2k4 Civic Coupe

[AndrewD]

I've got a 2k4 Civic Coupe.

Kenwood Excelon KDC-X817 for a head unit.

what's the biggest bang for the buck with decent thump without going the sub route? I could go with an external AMP if I have to. Speakers must fit without any modification. Crutchfield says POLK won't fit at all...


Any reccomendations?

[unrealii]

What size are your openings?

[bknauss]

Find a 3-way component set with a 7" or 8" woofer.

[neomagus00]

can't fit those w/o mods unless he puts them in a box, in which case he could use a 10 or 12; so are you looking for speakers or subs? i believe that the civic has 6.5 in the front and 6x9 in the back; so what's your total budget?

btw, bknauss, 3way sets are really expensive... like really expensive...

[AndrewD]

Speakers in the front are 6.5's...6X9's in the back.
I'd like to go about 300 for speakers and 200 for an amp (If I need to)

[neomagus00]

okay, so 500 total (generally speaking, amps are more expensive than speakers at this price level).

you can replace the 6.5s with coaxials, or even better, components, and get better sound and more bass; you could replace the 6x9s and get way more bass but it wouldn't sound so hot (IMO). you could keep the stock speakers and get a sub to put in the trunk, which will better the sound youve got now by a tad and add much bass. which do you prefer?

[exalted512]

momo comps up front and get an adapter plate for the rear and put those little 6" subs in the 6x9 hole along with a 100-150 watt amp
-Cody

[neomagus00]

will all that fit under $500??

[exalted512]

ebaying
-Cody

[neomagus00]

eew; ebay is scary; can he get a setup - even just the six inch subs - for 500?

[MacLeod]

Eh, trying to get decent thump without an amp or sub is kind of like trying to get a 454 to get 30 miles per gallon, it aint gonna be easy.

I would say the best set up would be a set of Polk DB 6.5 coaxials (http://www.cardomain.com/item/POLDB650) for $100 and a set of these Polk DB 6x9s (http://www.cardomain.com/item/POLDB690) for $150. Thats $250 for a damn fine set of speakers.

Now for an amp $200 is gonna be tough to get at so Id highly recommend coming up with an extra $100 and going with $300. For that you can have one of these Phoenix Gold amps (http://www.cardomain.com/item/PHOR804) that will easily put out 75x4 all day long and be clean as a whistle.

Total system will cost $550 and sound pretty damn good. It is pretty much the best you can do without going with a sub and more amps.

[exalted512]

i dont even know where to get those little mini subs
i think focal makes some
i know RF makes some...
no sub=no bass
-Cody

[AndrewD]

ALPINE MRV-F450 V12 5-CHANNEL
50w RMS x 4 + 200w RMS x 1 at 4 ohms
OR
60w RMS x 4 at 2 ohms + 200w RMS x 1 at 4 ohms

I'm thinking
MMC690 for the rear and MMC650 for the front.
I can get the speakers off ebay CHEAP!

Think this setup will sound good? Amp powerful enough?

[neomagus00]

i'll still throw in my warning about ebay, just to cover myself :rolleyes:

um... the specs off that amp are kinda strange... 50Wx4Ch@4Ohms, but only 60Wx4Ch@2Ohms?? it should be 100, or nearly so...

[AndrewD]

http://www.crutchfield.com/S-J3ONSaaS0xA/cgi-bin/ProdView.asp?i=500MRVF450&search=ALPINE+MRV%2DF450

[AndrewD]

Will the speakers fit?
There's no selector for a 2k4 civic coupe on polk.com and the 2k3 is a totally different animal. I'd hate to buy speakers and have them be too deep that the glass clings.

[neomagus00]

yeah, i checked the specs from alpine, but that just means that there's not a lot of headroom available... i.e. if you play it all-out, you're pushing it right to the limit, and you can get distortion, especially if you run it at 2 ohms.

on fit: check crotchfield; i know you said they say polk won't fit, but find the deepest set of speakers that crutchfield says WILL fit. then compare that mounting depth to what polk says the dB's mounting depth is. if it's only too deep by a little, you can make mounting rings of MDF. rinse and repeat for the rears.

