which focals for 1st gen?

well i've spent the last three days reading through thread after thread of people saying xx speakers are awesome with xx being everything from sony xploads to polks etc. and after trying to figure out who actually had probably owned or at least knew about more types of speakers than the ones in their car it seems like focals are REALLY good and i'm not looking to buy twice so I think these are what i'm going to go with.

What I don't know is which type would work best in my truck. I have an 03 extra cab. I just ordered this new head unit: Alpine CDE-135BT. I'm pretty much never going to have anyone in the back seat/cargo area so I'm just worried about getting the best sound possible in the front two seats. so two speakers just in the front doors or front and rear speakers etc I would appreciate some input from knowledgable people. If an amp is necessary I don't mind buying one so please provide best rec's with my future setup.

 

Dang, no advice. I feel let down haha

 

Hey Jamey,

I've just spent the last couple days doing custom speaker install for my 2002 Xtra-cab. Doing a write-up on the modifications to door panel and door itself to accommodate 6.5" round speakers that are a little over 2.5" deep.

Don't know if that will be helpful to you but I'll post in this section soon.

As far as speaker selection, you are doing well with the Focals. To realize their potential you would want to use a separate amp. Look for a 4 channel amp with ~ 100 watts RMS per channel. That way you can add the two rear speakers sometime or you could bridge 2 of the channels and run a nice 8" sub. You might want to look for a used amp, they're everywhere.

You will end up with great sound up front without the rear speakers and you can add those later to make it even better. I would do a two way component speaker system for the front. That will sound significantly better than a single two way speaker mounted down low where the OEM speakers are mounted.

Run the wires for everything you might add later (including the sub) while you have things apart.
I use a good quality, shielded Ethernet cable to run signal between the head unit and the amp. Keeps it clean and quiet. Just use decent RCA connectors.

 

Cannot go wrong woth Focal. I ran the K2Ps for a couple of years, and they sounded great. If you go to the higher end comps, it is a 3" or better mounting depth IIRC. Make sure your baffles are thick enough.

 

Focal's are a good brand. You really can't go wrong with any of the top brands. I am a JL Audio fan, just not a fan of their price.

I just purchased this truck and have JL Audio 6.5" component set going in front, 6.5's going in the rear door. 2 Kicker 8's for behind the back seat and a Pioneer 4300DVD running everything. Just need an amp, my last one won't fit anywhere because it is to large.

Edit: Just read your whole post....

- Decent choice on head unit...you will be limited with expansion by the only one set of pre-amp outputs.

 

Uhh ohh, what does that mean?

The local audio store offered me a set of the k2 6.5's at $498 I looked on eBay, Amazon, crutch field and this beat their prices. Any where cheaper? I guess my plan is to do the k2's then eventually add in amp (looking for used jk 500/4 or similar) and I'd like to have a sub in back and components as well. I'd like the sub to be as hidden as possible. Also want to do some sound proofing. Been looking at the showdown website but still not really getting it and it seems like its going to be really expensive

 

going to get to focal K2's tomorrow!

Lucked out and picked up a JL Audio HD600/4 for $400 bucks today. It was less than a year old and not a scratch. even had the original box. 150 rms isn't to much for the K2's is it?

I also ordered the 36 sqft dynamat kit for 180 shipped to hawaii (that was the deciding factor) and Im looking to source out some CCF and MLV locally to save on the insane shipping that Im sure the showdown website would cost me.

what are the recommended subs for a 1st gen extra cab? guess I'll bridge two of the channels and throw 300 to a sub. 8", 10"? I want it to look as clean and take up as least space as possible while still sounding good.

what gauge wires should I use for rewiring the amp and all the speakers when i get ready to put in?