[Primergy]

Canton makes / made (Pullman series) very decent stuff and they do not look like designers were on acid!
Problem: Hard to find in the US. German Ebay is your best bet.
For any aftermarket solutions, a car can be challenge to create decent sound, a good equalizer/processor can make a huge difference for little money.

 

[ProtegeManiac]

Before buying speakers, I'll expound more on the points raised about installation and acoustic treatment. Aside from the latter, which is still a lot more than just putting Dynamat everywhere, you have to work with the speakers to get around the fact that 1) you're not sitting dead center and are too close to one side of speakers and 2) there's a bunch of things - steering wheel, center console, etc - sitting between each speaker.
 
1) You have to angle the speakers, especially the tweeters (and midrange if it's a 3-way front+sub) to minimize reflections off its dispersion pattern on the windshield while putting the vocals as dead center as possible for both front seats. Fine tuning will be through electronics. Back in the early to mid-2000s there was a local autosound competitor using an Alpine F#1 Status receiver-processor (the one with the control panel that expands to 1.5 DIN when powered up) and $50 woofers and tweeters, and his system, properly installed and electronically tuned, actually won over others with better speakers.
 

 

 

 

 
 


2) You need to get a receiver or processor with the following features if you really want to fine-tune the system : 3-way (2-way + sub) processing for time alignment and crossovers. Personally, forget the EQ specs, these are the most important. Right now the cheapest is the Pioneer 80PRS at $349; if you don't want to hack up the current styling of integrated audio systems, Alpine has an integration processor (uses speaker-level inputs) with the same features for around $600. The downside is you need to hook up a laptop to tune the settings.
 
a. 3-way crossover means you can split the sound coming out of it to send a different signal to the tweeters, midwoofer, and sub.
b. 3-way time alignment will only be really useful if you have a 3-way crossover network. Most receivers only delay Left vs Right and Front vs Sub - what you will need to do is delay the driver side tweeter, driver side midwoofer, passenger side tweeter, passenger side midwoofer, and subwoofer relative to each other. If all of them arrive at your ears at the same time (after installing/angling the drivers properly) then you can position the vocals dead center and have a relatively "normal" soundstage all across the dashboard. On the Toyota Vios/Yaris sedan, the flat, center-mounted hump allows for easier management of reflections off the dash,and I've listened to one car where the drums sound like they're on the hood.
 

 

[PhiYama]

I've heard Bang and Olufsen and they can be very sparkly with nice punchy bass. So far my favorite is my M-Audio package that came with some older bmws. Harmon Kardon is a very solid option in my opinion also

Sent from my C6602 using Tapatalk

 

[ProtegeManiac]

I've heard Bang and Olufsen and they can be very sparkly with nice punchy bass. So far my favorite is my M-Audio package that came with some older bmws. Harmon Kardon is a very solid option in my opinion also

Sent from my C6602 using Tapatalk

 
I'm not really a fan of factory systems, although I have to admit I haven't heard any of the latest luxury cars and I'm hoping to one day listen to the XJ/XF with the B&W system. Past that though I'm kinda biased towards SEAS and Vifa raw drivers, followed by Focal. Hertz isn't bad as well, but compared to the lusher (but not exaggerated) Focals, the Hertz counterparts (the two lowest models anyway) seemed a bit plasticky in the lower mids. I suppose that can be corrected through EQ though.

 

[PhiYama]

I've heard Bang and Olufsen and they can be very sparkly with nice punchy bass. So far my favorite is my M-Audio package that came with some older bmws. Harmon Kardon is a very solid option in my opinion also

Sent from my C6602 using Tapatalk

 
I'm not really a fan of factory systems, although I have to admit I haven't heard any of the latest luxury cars and I'm hoping to one day listen to the XJ/XF with the B&W system. Past that though I'm kinda biased towards SEAS and Vifa raw drivers, followed by Focal. Hertz isn't bad as well, but compared to the lusher (but not exaggerated) Focals, the Hertz counterparts (the two lowest models anyway) seemed a bit plasticky in the lower mids. I suppose that can be corrected through EQ though.

Just walk into a Mercedes dealership and ask if they have the 2014 s class in the showroom. The burmeisster sound system in that thing is quite awesome... too bad it's waaayyyy out of my price range

Sent from my C6602 using Tapatalk

 

[ProtegeManiac]

Just walk into a Mercedes dealership and ask if they have the 2014 s class in the showroom. The burmeisster sound system in that thing is quite awesome... too bad it's waaayyyy out of my price range

Sent from my C6602 using Tapatalk

 
TOTL models tend to not just be on the showroom floor over here. If anyone in the local car audio clubs has one though it's likely they'll bring it to a meet - that's how I got to listen to a lot of good factory systems in the past (in the end, those older ones are only really "good" in the sense that you wouldn't be itching to tear your car apart).
 
And nearly though, the factory system in the FR-S is actually good, time alignment issues aside. Actually, even the balance control works well enough, and at least the tonality's neutral and treble reflections aren't all over the place.  It could be a bit more lush but I'd guess it has more to do with the receiver than the speakers - my brother just upgraded and he asked me how to get the "old" sound back. I haven't listened to it personally so I can't tell if his upgraded navi system (still a Pioneer) actually sounds worse, or if he really just prefers the "flatter" sound of the original (ie the TOTL receiver might sound a bit too lush or too detailed, which while likely closer to the "true" sound, the old receiver's sound basically worked in concert with the acoustics, but I don't think they actually planned that far for a $30k car.

