went to a car audio shop...they suggest 8" speakers

[severous01]

well, i just got out of the shop and they want to install an 8" full range speaker from polk, the dB+ series, in the rear section of my hatch.

they said it would be around 400, including mounting, amp install, and speakers. the speakers are 179 a pair, and he said he could also install the same 8" speakers in the doors for the front, and run off the same amp for another 200 including speakers.

i wanted to just run a 8" shallow mount somewhere in the car, install the amp, and run 6.5" around. but he kinda talked me into this 8" deal. 4 full range mid, bass and high, or one 8" sub??? easy pickins...i'd take 4 8's any day.

any way, i can go 6 in the front, and 8 in the rear if issues are gonna come up for the doors.

any way, long story short, can i fit a full range 8" speaker in any of the factory locations in a hatchback?

[Alien Mantis]

You can fit almost anything almost anywhere.

How much CUTTING and ADAPTING do you wanna do?
That is the big question.

8" speakers in the factory locations would be too big, IMO.
You would have to make mounting rings, and do some cutting.
Speaker depth would be an issue in the front location.
In the rear, the interior panel speaker opening is not that big, and it is actually offset somewhat. So you would need to CUT a bigger hole in your rear panels, and mount some sort of grill to the panel.
Otherwise, your interior panel will cover part of your speaker cone, which would work, but you will lose some of the sound from the speaker.

I went with 6 1/2" coax speakers in the stock locations, and a 10" sub in a box in the rear hatch.
Easy install, and NO cutting required.
I mounted the sub amp under the passenger front seat. Ran the wires down the door sills under the carpet and plastic panels.
If you look in the window of my Yaris, you can't even tell I have an aftermarket system. My sub box is out of sight in the rear, thanks to that little molded cover back there. I just removed the carpet piece that is stuck on the back of the cover, but I left the cover in place.
You look in the back hatch window, and all you see is the top of that cover. You can't see my sub/box.

[severous01]

i didnt want to put a box in the back. i got 5 kids and sometimes got all 5 of them in the car...not often i know and not for long trips but any way...5 backpacks take up a lot of room. i also go to the beach and to friends houses with a cooler in the back, with the kids (usually 3 of them) and the cooler barely fits back there as it is.

any way. i'd like to put a box under the front seat, but the drivers' has tons of crap under it and the passenger's moves and that's where the kids get in and out...so...unless i mould a FG enclosure in the rear somewhere, and it has to be on the pass side cuz the light is on the left...too much thinking. i dont need big sound, just full range. i dont want the panels to rattle or anything, just wanna hear my radio. guess i'll just do some polk 6.5 all the way and sound deadening.

what are some good cheap sites to hit up for stuff? i'm not talking ebay here...but an actual site. there was mention of a site that has like 50% off everything all the time but i lost the thread.

[Alien Mantis]

You have 5 kids and you bought a Yaris HATCH to haul `em around in?
j/k
The 5dr Yaris is perfectly capable of hauling hatchlings around.

I know what you mean about not wanting to put a subwoofer box in the rear hatch area. I didn't either. Not any easy options for a SUB in our little cars.
I thought about running two 8" subs in the rear speaker locations for the bass. But that would cost more, and require alot more install work to do it properly.
And I was worried I would go through all that trouble, and the bass would be WEAK.
You could seriously do a 10" sub in a small sealed box in the back of the hatch, and not lose much cargo space. It would be enough bass to add nice depth to the sound, but don't expect to rattle your windows.
Do a shallow Kenwood eXcelon 10", or MTX makes a nice shallow 10" for a little more money.

Check out some stuff on this website:
www.sonicelectronix.com

I buy all my stuff from them. They are great.
They have nice CHEAP boxes too!

[sqcomp]

What is the model # for this full range speaker?

I say go for it. I know how I'd accomplish 8.5" mid-bass speakers in my setup if I'm doing the doors...I'd like to see what they have in mind.

One warning about internet purchasing, in most cases you're only getting a warranty from the internet people themselves (no matter what they claim on the site). It sounds like you're getting a good deal from the brick and mortar shop, I'd give it a whirl. Think about it this way, who are you going to hold repsonsible if ssomething happens with the wit hthe equipment? The internet dealer? Are you really going to walk into a storefront and demand a refund? Nope. You're going to talk it like Dilbert, getting angry behind a computer screen, cursing the very existance of whatever internet shop you just got hosed from.

Besides, the internet dealer won't offer to install it either. You're going to end up paying more in the long run with having to pay for install at the local shop anyway.

That is my two cents about internet purchasing. Beware.

[Alien Mantis]

Originally Posted by sqcomp

One warning about internet purchasing, in most cases you're only getting a warranty from the internet people themselves (no matter what they claim on the site). Think about it this way, who are you going to hold repsonsible if something happens with the with the equipment? The internet dealer? Are you really going to walk into a storefront and demand a refund? Nope. You're going to talk it like Dilbert, getting angry behind a computer screen, cursing the very existance of whatever internet shop you just got hosed from.
Besides, the internet dealer won't offer to install it either. You're going to end up paying more in the long run with having to pay for install at the local shop anyway.

