Cheap Speakers

Throughout its 12 year lifetime music in my Peugeot 205 has only been supplied by casette player and FM radio. As soon as my empeg was installed I noticed that at relatively high volume the frequency response of the factory speakers was just dire! Absolutely no bass, and barely any mid-range frequencies to speak of. So I'm investigating replacing factory speakers with a pair of relatively cheap, simple one-piece speakers. I'm not interested in a full tweeters/mids/sub-woofer stereo installation yet, but just want something that is capable of producing at least some low frequency sound. Good enough to compete with my cheap micro-hi-fi at home.

In the sub 50 GBP range there are quite a few sets of 10cm speakers available, for example the Kenwood KFC-1058S, the Pioneer TS-G1016, and the Sony XS-A1026. They all claim a 45Hz to 20Khz frequency range, but how true is this in practice? Does anyone have experience with these sorts of speakers?

One thing to take note of when comparing frequency response of various speakers (or anything really) is the amount of response at the extreme ends of the spectrum. A graph of the speakers' response is helpful, but rarely available. A standard designation is +/- 3 dB. It would be a fairly safe bet that the bass response will be down by 3 dB at the quoted range. If it doesn't say, assume the worst. It could be +/- 10 dB, meaning that you wouldn't get much useful output at the low end of the response range. Under those parameters, the upper end may also be down by some amount. Even if it does say +/- 3 dB or +/- 1 dB or whatever, I'm sure they do things to inflate the response. Maybe measuring in an unreasonably small listening space?

Stu

I'm in roughly the same situation as you and your post got me thinking....
Halfords usually have multiple sources/amplifiers/speakers on their display stand controlled from a switch panel, I think I should take a CD along with me and audition their warez sometime. Also, IIRC Comet and similiar have the same kind of setup in some of their larger stores.

Halfords usually have multiple sources/amplifiers/speakers on their display stand controlled from a switch panel, I think I should take a CD along with me and audition their warez sometime.

And when you have finished doing that, you will have a really good idea of which speakers sound the best in that small audition room, being driven by Halfords' choice of amplifier, from which you will be able to derive practically no useful information about how they will sound in your car.

Reading the specs on the speakers (as macrzool suggests) is actually more useful than listening to them in an environment totally different from where you plan to use them.

tanstaafl.

Keep in mind that zexpe is not interested in superb quality, only enough to ``compete with [his] cheap micro-hi-fi at home''. That said, a listen at the shop should at least determine whether there's a total lack of bass in the speaker, I would imagine. That is, it should give some idea of whether or not it's utter shit.

I largely agree with your comments but as maczrool says "A graph of the speakers' response is helpful, but rarely available" and, considering the box-shifting stores I mentioned, that's almost certainly a given IMHO.

Considering the remarks here, I will certainly try to make a more informed buying decision but I can't help feel that, at the budget end of the scale, store tests in less than ideal conditions are, realistically, the best I can expect (but I hope I'm wrong).

I've found a couple of reviews on the 'net:

Kenwood 1058S
Pioneer TS G1040

General opinion is that neither have good bass output for a 10cm speaker, but there are no recommendations for 10cm speakers that do have resonable bass output.

Ross

there are no recommendations for 10cm speakers that do have resonable bass output.

You probably can't get useful response out of that size dynamic speaker until ~80-90 Hz. Now if they could ever perfect the application of ultrasonic piezo speaker technology that would be a different story.

Stu

There is one good thing about listening to speakers in the store is being able to compare them to other speakers out on the market.

Maybe I can help contribute by mentioning a book that was mentioned to me:

"The Car Audio Cook Book"

Apparently this book has info on most all aspects of choosing the right components for a car audio install. And it's no rice book either, it's more like a physics text book, citing resonant frequencies and electrical specs. So, though I haven't checked it out yet, I recommend it to you all. It's supposed to be really great.

I'm most interested in getting a speaker setup that's really tweaked and toned for the cabin space of my car. This book is supposed to do help with this.

Did you mean "The Loudspeaker Design Cookbook" ? I have a copy, and it's very good, but be prepared for plenty of science !

Steve.

Hey, maybe there's one for loudspeakers too. Nah, I'm pretty sure there's one called the "Car Audio Cookbook."

Yeha, bring on the physics! I've heard the book has everything from figuring out the resonance of your cabin to choosing the correct housing material for subs to choosing speakers so they work well together, etc. And it shows all the physics and electricial stuff too! Now, if only I wasn't so lazy that I couldn't click over to Amazon and buy it.