Upgraded speakers sounds worse

[matthewxeric]

So I went and replaced all the speakers in the car. The dash with polk db351s, the front with jbl gx602 and the rear with a pair of polk db650 i had from my old car. Past 30 on the volume the dash sounded like crap so i added the bass blocker and they sound better. Everything else though sounds ok but past 40 it all starts to get distorted and sounds real lousy. I would say the original factory setup sounds better then what I have now. I'm not the best at installing but I'm pretty sure I got everything right, at least the wiring. When i installed the front and rear, I ripped out the oem speakers from the brackets and used those to remount. So I was wondering if i'm missing something? Maybe I need to add an amp to make them sound better?

 

[agr99]

Add a amp.or speakers with a lower rms.they cant keep up with the sound

 

[CX5_808]

I did a speaker swap two months after i bought the car. My ears couldn't stand the factory sound. I wanted a low budget upgrade so I went with a Polk setup. I installed the same db351 with the provided bass blockers in the dash and the db650s (slim) on the read doors. For the front doors, i installed the db6501 separates. I mounted the tweeter right above the side pockets aimed up facing the dome light. I also added an Infinity Basslink for the bottom fill. I took the same approach as you and I ripped out the paper speaker from the factory speaker bracket. I also lined the inside of the bracket with Dynamat along with a 12x12 piece on the door directly behind the speakers. I wasn't expecting clean bass to come out of the aftermarket speakers via the factory deck but I wanted to make sure the area didn't rattle. The dash speakers were much louder and clearer than the components on the door but that was a given because the components are typically driven by an amp. The component did complement the little db351s quite well. The Basslink input was tapped off the front doors speaker wires via the deck. The Basslink has a auto-sensing turn-on so that helped. My only complaint is that the bass rolls off at the 30 volume level. The Basslink has a remote bass level control so I would have to adjust the bass when I play it past 30. I'm still contemplating on adding an AudioControl LC2i to resolve that bass roll-off. So far all of my passenger are blown away by the clarity of the setup.
I apologize for rambling but to answer you question, an amp would be your solution if you play your music really loud. I normally hover around the 30 level range. Good luck with your setup.

 

[tibimakai]

When I have replaced just the six speakers, I had much better sound, than the factory setup.
I can't imagine how it got worse, with better speakers?

 

[RG_Flyer]

Did you maintain proper phasing? If the polarity isn't matched speaker to speaker, you will simultaneously have cone extended and one retracted. This is most noticeable with lower frequencies and can greatly affect the bass. The problem gets worse if you try to compensate with level controls and clip the amp.