I was told that by doing a conversion to install 6.5 rounds in the doors vs. 5x7's, you can achieve much better sound.

Anybody have any experience with this?

 

I just did it a few weeks ago. Overall, it was pretty easy. Here are the pix I took as it was done for my MB Quart's. Saying it is better sound is an understatement!! BIG difference.

http://web.tampabay.rr.com/slapshot/speaker.htm

Let me know if you have certain questions.

 

Agreed.


Theoretically, a round 6.5" or 5.25" speaker should produce better sound. OTOH, a good set of high quality 6x8s are going to sound better than a cheap 6.5". I'd say go listen to all the speakers with your eyes closed. Once you've found a pair which sound the best to you, then worry about fitting them to your vehicle. The adaptors are very common and quite inexpensive.

 

Thanks for the info. I would agree, even without listening to them to compare.

After all, what shape is a sound wave ...not oval.

Slapshot, I sure did like the MB Quart after listening to A LOT of 6.5's. Did you put an amp to those? The Alpine head unit I plan on installing puts out 45W. I realize that is peak output and less than ideal for speakers much over $100/pr. IMHO, no sense in spending TOO much on speakers unless you plan to add an amp now or in the future!

 

No, I was going to, but figured I'd try just the HU and MB's beofre spending the extra few hundred $$ on an amp. Honestly, I got the desired result already and won't add an amp. I believe my HU max output is 55w. I had not heard these exact speakers prior to buying. I had heard the 5x7's, but not these. Several people highly recommended them. I am 100% satisfied with the entire system. The only thing that is slightly annoying is the few second delay when playing MP3's, while going from song to song. But, the benefit of fitting 160+ songs on ONE cd-r greatly overwieghs that!!!

 

for those and where did you purchase? Install cost?

 

Got the speakers at onlinecarstereo.com, they are $289. Make sure you get the PSD, the have several different models, the PSD
's are the second highest in the line, after the Q series.....here is the link
https://www.onlinecarstereo.com/cara....asp?sku=11952

local shop charged around $80 for the install. I though it would be much harder than it was. I could have done it myself. But, they did a top notch job. I found that install charges differed from shop to shop. I paid a little more, but went to a reputable shop.

Here is the tweeter and HU (I installed the HU, that was easy)

http://web.tampabay.rr.com/slapshot/Lhu.htm

 

A sound wave is a wave, it is not round either. If you bang on your desk it sounds exactly like someone banging on a desk. It did not have to pass through a round speaker to be corrected.

The problem with most oval type speakers is quality of build which may affect sound. It is easier to make a stiff round cone perform in a linear fashion than it is to make an oval one do the same thing. The cone in cheaper oval speakers will distort at higher levels due to stiffness of materials used. There are some very good oval speakers available but you will pay for them. JL Audio, Kicker and others.
Shape does not equal better sound, better speakers equals better sound.

 

More accurate sound is produced by a round speaker vs. an oval, period. If you're going to compare, you have to test speakers made of the same material, just different shape.

If you drop a square into still water, the waves don't move away from the object in a square fashion. Same concept.

Banging on a desk isn't REPRODUCING sound. You'd have to listen to the banging out of a round speaker and an oval speaker using the same materials, and see which one can duplicate the sound the best.

 

POLARISGUY's logic makes sense to me. I am not expert on sound but I was thiking the smae thing. How much of the door metal do you have to trim?

 

Sound waves are waves and will be made by any shape driver. Round drivers do not produce more accurate sound. That is one of the myths perpetuated by people who do not understand. Banging on a desk is producing sound, not reproducing. If you wanted to reproduce the sound most accurately you would bang on the same desk with the same force etc. Reproducing it through a round speaker does not make it better than reproducing it through a correctly built oval, square or triangle speaker. The problem is linear excursion of the cone. It is easier to make a round cone do this than other shapes.
You proved my point with your water analogy, a square still makes round ripples that radiate out just as a square speaker would. The right reason for chosing component speakers is that they are usually better quality than the drop in ovals and they allow you to place the tweeter at an optimum position. They usually also have better crossovers.

Check out this thread:
http://www.carsound.com/cgi-bin/ubbc...=1&t=012938&p=

 

It's all academic. The shape of the speaker isn't as important as the quality of materials and construction. Sure, a 6.5" should sound better than a 6x8, but in practice it's more a function of which company is building the speaker. Besides, you're in a big, noisy truck with odd shaped pieces of metal, foam, carpet, and plastic all over the place.

Let your ears and wallet decide. Go listen.

 

Since I just finished installing my new speakers a couple days ago, I thought I'd throw my $.02 in. I installed 5x7 in the back of my SC and converted the front to 6.5". My verdict: Sounds great, but I think I would have been just as happy with 5x7 all around. It would have definetly taken less time to install. Strangely, in the particular speakers I bought, the 5x7 seemed to have a bit more bass. I'll take care of any lack of bass when I put my single 10 in this weekend :-)

 

What brand where your 5x7's? I put 2 sets of 5x7 3 way Pioneers in a 93 Ranger ext. cab many moons ago and it sounded great. I added a Sony head unit, a 4 channel amp for the 5x7's, and another amp bridged mono to a 10" Lanzar sub. She really rocked then. I'm older now and I want something a little more simple for my Harley Screw.

 

Don't laugh when I tell you (I'm sure many will snarl their noses), but used Boss. I selected from their War series since these speakers had a high sensativity rating (92-93db) so I had no problems pushing them with the factory head unit, or adding an amp later. I used the AVA-5755 in the back at $29 a pair and AVA-6555 in the front at $22 per pair. I have no regrets as these sound great to me and I can be picky about sound. I have a great sounding system for <$60 and kept the factory look. I do have a 10" sub and amp that I will likely install this weekend. I did try a small 4ch Amp, but didn't get the sound I wanted, so I reverted to HU power until I have time to tinker. I didn't have time to adjust the amp properly. I bought from Millionbuy.com. You would have to enter "Boss Audio" in the search since they don't keep their organized pages up very well. While many would consider Boss a "flea market" brand, I highly recommend them if you want great sound without spending a fortune. Let me know if you want more info. Check them out at www.bossaudio.com