Speaker opinions..

To me, a 3.5 is a 3.5 is a 3.5 incher, I havent heard one yet that sounded truely great, I say either one, bothare from reputable manufactures. Let your boy listen to them and decide which he likes the sounds of better, thats how it should be done anyway, if possible.

For a x-over, a simple cap wired in will do fine. 100uF to 50uf cap will do just fine. ( Theres might be a chance the HU will have issues with the caps, if so, let me know )

 

I am realy not the right one to ask about HU's, I havent bought one in YEARS!

But going off what you posted, I would say the JVC would be a wise decision. the EQ/Parametric Would be ideal for a simple sytem such as the one going in the youngans car.....Preamps voltage is not an issue since he wont have an amp however. I am sure the power output is virtually the same between the 2 also.....

 

I think the Eclipse CD3000 is right in that price range and I love it. I thought it was much better than that Alpine I was considering buying.

 

I read in another forum that MB Quart Discus series are made in China and the Reference (components) series aren't any good. I was thinking of MB Quart, too but I think I'll look elsewhere now.

Probably wouldn't be too hard to do some cutting and fit a larger speaker in there. That's what I did. I have a Sunfire. The stock is 4x6. I did some cutting and stuck a 5.25" in there then I cut some more and replaced that with a 6.5".

 

snowblind....pretty much every product these days are made over in Asia or somewhere over there...I don't even think US Amps is made in the US anymore

 

The problem with speakers is that you have a low excursion speaker in a huge enclosure, that is usually not sealed very well, and they are typically pointed at your knees or the windshield. It is hard to get good sound under those conditions.. (almost impossible)

You need free-air dynamics from the lows, and directional dispersal from the highs.. not easily achievable.

I have heard coustics sound just as good as infinity. This is a very touchy subject because of the enclosure being the dominant factor in the speaker's functionality and direction..

unless you are willing to re-design your interior, and spend lots of money, you are really unlikely to get good sound from your speaks.. especially 3.5's.

I generally look for good power handling and a large magnet structure, and it usually serves me well regardless of brand (just stay away from the super-el-cheapo's - meaning: don't buy rampage or audiovox junk, or you'll just be reeplacing them often).. just be careful that a large magnet speaker does not take up more space than you have available.. (I'm assuming that your 3.5" speaks are for a dash application?)

 

My sons car uses stock 3-1/2's with no problem. And I really work them hard. They are powered by a Pioneer amp. My recommendation, pick a speaker any speaker and don't forget the 99 MFD capacitor (not one of those cheap bass blockers, a REAL cap, like those made by PAC are great) This will help alot. And as The Viking just taught me don't forget the bypass cap.

I need to do that to my sons car too. I guess I'll pick those up tomorrow while I'm getting the new fan motor.

 

Basically a "bypass" cap is a small value (around .01 mf) poly or mylar cap that is wired in parallel with the "big" electrolytic cap. Makes the cap "react faster"....For what you are doing, dont worry about, you wont notice a bit of difference!!! The idea is reserved more for the "high end" designs....Not calling your system a junk pile, just it wwont make an audible difference with what you will have installed..

Radio shack I am sure will have what you need, get a NON-polar cap with at least a 50 volt rating, and i does not have to be EXACTLY 99mF....if they dont have a 99, get one that is 125 mF or 85 mF, just something CLOSE, this aint an exacting science for what you are doing so you dont have to be overly critical...

 

LOL!!! Nope, wont hurt ya a bit, it aint like a condensor in a cars ignition that is charged with high voltage DC. These caps see A/C voltage which really wont hold a charge in our application....

 

you were asking about the preouts and such on the Eclipse and here it is so you can see everything you need.

http://www.sonicelectronix.com/pictures.php?id=7464

 

good deal willy