[acuralegend94]

stereo questions

Hey guys, okay i have a standard bose system according to the stereo faqs thread. "The Standard Bose system includes the 2200 model AM/FM/Cassette deck, which produces 80Wx4 (peak power) and powers a 4 ohm load on each channel."

I want to upgrade my speakers but had a couple questions. What do they mean when they say 2-way or 3-way 6x9 speakers? What do they mean by 4 ohm load and does 80wx4 mean each of the 4 speakers should be at most 80 watts? When buying speakers do i look at the peak power or the RMS to go with the 80watts? Also, my bose hu's lights are very dim, i can't see what song track i'm playing, is there any way to fix it?

Thanks
John

 

[G Rahn]

The term two way and three way speakers refer to a full range speaker with the midbass driver and tweeter (2 way) or tweeters (3 way) built together as one unit.
With componant speaker systems, the midbass and tweeter are separate and have an outboard crossover network. There are 2 way and 3 way componant systems as well, but that isn't what is being referred to with the 6x9s

While componant systems typically sound better and are available with higher quality materials, the 2 way (aka coaxial) systems are much easier to install.

2 way speakers usually sound better than 3 way speakers, as the mfr. simply adds another tweeter and the high frequencies are too bright as a result. In this case, more usually isn't better

The ohm load refers to the resistance of a circuit, and in the case of car audio the standard is 4 ohms. When you look for speakers, just make sure you get ones with a 4 ohm (nominal) impedence rating.

The 80 watt rating of the Standard Bose system is mostly marketing hype. There aren't too many speakers made nowadays that would be overpowered by the headunit, so you don't need to concern yourself too much about it. Anything that will handle 30 watts RMS will be fine.

80x4 does mean 80 watts to each of the channels, but in the case of your system it is more realistically around 20 watts per channel. Any more wattage than that would be so distorted you would turn it down anyway.

Other than impedence rating, another thing to look at is the speaker's eficiency rating, particularly if you are running them off deck power as in your case. It shouldn't necessarily be a dealbreaker, but the more efficient the speaker, the less wattage it takes to put out volume. This rating is typically shown as [email protected] 1w/1m. A rating of 91 or higher would be good.

 

[acuralegend94]

Thanks that helps a lot! But i still don't get the wattage part. So would purchasing speakers with like 70watts be okay or will it sound distorted? Or do i have to purchase speakers with 20 watts like you were saying? Also why is it 20 instead of 80watts? Also, what about the 4-way speakers?

My plan was just to replace all 4 speakers in the legend because one in the rear is blown out and makes a vibrating noise. So i figured why not.

Thanks a lot
John

 

[GSteg]

Honestly, do not worry about the power handling of the speakers. My advice, go to a store and listen to different speakers and buy the one that sounds best to you. The power handling rating is merely a number of how much power the voice coil can handle under a certain time interval. Most likely, your headunit does not have enough power to blow most aftermarket speakers, unless you get really cheap speakers.

As far as the Bose 80w vs 20w, 80w is the advertise max rating. Its one of the most useless specs on earth. When you see an advertisement of a car with 300w, you think "whoa! 300w in a stock system. Must sound great!" blah blah blah. 20w is the more realistic power rating.

 

[acuralegend94]

ic... well i'm not so worried about blowing speakers, i'm just worried under powering speakers the speakers.

I'm looking at these kenwood 6x9s right now
http://www.crutchfield.com/S-SVcnmi....asp?g=400&id=essential_info&i=113KFC6959#Tab

 

[GSteg]

Believe it or not, underpowering speaker is not a cause of a speaker's death. There are other factors that will destroy a speaker, and underpowering is not one of them.

It's probably one of the largest myths.

EDIT: You edit before I read

 

[GSteg]

How much do you want to spend on all 4 speakers?

 

[G Rahn]

Four way speakers are a maketing hype as well. The sellers know most people think in terms of 'more is better' so they just add another little speaker on to the front plate. A decent coaxial setup is far better sounding than those cheeso 4-ways.
As far as your concerns of underpowering the speakers, refer to the efficiency ratings. It takes (roughly) double the power to get the same volume from a speaker for every 3dB of drop in efficiency. An 87 db rated speaker will only get half as loud as a 90 dB speaker with the same power input.

 

[G Rahn]

In the ratings, some mfrs. will use the term sensitivity instead of efficiency, but it's the same thing.

 

[acuralegend94]

OKay these are the 6 1/2 front speakers i'm think i'm going to get. http://www.crutchfield.com/S-SVcnmi....asp?g=400&id=essential_info&i=113KFC1679#Tab

What do you guys think? Also, how much are speaker adapter brackets? Or should i just cut the wires and splice them in?

