Stereo & Electronics - Bad speakers - replace or completely re-do sound system?

Hello,

The front speakers in my '98 TA have gone bad, so I'm faced with a decision - simply replace them, or dig into the sound system and re-do everything.

Here's what I've done already. My stereo system is nearly stock, but I made one little change. The stock system seemed really weak in certain ranges. It had ok Bass considering the tiny factory woofers, but I was having a tough time hearing singers voices and other midrange instruments. So I replaced the small woofers by the back seats with full range speakers, using an amp wired to the full range signal that usually goes to the rear tweeters (according to the manual, the tweeters are the only speakers that get a full range signal), and the results were ok. I lost a little bass response but was able to tweak the amp output to fill in the missing midrange. I was planning on putting an 8 or 10" sub in the back somewhere, but I actually use the little side cutout space in the rear storage area for oversize items so I didn't want to fill it in with a sub enclosure. I also use the rear storage lid and occasionally remove it, so I didn't initially want to cut holes in it for subs even though I"ve heard this is one of the easiest ways to put in subs because it turns the entire rear storage area into the sounding box.

I am still using the stock stereo and it works just fine except the display is scrambled most of the time. It's been like that since I bought the car and it was replaced once while it was under the original warranty, but the replacement did the same thing and later on the dealer told me the stereos were so badly backordered that I might never get a good replacement.

I have one good quality 100w amp in the back, feeding the full range speakers next to the rear seats.

So... My choices:
1. Replace the front speakers with midrange speakers similiar to stock speakers.
2. Replace the front speakers with better full range speakers that have a built-in tweeter, ditching the mid plus tweeter config in the front doors.
3. Re-configure the whole speaker system using existing stereo, factory amp, andthe one add-on amp I already have.
4. Re-configure with new amp(s), new speakers, and maybe a new stereo.

I don't need super-loud bass and I don't listen to rap. I like rock and occasional classical music, so good full-range sound that can be tweaked to be heard over exhaust, wind, and road noise is what I'm looking for. I definately would like a little more bass but I don't want to spend hundreds of dollars just to get a little more bass response either.

Thanks in advance!

Your decision will be based on your budget more than anything. I have ALOT of options at different budgets you can choose from if your interested. I carry alot of different lines even though I mostly push the CDT's because of the quality. I can put together a nice system that would do you right and not hit your wallet that hard. PM me or email me at Keeaudio@bellsouth.net.
These are my CDT specials I have right now:
http://www.ls1tech.com/forums/showthread.php?t=760361
My vote is start with the HU and speakers (doors and sails) on an aftermarket 4 channel amplifer. Then later put a stealth enclosure, sub and another amp or just run a nice 5-channel from the beginning. This would require a complete re-wire for the speakers though.
Another option that works on a budget is replace HU and speakers but run the speakers off the Monsoon. Then add a stealth box, sub and amp. This also works ok for most people and sounds pretty good. Not as good as the aftermarket everything but it would do ok!! Plus you can always upgrade to a 4 channel later as funds allow.

I have a decent aftermarket amp, but it's driving full range 6" speakers I used to replace the sail subs in order to fill in missing midrange. If I want to stay low-budget, should I just put new subs back into the sails using the monsoon, and then use the amp for something else? I definately need to replace the door speakers though since one or more of those is damaged/defective/worn out.

I'd rather not re-wire the whole thing so if I can get decent sound from a relatively simple speaker swapout, then I'd probably want to start with that and see if I'm happy with it. I couldn't tell if your CDT specials would do that. It looks like with the #1 special, I'd just replace the front speakers with the ones from the special, and then put the new subs into the sails hooked up to the monsoon and then simply disconnect my aftermarket amp. This is a TA and I read that I'd be hooking 2 channels up to each sail sub. Do the replacement subs do that? And would I need any spacers to make them fit?

I like having some of the full range sound from the rear, so should I do something with the rear speakers too? I really don't like the missing mid-range (voices, some instruments) I had with the original stock setup, and that's why I originally replaced the sail subs with full range off of the amplified signal I took straight from the head unit.

I need to keep the space in the back side open for certain oversize items I transport, so the hidden large sub enclosures probably wouldn't work. I haven't seen anywhere else to put a sub though so if the new sail subs are better than the stock ones, then that might be enough for me.

The local shop wants $1500 or more to re-do everything... That's out of the question right now.

Thanks for the help.

A new HU... I'd want to keep the steering wheel controls and have a decent looking adaptor. And I do NOT want a blingy LCD. I want a stereo, CD, and possibly an aux input or ipod adaptor. I have never seen one like this in a store because nobody wants a plain stereo anymore. I also wouldn't want to spend more than $200 or so on a new HU, which pretty much puts me into wal-mart quality range.

I can do a simple install myself, but I'd rather not even have to pull off the door panels. The door speaker grilles pop right off so I think I can replace the door speakers, at least the mids, without pulling the panels off. Having to run a bunch of new wiring would change the complexity of the project and that's why I've gone 10 years without doing anything like this.

I don't like bling, and don't even have chrome or aftermarket wheels. That means almost no common aftermarket parts fit what I'm looking for.

That CL-61CV looks interesting, but would I have to run wiring for it? I already have the amp running off the stock rear tweeter signal from the HU, but it's going to full range speakers in the sails. So what I'm thinking is switch the amp input to the front tweeter signal, and then run the output to CL-61CVs in the doors. Then replace the full range speakers in the sails with new subs driven by the stock monsoon amp.

That way the hard part is re-wiring the input to my amp, and getting the amp output to the door speakers. I wouldn't have to pull the door panels.

1. Disconnect door tweeters
2. Remove damaged door speakers
3. Re-wire amp input to front tweeter signal from HU
4. Re-wire amp output to front speakers
5. Install CL-61CVs in door using amp output
6. Remove sail speakers
7. Install new sail subs using stock monsoon amp sail sub outputs (4 wires? How does that work?)
8. (optional) replace rear speakers with better sounding replacement speakers, but still driven from monsoon amp

Would it be that easy? And would it sound halfway decent?

New thought, least fuss option:

CL-61CVs (or whatever is easiest) in door, from monsoon amp output
M6 in sails from monsoon amp output
Decent full-range rear speaker replacements, driven either from the monsoon amp or from my aftermarket amp, to ensure I can hear voices in music and fill in dead spot I always had with factory setup.

Driven from stock HU since I never turn it up enough to get distortion anyhow.

I guess we should move to email, PM, or phone to discuss exact details and pricing, and to discuss options I'm missing?

PM'd you!! LOL!!