# Need oppinions on brand



## Orbital199 (Feb 7, 2005)

How do memphis speakers compare to pioneer? I'm about to replace my front pioneer speakers, they came with the car when I bought it so im not sure what model they are, but they've always sounded great. I looked at some memphis speakers that sounded pretty good but they didnt have any from pioneer to compare them to. Whats everyone's oppinion on these two brands?


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## skootz1 (Oct 12, 2005)

I prefer Pioneer. I never heard of Memphis. Just my opinion.


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## 240sxstud (Sep 20, 2005)

I have heard Memphis, and I would put their subs higher up but their speakers are not worth it. If you can replace them with Boston speakers, better than pioneer or memphis imo


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## Orbital199 (Feb 7, 2005)

I don't know too much about the technical side of audio, i just know what sounds good. If I go with pioneer again what model and size should I get? I have an 89 240sx.


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## skootz1 (Oct 12, 2005)

if you have a Circuit City in your town, they will install them for you free and they have everything you will need to know. Also try best BUY!


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## BII (May 13, 2004)

skootz1 said:


> if you have a Circuit City in your town, they will install them for you free and they have everything you will need to know. Also try best BUY!


I would stay away from those two stores. I've seen and heard bad advice given there. They hire kids off the street with no real knowledge of audio and their goal is to get you to spend as much as they can get out of you regardless of your happiness (I know, everybody is trying to get you to spend, but some shops actually care about sound and your happiness).

Are you replacing the fronts? Those are 4x6, not the greatest speaker size in terms of fidelity, but the upside is that you don't have to spend $$$ on a custom install of another size. If you're just looking for a decent sounding speaker without spending much, I'd go Pioneer. Shop around though, I've seen good deals on 4x6 Pioneers, if you buy them in a shop, I've seen them as high as $60-70. Online I've seen them as low as $35-40 (usually without the grilles, but if you're replacing the stock units, you're going to keep the stock grilles I'd imagine).


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## Orbital199 (Feb 7, 2005)

Yes, I'm just replacing the front speakers. What is the most typical size upgrade for stock 240sx speakers? I'll have to take a look at the current speakers to see if they are even stock size. The drivers side speaker recently went out and I've had the car for 4 years. Since i've never had audio problems i've never really looked into what kind of equipment im running. The only thing i've had problem with was my sub. Some kid said he knew what he was doing when he tried to fix it and wired it so that my amp was getting continuous power. My car was running terrible and I couldn't understand why, untill i realized how bad my battery was being drained.


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## BII (May 13, 2004)

Orbital199 said:


> Yes, I'm just replacing the front speakers. What is the most typical size upgrade for stock 240sx speakers? I'll have to take a look at the current speakers to see if they are even stock size. The drivers side speaker recently went out and I've had the car for 4 years. Since i've never had audio problems i've never really looked into what kind of equipment im running. The only thing i've had problem with was my sub. Some kid said he knew what he was doing when he tried to fix it and wired it so that my amp was getting continuous power. My car was running terrible and I couldn't understand why, untill i realized how bad my battery was being drained.


I don't know about most, I'm guessing stock size since its the easy way to go.

Wow, continous power on an amp, I've seen that happen and the battery lasted one day. You need to wire the remote (usually blue) wire from the HU to the amp, that way the amp is on only when the HU is powered on.

There's a thread here that shows how to wire that stuff up. Its not as complicated as people seem to believe.


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## captain_shrapnel (Sep 10, 2004)

Check Crutchfield's website for speaker sizing info. Steer away from BB/CC install departments. Not only do they hire people off the street to install, they REFUSE to hire people with any real experience. They want a clean slate to teach install to. How do I know this? Because I was a sound engineer at the Raleigh Auditorium and Civic Center. During the slow season, I needed a second job to help out so I went to BB/CC (both were looking for installers). My resume included 10+ years of sound engineering in pro/studio/home and a 2000 watt system in my van. I fabbed the kickpanels myself out of fiberglass and built an enclosure that housed eight 12" subs. Needless to say, I did not get the job. I heard later on that it is better to tell them you are interested in learning how to do installs, than to tell them you know what you are doing. But then again, its a huge corporation that is interested in the bottom line and nothing else.


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## Orbital199 (Feb 7, 2005)

Thanks for the suggestions everyone, I think I'll just stick with some stock sized pioneers.


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## SupraMK3 (Oct 2, 2005)

What's so good about Pioneer speakers anyways? They're only $35 a pair here. Pioneer speakers are too loud for my taste. My top choices of speakers are Boston Acoustics, MB Quartz, and Alpine. Infinity Kappa used to be pretty good but they don't make them like they used to anymore.


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## Orbital199 (Feb 7, 2005)

SupraMK3 said:


> What's so good about Pioneer speakers anyways? They're only $35 a pair here. Pioneer speakers are too loud for my taste. My top choices of speakers are Boston Acoustics, MB Quartz, and Alpine. Infinity Kappa used to be pretty good but they don't make them like they used to anymore.


For the price, I've never had a problem with pioneer. I've gotten a lot of complements on them from people thinking they were a higher quality brand, but I've never had much to compare them to either. Maybe I'll check out the other brands you mentioned later, but for now my money is tight. How much do the Bostons usually go for?


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## SupraMK3 (Oct 2, 2005)

Orbital199 said:


> How much do the Bostons usually go for?


