Ion speakers vs. Alpine...OEM with more bass?

[sladezero]

Hey all,

I just recently received my Alpine SPS-17C2 from Crutchfield.
The rear OEM speakers blew and I decided to replace them with these.
However, when I turned them on for the first time the base sound from the front overpowered the rear alpines.
I will say the higher notes are more pronounced from the alpines. It looks
like I will add them to the front and move the OEMs to the back. Finally,
in case you are wondering I am on a budget which is why I am not adding beefier speakers than I already have. Just curious what everyone else's thoughts were.

-V/R

Slade

[kaviation]

Originally Posted by sladezero

Hey all,

I just recently received my Alpine SPS-17C2 from Crutchfield.
The rear OEM speakers blew and I decided to replace them with these.
However, when I turned them on for the first time the base sound from the front overpowered the rear alpines.
I will say the higher notes are more pronounced from the alpines. It looks
like I will add them to the front and move the OEMs to the back. Finally,
in case you are wondering I am on a budget which is why I am not adding beefier speakers than I already have. Just curious what everyone else's thoughts were.

-V/R

Slade

Stock Stereo not putting out enough watts for the resistance (ohms) of the new speakers? If it is a stock unit. Just guessing though. What size are those speakers?

[sladezero]

Hey there,

The stereo head is an Alpine CDE-9845 (plays CDs, MP3s, WMA).
The speakers are Alpine SPS-17C2, 6.5" and 2 way. I also have the baffles
that Crutchfield offers for this size installed with the speakers.

-V/R

Slade

[2006 ion2]

I also ran into this problem, the OEM speakers are going to give you the best bass, even compared to the best aftermarket ones I could buy locally. If you want a good stock upgrade, the 07's speakers are far superior (2 ways as opposed to 1 ways) I believe these are the same with the advanced audio package, but not sure, they look completely different than the older ones, and you can see the silver tweeters through the door grill.

[sladezero]

Hey there,

Wow! I really did not realize they were that far up on the scale for bass compared to after-market. I do admit the OEMs do thump well with the after market head unit. I am hoping that moving the alpines up front will give me better high notes and leave the bass in the rear. Since the bass is more omni directional then the rear should be just fine. This may give the adequate mix of high, mids, and lows. Unfortunately, I have to wait until tomorrow to make the switch. The car's interior is in pieces right now, and it is too late to do work. Thanks everyone for the inputs so far.

-V/R

Slade

[2006 ion2]

yeah, the one ways are great for base, but the two ways give a much better balance while increasing bass, too.

[OnDaGround]

Stockers normally sound better in most cars than aftermarket. I have been around the block with speakers. The only way that you will really get the better quality is by putting in a amp for the speakers. That is the exact same reason why I have my stock speakers in my chevy and refuse to get aftermarket. They sound better than my old Alpines, pioneer and kenwood all together. And this is coming from a man with over 1500 in my sound system alone with the factory speakers with no amp going to them.

[sladezero]

Thanks everyone,

It took a little more time but, I switched the front OEM speakers to the rear.
I then moved the Alpines to the front. I would have to agree with OnDaGround about the stock speakers. They do sound really good for OEMs. The only way I can see to add quality is add tweeters to the sail panels. I hear the higher notes more pronounced but it is at my feet. I will have to see what else I can do to add quality sound. Thanks again everyone for the tips of the trade.

-V/R

Slade

[2006 ion2]

if you're going to get the tweeters, just go for the upgrade like I said, they sound better all around

[davidsky]

Originally Posted by 2006 ion2

I also ran into this problem, the OEM speakers are going to give you the best bass, even compared to the best aftermarket ones I could buy locally.

Best bass? or just the most? Cheap factory speakers may have high bass levels but they're not accurate. It's all artificial boom, muddies up all the instruments and makes them sound the same.

[2006 ion2]

I've had the old one ways (match your statement accurately) and the new (07) ones and the ones in my car, when combined with the mp3 satellite radio option kick ass, granted nothing can beat a good sub and a set of three or four ways, but for just speakers, I'm happy 100% BTW I listen to rock, R&B, big band, jazz, classical, and love how they sound for everything.

[NRJIZED]

What many people fail to realize (car manufacturers also) is that the structure of the speaker needs to match the power handling capabilities of the overall system. Sure there are other variables in here, but the gist is clean power and matched components. The head unit has to produce clean power to reproduce the sounds correctly. It doesn't take serious wattage to do this. If you notice on stock speakers, the magnet structure is usually small compared to aftermarket speakers. What aftermarket companies fail to tell you that buying their speakers to run on a stock head unit, you run into not having enough power to accurately play them. You get disappointed and either ditch the speakers or get amps to beef them up. One way or another you are spending money to make better sound when you could have asked for a quality aftermarket speaker with the power handling capabilities of the stock system. Try to find quality brands of aftermarket speakers with power handling ratings that properly match your head unit and you will, more times than not, come out with a much better sounding system...........

.........or you can just gut the entire factory stereo and run 4 components, 2 subs, and 1500 clean watts through a class A/B/D amp and call it a day.

[firestomper25]

The same thing with my speakers fronts have more bass but not as clear so sound like crap. When i took out the back ones the fronts sounded deeper but the rear sound better sound wise. Cleaner crisper sound. And even better when i hooked then up to an amp. They werent not as loud as the front ones. So i had to amp them. I got to agree factory speakers are not bad at all. Thats why i dont understand why they want to replace them right away especially in new or newer cars. Alot of the time they sound better. But not sure about not upgrading them if you got subs. I would deff. Change them out and amp em.

[OnDaGround]

Originally Posted by sladezero

Thanks everyone,
It took a little more time but, I switched the front OEM speakers to the rear.
I then moved the Alpines to the front. I would have to agree with OnDaGround about the stock speakers. They do sound really good for OEMs. The only way I can see to add quality is add tweeters to the sail panels. I hear the higher notes more pronounced but it is at my feet. I will have to see what else I can do to add quality sound. Thanks again everyone for the tips of the trade.
-V/R
Slade

What you have to understand is the manufacturor chooses these speakers because they are the most cost effective and best quality speakers for the vehicle. I personally feel as though I have wasted money on speakers, and everytime I need one, I just go to the junkyard and buy another for 5 bucks. Its the best price for the best quality.

[2006 ion2]

I had the unfortunate displeasure of being able to directly compare the mp3cd radio with the old one way speakers and the new two way speakers that came in my ion, the old ones are crap!! I can't even hardly stand to listen to these things, the new ones have so much more clarity and bass.

[OnDaGround]

Headunits more than speakers are the key to good quality. You could have the nicest speakers in the word, but if you have some jap crap from 98 stuck in your car it will never matter. It will just make the s**t sound, sound less s**tty. In the malibu even with the factory speakers which preform well, adding the pioneer p8mp head unit made a more than noticable difference. I could not have asked for a better result.

[Gr8Scott]

So what brand are the stock speakers in an ion? I have an 06 sedan I'm planning on getting rid of, but if they're decent enough speakers, I may stick them in my L200.

[ruley73]

Originally Posted by Gr8Scott

So what brand are the stock speakers in an ion? I have an 06 sedan I'm planning on getting rid of, but if they're decent enough speakers, I may stick them in my L200.

The factory speakers are not branded, unless you consider AC Delco a brand. Unless that Ion has the AAS/premium system, it will have four 2-way coaxial speakers in it. If you care about sound quality at all, get some aftermarket speakers. I recommend Kicker CS or Polk DB.