Speaker Help

I own a 2006 Tacoma and am planning on buying speakers today.
I was hoping i could get a few questions answered that im having trouble finding the answer to on the net...

I planning on just buying a 6.5" component speaker set for the front door panels. I was looking at the Polk Audio db6501 set from Crutchfield. This set comes with 1" tweeters.

Will the 1" tweeters fit into the stock openings? if not, how hard will it be to customize?

How much will it cost to have all the speakers installed by a professional?

thanks for any help! Happy Holidays!

Tim

 

Both the tweeters and the drivers need adapters/baffles. There really isn't a drop-in application for Tacomas. I'd stay away from thin plastic adapters. Everyone on TW will tell you to see Mr. Marv. He is over in the vendor listings on the opening page. Great guy. Helps us all a lot. He makes great speaker baffles for a reasonable price.

As for how much to install speakers, do it yourself. It's easy. Tons of info on TW to help out and anyone on here will give advice if you get hung up.

 

...and welcome to TW.

 

I bought all my speakers from crutchfield. Fronts were Infinity Reference 6020CS with a Crossover and the Rears were Sony 6.5". They came with speaker wire adapters and speaker brackets to make them fit. They worked perfectly. I never got anything from MrMarv, but I'm sure he makes higher quality brackets than the ones from Scosche (Which crutchfield gives you). but i installed them myself real easily. The only problem was mounting the new tweeters but I use some exhaust gaskets lying around the shop that ironically fit perfectly.

 

Thanks ENIGMA206! i just sent Mr. Marv a pm.

 

Thanks for the info.
Did you have to buy an amp for that set-up?

I was thinking about buying an Alpine CDA-105 receiver and wanted to know if it will be ok by itself. Im just going to run the front speakers and unplug the back ones. What do you think?

 

Sent a PM

 

Did you have to buy an amp for that set-up?

I was thinking about buying an Alpine CDA-105 receiver and wanted to know if it will be ok by itself. Im just going to run the front speakers and unplug the back ones. What do you think?

 

I know you weren't asking me, but I'll answer since no one else has. I have been using Polk/Alpine combinations for years. I believe that the CDA-105 and Polk dB will work fine together. The CDA-105 is a versatile HU that will allow decent expandability. Adding an amp (and possibly a sub) later will be easy with that set up.

If you look around on TW, you will see that a lot of folks on here don't use the rear speakers. I have all four in mine. If I fade out the rears I can only tell a little. If I do that with my son in the back, he always says it sounds funny and asks me to turn on the back. I guess it all depends on what you're looking for.

Amps do make a HUGE difference. Some think it is suppose to just make things louder, but that isn't the case. Amps improve sound quality and speaker efficiency greatly. Even different brands of amps of the same power make a difference. Once you get the sound-bug, it is a never ending journey. I'm not a spring chicken anymore and I can't stand not having a custom system. I will never outgrow great sound.

 

Thanks ENIGMA206!

So you dont think it's nessecarry to have an amp to run my Polks?
I'm not looking to spend a bunch of money at this point...so from what you said just having the front speakers w/ my head unit should be ok, right?

I may add a sub later if i need more. At this point i just need to replace the stock speakers because they are AWUFL! I guess i was spoiled in my bwm which had a 10 speaker harmon kardon set-up.

Thanks agaiN!

 

Its not necessary. It will improve the sound (loudness, clarity) over the deck power thats for sure.

 

a head unit and the Polks will be a grand improvement over stock as far as sound quality and volume go.

And don't get me wrong here, I do not want to start a brand war here, but I would like to mention one other thing. I like Alpine just fine. That is what I have in my truck. But if you're going to be without an amp for sometime, or even forever, I would recommend looking at Pioneers. Alpines have 18 watts per channel. Most Pioneers come with 22 and some 25 watts per channel. They are also MOSFET driven amps which are more efficient and run cooler. Just a suggestion if you want more bang for your buck. THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH ALPINE...or any of them for that matter. Just make sure anything you buy has a sub output RCA so you can expand in the future.

 

That makes sense, ENIGMA206. I already ordered the unit. I did notice that it only had 18, then I looked at the "higher end" Alpines and they all had 18 too. I'm thinking I would like to buy an amp tonight lol. Suggestions on any? When I upgraded my 86 honda 10yrs ago, PPI or power percision amps were good- are thoes still around?
Amp suggestion for my set-up and room to grow? I'm not looking to ever add a sub over 8".
How hard is it to install an amp?

I'm a rookie. Thanks for the help!

 

It all comes down to cost. How much can you spend? Amps are very relative. The more you spend, the better they get. I'm not saying you can't find a relatively low cost amp that isn't decent. I've been trying to sell an amp on TW for a couple of weeks now, but it is 5-channel. Probably more than you're looking for. If you're only wanting to run two door speakers, you could find a decent 2-channel plus 1-channel mono for cheap.

 

I'd like to get the most out of the two polks up front.
I'm going to take a look at a few amps, come back, and get your opinion.
Do you think a 1st timer could install an amp? I have access to a car garage

 

gtrider,

If you're looking into an Alpine receiver, see if it's compatible with the KTP-445, the in-line Alpine "power pack" amplifier that requires NO additional, time-consuming wiring. There have been good reviews on this product in numerous forums. It's 45W RMS x 4.

 

lol, i was just coming back to ask ENIGMA206 about the KTP-445 Power Pack.
sounds like a winner to me!

 

I used the alpine cda-105 hu, sirius tuner, spr 17s in the front doors and put a set of spr17c in the rear doors of my ac, also used the ktp-445 amp and it all fit under the dash.love the sound

 

I just pulled the trigger..

amp and speakers in the mail and pops is givin' me the unit for xmas. Cant wait to get some new sound!..the stock system is just awful.

Thanks for all the help! Happy Holidays

 

Just pullin' your chain. Those are actually very nice amps. Should work for your application very nicely. I think it's a plug-n-play too. I see a shallow 10" and a mono 200 watt amp in your future. Should make a nice, tidey system. It's contagious.

As for installation, you can do it. Pulling the factory radio out of these trucks is probably one of the easiest I've ever done. Check out the tutorial on the Audio/Video page. I highly recommend hanging a towel out of the radio hole while you work. There are lots of things to scratch your new radio/install kit. Just gives a little protection.

Did you order the speaker baffles/adapters yet? I just went from the plastic baffles to Mr. Marv's MDF baffles and one piece of FATMAT. What a difference in sound. Very well worth the price.

Good luck. If you have any issues, just ask. Lots of folks to step up here.