i bought a 1996 TS executive V6 wagon a few months ago and it came with a crusty cassette HU and two stock 4" dash speakers that literally sound like kazoos.

up to now i've only gotten around to installing a VDO CD139 head unit. I'm looking to upgrade the speaker setup but am working on a very small budget, strictly under $400. i'm a newbie at all this and would appreciate any suggestions about the location, brand and wiring of appropriate speakers.

Few questions first:

1. Do the new speakers have to be 4" or are you planning on putting some pods on the doors?
2. What do you listen too?

Brands I am going to recommend to you will be:

Boston
Hertz
Image Dynamics
Diamond
Phoenix Gold
Vibe
Morel
DynAudio
Rainbow

Etc. :)

1. i'm up for anything that isn't extremely difficult to do and will remain within the budget.
2. my tastes are fairly eclectic. rock, folk, synth-pop, jazz, blues etc. everything except doof-doof.

i'd really like a pair of 6x9's somewhere in the mix because i don't think i'll ever get a sub.

for that budget, its not bad. maybe try second hand (definately the way to go)

some alpiens would be fine, or some Pioneer bullets, or even clarion

Trav

1. i'm up for anything that isn't extremely difficult to do and will remain within the budget.
2. my tastes are fairly eclectic. rock, folk, synth-pop, jazz, blues etc. everything except doof-doof.

i'd really like a pair of 6x9's somewhere in the mix because i don't think i'll ever get a sub.

Check out Fhrx's web site. He's got price lists online which makes things easier. As for fitting.. I expect no matter what you do you're going to have fun getting 6x9's into a wagon without some kind of custom bracket/pod or external enclosures.

u will have trouble trying to fit another set of 4" speakers in the dash. mainly cause of mounting depth. the stock speakers arent very powerful and so only need a small magnet. other speakers (eg, kenwood etc) which have higher power ratings have the bigger magnets. the thing thats in the way of mounting better 4" speakers in the dash is the air ducts. if u wanna bust these open, it'll mean u have air cooled speakers (dosent really matter if they are cooled or not), but will never b able to CLOSE the side ducts. there will always b air coming through them.

i would recommend u make up some pods to fit them into the doors on ur TS. go for some 6" speakers in the doors too.

what are u wanting to get out of the system? will u upgrade in the future or are u just wanting something alittle better than stock to listen to?

listen to Fhrx, he knows way more than me and most, if not all the ppl on these forums.

what are u wanting to get out of the system? will u upgrade in the future or are u just wanting something alittle better than stock to listen to?
my original motivation for upgrading came from a day spent driving my mums 98 verada, and realising how much better even her stock setup sounded. punchy, powerful etc. so i'm not after anything hardcore, and i don't really want this to be a perpetual upgrade. just want a solid setup for loud (from in-cabin perspective) and clear sound.

i'm not sure whether to take the super cheap and nasty 6" doors + amp/sub route, or somehow mount 6 x 9's, or ...?

bump!

ok so at the moment i'm thinking of taking Tiphareth's advice and going the used route. i can get a 4 x 50WRMS Mosfet Car Amplifier (http://www1.jaycar.com.au/productView.asp?ID=AA0438&CATID=24&keywords=&SPECIAL=&form=CAT&ProdCodeOnly=&Keyword1=&Keyword2=&pageNumber=&priceMin=&priceMax=&SUBCATID=595) for around $90, will wait for a suitable used boxed subwoofer to pop up, and in the meantime i could install some 6" speakers in the front doors. am i on the right track?

as you can probably tell, i'm new to this (and greatly looking forward to drilling through my petrol tank).

ok so at the moment i'm thinking of taking Tiphareth's advice and going the used route. i can get a 4 x 50WRMS Mosfet Car Amplifier (http://www1.jaycar.com.au/productView.asp?ID=AA0438&CATID=24&keywords=&SPECIAL=&form=CAT&ProdCodeOnly=&Keyword1=&Keyword2=&pageNumber=&priceMin=&priceMax=&SUBCATID=595) for around $90, will wait for a suitable used boxed subwoofer to pop up, and in the meantime i could install some 6" speakers in the front doors. am i on the right track?

as you can probably tell, i'm new to this (and greatly looking forward to drilling through my petrol tank).


if u wanna keep costs down be wary that u get wat u pay for.

so, with this in mind, u could get a set of cheap splits (pioneer or clarion are around $100 a set) so that is around $200 on the amp and splits. cheap cheap. u should then, like u said, wait for a sub and subbox to pop up somewhere for cheap. keep the stock rear speakers (if u have any) in for the time being. just run the splits off the amp until u get the sub. then just simply add the sub and run it off the last 2 channels (bridged of course) from the amp. (SHOULD be around 110w RMS bridged)

something to think about anyway.

brendan

If you want something that sounds good and it relatively cheap I would get Pioneer 6x9's and Pioneer 4"s in the front. All that will set you back maybe $140 but it will sound good and it will be cheap and you won't have to worry about things like amps blowing and subs etc. You will also be able to see out of your rear vision mirror as it won't bounce around as much although it will a little for bassy songs.

The biggest issue with Japanese brands like Pioneer though is that it's speakers tend to sound a little artificial. :(

I would suggest Hertz, Boston and Phoenix Gold for the cheaper upgrades but at the end of the day, you need to go and have a good listen and let your ears do the deciding. :)

what would be the best place for 6x9's in a wagon?

Depends; are you talking sonically or physically?

Sonically, the best place for any speaker is in the front where you're sitting and your ears are facing. :)

what about physically. i'd probably have to hack my doors up a fair bit to get 6x9's in there, yeah? or should i make some kind of enclosure for them...

Yeah, unfortunately physically you'll probably be restricted to the rear shelf. :(