Usually $100 a pair. I think Boston Acoustics are better for car audio than home audio.


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## makaveli (Oct 5, 2005)

*Rockford Fosgate*



SupraMK3 said:


> What's so good about Pioneer speakers anyways? They're only $35 a pair here. Pioneer speakers are too loud for my taste. My top choices of speakers are Boston Acoustics, MB Quartz, and Alpine. Infinity Kappa used to be pretty good but they don't make them like they used to anymore.


if they sounded too "loud" for you, you probably had the trebel(sp?) up too high, or the gain on the amp powering them(if there is one)too high. If you want good quality audio equiptment, go Fosgate. the newer subs/amps are so-so. but the Power & Punch amps/subs from like 2000-2003 were kick a$$. the new(2004+)speakers are pretty tight too. i have a pair of componet 6x9 only getting 2/3 the RMS power and they are loud as hell, and no distortion. plus they come with crossovers and 2 pairs of tweeters that can be left in speaker, like a coaxial, or removed and mounted sepreatly. i got mine brand new for $120 online.


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## BII (May 13, 2004)

*How To Replace Front Speakers On 1990 240SX*

I just replaced the stock fronts with some Pioneer 2-way 4x6s (I don't know the model number, didn't come in the new box and there's no model number on them on my 1990 240SX. They sound pretty good actually, decent bass and the mids are clear, the highs are crisp. I paid $20 for them and are rated I believe 20W RMS, 100W Max, so I'll be getting an amp soon .

Here's what I encountered (you'll have to forgive my lack of pictures, I was rushing to get the job down before nightfall yesterday):

You HAVE to remove the door panel, DON'T try to remove the grilles first, they're attached to the door panel and the head of the screws are attached on the back of the door panel. I left the grilles be, the speakers fit behind them and it looks stock and unassuming.

Once you remove the panels, the baffle is sitting right there, attached with some glue and 4 srcews, remove the screws, and if you must, pry the baffle off with a flat head screwdriver gently, easydoes it, it won't take much.

Next, after removing the baffle, disconnect the speaker. Take note with wire is positive, which is negative. If they are factory, it is marked on the speakers. Should you still have the factory plug attached, you can match it.

I soldered lead wires to the speakers with spades at the end so I can plug it into the factory harness (I want to avoid hacking up the harness). Whatever you do, make sure you attach the wires securely, you don't wan't to short or the wire coming loose at an encounter with a pothole.

I soldered also because the Pioneers were keyed, the small spade on the speaker is negative, the large one is positive. I couldn't find small quick connects on a Sunday afternoon to fit that small spade. If you can find them, then you can use a crimper to make lead wires and attach without soldering. I still prefer solder, as this a more secure connection.

Now here's the rub:

The factory (mine said Clarion, 20W max, 8W RMS ARRGH!) are indeed 4x6, but the chassis is a special one designed for the baffle. Fudge! (well, I used a more R-rated term) I thought. Time for the drill. You'll need to position the speaker in such a way in the baffle to get four new holes, then drill some holes. The plastic is soft, so if the hole you drill is smaller the screws, it should be OK, the screws will *make* their holes.

Once your're done, tidy up and burn your speakers in 


Tools used:

Drill, small bit
Phillips screwdriver (the "regular" size, and the next one up)
Flathead screwdriver ("regular" size)
Crimper
Soldering iron (optional I suppose)


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## Zac (Mar 10, 2004)

SupraMK3 said:


> What's so good about Pioneer speakers anyways? They're only $35 a pair here. Pioneer speakers are too loud for my taste. My top choices of speakers are Boston Acoustics, MB Quartz, and Alpine. Infinity Kappa used to be pretty good but they don't make them like they used to anymore.


:wtf: they have quite a few levels of Pioneer. I personally have the Premiers as fronts for me and they are nowhere near as loud as my buddy's Q series (nor nowhere as clear). Pioneer is a great speaker bang for the buck but they are not very loud. If you are talking metaphorically, any speaker can be loud if you turn it up...


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## SupraMK3 (Oct 2, 2005)

Zac said:


> :wtf: they have quite a few levels of Pioneer. I personally have the Premiers as fronts for me and they are nowhere near as loud as my buddy's Q series (nor nowhere as clear). Pioneer is a great speaker bang for the buck but they are not very loud. If you are talking metaphorically, any speaker can be loud if you turn it up...


I guess the Pioneer I saw must be the old models sold at the warehouses. They were made out of paper cone and doesn't look any better than our stock Panasonic card board paper cones. 

I saw some new Pioneer line of speaker at Pep Boys today and I must say that I'm impressed with their new line of speakers.


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## Orbital199 (Feb 7, 2005)

Can anyone recommend a model of pioneer speakers to buy? I'm seeing different models for the 4x6s and I don't know what to go with.


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## BII (May 13, 2004)

Orbital199 said:


> Can anyone recommend a model of pioneer speakers to buy? I'm seeing different models for the 4x6s and I don't know what to go with.


generally try to get a speaker with a rubber (or stronger) surround and Polypropylene (or better) cone. From there, it really is a matter of budget and personal preference.

Go to a shop and listen to them, if you like them and they offer a reasonable price, buy them there. Otherwise, buy them elsewhere, but at least now you'll know what you are looking for. Another tip would be to look at reviews online, then make shop around on the web. Sometimes if I see a speaker on eBay, I'll google the model number and see what other people say about it.


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