Dang, dude... did you get hosed on some internet gear in the past?
Sounds like you did.

I agree, lots of internet places WILL hose you.
But there are a few reputable ones that will give you good deals, and stand behind their products that they sell.

I had to send a HU back to SonicElectronix, because I wasn't happy with it.
They gave me an RMA number, and I exchanged it for something else. No problem at all. The new unit was awesome, so it all worked out ok.

I don't care if the internet retailer, OR the manufacturer takes care of me, as long as ONE of them does!
And just so you know, SonicElectronix DOES do installs, if you happen to be near them. They are in southern California.

Crutchfield is also very reputable, but their prices are just not as competitive as they used to be in the past. But they do have a big overhead, and I heard they take care of their employees pretty good, so I would still buy from them. Just watch for their sales, and jump on that stuff.

A local install shop is great, if you trust the techs, and they can give you decent deals. But I can tell you, there are about 10 car audio shops in my town, and I wouldn't take my car to ANY of them. They are either so overpriced, only the RICH can afford them, or they are totally SHADY.
I buy wire/cable from one of the shady ones here, because their prices are good, but I don't trust them to do any work.
And... they once tried to sell me some 10ga cable and say it was 8ga.
( It had thicker insulation on it, but the wire inside was thinner than true 8ga. )

But I know you would never do that at your shop, SQcomp.



If I could afford you... I would let ya work on my system. But I doubt I could afford ya.

[_S7V7N_]

Price the stuff online, and get comparisons from a few different sites and then see if the shop can match it, or at least meet somewhere in the middle. Millionbuy.com is okay for price references and check out Amazon. There's some room for negotiation. I'd even check ebay for a price reference. Don't be scared to check out more than one shop, especially if they're in competition with each other, you can get a decent deal there.

[Alien Mantis]

I knew someone who went to one of our "local" shady audio shops and spent over $1,000 to have some gear installed in their Toyota Landcruiser.

The very next night, someone broke into the vehicle and stole all the new shit while it was parked in their driveway at their house.

Turns out, one of the employees at this shop was taking the customers information on the paperwork, and tipping-off one of his buddies to go steal stuff they were installing.

Wouldn't that piss you off.

[sqcomp]

I hear that last one. You've given those pissants all your information. You really don't know who you're working with either. That's one of my points.

AM,

Actually, believe it or not, I have worked with one online store before and that was Crutchfield. I enjoyed the install sheets they provided. My thing is, I have seen how hard shops try to work with people. Yet most only think about one thing. Price. The ironic thing is, a fair amount...more than half...come back when either the equipment is screwed up or they've installed it and can't get something to work. Then the pricing changes. Why? Because we're just farming out educated labor.

The other issue is, these places do NOT have factory support. You pay a little for that too. I don't give a crap what woofersetc (for example) says. They're NOT backed by the manufacturer on Image Dynamics, Focal, Arc, etc. Something goes wrong and you've puchased their last piece...guess what, you'll be waiting a while, not knowing. The manufacturers like I mentioned above have already said there is no support to online sales.

I do hear you on the extreme ends that shops portray (too expensive or too shady). We have those around Portland...see The Sound Choice (I used to work for) and Outrageous Audio. The Sound Choice is primarily catering to the high end market by the owner's choice. Outrageous Audio is doing the EXACT opposite. I would definately take my purchasing to Rich at The sound Choice over Blaine in little Tijuana anytime. The last purchasing I did before Streamline Audio was through rich. We bought a McIntosh MCC604M and a pair of Illusion Audio ND-10 (which I still have). I bought the Denon DCT-Z1 from a private seller and Hybrid Audio Legatias through Scott.

Pay the extra $25-$50 for whatever amplifier we're buying from a real store. One you can bust down the door and take hostages at if they screw you over. :)

I keep threatening Jim with that. I don't think he believes me. Especially since every time I open the door I'm coming in with beer and food. I've really gotta brush up on the tough guy/hooligan act.

[_S7V7N_]

Yeah getting to know the guys on a personal level really helps out, at a bud's of mine shop back home in Texas i used to get to " try " out stuff for him when he ordered different brands. I pretty much had a different set-up every week, we had a mutual agreement on me referring people, the more people that heard my system and wanted to purchase it the better. I'd end up paying wholesale pricing on the majority of the items.

I ran errands for him when he needed and helped out with what i could, i was pretty much an unofficial employee by the end of it.

[talnlnky]

amps are by far the most important piece to have a good warranty for... Amps in my experience seem to be the things that die quickest, and most often.

as for those 8's... it's all about mounting depth, how deep are the speakers, that will determine if you can fit them. Also, four coaxial 8's with a shallow mounting depth most likely won't put out the bass that 2 8" subs with 200watts total in sealed boxes would put out. Doors make crappy boxes, and unless you do a lot of work to the doors with sound dampening, they just aren't designed for bass.

[IllusionX]

i have 8" on the rear of my yaris.. they can be fitted easily with very little cutting.