I went to listen to speakers tonight (6x8s). I'm really disappointed. I listened to Kenwood, JBL, Pioneer, Infinity Reference, Infinity Kappa, Alpine and Focal. The Alpines were ok and the Focals sounded decent. The rest sounded like junk. I'd just assume keep my stock speakers.

Has anyone found a decent 6x8 for a reasonable price?
Has anyone put 6" coaxials in the rear and 6" components up front?
What about 6" woofers in the rear and 6" components up front?

 

....disappointed from some of the brands you mentioned then you wont like anything else on the market...i just baught a set of 6x8 3 way pioneers and it sounds 50x better than stock...i did the back only though, (since the back speakers seem to be the speakers that sound crappy as hell in our cars.)

 

Maybe the ones at the store have just been run ragged then. Not to mention they were in a sound booth and not the small interior of the car. I was just expecting them to be much better. And I'm not spending that kind of money on the Focals.

 

Were any of the amped?

 

Most were just running off of a 200w head unit. Then I went to another room where they were amped. Either way, still more power than my stock head unit. The Kenwoods sounded metallic. Just horrible. Both Infinitys souned very bright. I wouldn't call them rich sounding at all. The JBLs sounded similar but worse than the Infinitys. The Pioneer sounded eh. The Alpines sounded decent but no 'wow' factor at all. The Focals were the best but they were $200 and up for a pair.

 

Speakers never sound the same from a display than they will in the car itself. Frankly, I don't know why they bother.
I've had speakers sound both better and worse once installed than what they did in the store.
Highly subjective, imo.
I too have had good luck w/cheapo (by comparison) Pioneer car speakers. They rate well on the (consumer reviews) Crutchfield site too.
To me, the Infinity's, @ 2-3 times the cost and while a long standing, and highly respected brand, have always sounded thin to me. Their best use (as they were originally designed) is in the Classical music field.

 

Like Virgin said, nothing sounds the same from the board to thevehicle, I got lucky on my truck, the salesman a Circuit City had the same truck and the same set up I was looking for in his.

BTW I am running Polk DB Series.

 

^^^ Nice!! ^^^

 

What is your budget?

 

I was thinking no more than $150 for a pair but, that seems to be changing now.