OK,

I'm afraid this might be a question like asking about the value of Synthetic motor oil - a whole bunch of opinions, with no clear definitive answer - but I'm going to go ahead and do it anyway:

If I were to do nothing else but replace my stock speakers - will I notice an improvement? Or will it just be a waste of $$?

What are your experiences?

Thanks,
Eric

 

Waste of money becauser the STOCK head unit cannot give out enough power to notice a difference in sound quality. I think you would notic a bigger improvement by getting a better HU or by amplifying the stock speakers using the stock HU.

I changed my 6x9s in the back before changing HUs and it made no difference.

 

i think you would. mostly in clarity i would imagine. i'm not an audio expert by any stretch but the stock speakers really sucked.

i replaced mine but i also added an amp so i can't give a concrete statement on the improvement given by new speakers alone.

 

You would definetly notice the difference unless you buy some crap spekers.
The speakers are the most important part of your audiosystem at all. I bought some 6.5" coaxials for 80euros (=80USD) and man how it sounds better.

 

It does make a difference. But you have to choose your speakers carefully if you don't plan to amp them or replace the stock HU. Consider the stock HU pumps out 8-12 W RMS to each speaker you have to choose one that'll work effectively in this power range.

I replaced mine with Infinity Reference and it sounds a lot cleaner than the stock setup. I'm not that bass hungry but I do want a crisp and clean high and the new speaker helped a lot.

 

Exactly. Look again at speakers that have a high efficiency rating (usually labelled as 'sensitivity'). The higher this number, the less power the speaker needs to perform well. However, usually speakers that require little power also can't handle alot of power either.

Something in the 90 dB range will probably do you fine. But, remember: "Trust Your Ears". Sites like Sounddomain or Crutchfield list the specs and are a good place to start. From there, go to your local shop to audition the speakers.

So, the long and short of it is plan your needs. If you're looking to go with an amp eventually, pick speakers accordingly. If all you're looking for are upgraded stock speakers, do as others have suggested.

Hope this helps

 

I've tried changing the speakers 1st (keeping my stock HU) and I felt that i wasn't getting my "bang-for-the-buck", so I suggest something else.

If you change the HU (Get one that has 20-25w RMS) and keep the stock speakers (for now), you'll definitely notice an improvement. Pretty easy to do too

If you don't feel like changing the HU, then add an amp. Just a modest 40Wx2 RMS to power the front stock speakers would give you great results.

 

i changed both the HU and the speakers. i did the speakers first and i noticed the most improvement from that. i put in some mid level kenwoods and they sounded real nice. even better when they got more power.

 

Well, you were right, you're getting a variety of opinions.

The problem with the stock stereo is twofold: the stock speakers suck, and the stock HU is underpowered. Fixing either one of these will help, but not nearly as much as fixing both of them.

You can get reasonably-priced speakers that do sound much better than the stock cardboard, especially if what you care about is definition in the mid-high and high range. The stock speakers have cardboard whizzer cones for tweeters, and this blows. I say replace the speakers first, unless all you care about is bass and volume.

The problem with doing only the speakers, though, is the stock HU won't take full advantage of better speakers because it's underpowered. You can solve this by replacing the HU or by adding an amp. I prefer the adding the amp option because you can get more power that way and it doesn't attract thieves the way an aftermarket HU does.

 

You could do a upgrade in stages, get speakers first, and then get an amp, and last a headunit if you really feel the need. Higher efficiency speakers will sound better even with the stock headunit.
As has often been pointed out though, be care about driving newer speakers with the stock headunit. Many folks think you can kill speakers with too large an amp section, which is true, but you can also kill them with too little power and clipping and distortion.
I have tried the stock headunit with new speakers, and you can hear a difference, as all speakers color music and amp sections are (supposed to be anyway) pretty neutral in terms of sound. Once you get new speakers, you will probably want more of a amp for them, but that can come as a second stage.
Lastly, always buy speakers you have actually listened to, and like the sound of- you gotta live with!
Cheers

 

keep in mind.. DO NOT AMP the head unit, it will sound HORRIBLE!!!!!!! since the HU has a high THD, when you amp speaker level inputs you amp the distortion too which can blow your speakers.

