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Car speakers are too big!!


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Looking for some feedback here on whether i'm crazy here. I'm gonna be installing a stereo into my 82 brat this weekend and as I shop for speakers I realize that everything is too darn big to fit in my brat. So I started thinking, a speaker is a speaker right? so what's stopping me from using some flat panel speakers from a bookshelf cd player like this one.

 

41u4ndmcB-L._SS500_.jpg

 

or possibly some sattelite speakers from a home theater system? That way you could mount to the cieling or maybe even the back wall???? I figure i'll have a pair of small car speakers in the doors in addition to something else. In my first brat all I had was two speakers in the door and it sounded pretty bad. Totally open to some suggestions here, as I've never really intalled a stereo in a car before.

I should add that I'm not looking for a monster system, just something that looks nice and sounds ok for listening to npr on the road.

 

-Tacotim

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Well. That's not a bad idea! I don't really know how the'll sound but it's a good idea.

 

If you want better speakers for both doors. Try these! I've got two of them and it's really nice! Great bass and sound you can understand!

 

There Pioneer 260W 4-ways! Really nice! Only $69.99 at wal-mart. And get some Scosche speaker wire too! If you want to see them check out cardomain.com/ride/2401975

 

I think your on the right page!:)

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Yeah its always an effort to install a stereo in an old soob- no room for anything...

 

I ended up making some fairly deep (~70mm)surrounds that space some 6" components out from the front doors, and some 6x9s in the boot which I just have mounted in free boxes so that I can move them around to get them out of the way. I was surprised at how good the fronts look - I've just got the surrounds, which are made from MDF, wrapped in some dark grey carpet.

 

Headunits dont fit much better - I have one in at teh moment, but it sticks out miles so I have a laptop to go under the fornt seat and a 7" touchscreen LCD to put where the headunit goes.... but that can wait for a rainey day....

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Those speakers probably won't handle temperature extremes very well. Plus they are probably 8 Ohm and will cut your power output in half compared to 4 Ohm car stereo speakers. So half as loud with more delicate speakers.

 

Not to say they won't work. But they won't work very well.

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hmm, temperature, hadn't thought of that. From your comments I gather that 4 ohm is s standard for car speakers and 8 ohm standard for in house types? Still open to suggestions, What are you other Brat guys doing for speakers?

 

gracias, tim

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hmm, temperature, hadn't thought of that. From your comments I gather that 4 ohm is s standard for car speakers and 8 ohm standard for in house types? Still open to suggestions, What are you other Brat guys doing for speakers?

 

gracias, tim

 

Yes, 4 ohm is the standard for auto speakers, 8 for home use... The Brat I'm getting next week has dome fully sealed speakers behind the seats similar to these 525360_oi.jpg

I'll snap some pics of the actual ones that it has as soon as I get the vehicle

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What are you other Brat guys doing for speakers?

Its been years since I had my Brat, and I didn't do my own audio work back then. :-\

 

But you should be able to find the properly sized speakers and install them with a spacer and be ready to roll. If I were to put a system in a Brat again I would abandon the dash speakers and just do the doors, possibly with tweeters in the A-pillar. What are you installing this weekend, a radio or just the speakers? Properly amped, decent door speakers should be able to play NPR over highway noise all day.

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Yeah, but mine is an 82, no speakers in the dash! I'm still scheming, keep the tips comming they are helpful, Thanks to all who've piped in here.

I'm gonna put sony's in the door like on my last brat, but still lookin for ideas of a spot to put another set of speakers. I like the idea of something mounted to the cieling? Just brainstorming....

 

-tim

 

 

you can make bigger speakers fit where the stock ones are in the dash. I did with my suby. I have infinity kappa 4x6's in the dash. Passenger side is bolt in drivers side you have to get creative. If you want pictures you can go here to see it installed.

 

http://www.cardomain.com/ride/724118/3

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Do the 82's not have the spots for speakers in the dash, my hatch didn't have them either when I got it. But I had a set of 4x6's from my brat that I put in there.

You can fit 5.25" speakers in the doors, as long as they aren't too deep or they'll hit the window. IIRC the propper size for the doors is 4" though...

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in addition to the door speakers in my wagon, I put in one of those subwoofers from kenwood that fit under the passenger seat and it really made a world of difference. Plus it was relatively cheap and doesn't take up any usable space. I'm really happy with the stereo now!

 

-Doug

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Im no speaker expert, but I have read that the 4 ohm, 8 ohm mix will eventually damage the equipment. I believe its the head unit (4ohm) that gets the worst of it.

 

It shouldn't damage anything, just reduce the efficiency of power transfer to the speakers. Contrary to popular belief, its the same with decreasing the impedance (which can cause damage) - running two ohm speakers on a 4 ohm amplifier will run much less efficiently than with 4 ohm speakers. The supply and load impedance should always be matched to give maximum power transfer.

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That reduction in efficiency will also result in the transistors (or mosfets) running at a higher temperature... Generally speaking, electronic components don't tend to like high temps so eventually they'll wind up burning out if you run improperly matched (impedance wise) speakers as well as having decreased sound output

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here's a funny thing, I was at costco today and while passing some of the home stereo on home theater items on display, I turned a few of them around to have a look on the back and several of them were 4 ohm! All the sony home theater ones were 3 ohm. Didn't see any that were 8.

 

I like the idea of the mini sub woofer under the seat, that may be the answer.

 

-t

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I have a mate with a Logitech X-530 5.1 setup running in his truck. His got a 300watt cheapy inverter running it and he just uses a MP3 player as the music source. Sounds great, way better then my Alpine amp powering my 6.5" Pioneer speakers that are fulling encased in mdf boxes. The sound is so clear and the bass is really nice. Not as loud as the 12" Pioneer sub on the Fusion amp, but better sounding.

 

I was quite surprised to say the least.

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Strange, all my head units have said to use 8ohm speakers, the speakers I use are 8ohm.

My home speakers are 6ohm.

On the Hatch, I fit Pioneer 5 1/4" 3way speakers in the doors. You loose the map pocket on the driver's door, but they fit just fine even with the windows all the way down. Never got to run them, though, since I ripped one apart about three hours after installing when I threw my toolbag in the passenger footwell.

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I forgot how the speakers are right beside the seat on the Brat's. You might want to look for kick panels that fit up by your feet. That would probably be your best bet for getting a decent sound stage in that vehicle. And a sub is always a good idea. Way back in the day I had a 15" Kicker in a custom made box for my Brat. Oh, those were the days... :lol:

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Hmmm... I just put the door speakers back into the '85 BRAT and remembered this thread. So I looked at the specs of the speakers. 8 ohm - 6 watt for the doors, and dash was 8 ohm - 5 watt. Clarion speakers all around.

 

Got a spare set of house speakers, and looked at them. They be 8 ohm also, no word on wattage.

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