running 6 speakers???

[K85 Octane]

I'd like to fill the blazer with sound as best as possible. I'm thinking of building a center box to rest on the tranny hump and use some 4x6 plate speakers. In the rear panels are going to be 6.5" speakers near the bench seat and 6x9s near the tailgate.

Two things.

1) I might want to drop the 6.5 speakers down to 4.5" or 5.5", just so they don't over power the 4x6s. What do you think?

2) I'm not looking to run any amps, it's a simple system for some tunes. I may run a very small one inside one of the panels, and run a 10" sub. But for now I'm looking to hook up all 6 to the head unit. How would you recommend I do that?

Front = 4x6
Rear = 6.5 and 6x9 ?

thanks

 

[shovelbill80]

put your best speakers in front of you........in the kicks. you sure don't listen to a concert standing backwards like you said. something a bit smaller in the back for fill.....a nice sub box will complete it all imo.

 

[blazinzuk]

Your ears are so far from the rear there is no point putting 6x9s back there. your center box idea is not bad. Kind of like the kicks but easier to build yourself. Put your best speakers there.

Don't try to run a sub off a deck. It will sound like crap

Best sounding car I ever rode in had the subs where your feet go and some horn loaded compression speakers in the dash, That was it.

Sounded like you were on the front row of the concert

 

[K85 Octane]

I would never run a sub off the headunit. My cousin did that with a bandpass box I built. I can't believe how hard and loud it hit, but everything else suffered from it.

Anyway, thanks for the replies. I like the idea of putting my best speakers up front. I didn't think about that cause of size restraints in the front area. I'm also use to using the rear speakers more than front, since they are normally larger and better sounding at higher volumes. Adjusted @ +1 versus 0. Things sound more full with the rears up one notch.

I'll have to go back to the drawing board.

 

[shady]

There is a reason most vehicles come with the bigger speakers in back. They all the farthest from you and need to be louder to reach you for a full effect. You dont want it all to come from in front of you, if done right you shouldnt be able to tell where its coming from. The rear speakers if faded correctly will be louder to compensate for the distance. if you put bigger speakers up front, they are naturally louder. Meaning that you have to beat the little rears you put back there all the harder to sound right. You wont hear the distortion because the fronts are drowning them out. 6x9s in the rear and 6.5s in the door will be fine. The plates in the center wont sound right. if you want more fronts do 4" kick panels or 3.5s in the dash. Keep in mind that you will have to have 8 ohm speakers for which ever end you plan on running 4 speakers on. You will kill your deck trying to run 6 4ohm speakers off of it with out an amp. just my mildly expirienced .02

 

[Jessie James]

My credentials:
4 years of competition car stereos, 2 awards, one first place.

My suggestion:
If you want the best SOUND quality, scrap your idea. For the best sound "stage" you would probably be happiest with two 6.5" speakers up front in the kick panels, mounted using the Q-Logic speaker pods. Get component speakers, such as Infinity or Boston Acoustics. Place the component tweeter near the top of the door (flush mount) or on the dash (angle these) and run the polarity BACKWARDS (due to sound wave phase being out of sync).

Place either two more 6'5" single speaker ONLY (so no co-axial, no component, no tweeter!) directly behind the front seat in the side kick panels.

If you want the best sound, pick up a small amp. A dedicated amp, no matter how small, will always sound better than a deck-sourced amp. Get a name brand. Alpine won me awards. I also trust Sony, Boston Acoustics, and other good names.

Avoid Dual or other cheap crap.

If you want a sub, look at the Infinity Basslink. Easy to install, and they have VERY good sound quality. Put that all the way in the back corner of your bed. It's relatively small and can be removed if needed, but otherwise is bolted down and is hard to remove.

If you wanted to get really clever, get an old tire and spare tire mount, cut out the center of the tire and mount the sub in that, and cover with spare tire cover. Hide the wires. No one will think to look there and you can enjoy great sound.

Any speakers in the far back (near the tailgate) are pretty much useless. If they are more than 3' away from you, they are half as loud (in decibels, it's about a 10 decibel drop every 3') so the either need to be amped or moved closer.

If you focus on the setup I have laid out here, you should get clear sound, good stereo separation and a nice realistic sound stage, good bass, and good volume.

 

[shovelbill80]

K85........what's your budget? i was trying to keep mine simple too, but music is very important to me so i waited, saved and found some deals out there. don't listen to people saying that XX is crap and XX is the best in the world blabla bullshiit.......buy what sounds good to YOUR ears.

i now have the best system that i ever had in my life. it won't win any contestes or such and by no means has the best stuff, but it sounds great to me. anyone that gets in the truck can't believe how good a tin refrigerator box can crank. it's very simple also.....something similar could be done for probably half what i got into mine. this setup cost me half what i paid for an Alpine system in 1986!

http://coloradok5.com/forums/showthread.php?t=280296

 

[JBerno]

Any speakers in the far back (near the tailgate) are pretty much useless. If they are more than 3' away from you, they are half as loud (in decibels, it's about a 10 decibel drop every 3') so the either need to be amped or moved closer

Does this go for the woofers also, I have 2 - 10" Polk Audio subs behind the rear seat???

 

[blazinzuk]

Does this go for the woofers also, I have 2 - 10" Polk Audio subs behind the rear seat???

Anytime a speaker is further away from you there will be a decibel drop. In otherwords you will perceive less volume coming from said speaker.