[bknauss]

Originally posted by neomagus00
can't fit those w/o mods unless he puts them in a box, in which case he could use a 10 or 12; so are you looking for speakers or subs? i believe that the civic has 6.5 in the front and 6x9 in the back; so what's your total budget?

btw, bknauss, 3way sets are really expensive... like really expensive...

I bought a set for around $350. Yes, that's definitely over budget for a lot of people, but if you factor the money you can save by not getting a sub and an amp for that sub (along with the wiring, box, etc etc), it seems like a good trade off to me. As always, search on ebay. I'm sure you can find something used for a good price.

[UghGrrrr]

Andrew,
The front speakers are a 6 1/2 inch speaker but to get them to fit into the factory opening you will need to modify the opening by cutting out metal in the doors. The rear speakers can be a 6x9 or a 6 1/2 inch speaker. You should be able to see the back of the factory speakers from the inside of the trunk. For the replacement speakers I would suggest looking at the db650 and the db690.
I am attaching a link below so you can view these speakers.

Thanks,

[MacLeod]

Do not buy the Alpine amp. While I love their amps, this 5 channel is not one of them.

Check the specs on their website. If you click the "more information" tab youll see that their ratings of 50 rms is not only at 14.4 volts but at only 20-200 Hz which is about 1% of the frequency response they will have to work with. The actual power to your speakers will be around 35 rms each and around 125 to your sub!!!

If youre wanting an Alpine V12 amp, and they are excellent, look to the T420 which is rated at 110x2 but, again, will only put out about 65 per channel (a guess). The F540 is also better, rated at 80x4 (45x4).

Alpine is a very good amp but for the money you can have something that sounds as good but with a ton more power lilke a MTX or Kicker.

[Argh]

According to crutchfield AND polk, I have about 2'' of space for speakers in the front, so that leaves the MOMO series out of the question. Crutchfield has a $12 bracket that will allow mounting the 650's in the front without any cutting. The 690's will have to be mounted under but I don't see a problem.
Also considering rockfords just because they fit perfectly..

I guess i'm going to get a pair of db650's and 690's.....
Any reccomendations on a good amp? I'm going to ghetto style fleabay it..

[MacLeod]

Go back to my first post. That Phoenix Gold Octane amp is a dandy and will power those speakers well. Plus it looks cool as hell and has neon so itll impress your friends.

[yukstah]

Who's this company?
I've never heard of them.....

[exalted512]

the company is Phoneix Gold
a very good company
make sure if you buy an amp off ebay, then it NEEDS to be new in box...with that much electronics there can be a number of things that can be wrong...
dont buy someone elses problems, go new in box
-Cody

[MacLeod]

I highly recommend buying from Sound Domain or Crutchfield. They are authorized dealers so you are sure youre getting a brand new, from the factory product and not some rebadged, rebuilt or open box piece of shit. Plus the manufactuers warranty is still good.

[Yukstah]

MoMo series sound the best out of anything they have (even $500 MB Quarts)

I wish they would fit, they're just too deep.
Ive also come to the conclusion that I NEED components. The sound is just that much better.....

[Yukstah]

How are the DB series components? I can't find anywhere that has them locally so I can listen..

[Kschultz76]

For a good inexpensive Amp I'm gonna put in a vote for a Hifonics, I have a Zeus ZX6400 rated at 85x4 but without a doubt it puts out closer to 100x4 and at under 3% THD and the quality is awesome. I'm pushing Polk EXIII 6x9's and EXIII 5.25" comps with and sound is killer!! You could also get a Hifonics Nemesis series which are also excellent, just don't have the light emblem or the remote bass that come standard with the Zeus. Here's a link to some good ones to check out at OnlineCarStereo.com who is an authorized Hifonics dealer.

NX880 (http://www.onlinecarstereo.com/CarAudio/ProductDetail.aspx?ProductID=13125)

ZX6400 (http://www.onlinecarstereo.com/CarAudio/ProductDetail.aspx?ProductID=13117)

Either of those two amps would be a good choice.

- Kevin

[exalted512]

Originally posted by Yukstah
How are the DB series components? I can't find anywhere that has them locally so I can listen..
great speakers for the price...try Circuit City
-Cody