decent components

dannyj

I'm looking for a decent set of 5.25" components for the rear doors in my 4 runner. Any suggestions? I'm powering the back speakers with a PPI-2120 which is putting out 30 watts per RMS. Not looking for Quart Q series or anything super expensive. Thanks.

[Deleted User]

The db5250's would work great.

dannyj

Thanks. I did look at those and they are in contention. What is your opinion on the need for components in the back. I was also considering the db 525 coaxials but curious if I'll get much more out of a component set in the rear doors.

audiobliss

Really depends on what it is you're looking for. Are you going to be sitting in the back seat a good bit listening to music? Do you carry passengers around in the back a lot? Do they expect good sound? If you're personally worried about the sound quality in the back of your vehicle, then the components may very well be worth the extra cost. And if so, you may want to go with the same series (i.e. db, MOMO, SR) that you have up front, so the sound will be the same.

However, if you're just wanting some rear fill when you're not listening critically (or if you never listen critically in the car or find you can't truly appreciate a higher level of music reproduction in the car environment), then some coaxials should suffice.

That being said, rear speakers will pull the soundstage toward the back of the car and mess with the imaging up front, so the sound quality up front will be compromised by using rear speakers. It all depends on what it is you're looking for. You can wire it all up so you can easily fade the rear speakers out so you can enjoy good sound quality up front, then fade the rear speakers back in to enjoy a full sound, or let you buddies in the back in on some good tunes.

dannyj

Thanks bliss. Appreciate the comments. I usually play the tunes in the car when I'm driving solo. Wife can't appreciate the audio-phile in me or the ride. I do appreciate a good sound and I like the idea of putting more into a nice set of components up front and go with a pair of coax's in the rear. I rarely have passengers except for the dog and she doesn't care if the tweets are seperate or not.

I'm thinking I may go with the db525's in the rear with the 30 watts each and then go with the momo's up front with about 60-75 watts. I like the PPI amps and may consider picking up an old school art series amp for the fronts or possibly an old punch.

After the OEM speakers are pulled/replaced, it's onto the sub box. Thanks again for the input.

tigmd99

Since the rear speakers are secondary, I would recommend Infinity Reference speakers. They can be had for cheap on the net. The provide a pretty good clean sound...should be more than enough for the rears.

Good luck.

P.S.: You may want to check out www.t4r.org for more info on your audio options in your 4runner. BTW, what year 4runner do you have?

dannyj

Thanks, I'll have to check that out. I have a 2000. Just got it last Nov. and I love it. Can't wait to turn it into a 'soundhouse'.

audiobliss

Congrats on the vehicle. Can't say as I'd ever want one, but they certainly are nice looking vehicles. I pefer the previous style to the current one.

I would personally be interested in staying with the same brand of speaker in the same vehicle, at least for highs. Mixing different brand tweeters with different sounds is doing to do a number on that timbre matching that you won't have. Besides that, I can't imagine how a softer Polk speaker is going to match with a typically 'shrill' and 'bright' Infinity speaker.

tigmd99

good point...danny, what do you have in the front??

dannyj

Factory components in the front. They are next to go. I think I'm going to go with the MM6500's up front with no less than 75 watts. Then a single 10" sub and that should set me straight. Don't want to go over the top just looking for a nice tight sound.

tigmd99

why don't you concentrate on front first?? then once you select the fronts, then you can decide on the rear.

If i were you, then i would select a relatively cheap rear speaker set and use the most money to concentrate on the front set.

MacLeod

dannyj wrote:

Factory components in the front. They are next to go. I think I'm going to go with the MM6500's up front with no less than 75 watts. Then a single 10" sub and that should set me straight. Don't want to go over the top just looking for a nice tight sound.

Rear speakers wouldnt be a bad idea in a car as big as a 4 Runner. It is true that they can pull the stage to the rear and can cause some cancellation but they can also add ambience and a lot of people like this sound better.

A quick way to find out is next time youre driving around, switch the fader all the way to the front and see if you like that sound better. If so, then get the MMC6500's, a good amp and sub and be done with it. If you like the fuller sound with the rears then go 6500's up front, MMC525's in the rear a good amp and sub and then youre all set.

tigmd99

MacLeod wrote:

If you like the fuller sound with the rears then go 6500's up front, MMC525's in the rear a good amp and sub and then youre all set.

Would the MMC525's be a waste of money in the rear since it's mostly for "rear fill"??

MacLeod

I think its better to have all your speakers timbre matched, just like home audio.

tigmd99

MacLeod wrote:

I think its better to have all your speakers timbre matched, just like home audio.

Could he get away with DBs instead?? That would save him a few bucks. And this is rear fill...so, quality of sound is not all that important.

Also, if i remember correctly in my old '02 4runner, the rear door speakers are pretty low to the floor. I would turn the gain down anyway because the highs will be coming from the front speakers. Therefore, it will be purely a rear fill type speaker.

As for matching sound...i agree...for home audio. I have been thinking about this lately. In home sound, you need to "match" because the rear speakers do more than just "rear fill". They are part of the surround sound experience. This is NOT the case in car audio (for the most part), esp. in a 4runner (3rd gen).

MacLeod

The DB's would work as well but theyre a little brighter sounding than the MM's. It may not make the biggest difference in the world but I still think its a good idea. You dont need components but coaxials from the same series works best.

Plus Im the type of guy that all my gear has to match. Like amps, Id never have 2 different brands of amps. Im kinda OCD like that.

