
-previous owner already swapped stock speakers for something else?

I replaced mine with Pioneer direct replacement 6x8's, no cutting or hacking, and they have been working great for the last 4 years or so.

 

[veefer800canuck]

i think these were the ones I have, they are only like 50 bucks per set

http://www.crutchfield.com/S-DjrmkM6QYAD/p_130TSG6844/Pioneer-TS-G6844R.html

there are probably better speakers out there, but I was just hooking them up to a Sony head unit, with 52 watts per channel max, no external amplifier, so they sound OK. the rangers cab is small, so you really don't need a lot of stero to fill it up.

and I'm not spending 5 grand on a stereo for a $2500 truck either.

 

[EastBay2300]

Thanks for the input Veefer.
I could be mistaken, possibly due to the fact that the seats block a substantial amount of sound in my regular cab truck, but when I fade the sound to the rear, it sounds suspiciously like a pair of one-way speakers. It does look like the stock front speakers are still in place, and they have a far better range of sound than the speakers in the rear. Maybe you're right and the rear speakers are just shot. Either way, it doesn't look like it'll be too difficult to remove them to investigate further. I would love to have been able to order two pairs of speakers to replace all four, but for now I'm stuck with just the two. I think I'm going to stick with the TS-D6802s I'm putting in the doors in the rear as well when I do upgrade; they also are a direct fit for Ford/Mazda, I don't want to permanently alter anything on my truck. I have no amp, just powering the speakers with a JVC KD-X40 Digital Media Receiver (20 watts x 4 RMS) so I'm not looking for exceptional, just acceptable.

Thanks!
Tim

 

[veefer800canuck]

i prefer the no hacking approach to the interior also, which is why i went with the direct fit option.
i hate cutting/drilling/hacking anything in the interior that is visible.

there is a fake vent cover in the center of the dash, where the 4wd trucks would have their electric 4x4 switch, and it had a hole drilled in it when I bought the truck, im not sure why

off to the junkyard, 5 bucks for a new fake vent cover, and I dont have to stare at the stupid hole anymore.

 

[EastBay2300]

Well...I swapped out the front speakers this afternoon (quite the upgrade I might add), and while I was at it, I pulled one of the rear speakers. While it wasn't identical, it was very similar and shared the same specs as the front, so back in it went. No need to waste extra time for little to no improvement.
It was a relief to see how easy it is to replace speakers in our trucks, no need to modify anything aside from splicing Pioneer's included wiring to the truck's speaker wires. Even re-used the same screws I removed from the stock speakers. All said and done, I'm more than pleased with the sound quality from the Pioneer TS-D6802Rs, I'm looking forward to upgrading the rears soon as well. Then I'll need a small sub, and I'll be done; no other modifications planned for this truck.

Thanks,
Tim