EX series?

[danger boy]

Hi,

I"m not a regular in the car audio forums.. I hang mostly in the home audio.

Last time I bought some nice Polk speakers for my car I got EX357's for a 1997 Mazda 626. What happen to the EX series speakers?

Were they replace by some other model?

I now have a 2000 Neon i'd like to replace the stock rear speakers with a nice pair of Polk 6x9's. What do you all recommend for the Neon's rears?

The head unit is just the stock one that is standard for a Neon. no frills. it does drive 6 speakers right now... but the rears really suck for sound. The fronts are passable.. but not the rears.

thanks, Al

[exalted512]

the EX speakers were replaced by the new DB speakers--which i would recommend since you plan on running them off your head unit
some type of amp or a new HU would do these speakers a great amount of good and have them really come to life though...
-Cody

[neomagus00]

i'd go in that order, taking a new amp - even a very small one - over a new hu.

[exalted512]

actually, id get a HU before id do anything...but thats me...and i dont think he wants to replace anything but speakers
another one you might want to look at is JBL's GT speakers...theyre cheaper than the polks, not as good, but still pretty damn good
-Cody

[neomagus00]

why would you put an hu first? i'd do speakers, then amp, then hu - get clarity, then power, then control.

[Jstas]

I'd not listen to what these guys are saying unless you want to get a new head unit or amp. Otherwise, the DB 6x9's would work out just fine for you and they are actually, a step up from the EX series of speakers. They are cheaper though, IIRC so you kinda get more bang for the buck. I think you would be pleased with the performance especially for the price, even at full retail, they are pretty cheap.

[danger boy]

i just got the car four days ago.. so since the stock deck is ok for now. i decided i'd begin with replacing the rear speakers first. when i listen to tunes right now.. those are the ones that sound the worst to me. a amp and head unit are a few months down the road. but a for sure thing.

Whats the buzz on head units currently? if say you want to stay in the $200 - $300 for a CD head unit? I've had good luck with Pioneers in my last three cars. I don't have experience with any other brands yet.

A stock head unit in a Neon prob won't have preouts huh?

[Jstas]

No, a stock head unit in a Neon will not have pre-outs...unless things have changed and I am unaware!

The only issue I see with starting with replacing the back speakers alone is amplifier clipping. The stock radio and speakers may sound like crap and every one's first, knee-jerk reaction is "THOSE SPEAKERS SOUND LIKE CRAP!!!" when in reality, it may not be teh speakers at all but rather the amplifier clipping. They are most likely paper or paper-thin poly-ethlene or poly-propylene cones and the distortion of the signal caused by the clipping is causing physical distortion of the inadequate cones. So, replacing your rear speakers is a great start but it may not entirely solve the issue you have identified as your reason behind replacing the rear speakers.

As far as headunits go, you can't really go wrong with Pioneer. Personally, Kenwood and Alpine are also at the very top of my list. Others will name other brands that are either more expensive or just a different flavor altogether. When you get into "high end" headunits, you start seeing rapidly diminishing returns. Really, Pioneer Premier and Kenwood eXcelon are about as "high end" as you really need to go unless you are competing and looking for that extra edge.

The main thing, as with home audio, is not to let every brand nazi out there try and sway your opinion or experience with thier slanted pontification and blind allegiance. I guess you can say that occurs here with Polk Audio but I really don't see a blind allegiance to Polk Audio here and if there is, I don't think it is undeserved. Basically though, don't let every putz with an opinion out there fillibuster you into getting something you really didn't want or like.

[neomagus00]

w00t for choices!!! yeah, i concur on eXcelon - that's what i have - but i like alpine and pioneer too.

[exalted512]

i have pioneer
the reason i would go with a deck first is because one, you get better power to all your speakers(over a stock radio)
then theres ease of installing the amp
then theres the fact that you dont have to reinstall the amp to the radio
plus all the settings are always nice to have
an aftermarket HU can make your stock speakers sound better
-Cody

[neomagus00]

okay, i see what you mean. that makes sense, especially the part about rewiring the amp.