1996blackmax

I am running Rainbow Audio components up front and Polk Audio in the back (only engaged when the family or passengers are in the car). I am pretty happy with the results....

dannyj

Main reason I'm doing the rear first is because I already have the amp. PPI 2120 for the rear, which will probably be just for rear fill. May even turn the gain down some on the rear to get the majority of sound out of the front MM6500's. (When I add the second amp and get the fronts).

dannyj

What about the MMC525 coax's? Anybody have any experience with those? May consider matching the fronts and rears.

audiobliss

I would agree with going with the front stage first, but if you arleady have the amp for the rear, then go that way.

I also agree you should stay with the MMC series for the rear fill so everything is timbre matched. As tigmd99 pointed out, this isn't exactly like a HT setup in home audio where the rear speakers are doing surround. It's not as critical, I wouldn't say. However, you still should have your rear speakers timbre matched, even if you're only going to use them for rear fill, 'cause the highs from the rear speakers are going to be heard, they are going to leak into the front of the cabin, and they are going to mix with the sound from your front speakers. You don't want two different versions of the same high-frequency stuff coming at you at once. You want it to match.

I would say MMC6500 up front and MMC525 in the back would be perfect.

LittleCar_w/12s

I would get the MMC6500s up front (amped) and run factory speakers off the HU for the rear. Then only fade in the rear for passengers. Much less wiring, much less time and money.

But I am biased... I use the rear channels of my HU for for my front mids... and like it that way.

tigmd99

I agree with Littlecar...no need to spend money on rear fill. Rear fill does not need to match sound with your front speakers. The money that you save on rear fill can be used to upgrade your front speakers to Polk SR6500s! Now, THAT is a good investment, esp. if you want excellent sound. The radiator tweeter also provide better dispersion of sound. IMHO, i would go this route. SR6500's can be had on the internet (ebay) for just over $500. With SR6500s, you will need a good amp to power them (JL Audio Slash is my favorite amp). Your PPI amp now is a bit weak to power the SR6500s to their maximum potential. You can use your PPI amp (bridged) to power an 8" sub. Your 4runner is small enough that 8" sub should be fine.

dannyj

This thread has got me re-thinking my whole game plan. Good discussion. I am heading to NYC this weekend to pound the pavement on Canal St. for a great deal. I am really starting the think about running the rear factory speakers off the HU and go big with the front components and a good amp. If I can use the PPI for an 8" sub, even better. What 8" sub would you recommend if I am giving it 120 watts?

tigmd99

dannyj wrote:

This thread has got me re-thinking my whole game plan. Good discussion. I am heading to NYC this weekend to pound the pavement on Canal St. for a great deal. I am really starting the think about running the rear factory speakers off the HU and go big with the front components and a good amp. If I can use the PPI for an 8" sub, even better. What 8" sub would you recommend if I am giving it 120 watts?

I would go with a big name sub. Other than that, i don't have a clue. If you can sale your PPI amp to someone, then you can just get an Infinity Basslink. It is self-powered and has all the adjustments that you need at the tip of your finger. It provides nice clean bass (but not enough to shake your whole neighborhood). You just mount it in the cargo area. With the Basslink, you do not need to find a place to mount the sub amp.

Your rear seat backrest is 50/50 split. Use one side for your front speaker amp and front speaker crossovers (if you so desire to put them here). You still can fold this part of the rear seat, but avoid putting heavy, dirty stuff on top of it. Put the Basslink in the rear. Keep the other side of the backrest empty so that you can still fold down one side of the rear seat to put in long heavy stuff. Your 4runner must still be practical, right?:)

Now, if you have $$, then you can get those JL Audio "stealthbox" to go in the cargo area. I believe these stealthbox can come with just sub alone or with integrated amp. If you can get the sub alone, then you can use your PPI amp to power it. JL recommends 150 watts. Your 120 PPI watts should be good enough. You can attach the amp to the stealthbox (i think).

Just a few suggestions.

audiobliss

If you can spare the space, definitely skip the Infinity Basslink. I have to admit I've heard a few good things about it, but I will personally never use an 'all-in-one' unit like that for my bass. I would much prefer going with a sub from Polk, JL Audio, Memphis Audio, Alpine, Adire Audio, etc. and buying/making a box for it.

If you're looking for an 8" sub, then I would suggest the MM2084, but it needs about 200 watts rms, which your PPI can't give out. But, I must question why you want an 8" sub. A 10" sub would be able to play lower bass for you, and would still provide good sound quality.

As for sticking with your stock rear speakers...that's up to you. If you're not big on sound back there, then just worry with the front and fade the rear out whenever you're listening. As tigmd99 said, you can then afford nicer components up front. But be forwarned that the SR series components are harder to mount than the MMC6500 because the mid's deeper and the tweeter is larger.

tigmd99

Personally, i am not a big fan of big boxes. The 3rd gen 4runner's cargo space is more tall than wide. Therefore, big sub boxes take up quite a bit of real estate. Therefore, i do like JL Audio's stealthboxes.

In addition, for me, having a SUV is all about practicality (cargo space, carry long stuff, etc.). Unless Danny wants to make his 4runner into a showcase, i would favor things that do not decrease practicality much.

The 4runner's A-pillar should be able to fit the SR's tweets. My Corolla A-pillar mount is similar. Of course, you would testfit it before buying them.

dannyj

Considering going with an 8" to try and utilize the PPI amp which is 120 W bridged. If this isn't enough to drive an 8", than I'm back to where I started. I do need to utilize most of the cargo area. We use the 4 Runner for many camping, skiing, fishing trips every year and it always amazes me how much gear my wife insists we bring. I am considering building a fiberglass enclosure around a removeable panel over the wheel well in the cargo area which used to house a cd changer. If I have the sub before the fiberglass enclosure is finished, I'll probably build something temporary out of mdf to hold me over. The sub doesn't have me concerned as much as where to mount 3 amps. 2 would be an easier solution.