My sound system is stock...
It is a 6 Speaker Monsoon setup
Two Speakers in the Front
Two Speakers in the Rear
Two Speakers in the Hatch

First, let me clarify, I know NOTHING of sound systems... If you give me a bunch of fancy numbers, resistances, tollerances, I'm just going to stare at you like :blah: ...

Second, here is the basis of my problem... The driverside front speaker is cracking like hell and I believe it needs to be replaced.

Third, What I wanted to do... I would LIKE to buy 4 new 6.5" aftermarket speakers and install them because I feel if this one speaker is bad, then the rest can't be too far behind. I desire speakers that can support the massive bass this sterio puts out.

Fourth, Why I'm posting... I hear you cannot just replace the speakers on our cars because they will not work accordingly to the factory sterio. If this is true then am I going to have to replace the entire sound system just to restore my sound quality? If not, then what is a good speaker brand to buy? and what exactly are the specs I'm looking for and why? (for instance how much Omhs of resistance, 2-way or 3-way, ect...) What speaker brand should I look into?

 

After-market speakers will work. They just won't get as much power because they have twice the impedance of the stock speakers. Since the impedance is higher the current flow is lower. Lower current flow means less power.

The problem with the stock stereo isn't the speakers. It's the HUGE amount of distortion produced by both the factory HU and amplifier. If you plan to keep the factory HU and amp you need to do a few things to protect the speakers. First, ease up on the volume control. The factory HU that was in my car when I got it started to distort badly after only 23 clicks of the volume control. Turning up the volume past that made the distortion even worse. Second, back off the bass controls of the EQ.

IMO two way speakers are all you need for a good setup. Three ways to my ears are too harsh sounding due to the fact that you are essentially running a speaker with an extra set of tweeters. As for what brand that's entirely up to you. Speaker selection is too subjective for anyone to tell you what sounds good and what doesn't. For instance some people like MB Quart speakers. Personally I can't stand Quarts because to my ears they are too harsh sounding.

 

There are really 2 seperate speakers in the frt. One (the tweeter) running off the frt channel. The mid running off the amp.

Replace the frt speaker alone or go with a aftermarket system.

Most (all) aftermarket speakers are 4ohms the frt mid speakers are 2 ohm speakers. Think you will find mismatched speakers worse then the cheap stock speakers. Can find used ones cheap.

Can give you idea's about a reasonable system aftermaket too.

 

So if I got two 4Omhs front speakers and left the rear two stock, basically it will sound like crap correct?

What if I got four 4Omh speakers, will I lose sound quality? If yes, then give me some ideas for an Aftermarket system...

For instance if I replaced the headunit, will I still beable to run all six speakers? or will I need to buy an Amp aswell?

 

Yes, you have to basicly use the frt speakers.

If you get a new head unit and use it to power the aftermarket frt and hatch speakers. That uses up your 4 channels. I would get a cheap 2 channel amp with bass and volume (gain) controls and amp the b piller subs. I did this on a camaro and it sounded good. The frt speakers are the most important part of the setup. I like the pionner white or gray speaker 3 way 6.5 (oversized, fit in camaros) speakers. You can put a larger speaker in the rear hatch but I think a 4" with a bass blocker to avoid distortion would work fine.

Last, you can do the amp and b piller sub's later if the budget gets tight.

 

Well budget is already very tight... Subs are out of the question. I'm trying to buy the least as possible. When you say Frt Spearkers, are you refering to the speakers inside the doors up front ASWELL as the backseat speakers? Or just the speakers in the FRONT SEAT ALONE? (Are we talking 2 speakers or 4 speakers when you say frt?)

Are you saying, if I buy a headunit, I will have to buy an amp aswell to power the two speakers in the HATCH correct?


Will any headunit surpass my stock monsoon unit? If not, what should I start looking into

Where's a good place to search for a headunit and speakers? Will speakers any brand speakers work just fine with any brand headunit or do I need to look into something?

Also, can you explain to me exactly why I would need a 2 channel AMP? Is it because the Hatch speakers will not recieve power from the headunit? or do other speakers need to be attached to them? and Doesn't 2 channel amp mean it can only power 2 speakers?

 

Okay, now I'm confused...

After some shopping around, I was told that aftermarket speakers with 4 Omhs of resistance won't blow the factory amp because 4 Omhs is greater than 2 Omhs of impedence...

The speakers will get less power, however they shouldn't be hurt nor should they hurt the factory amp... Does this mean I can replace all 4 Front Speakers (All speakers that are NOT in the hatch, AKA The Back and Front seats) without harming the headunit or the Factory Amp?

Also, if I do, will this force more current into the remaining 2 Omh Speakers in the hatch? If so, then perhaps I should just replace the front?

Sorry for all the questions but like I said, I know nothing of sound systems and am trying to figure this out...

Does higher watts necessarily mean better sound quality?

If I replace ALL the 6.5" speakers, how are speakers like this on a STOCK Headunit / Amp?

http://cgi.ebay.com/PIONEER-PREMIER-...QQcmdZViewItem

or these

http://cgi.ebay.com/Pioneer-6-5-in-1...ayphotohosting

Like I asked before, is more wattage ALWAYS better or do I need a better headunit / amp first?

 

You're making this a LOT more complicated than it really is.

The speakers cannot hurt the amp. If they are a lower impedance than the amp can handle the amp will simply go into protection mode and shut down.

No. The fact that the speakers are 2 ohms determines how much current goes thru them.

No

You can do a LOT better than Pioneer for your speakers. Look into Infinity, Polk Audio, Boston Acoustics, Kicker, etc.

IMO, there is no need for anything higher than a 2-way speaker system. All you are doing is running a speaker with what amounts to multiple tweeters. The so called midrange driver may play some of the mids but it is also playing the same highs as the tweeter. Since it is not band passed like a true midrange driver all it amounts to is a tweeter that plays slightly lower than the actual tweeter. A 6.5" midwoofer and a tweeter can handle everything the 3-way covers so there's no point in the midrange driver even being there. 3-ways and 4-ways are all products of market hype. The consumer thinks more must be better so more drivers must mean better sound. It just aint so. Unless of course you like your highs to be able to etch glass. In that case buy a set of MB Quart 2-way components. (Quarts are very harsh sounding to my ears.)

The second set of speakers you have listed is nothing more than a woofer with a whizzer cone in the middle. This is not a true tweeter. What you want is a set of 2-way components.

 

Think of the stock/factory system as a 8 speaker system: 2 in the frt door, one in the b piller/backseat and one in the hatch.

Next you have 2 main ways to go.
1) just replace the frt speaker/s with a used factory one. (I just did this)
2) one way or another rewire your car.

Anything is possible with stereo stuff and there is no limit on cost. The monsoon system isn't aftermarket friendly. Unless you want to go with a aftermarket system (headunit) I would go with replacing the factory speaker/s.

 

I don't know anything about the monsoon system, but from reading the other posts I would simply buy 2 new speakers for the front, hook them up and see how they sound. If the amp can drive them, then go ahead and replace the 2 rear ones. You are going to hear a world of difference by getting non-factory speakers, even if they are running at half the power becuase of the special amp. Since you are concerned about budget I would stick with a 2 way.