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  1. #1
    FEP Power Member fgross2006's Avatar
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    Default Best quality 3 1/2 speaker

    In my 84 Vert I have swapped out the front dash 3 and a half inch speakers at least5 times in 5 years. Even with the inline noise reducers the latest JBL blew out yet again.

    I don't have to tell anybody here about how easy it is to crack the dash pad from constantly taking it out. I have had 2 crack on me already.

    Why is it that the original stock dash speakers never blew out but supposedly superior aftermarket speakers cant last a year?

    This Spring I want to re-do my stereo set up and try to solve this once and for all. I have a head unit, Retro Sound Products, crap I know. I would like to find an alternate retro style stereo that looks 80's but has blue tooth and aux.

    I have an Alpine 100 per channel 4 channel power amp. I have 6 inch JBLs in the front doors, 6 inch JBLs in the rear and 2 three and a half in the dash. Also JBL.

    My sound guy suggested adding another Alpine amp to split the load. Currently my door speakers are piggybacked on the dash speakers. I barely hear the door speakers at all. I would also like to add a pair of JBL 1 inch tweeters and place them in the center where the stock power amp is. That's really the only place unless I cut more holes in the doors.

    So my big question is whats the best quality 3 1/2 inch speakers from the dash? Once I do this work I don't wanna have to pull the dash pad off again anytime too soon.

  2. #2
    FEP Power Member smitty54's Avatar
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    Default

    I've got Rockford Fosgate in the dash and door, and never had a problem. Then again, I'm using a period correct radio/cassette which is 40 watts per channel.
    "Have you ever noticed that anybody driving slower than you is an idiot, and anyone driving faster than you is a maniac."
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    Rick
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  3. #3
    FEP Super Member erratic50's Avatar
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    Default

    Put your tweeters in the AC vents

    Kicker 3.5” speakers are the bomb in their best series. The sax and trumpet in Dire Straits will give you chills.

    Call on crutchfield. What you need is capacitors on the 3.5” to form a high pass filter for the dash speakers. And possibly some resistors to turn down the volume on the 3.5 speakers


    Ive got a stereo in my 86GT that will flat blow anyone out of the car..... love my kickers

  4. #4
    FEP Super Member sowaxeman's Avatar
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    Default

    If you are doing a good stereo system, then use a separate crossover (or crossover circuitry from a modern head unit or in the amps) to cut out the low frequencies going to those dash speakers.
    Jason Smith
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  5. #5
    FEP Super Member erratic50's Avatar
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    +1

    capacitors block low frequencies while passing high and work on the speaker side .... after the amplifier

    solving it electronically with a high pass filter / crossover is a more modern method. It’s best to have a dedicate amp channel for every output. Then you can tweak the signal at a preamp level.

  6. #6
    FEP Super Member gr79's Avatar
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    Default testing and tweaking audio takes time

    You have good components now. JBL and Alpine brands are well regarded as any.
    Alpine 100w/ch x 4 (PDX...?). Class D?
    JBL speakers 3-4 ohm- fine.

    Factory speakers are matched to low power radio amps.
    3.5 fronts can be loud and clear if no low bass to reproduce.

    Try wiring fronts only to amp FT channels.
    Wire the four 6" (+ to +, - to -) together to the amp back channels.
    The radio f-r fade can balance them out. So can gain controls on the amp.
    My JBL 3.5 fronts easily put out enough to match rear speaker levels.
    Rear gain had to be set slightly higher when radio fade is centered.

    Fronts do not need to make low bass. Playing with crossover points changes everything.
    For 4" and smaller, JBL (amp manual) recommends to set amp high pass filter 190hz or higher cutoff.
    Adjust so music does not have a hole or drop out of sound .
    Larger speakers can handle full range, no filters.
    Too high of input gain level, output gain, or amped bass, will wreak speakers. They only go so loud.
    Especially 100w/ch, unless amp gain level is turned way down to say 1/3.
    Last edited by gr79; 03-17-2019 at 11:36 PM.

  7. #7

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    Kickers are good. Have them in my 96f150 with an alpine v12 amp pretty loud...

  8. #8
    FEP Super Member erratic50's Avatar
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    I don’t want to start a religious war on the whole kicker vs Rockford thing but I’ve always ran kicker and nothing I’ve heard from fosgate — not even their power series — has ever impressed me.

  9. #9

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    My v12 I can control the gain for each channel fron rear and subs. That is what you need to be able to do. Ya cant go all in on 6x9 and expect dinky 3.5s to keep up.
    Now I run a single speaker in my futura and an 8 track I have an adapter for cassettes and made a couple of mix tapes like back in 89.. maiden, killer dwarfs, megadeth, old scorpions, and all sorts of **** I used to head bang to all ripped up in my old stang going to the parties and whatnot.. hellyeah..all or nothing is what I lived by.
    Last edited by 78futura; 03-17-2019 at 10:24 PM.

  10. #10
    FEP Senior Member Sask84gt's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by 78futura View Post
    My v12 I can control the gain for each channel fron rear and subs. That is what you need to be able to do. Ya cant go all in on 6x9 and expect dinky 3.5s to keep up.
    Now I run a single speaker in my futura and an 8 track I have an adapter for cassettes and made a couple of mix tapes like back in 89.. maiden, killer dwarfs, megadeth, old scorpions, and all sorts of **** I used to head bang to all ripped up in my old stang going to the parties and whatnot.. hellyeah..all or nothing is what I lived by.
    My man, nice music choices! I'm going to have to get some tips for my car on how to hook everything up. It's got a factory tape deck( not sure if it works) but I bought a nice sony deck last year to put in it. Just looking to get the speakers now.
    Mustangs
    84.5 Gt T-top
    85 Gt

  11. #11
    FEP Power Member fgross2006's Avatar
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    Default

    I got a new pair of JBL tweeters and I want to know if I can run the dashboards 3 1/2's and tweeters off the head unit and run the four 6 1/2's off the Alpine amp?

  12. #12
    FEP Super Member gr79's Avatar
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    JBL single voice coil speakers are usually 4Ω.
    When done wiring, adjust front and rear amp gain for best f/r sound field balance level.
    Is fun to listen to music, parked for hours doing this. Keep battery charged. 120v charger works fine.

    When wiring 4 speakers to front or rear channels, have to protect amp (overheat). It don't like 1 ohm.
    As speaker total impedance (ohm) lowers, current demand from amp increases.
    2 ohms total per channel is usually the safe low limit on amps.

    But if not amping fronts, the door and rear levels can be adjusted separately if amp has f and r gain.
    The bigger speakers will prob overpower the fronts, which may comparatively quiet un-amped.
    Will know if the radio fade has to be moved a lot to hear the fronts. Fade can be centered if all are amped.

    wire 4 in series/parallel totals 4 ohms see diagrams (4 ohms x 4 speakers =16 ohms /4 speakers =4 ohms).
    wire 4 in parallel totals 1 ohm. All + wired together, all - wired together. (4 ohms /4 speakers =1 ohm) Ok for 2, not for 4.
    wire 4 in series totals 8 ohms. + to - ok (4 ohms x 4 speakers =16 ohms)

    https://www.eminence.com/support/wiring-diagrams/
    https://www.the12volt.com/caraudio/s...s.asp?Q=4&I=42
    http://www.bcae1.com/spkrmlti.htm
    http://www.regiscoyne.com/tech/spk_cab_wiring/
    Last edited by gr79; 03-24-2019 at 03:04 PM.

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