After-market speaker advice??

[Pathfinder22]

I'm not one who needs to replace the factory 6 disc/AM/FM head unit, however the speakers in this truck absolutely suk.

It's been a long time since I purchased after-market stereo chit, and was not impressed with the 5" x 8" replacement options from Best Buy.

I assume keeping the same head unit will keep speaker replacement simple and I assume added 4 decent speakers will give me a better overall sound??

What speakers should I be leaning towards??

[smokenstroke]

subscribed...

[Chiller]

Bump this up for ya!

[Pathfinder22]

reason i am asking is to get improved sound quality in the cab without the cost of installing new head unit, amp, and component speakers......would rather put the cost of those kind-of tunes into my engine & suspension upgrades to come.

Any suggetions on speaker worth a dammed that will work with factory player and fit in facotry cut-outs is appreciated.

[JohnO]

When I was upgrading, I first put in a set of Pioneer 5 way 5x7's in the doors. They were... okay. Moved them to the back, and added Alpine component speakers in the front, with the little tweets mounted on the black panel by the rearview. Definitely better. Got to get around to getting another pair for the back, only it's a real bear to get to the rear speaks in a crew cab.

Also have to say, none of that sounded really good until I replaced the head unit and added an external amp. Actually, the Pioneer D3 unit I put in is selling fairly cheap right now - you don't have to get the latest and greatest. Big advantage of the D3 is the ipod interface, comes up on the D3's screen so you aren't squinting at a tiny ipod screen when you should be looking at the road. That sounded better, but it was still cracking up when cranked.

Spent $150 for an Alpine 40 watt external amp, which sounded a lot cleaner than the D3's supposed 55 watt internal amp. Go figure. That solved the crackling when loud problem. Topped the setup off with a JL Stealthbox (boy, that was pricey, $350 used) and Rockford 300 watt amp, gave it just the right amount of punch.

To each their own... I can go 0-120db in no time at all now.

[tech10002]

As John said, you're not gonna be happy with aftermarket speakers on the stock deck. It sucks donkey balls. LOL Components are the way to go. It's pretty hard to find anything quality in the factory size. 5 1/4 inch speakers on an adapter plate work great. I have MB Quart components in the front and back, and they sound awesome. They're over $500 a pair in audio shops, but I picked them up on ebay for 200 something a pair. Pretty much any high quality aftermarket speakers have lower efficiency(how loud they are per watt)than the factory crappo ones due to the loss from the crossover networks and bigger voice coils, so an amp or at least a high quality head unit is a necessity. You don't have to spend a ton to get really good sound. If you pick the stuff up on ebay, you can get great sound for around a grand, a few hundred more if you want really big bass or navigation/video.

[93calypsohatch]

For sound quality I definetly reccomend a round speaker with an adapter plate over a 5x7. I have Boston Pros in my crew cab with 2 JL 300/2 amps. Sounds great

[TampaSteve]

Deffinate on getting round speaker adapters. I have ICS components with tweeters in the a-piller. And coaxial rounds in the rear doors. And a JL stalth box in the center console with a JL amp. Do yourself a favor and swap out the head unit and get rid of the OEM radio..

[Pathfinder22]

Thanks guys!!

I kind-of, sort-of knew what can was going to be opening. Familiar with MB Quartz and such quality from the marine side of me

Prob table this until I get some engine/exhaust mods, and then bite the bullet on sounds??!!

[medplus]

Originally Posted by Pathfinder22

I'm not one who needs to replace the factory 6 disc/AM/FM head unit, however the speakers in this truck absolutely suk.

It's been a long time since I purchased after-market stereo chit, and was not impressed with the 5" x 8" replacement options from Best Buy.

I assume keeping the same head unit will keep speaker replacement simple and I assume added 4 decent speakers will give me a better overall sound??

What speakers should I be leaning towards??

2004 F-350 6.0L Diesel New component speakers - medplus’s Photo Gallery
I did kicker components (5.25 and 1 inch tweeters).