jrodhotrod
Contributor
- :
- 2003 Mazda Protege5 (Mine) 2002 Nissan Sentra GXE (Wife's)
1st MP3 in NH said:
(rofl)(lol)(rofl)
Oh man, that just made me laugh so hard. Craig so funny....
This is why nothing is left from my stock system.
MSP Audio Poll
- Thread starter EvilMSP
- Start date
(rofl)(lol)(rofl)
Oh man, that just made me laugh so hard. Craig so funny....
This is why nothing is left from my stock system.
PhatTrax said:
I think I remember looking at those in Crutchfield or something a while back. Or course...that was when I thought Kenwood speakers were worth anything. But I know better now!
On a completely different note:
...I went to tweeter last night to really get a listen to some components. Here's my subjective reviews:
Kenwood Dual Mag: Schreechy midrange accentuation, over emphasis on midbass, but no real power to fill it out. Tinny, weak highs.
JL VRs: Fairly muted highs and midrange at low volume...decent midbass. When paired with a full system, fills out all the sounds, especially at loud volumes, without being at all harsh.
JL XRs: More midrangey, but still smooth. Lots of good midbass. Tweeter can be a little tinny. At volume it remains clear and loud...still fills out system nicely like the VRs, but with more midrange and more bite.
MB Quart Premium: Extreme Midrange compensation. Never breaks up o soudns harsh in the mids, like Kenwood...though. Midbass is very strong, but...tweeters are extremely sharp and harsh. Not extremely natural sounding, but with a relatively small amount of power (40W) will probably sound better than a lot of speakers. With a lot of power, they'll probably sound way to artificially midrangey.
Boston Rally: Very midrangey and bright. Absolutely no midbass...very strange, but it just didn't sound like it was recreating it very well. That made the speaker sound very hollow.
Boston Z-series: Can sound a little too high at times, but mostly sounds warm and recreates everything as well as a good home speaker would. They're not worth the 1000$ tag, but definitely worth the 500$ if you work at tweeter. And if you can get on the installer tour and get them for 250$, you'd be crazy not to!
These speakers cover a pretty good price range (300$ to 1000$ retail). Obviously you should go listen to them yourself, but I thought I'd offer what I thought of them, so you can at least compare!
I think it's funny how 'audiophiles' are generalized here and that we wouldn't like the sound of the Kenwood. I was pleasantly surprised at the SQ of the Kenwood.... once I got through the millions of menus to get it right. It doesn't sound like my home system nor can it. However, for car audio it's about 100 times better than Bose.
Specifically someone said the midbass sucked, another said the tweeters are awful, and on and on... And, the only way I'd know better is if I'd had better audio or was into changing out my components. I've generally changed my car audio in most cars I've owned for fun and to get rid of the TRULY awful stock system. Ever bought a base model Toyota pickup? I replaced the Bose in my Miata with Boston Acoustics Rally (RC620 I think) which had gobs of good midrange and smooth midbass. They took about a month or 2 to break in, though. They sounded as described before break-in. I used an MTX amp that wasn't bad but, nothing stellar.
I've had lots of experience in hifi and car stuff is fun. When I go to most audio shops the goal appears to be how flashy and glitzy can they make it... the SQ is about the same to me from Pioneer to Alpine to Kenwood. I would consider a Nakamichi CD400 but, this car and its contents already has enough of a 'steal me' factor. I won't be heartbroken if my Kenwood is stolen but, it does do a lot of things right.... it recreates well enough for me... and I have a lot of audio experience.... car and home.
So, lay off the generalizations... and stop the bandwagon complaining. The 'me too' factor is what makes this board annoying sometimes.
Specifically someone said the midbass sucked, another said the tweeters are awful, and on and on... And, the only way I'd know better is if I'd had better audio or was into changing out my components. I've generally changed my car audio in most cars I've owned for fun and to get rid of the TRULY awful stock system. Ever bought a base model Toyota pickup? I replaced the Bose in my Miata with Boston Acoustics Rally (RC620 I think) which had gobs of good midrange and smooth midbass. They took about a month or 2 to break in, though. They sounded as described before break-in. I used an MTX amp that wasn't bad but, nothing stellar.