IMHO you should always get a new HU first with preouts (F+R+S) and only use RCA's to the amp's never speaker level. hell even my pioneer DEH6400 has a THD of 5% (which is REALLY bad) anything <.1% is not audible
________
Mflb vaporizer

 

actually you can get very good results with using the headunit and a high level in amp, or better Line Out Converters. David Navone (davidnavone.com) makes some very good locs. My first setup in the Mazda used the stock headunit, Locs, and a JL amp, and was sonically excellent. The only reason I moved to a different setup is that I was interested in some whistles and bells, features the Blaupunkt San Francisco has compared to the stock unit.
CD units are to a solid degree better than our ears, the have better seperation, frequency response, signal to noise ratios than human ears could detect a difference in. While some folks swear that they can hear a difference in the Digital Analog Converters 16,24, 1 bit MASH, etc, I have never seen anyone able to pull it off in a blind test.
With a decent LOC, or a good amp that has line level in, you will not have a distorted input signal to the amp. XTANT would not be considered good mid fi if this was true, as they do outstanding with line level input.
The point that amps in headunits are poor is very true. Simple logic, outboard amps are very big compare to headunit chassis amps. So- either the outboard amp could be reduced to the size of a headunit, which McIntosh, Brax, Milbert or Xtant does not offer, or for a headunit amp to be good it would have to be much much larger, which is true. Part of what makes the outboard amp better is the size, you can fit capacitors in there, descreet outputs in a balanced push pull topology, and massive heat sinks to keep them as cool as possible.
You can use the stock headunit as a signal source, but the stock amp section in it, and the vast majority of aftermarket headunits is not worthy of use...

 

My question is about the crutchfield website. I know you can go there and click on "what fits my car?" and it will give you a list of speakers, etc. that fit your car. Well, they list SEVERAL 6x8 speakers that are EZ fit for the front doors, but only list 3 6x9 speakers for the 02 Protege for the rear deck. I was wondering if anybody has installed 6x8 or 6x9 speakers OTHER THAN what crutchfield says will fit??? I'm wondering what kind of issues I will run into if I buy 6x8 or 6x9's that are not listed for my 02 Protege on the crutchfield website. I'm not interested in amps or anything else of that nature (I don't need to blast out the windshield). I would like to keep the stock HU and just replace the factory crappy speakers with some good quality speakers that will improve the sound, etc.

 

Lots of other speakers have been installed, as most folks in this thread would attest.
Keys are the mounting depth and the height above stock, I.E. does the new coax tweeter sit so high above the surface that new grills will need to be mounted.
Within those constraints higher effieicency speakers can be a easy drop in fit.
Crutchfield is a good starting place, with some good info on a lot of brands. In the past their measurements for Proteges were incorrect, but 6x8 and 6x9 are right in third generation sedans.
Better prices can be found other places on the web though....

 

OK,

So I guess to really get the benefit of improving the stereo, I should amp it, and it looks like the LOC's might be the better route to take (compared to hi-level inputs).

Now a bunch more questions:

1) There are a variety of LOC's on the David Navone site, which can vary from a few bucks to $60. I already know that there are no free lunches ...but... how much more do you get for your $$ as you move up the chain?

2) If I go to add an amp in the Pro sedan, where is the best place to put it? (I'm considering to do it myself, but I understand that if I put it in the rear, I have to run the front speaker inputs all the way back, and then up front again - or - if I try to put it in the front, I don't think there's any room).

What are your experiences? (I am probably best off to have someone else do it but that is usually more expensive, and not as satisfying as doing it yourself)

Thanks,
Eric