Bret's WS6

Hey everyone, I'm new to the forum and new to the stereo/sound system game. I have a 2000 WS6 with the monsoon sound system that I just bought a week ago. The speakers are blown and I want to upgrade the system but keep the head unit for the all stock appearance. I have a plan A and a plan B. Plan A will cost $2,000 in equipment. Plan B would cost probably a little less than half.

Plan A:
Front Door: JL Audio C5-650
Rear Seat: JL Audio TR-650 CXI
Stealthbox: JL Audio
Amp: JL Audio V2 500/1v2
Sound Processor: JL CL441dsp CleanSweep

Plan B:
Front Door: Same as "A"
Rear Seat: JL Audio6w3v3-4 (x2)
Stealthbox: None
Amp: Same as "A"
Sound Processor: Same as "A"

Is plan "A" overkill? Or would plan "B" be a sufficient enough improvement over stock? I appreciate any comments. Thanks, Bret

SSNISTR

iTrader: (10)

Plan "B" sounds good to me. You have to have some kinda sub. I have the JL Audio stealthbox and love it.

Bret's WS6

Thanks for the input. Instead of having the stealthbox I would have the two 6.5 subs in the rear seat area.

pentavolvo

Ok IMO ditch the cleansweep its not needed, i would consider an aftermarket radio though.

JL is overpriced if you ask me, you could do a kee audio cubby box and 10" sub for less then a stealthbox and get the same performance

Bret's WS6

I wanted to keep the stock look with the factory head unit. Thats why I was thinking about getting the cleansweep. Thanks

WhiteBird00

iTrader: (4)

The CleanSweep does equalization and signal balance but (despite the name) it doesn't clean up distortion. And believe me, the factory head unit is a distortion machine. You'll be spending a lot of money to send a distorted signal through a nice amp and speakers. I agree with pentavolvo, you really need to consider a different head unit if you want good sound. Otherwise, you might as well spend a lot less money to just upgrade the speakers and leave them connected to the factory amp.

SSNISTR

iTrader: (10)

The two 6.5" subs won't sound 1/10th as good.

Bret's WS6

It wouldn't sound as good compared to the stealthbox or the factory setup?

SSNISTR

iTrader: (10)

Stealthbox.
My buddy has the dual 6.5" set up and IMO it barely sounds better then factory.

Stocktonz28

get a DVD player so you can watch **** while you drive

Bret's WS6

After all the suggestions I think I am going to just replace the speakers with the JBL Grand Touring GTO607C in the front doors. JL Audio CR650-CXi in the rear seat area. JBL Grand Touring GTO 427 in the rear hatch. The JBL's have the 2 ohm impedance like the factory speakers. I couldn't find JBL speakers for the rear seat area. So I stuck with the JL's. I really wanted to keep my car as original as possible and I did not want to use an aftermarket HU. Thanks for all the input.

WhiteBird00

iTrader: (4)

What are JL Audio CR650-CXi speakers? I couldn't find them anywhere - even on JL Audio's site. They have XR650-CXi coaxial speakers but those won't work well in the sail panels because the signal there is low pass filtered by the Monsoon amp.

Also, the hatch area mids are 4-ohm so it's not a good idea to put 2-ohm replacements there - the amp isn't 2-ohm stable on those channels. In fact, I wouldn't even bother upgrading those speakers since they are only there for rear fill and the factory speakers are generally quite sufficient for that.

Bret's WS6

So I just placed my order. I got the JBL GTO607C's for the front doors. And I got Pioneer TS-A1782R 6-3/4" speakers for the rear seat speakers. I will just unplug the rear hatch speakers since they really don't do anything anyway. Thanks for all the suggestions. I'm sure this setup will be better than the blown stock speakers.

WhiteBird00

iTrader: (4)

Well, you're going to have the same problem with those Pioneer speakers that you would have with the JL Audio ones - the sail panels get only bass signal from the amp so only the woofers of the 4-way Pioneers will produce any sound. Since you're disconnecting the hatch speakers, you could pull the hatch mid wiring forward to the sail panels to get full range signal but you will lose a significant amount of power (and bass).

You could have ordered a pair of Audiopipe 6.5" DVC 4-ohm subs from Kee Audio (a sponsor here) that would make the best use of the factory wiring for a reasonable price. Without subs in the sail panels you should seriously consider adding an amp and sub to make up for the lost bass.

Bret's WS6

Okay, thanks for the wisdom. I'll probably try to pick up a stealthbox and amp. What kind of amp do you think would be the best for my setup?

Bret's WS6

After reading your post a couple of times I understand. I can change my order within the next day. I'm going through crutchfield because they are offering 6 months same as cash on equipment. So now I am back to looking at 6.5 inch subs. They have the Kicker CompVT 08CVT654 or the JL's 6W3v3-4. The kickers are $110 apiece while the JL's are $160 each. Which subs are the best for the money? I still may add the stealthbox and amp, but at a later date. Thanks again for all the help.

WhiteBird00

iTrader: (4)

The Kicker subs are a possibility but the JLs are too deep to mount in the sail panels. Both brands are SVC subs so you will be giving up half the available power compared to using DVC subs.

I understand how a payment plan can be helpful but you could save a lot of money and still get subs that are better suited to the factory configuration. Kee Audio has the Audiopipe subs I mentioned for only $88 per pair.

Another option would be the Elemental Designs 7kv.2 DVC 6.5" subs. These are just a bit too deep so you'll need a 3/8" spacer for mounting but they provide a big improvement over stock and they're only $65 each. Many members (including me) have used these subs and been very impressed with them.

Bret's WS6

Thanks again for the suggestions. I called crutchfield and changed my order. I stuck with the jbl's in the front. got the kicker subs in the back and went with an alpine mrp-f300 4 channel amp.