 

[Muinarc]

Most people in SQ (sound quality) competitions end up with Dynaudio front stages in the car. There are many good high end brands in the car audio world.

 

[Clairvoyance]

I found this website called www.ebestcarspeakers.com . On one place you can find the best companies,their best products with prices and specifications ....

 

[ProtegeManiac]

  I found this website called www.ebestcarspeakers.com . On one place you can find the best companies,their best products with prices and specifications ....

 
They have Pyle but no Focal, Dynaudio, DLS?

(and if not mounting them in the doors so depth and the elements are not an issue, SEAS, Vifa, Dayton...)

 

[kellosaybe]

I tried fiddling with the treble and bass options in both cars, and my car speaker sounds better. Either way they both don't really sound that good since its car speakers haha, its all the glass, and reflection that make cars a less than ideal listening enviornment.

 

[ProtegeManiac]

  I tried fiddling with the treble and bass options in both cars, and my car speaker sounds better. Either way they both don't really sound that good since its car speakers haha, its all the glass, and reflection that make cars a less than ideal listening enviornment.

 
Which is why we have car audio SQ competition - seeing who can get around all these is where all the fun is. It's also a lot of fun when an Accord with a really good (at the time) Alpine receiver with all the gizmos (time alignment on each driver and crossover network, plus its amp has its own power line to the battery busting out a true, lower distortion 27w rms x 4) but using a set of $30 raw drivers kicks everyone's butt in the (Tight) Budget Class. All the money for the MSRP restriction is basically on his receiver. Cars with better speakers and amps had better PRAT and more exciting tonality but this car scored where a lot of the points are - imaging.

 

[roosta]

3 way components, a tight sub, lots of acoustic treatment and a decent headunit or mini PC and you can make an awesome sounding car. You really need the room correction software and 8-12 band/parametric equaliser though since car acoustics are such a pain at times.

Sound deadening is so important when spending more than $500 though. Dynamat panel deadening, a decoupling layer and some mass loaded vinyl will sort most issues, then you just have to focus on speaker placement. Midbass in the kicks, midranges in the dash, tweeters in the front pillars.

I love decent car audio. I spend 4 hours a day in my company car and I wish I could rip the stereo out and put something decent in. I'm still tempted to put some deadening in the floor even though I don't own the car!

Brands I like:
Speakers: Focal, DLS, Diamond, Rainbow (although not as much recently, quality seems to have gone downhill) Hertz (if you put the effort in. terrible/unforgiving out the box, fantastic with some tuning. need lots of power)
Subs: Rockford Fosgate, Alpine (just not the Type R, their cheaper ones sound better) Diamond, Hertz, top end DLS (their budget ones were awful)
Amps: JL, Kenwood (especially the older ones, holy hell they were sweet).
Headunits: Pioneer, Kenwood, top end Alpine.

You guys I the US seem to have other brands that we UK peeps do not have, so I cant talk for Polk etc. We seem to be stuck with some fairly mass produced brands.

 

[ProtegeManiac]

You guys I the US seem to have other brands that we UK peeps do not have, so I cant talk for Polk etc. We seem to be stuck with some fairly mass produced brands.

 
A bunch of other brands less known outside of car audio circles too, like Zapco and Digital Designs. I use DD's C4 amp - solid monster of a Class A/B - pushes 75w x 2 + 150w x 2. Then there's also Asia - like Sands amplifiers from Thailand.

 

[ProbablyProdigy]

     I work in a car audio store in my hometown and it all pretty much depends on how much your really wanting it. You can go to walmart and get a complete system for under 300 bucks however i highly disregard that haha. In my 1986 f150 i'm running 6 1/2" JL Audio C2-650 component speakers and C2 6x9 coaxial in the back. Along with that, i have a Kenwood KDC-X597 head unit and 2 JL Audio W0v3 10" subwoofers in angled truck box's that i built to exact specifications of the JL w0v3 specs. Those guys are running off of a JL Audio Slash 500 1/v2 amplifier that's actually under powering each sub by 50 watts but no big deal. The speakers i also have hooked up to a JL Audio jx360/4 which is a 4 channel amplifier. and last but not least im running a 4 gauge wiring kit thats made by Wirez, a canadian company that i stock in my store. As you can read my entire system other then my stereo is JL and i am a huge fan of JL's car audio. We also carry their marine, home and powersport product. My JL amp has been running for nearly 4 years now and had to return it only once in which case JL replaced it completely. My system estimates roughly around $1400 retail but sounds immaculent. Oh and my door panels are dynamated which is a sound deadening material to kill rattles and increase audio quality. (also makes it to where the vehicle seals sound in really good, you can barely hear a thing outside my truck).

 

[ProtegeManiac]

I'm planning on using JL Audio subwoofers in my next install too - a pair of 6.5" JL W8V3 on the floor under the front passengers' thighs in a crossover (RAV4 maybe), since they can each work off a 0.15cu in enclosure running off an XD300/1. This should remove nearly all time alignment issues with the subwoofer. Planning on using a Hi-Vi 6.5" midwoofer if I can get my hands on just the 4-ohm midwoofer (or buy used Focal midwoofers again) then use a 2" fullrange driver fiberglassed to the A-pillars, that way I can cut the crossover lower than any tweeters to raise the soundstage.