I've had lots of experience in hifi and car stuff is fun. When I go to most audio shops the goal appears to be how flashy and glitzy can they make it... the SQ is about the same to me from Pioneer to Alpine to Kenwood. I would consider a Nakamichi CD400 but, this car and its contents already has enough of a 'steal me' factor. I won't be heartbroken if my Kenwood is stolen but, it does do a lot of things right.... it recreates well enough for me... and I have a lot of audio experience.... car and home.
So, lay off the generalizations... and stop the bandwagon complaining. The 'me too' factor is what makes this board annoying sometimes.
Re: radio
That's because it sounds pretty good. It probably depends on the music and the level you're listening. I listen to a lot of mellow stuff and occasional headbanging crap. It works for the mellow better than the metal but, doesn't totally suck on anything.Novot said:
CarlM2 said:
I couldn't help but feel that this was aimed at me and some others, but that's ok if that's how you feel. I don't want people to misconstrue my intent here; I am simply saying that there are better systems out there. Note: I also said, if you like it then keep it, because it's all about personal taste. For me the system is:
a) not loud enough (when played w/o distortion)
b) harsh when given more power
c) artificially reproduces notes with emphasis, instead of accuracy
d) the subwoofer is crap.
Part d is the only part that I can't sway on. It doesn't produce bass well, the enclosure is too small, and the way they set it up (8ohm spk, 4 ohm output = power cut in half!) was just silly. The others are only my opinion, and vary from person to person. I thought I was clear about that...but I can see how some might take it the wrong way.
1st MP3 in NH said:If yours explodes, sure.
Otherwise your not going to notice a major difference. Also the stock sub is 8 ohms to limit the power form the amp as the amp is inverted. I still can't believe they did that
will that happen even if i put my JBL or Kicker ?
or what do you suggest doing ?
my friend told me to get another amp and bridge it w/ the 250 watt kenwood and get 2 10" of kicker , jbl or aubiobahn?
Here's an idea. That Kenwood amp will pump 125W at 4 ohms. elemental designs makes a high efficiency sub that can take advantage of that type of power, even in a small sealed box. It still wont fit in the stock enclosure, but you can build a small box and mount the amp to it (so that it doesn't eat itself running full power while upside down). The Kx series 10 should do you just fine as a replacement, and I can guarantee you it'll sound a TON better than the Kenwood.
--EDIT--
www.edesignaudio.com
the e10Kx.22 should do you ($75.00)...it's a DVC with 2ohm voice coils...run them in series to get a 4ohm load, Drop it into a .5-.7 CF net box (the bigger it is, the more control the woofer will have with less power), and you're all set. Of course...it's entirely up to you...this is just *one* possibility!
--EDIT--
www.edesignaudio.com
the e10Kx.22 should do you ($75.00)...it's a DVC with 2ohm voice coils...run them in series to get a 4ohm load, Drop it into a .5-.7 CF net box (the bigger it is, the more control the woofer will have with less power), and you're all set. Of course...it's entirely up to you...this is just *one* possibility!
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servoeyes said:
I'm cool... I just wanted to throw in some balance... that this stereo isn't worth jumping all over as bad... because it's not. You are definitely correct that it could be better but, that's true with anything.
I also agree that the sub is 'subpar'...
I turn it down very low so it's not really an issue for me. I like that it's neatly tucked away as well. Still, it's not worth the trouble to replace it in my opinion. You are also correct that it doesn't play loud very well. I usually play mine at about 22 and find that 30 is the absolute peak without distortion. I'd bet adding a nice 4-channel amp would be a good idea to remedy that. But, here again, I don't need it because at 30 it's plenty loud for me.
I didn't buy this car for the audio but, thought it was a nice gesture from Mazda to give me something with so many options. It's got lots of capabilities and you can customize at many levels. Some of which are being discussed now about the sub replacement.
So, I likey.
P.S. Go RedSox!!! I really hope they can go all the way.... Don't choke!!!
