Robin wrote:


Just purchased new 2004 car that comes with Infinity stereo speakers.
Don't know if its true but I'm told if I were to pop the speaker off,
I'd find it's a JBL as is the stereo. It's this car make's top of the
line stereo they offer, yet it's horrible. It has one of those equalizer
where you choose Rock, Classic, Jazz and the only setting that get's any
kind of passable sound is to use Rock for all music genres. If you don't
use the equalizer setting, forget it - it fades into the background.
There's not much separation of sound, it's flat,a lesser quality of
sound than the standard stereo which came with my 2001Honda Accord EXLV6
which this new car replaced. It's probably obvious that I'm not an
audiophile, but I know what I like to hear, and this stereo is just flat
and lifeless.

I've asked some opinions of other people, some suggest buying a new head
unit before investing in speakers; while one other person said this:
.....replaced car speakers with two Alpine 3-way 6x9 speakers. The
change exceeded my expectations -the bass and clarity was astounding!

I listen mostly to FM radio, but sometimes CD's; FM classical, AM radio
standards (Frank Sinatra, et al), FM top pop, R&B. I would appreciate
your opinions on speakers vs new head unit, and what brands/models to
purchase. I'm clueless and would rather not rely on opinion of a
salesman. I'm in southern Calif, specifically southern Orange County,
would have someone else do installation, so recommendations for place to
buy would also be appreciated.

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Having gone through a number of permutations involving "factory-installed
systems" and various after-market components, I can easily identify with your
frustrations. What follows below, obviously, reflects my own personal opinions
based on about 20 years of trying various combinations.

I have found that, as with home systems, the choice of speakers is critical.
Much of this will, of course, depend on both your personal tastes and your
budget, since after-market speakers vary considerably in price. Relative to
purchase of a head unit, or indash player, I would rate the choice of speakers
much more important.

After extensive auditioning a number of years ago (and good speakers should
last a long time IME), I settled on MB Quart speakers, but also had very
favorable impressions of models from KEF, and less favorable impressions of
several other brands (Pioneer, Sony). Just as important as selection of a
brand that suits you, however, is having them installed in a way that
hopefully, will optimize imaging, given the limitations of a car's environment.
Since I have component sets consisting of 1.25" tweeters and 6.5"
midrage/woofers (with an external crossover between them), the tweeters in my
car are mounted relatively high up and forward in the doors and the larger
speakers, just a little bit lower. This arrangement seems to work well in a
large car, and the imaging is excellent. (Note: I had the installation done by
an experienced dealer who handles IASCA-type competitions and therefore knew
what he was doing - a very important consideration). Find a dealer with a lot
of experience in installations, and - I would tend to avoid installers working
in places like Best Buy, Circuit City, etc. My final piece of advice would be
to consider, if your budget permits, having a separate head unit and power
amplifier. I found, that when I went to this arrangement, from an earlier
arrangement in which I had a more simple all-in-one indash unit, the gains in
dynamics, and of course, power handling were considerable.

Just as a point of reference, my present system, which evolved over a period of
years, includes:

Head Unit: Nakamichi TD-1200 (Mobile Dragon)

Power Amplifier: Audio Art 4-channel power amplifier (35 watts/channel)

Front Speakers: MB Quart 2-way component tweeter/woofer combinations with
external crossovers

Back Speakers: MB Quart 2-way coaxials with external crossovers mounted in
rear decks.

Wiring - mostly done with Monster Cable.


Good luck in auditioning products. Take your time, select the speakers first
(IMHO), and when ready for installation, get an experienced shop to do the
work.



Bruce J. Richman