I've been considering replacing the 4 6x8's that came factory in my 97 f150. I put a pioneer CD player in last summer, and it helped the sound quite a bit, and I am wondering if it would be worth the money to replace with a set of 3 way pioneer 6x8s.

Have any of you done this? Are they worth the money?

Josh

 

I'm going to do the same in my son's truck except we are going to use the Pioneer 4 ways. They go for about $20 a pair more at Best Buy.

 

Just bought a set of $75 Kenwood 6x8s to replace my factory doors speakers in my single cab F-150. Like lunkerlander, I already replaced my HU and want some quality speakers to match. Ordered from crutchfield and they’re not here yet. I’ll post a review after the installation.

 

Pioneer makes a pretty good speaker. But they aren't that great. And the 3-way / 4 way (especially 4way) speakers Have extremly harsh highs. My point is you can do better for around the same money. Just do some looking, use search function and ask questions.

Scott

 

Finished putting in my new Kenwoods in the doors. Its a major improvement they sound awesome. I wouldn't spend money on rear speakers just get some good ones for the front. Go to www.crutchfield.com and do some shopping there.

 

Win,

How is the low end on the Pioneers? I ended up going with the 572.5 Kappa's. The bass is actually decent with those little guys. I was looking at Pioneer for a while, since I had a pair in my old van before my F-150.

 

Warlord:

While I appreciate Scotty08 advice to you and it is correct in one sense. That pioneer has harsh highs...so does every other three way and above. You have quite a few choices for eliminating this. Either install line blockers .94 cents - $1.29 each (you will need one per speaker) at radio shack to eliminate over 120 htz. Another option is to see if your Head unit has a high or low pass filter built in. Maybe check in to getting a crossover for your tuning enjoyment. I go through a lot of speakers (I install for a very LARGE retailer that ryhmes with Rest Guy) so I've gone through Infinity, Kenwood, Polk, Sony, Rockford and a few others. Other than the Polk, which are phenomonal, the Pioneer 4 way with a signal line inhibitor (see above) are beautiful. Just be careful if you go with infinity or polk as both have a tendency to corrode at the terminals if you live in a humid area. Rockford makes a great speaker with the absolute worst surround in the history of car audio. Just posting what I see daily in the install bay.

Good luck to you fellas

 

lunker, In spite of the fact that the "drop in" types of speakers are so popular, the fact of the matter is that, almost without exception, they are very poor in the area of crossover quality. It is a byproduct of the "convenience" of the design. There isn't room for the necessary pieces needed for a quality crossover. This is a huge reason for "harshness". They may be great for low to medium volume use, but how many of us are satisfied with that? While most are considerably better than stock, they are nowhere near what you could buy for very little more money. I recommend buying some components with a quality separate crossover network. The crossover network is the main reason for cost difference and the sound quality advantages of components. It is money well spent. That's not to say you couldn't be happy with the coaxials or triaxials. Some of them are reasonably good. And, if you can get a great buy on them, they may be hard to pass up. It depends on how much importance you place on sound quality. I would stick with a quality 2-way, given a choice, and I would avoid the 4-ways like the plague. There are no 4-way "drop ins" that are quality throughout, both in drivers and crossover pieces. They do not exist. They are a sales gimmick. There simply is no need for anything more than a 2-way design in a daily driver. Unless you have a competition vehicle, a quality 2-way with the proper subwoofer will more than adequately cover the frequency spectrum for the average listener. For a 4-way design to be beneficial, it would have to be a very exotic, comprehensive set-up. People need to realize that a Pioneer 4-way that sells all over ebay for $45 ain't where it's at when it comes to sound quality. But, like I said, that's not to say some people aren't happy with them. They do have a place and serve a purpose. And, a final note. There are also some cheap components that are very poor as well.

 

Thanks for the input. The reason I wanted to replace my speakers was to add some more bass. I've decided that if I am willing to spend money on speakers with only moderate improovements in sound, I might as well spend a bit more on some subs. So currently I am looking for a sub box that is small enough to fit behind the seat of a reg cab. Hard to find one that has sufficient mounting depth for the sub, and still doesnt take up too much space. I may change out the 6x8's as well.

Josh

 

I agree with several of the above posts...

Mass marketed, over advertised, factory drop-ins will always sound inferior when compared to a quality produced speaker with an equally quality x-over!

If you want the best sound I have always felt that round speakers out perform ovals any day! If you do not want to cut any sheet metal, there are plenty of quality adapters that will allow you to insert a 5.25" mid and a 1" tweeter setup with ease. And not much more $!!!

If you want to cut, 6" w/1" tweets sound better. And I do know of several guys running 8" mid/bass with tweets. Drawback=more cash and more work... but great sound!

I opted for 6" w/1" soft dome tweet Mmats, used to have 6" w/1" hard dome tweet MBQuarts... but they were 10 yrs old and very tired but sounded awesome when new!

 

PLEASE save your self some money. Don't buy from crutchfield, They are so exspensive. You can use the info that you get from them and go elsewhere. What I do is some research on crutchfield, and go to bust buy, circuit city, or even wal-mart. You might be surprised at what these stores have if you ask someone.

 

I like to go to crutchfield and do some research of the items, and then head straight to e-Bay.

I also got the infinnity 572.5 kappas, for $89.00 shipped.

Now im looking for an amp.

 

Yeah i had a 98 150 and it is DEFINiTLY worth it, i love fords but the suck in sound, only i went with Rockford but definitly 86 those stocks!

 

MEN,
We are all experts on car audio, right? WRONG!
Everyone of us have a lot of useful info based on our own individual experiance. The key to quality sound in my opinion is what you the individual is satisfied with. Also I feel that you always get what you pay for! If every place is selling a peaker for $150.00 and you find it on the internet half price, there is usually a reason. I have in fact researched the audio products at ?-Mart and ?-Buy and found that some of the brands that are sold are a different line that is produced especially for the discount stores and are not of the same quality as those sold in dedicated audio shops. I personally have a close friend that owns a stereo shop where I live and he allowed me to test several different brands of products before I spent the money on the system I installed. I found that to reach the sound level and quality level that I was wanting to achieve within my 98 F150 Extended cab, that Rockford Fosgate was the best choice for the money. The quality is there, the durability is there, and most of all the price is right!
I however during testing of head units (Alpine, JVC, Sony, Panasonic, Kenwood, and Pioneer) Alpine was the absolute best of all brands tested. But remember that this wasn't the Alpine that can be bought at a department store either. It's a $400.00 unit with more options than there is room here to list. If you are a person that likes to tweak then check out the unit I purchased or one of the other versions Alpine CDA-9831.
All I am saying is that only you know what level you are wanting to achieve and I will agree on the 3/4 way coments above. Don't waste your money, go with a component and good cross over, and use an amp for your mids & hi's. Most speakers need power to drive them and to get clarity. So without further delay, here is my system...

1998 F150 Extended Cab - Alpine Head unit CDA-9831, 4 Fosgate 5.25" Fanatics driven by a Fosgate Punch P8004 4 channel amp (mids/hi's), 2 Fosgate Punch P2 10" subs driven by a Fosgate Punch P6001 mono amp (low's). Sub's mounted in a composite enclosed box under rear seat. To finish it off 2 Fosgate wire kits. No x-over's was needed due to the combination of the chosen head unit and 4 channel amp. Kicks out a constant and consistant 109db. It isn't competition but darn close.

If I change anything I will change the 5.25" speakers out to Infinity Kappa's with the same amp choice as above!

Thanks,
Dann'o