Bass is a non directional sound, you can't tell where the speaker is. Since they take up so much room they tend to be where it is allowed. Mids and tweets have to be up front to have a decent soundstage effect. Blending your mids with your subs is key to this soundstage effect. Crossover you subs too high and they will have directionality, cross em over too low and your mids are going to be trying to push too much bass.

Now adays it is very very easy to get great sound. Even using mid range quality stuff you can get great sound.

I never competed in car stereo comps, but played in orchestras for 20 some odd years. Other bands and singing groups too. I like stuff to sound like it would if I was the conductor. Or in the front row of the concert.

 

[jeff in co]

A good quality amp (or two) will go a long ways in making the speakers perform to their full capacity. Deck power is decent if you don't want to go too far but to get a more, substantial sound....amps!

I have 6-1/2" components up front on an amp and the 6x9's just behind the driver's seat in the side panels on deck power. I can hear the 6x9's "a little" as a filler but an amp would really help (money ran out here).

My second amp is driving a box, base speaker in the back. Give the whole sound stage a more "rounded" sound.

I also prefer good quality stuff....Alpine, JL Audio, etc.

I have a right up on the install in another thread in this audio section somewhere.....

 

[Jessie James]

Does this go for the woofers also, I have 2 - 10" Polk Audio subs behind the rear seat???

Subs require an amp, so you are already naturally overcoming a drop in volume. Obviously with the amp you can (usually) adjust the levels so it matches the volume of the entire system.

A good quality amp (or two) will go a long ways in making the speakers perform to their full capacity. Deck power is decent if you don't want to go too far but to get a more, substantial sound....amps!

I have 6-1/2" components up front on an amp and the 6x9's just behind the driver's seat in the side panels on deck power. I can hear the 6x9's "a little" as a filler but an amp would really help (money ran out here).

My second amp is driving a box, base speaker in the back. Give the whole sound stage a more "rounded" sound.

I also prefer good quality stuff....Alpine, JL Audio, etc.

I have a right up on the install in another thread in this audio section somewhere.....

If I were you, I would run the 6x9's in parallel with the front speakers at a 2 ohm load. Most amps can handle that with ease. You lose you ability to fade, though, which may be a killer.

Otherwise, amps can help fix a lot of issues and make everything better, especially in noisy vehicles. Even entry level amps (assuming they are good brands, like Alpine, JL, Sony, etc) can provide a HUGE difference in sound quality.

With more power you will get cleaner sound quality and less distortion. Distortion happens at high volume levels and is partially to blame for your ears becoming fatigued when listening to the radio for long periods of time. A higher powered system will allow you to listen to music on the freeway for long drives without giving you a headache.

One thing you may not know is that underpowered speakers will be damaged more easily due to the lack of control over the speaker cone. Not enough power allows the speaker to move too far inside of it's enclosure hitting the back of the magnet assembly, often making the whole assembly go sideways scraping itself apart inside, which damages it. An amp can control the speaker motion better and not allow it to smash into the back of it's enclosure which is the cause of damage and blown speakers. Too much power melts things, but I've never had that problem. So, when in doubt, use more power rather than less.

Alpine makes a little "Power Pack" amp for $100 which does require some fancy wiring if you don't have an Alpine deck, but provides a good addition with relative ease and low cost.

 

[TheBeast_88K5]

I have (4)-200w 6x9's, running off a 800w RMS amp.
I also run a 600w enclosed Kenwood boat subwoofer, powered by a 500w RMS amp.
They sound GREAT.



I don't know all the technical numbers for wiring....
I just use good wire and components.

 

[TheBeast_88K5]

They also make teeny amps for 6.5" speakers...

 

[jeff in co]

If I were you, I would run the 6x9's in parallel with the front speakers at a 2 ohm load. Most amps can handle that with ease. You lose you ability to fade, though, which may be a killer.

.

Jessie, thanks for the recommendation. I finally got around to trying this out. Works better now with all 4 speakers running parallel with the amp. Before, I could "hear" the rear speakers a little but they weren't contributing too much. Now, I have all 4 speakers working together and the result is a louder sounding music...which is good!

I'm still playing around with it on the cross-over stuff. Right now, the amp is delivering full range and the deck has a few cross-over settings. I have been playing with the "full setting" and then just taking a bit off the bottom. Hard to balance the 6" front speakers with the larger, 6x9's in the rear. Certainly, the rears can handle more of the low end but I don't want to hurt the front 6's as a result.

Still experimenting but overall, better sound.

 

[Rabbit916]

In my 91 K5 I had 4 6x9 5 ways powered by a 600 watt amp and 2 12s in a box powered by a 1600 watt amp. The 6x9s I had at the rear of the doors (had power windows) and the other 2 6x9s where in front of the rear seat and the subs behind the rear seat. All and all I pissed a lot of people off with how loud and crisp it was. Ha It was fun. And LOUD!

 

[kevin400ex]

in my 85 toyota pickup standard cab i am running an alpine head unit, and an old 400.4 fosgate punch amp i have had for years. made some fiberglass pods for the doors that hold a 6 1/2 component set with the tweet flush mounted about 10 inches higher than the pod, and also a 5 1/4 coax in the door pods. speakers i used were just some cheap fosgates i got on sale from an online retailer, wired them in parallel so the amp sees about 2 ohms on the front channels. i have some 3 1/2 coax's in the stock dash locations hooked to the head unit. i have yet to add a sub on the rear channels of the amp since the 6 1/2's actually have some good bass output. music is clean, and louder than needed in a truck that small. one of these days ill get around to building a fiberglass box for a sub behind the seat, maybe.