CarlM2 said:
I didn't buy this car for the audio but, thought it was a nice gesture from Mazda to give me something with so many options. It's got lots of capabilities and you can customize at many levels. Some of which are being discussed now about the sub replacement.
P.S. Go Marlins
Couldn't have said it better but IMO Mazda shouldn't put the sub knowing ppl will bass the sh!t out of it!
btw Go Marlins
Someone brought up a point that I forgot about, volume. These speakers must have a very low sensativity because they are not to loud. They sound fine at lower volumes but as soon as you turn it up you can hear it distort. To me it sounds like the bass in the speakers is a little too much, or just it is trying to hard to keep up and distorts the rest of the music.
If you are listening at level 8, they are great. But so is most of the stuff out there. It is hard to find speakers that can be turned up without a loss of quality and clarity.
If you are listening at level 8, they are great. But so is most of the stuff out there. It is hard to find speakers that can be turned up without a loss of quality and clarity.
On mine I am planning on taking the entire thing out and eventually do this:
Putting in a new deck that is just a pre-amp
Only replacing front two speakers with a full range speaker, most likely Jordans
Buying a good 2 channel amp to power them
I know they will sound great, have excellent bass, and I will be lighter than a 4 + speaker system.
Putting in a new deck that is just a pre-amp
Only replacing front two speakers with a full range speaker, most likely Jordans
Buying a good 2 channel amp to power them
I know they will sound great, have excellent bass, and I will be lighter than a 4 + speaker system.
Tinkerbelle
Member
- :
- 2003.5 Titanium MSP
I love mine for now. I'm not fancy, and it's better than anything we have in our other cars.
[added] Our friends dig it too -- and our cool car -- but it's important to say that none of us is really "into" car audio and I can say with some certainty I haven't taken part in a conversation about subs and tweeters.
I am "into" music, however. We listen to a lot of music, and lots of different kinds, and to me it sounds great in there. We only listen to it loud if either of us is driving alone in the car, usually we're both in the car or have friends with us so we're talking and socializing and have the music turned down anyway.
Even when alone, "loud" for me is probably nowhere near the levels some of you may be using, so maybe I'm not getting this distortion to the extent you are. I'm taking notes, though, so if and when we were to start to notice problems, I know where to go for recommendations. [/added]
[added] Our friends dig it too -- and our cool car -- but it's important to say that none of us is really "into" car audio and I can say with some certainty I haven't taken part in a conversation about subs and tweeters.
I am "into" music, however. We listen to a lot of music, and lots of different kinds, and to me it sounds great in there. We only listen to it loud if either of us is driving alone in the car, usually we're both in the car or have friends with us so we're talking and socializing and have the music turned down anyway.
Even when alone, "loud" for me is probably nowhere near the levels some of you may be using, so maybe I'm not getting this distortion to the extent you are. I'm taking notes, though, so if and when we were to start to notice problems, I know where to go for recommendations. [/added]
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SEAN SPIDERCREW
Member
I kept the head unit & the amp, hooked up the amp to new 150w pioneer 6x9's, & got 3 JLAUDIO 10's run in a series to a fosgate amp... Much much better even with just the 6x9's to the amp!! That's the cheapedt thing to do, not even needing the box & other amp like i did...
Man I dropped two 12's in my car as well as some 6*9's in the rear and with our stock amp I can't hear s*** for high's unless my NF is at -5 or below.
I have been thinking of dropping an amp in for high's but my rear 6*9's are 700 watt's each. How in the hell do I power those with some low ass 70*4 amp?
I have been thinking of dropping an amp in for high's but my rear 6*9's are 700 watt's each. How in the hell do I power those with some low ass 70*4 amp?
MSP Chris said:
Turn your sub amp gain down, they are gettingt o loud before your spekaers have any power.
Your 6x9's are not 700 watts. likely they are 120 watts at best. No 6x9 is 700 watts rms capable. Retaridly high numbers like that refer to the thermal load the speaker could thoreticly take for one second before they explode. Only look at RMS numbers nothing else matters. Also keep in mind what voltage that RMS number is measured at.
