I have recently acquired a new car (1997 Mercury Sable), and it is in need of a new sound system. Due to budget size, I currently can only get a new CD player (Kenwood KDC-MPV5025), and new front and back speakers (6x8's). I wanted to get a Kenwood set up because of what my friends say about the company, but many people here seem to disagree. I had selected Kenwood KFC-C6879ie speakers, but I am wondering if I can get better speakers for that kind of money (70 per pair). Please, give me some suggestions (I might be able to push it up to 80 if needed).
Also, might it be better to just get front or back speakers instead of 4 new ones?
Thanks in advance (If you have suggestions about the player, please reply under a similiarly titled post in the Head Unit board)[Specs Below].
-pearl-mica injection-molded poly woofer -1-3/16" PEI balanced dome tweeter -rubber surround -recommended power range 2-55 watts RMS -220 watts peak power handling -frequency response 30-28,000 Hz -sensitivity 91 dB -depth 2-7/16" -warranty: 1-year
in general on kenwood, they have nice features and looks, but they don't tend to hold up well, and performance is lacking for amps and speakers. really I'd look elsewhere. I was a big kenwood fan when I got started, but after working on a lot of them and owning several, my opinions rapidly changed.
Not really. Look into Pioneer for cheap head units that are more reliable than kenwood, maybe also Alpine if you can afford it. For speakers, Infinity makes good speakers at great prices. Just focus on the front speakers, don't worry about rears. You need to get a 6.5" component set, use an adaptor (or make one) to use it in the 6x8 slot. Infinity Kappa components are nice and very good for the price, much better than Kenwood and Pioneer coaxials. They'll eventually need an amp though, I don't recommend running them too long off a head unit. Infinity Reference components would run better off a head unit, but aren't as good as the Kappas.
How much would those speaker adapters cost, or how hard are to make an install? I need to do this myself, as I can't spare a single day without my car on the road.
The adaptors would be very easy to make and wouldn't take long at all. I'd recommend making your own over purchasing one, as it'd match your speaker locations perfectly, plus the premade ones are usually made of metal (which will rattle and resonate bad), and some 6.5" speakers are larger than others, while some are smaller than average. I recommend using thinner marine grade plywood, all you need to do is cut it to a shape that will fully cover the 6x8 opening, (using some kind of sealer or Dynamat to seal the plywood to the opening, so there are no air leaks) then just take a jigsaw and cut the hole for the 6.5" speaker. Shouldn't take more than a couple of minutes to cut each adaptor once you have a template made out, and you can definately finish the installation on a Saturday (or whatever day you may have off ) The premade ones are only a couple of bucks, and you can get them pretty much anywhere.
) The premade ones are only a couple of bucks, and you can get them pretty much anywhere.