Thanks again guys you helped out a lot! Jeeze i love this forum haha

John

 

[G Rahn]

The Kenwood stuff isn't much nowadays, IMO.
Here are a few suggestions, but first, GSteg is right- there is no substitute for listening to speakers yourself. Speakers have differing sound, and not everyone likes the same type of sound.

MB Quart - bright for some people's tastes, but they have a decent off axis response. I won't into that here, but it helps a speaker sound better in less than ideal installations, such as the factory door location.
http://cgi.ebay.com/New-MB-Quart-DK...827127625QQcategoryZ18799QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Boston Acoustics - fairly neutral, a bit thin on midbass
http://cgi.ebay.com/New-Boston-Acou...827117590QQcategoryZ18799QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Memphis - Decent speaker for a low price
http://cgi.ebay.com/Memphis-15-PRC6...826709576QQcategoryZ18799QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Polk Momo - I have used the componant versions in a couple cars and am impressed with the build quality and neutral sound.
http://cgi.ebay.com/POLK-AUDIO-MOMO...826664966QQcategoryZ18799QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

 

[R.dub]

OK, it sounds like you've decided to replace your rear speakers but you may be able to repair them easily. I have a premium Bose but the repair would be the same for you IF you have the same problem... My rear speakers both began to start rattling and sounding like crap - especially with any amount of volume & bass. I removed the speaker covers and saw that the adhesive that glues the cone to the center "dome" was separating. This was probably caused by the rears in our cars being in direct sunlight in the rear deck. The rattle occured when the cone and dome would move independently, under the load of the music. Anyway, with silicone, I glued the dome back to the cone and weighted the dome down to the cone with a light weight since the dome wanted to rise up after gluing. When the silicone dried, the speakers thump better than ever. You may have other issues wrong with yours' but I hope this helps. Good luck!

 

[1_Hot_Legend_LS]

R.Dub, Either that or his rear speaker look like mine did. The whole cone had crumbled apart. BOSE uses paper cones which are the best sounding drivers for mid-bass and highs. After sitting in the sun for 14 years mine just fell to pieces. I just ordered a set of Bose 6x9's for $70/pair.

 

[G Rahn]

OK, it sounds like you've decided to replace your rear speakers but you may be able to repair them easily. I have a premium Bose but the repair would be the same for you IF you have the same problem... My rear speakers both began to start rattling and sounding like crap - especially with any amount of volume & bass. I removed the speaker covers and saw that the adhesive that glues the cone to the center "dome" was separating. This was probably caused by the rears in our cars being in direct sunlight in the rear deck. The rattle occured when the cone and dome would move independently, under the load of the music. Anyway, with silicone, I glued the dome back to the cone and weighted the dome down to the cone with a light weight since the dome wanted to rise up after gluing. When the silicone dried, the speakers thump better than ever. You may have other issues wrong with yours' but I hope this helps. Good luck!

Nice fix Repairing separations and tears can be the cheapest way to get a speaker up and running. Silicone adhesive will work on surfaces that don't have a lot of pull on them. It works particularly well if a hole or tear is punched in the cone itself because it is fairly heavy and won't run out of the repair.

For those repairs that demand a tough bond such as subwoofer surrounds that have come loose, a really good fix can be made using a urethane adhesive found in most stores. It comes under a number of different names but it's all the same stuff. Just look for the "GOO's" and "GOOP's" (Sports, Household, Plumber's, Shoe, etc.) or the crafts glue E6000.
The key when using this product is TIME. Make sure the surfaces are bonded and not used for at least 48 hrs. or the fix is likely to fail. After that, it wont come apart no matter how hard you pull

 

[acuralegend94]

Yah i tried doing that, but i notice that the center dome was flapping around. And i looked at the metal wiring piece holding it in place, it was ready to break off. So i'm just going to replace the speakers. Thanks all you guys were great help! Also, i read some post where people said they opened up the bose HU and resoldered some joints and the low dimming problem went away. So i'm going to try that now and hopefully fix my hu.

 

[acuralegend94]

Hey guys, i have another question.. If i wanted to install a bazooka tube on a standard bose unit. How would i do it? Because don't you have to connect it to the amp? And the bose amp is in the bose hu? I don't get it. Or how do i install it if i get a powered bazooka tube?

 

[1_Hot_Legend_LS]

Hey guys, i have another question.. If i wanted to install a bazooka tube on a standard bose unit. How would i do it? Because don't you have to connect it to the amp? And the bose amp is in the bose hu? I don't get it. Or how do i install it if i get a powered bazooka tube?

Depends, does you basooka tube have a hook-up for high level inputs?

 

[G Rahn]

http://24.96.59.129:8080/LEGENDtuner/upgrades/subwoofer.html

 

[acuralegend94]

Don't have a bazooka tube yet. I was thinking of getting one though. Just don't know what i'm looking for yet.

 

[1_Hot_Legend_LS]

So you still have a completely factory system and you are running an Optima Red Top Battery!