Help me decide between these ~$150 speakers

[pgsandiego]

Ive done a ton of searches here and learned alot (except part numbers).

For my 82SC, I want 6.5" (prefer coaxial) fronts, no rears, will be driving them with an a/d/s PQ10 (40Wx4) amplifier I just bought and a stock head (blau malibu for now) with no sub.

Which of these speakers are best sound for the buck? And, am I leaving any other great ones out in the $150 range? Is $150 enough to get decent speakers?

Coaxial
Infinity Kappa 62.5 $90 2 1/8" depth
JBL P652S $169 super shallow! 1 3/16" depth

Components (worth the bother?)
MB Quarts (tons at this price, dont know the difference!)
DSD216 $159
RCE216 $180
RSC216 $189
RSD216 $189

Im looking for a "stock" type look (no flashy colors) that fits well.

Thanks!
Patrick

[FenderGuy]

Components 6.5 in Infinity Kappa
get 2 sets, 1 for the front and 1 for the rear, this is what my current car has and what my future 911 will have. But yoou need a excellent amp to push these to get great sounnd and I am talking about a powerfull clean amp.
Don't waste your time on Coaxial speakers they can reproduce the sound that components put out.

[mr.bch]

Hey, that is exactly what my SC has, 2 sets of 6 1/2" component Infinity speakers (custom deck in rear). I think I do need more amp, though...

[RANDY P]

mb quart co-ax but not the discus. Get an amplifier, you'll need it.

rjp

[TurboRuf]

This is always a very subjective topic.

With coaxial’s you can toss imaging/stereo separation out the window. Unless, of course, you properly position them in a place like the kick panels. If you put the Coaxial’s in the factory door location the sound will dramatically pull to the left or right, depending on your seating position. That’s the beauty of components, you can angle/align the tweeter to help produce a more realistic sound stage. I also recommended slightly angling the midrange driver when possible.

If you want a stellar sounding driver, look into the Boston Pro 6.5’s. They can be configured as components or like a coaxial setup (tweeter in the center of the driver). They also provide impressive bass, when installed properly, since you don’t plan on running a sub. They don’t come cheap, around $300 for the set. As the saying goes, you get what you pay for. They sound very tight/clean and are some of the best built speakers I’ve come across.

As you had mentioned, I wouldn’t bother with the rear speakers. Keep it simple and you will be very happy with the results. Some of the best systems I’ve listened to consist of a single set of components and a 10” sub.

BTW... the PQ10 is a fantastic little amp.

Also, do a search on this forum... this topic has been covered many times.

[MY83SC]

I spent $1,500 hundred to have a "Pro" install my system. Sounds good. But I rarely listen to it. When I do, it is AM or talk radio stuff. Prefer the humble rumble of the tail pipe. My advice is to go with the "least" that will please you. You will find that you will not use the system...near as much as you had planned...Leave the beefy system to the SUV.

[pgsandiego]

Yes, this has all been covered before (I have spent alot of time researching this), but usually no one calls out exact parts. "mb quarts are great" well, which ones? They go from $99 to really expensive. I found three 6.5's all priced at $185! Whats the difference between them?

TurboRuf: BA's sounds like great speakers, but $300's a little above my comfort zone.

Ill look into the infinity components...and hope to hear more about the MB quarts before deciding

[RANDY P]

What you're lookng for esp. if you don't have a sub is good frequency response. That's where the Quart's shine. With enough power you can dip low enough to accurately reproduce the music - when you're playing something it's not going to crap out or sound flat due to lack of low end. Quarts are unique like that..

On the subject of components /vs co-ax, to properly set them up and phase them you would need to have them side by side. It's a phasing issue. In reality, a component setup is only useful if you build an enclosure that can aim them properly and keep them close enough so the phasing is correct. It's never going to image properly in the factory cutouts and down the road if you ever need to replace something that fails you're SOL since tweeter designs are always changing. It'll never sound accurate with the mid in the door and the tweeter located high and foward 15" away from the center of the mid. Co-ax will always sound better in that sense.

Frankly, everything you're lookng at is good stuff. I"d bring a bunch of CD's to the stereo store and start listening. You want frequency response and clean, not bright and harsh highs.

rjp

[MAS]

Pioneer makes a new hi-end 2-way speaker that will fit in most 6.5" holes, but it actually has a 6 3/4" woofer. I highly recommend them.


-MAS