Speaker question
 

I have a base z. Looking to replace the speakers. What are your thoughts on image dynamics speakers. Also, where are you guys putting the amp for your speakers? Behind the seats?

I was able to fit a 4 channel UNDER the sit and big-o mono block behind the seat. I know squat about speakers and will let others comment.

Image Dynamics? Meh. If you have some flexibility in your budget: FOCAL

I noticed Crutchfield had IS series Focals for $150 off. I know nothing about their actual quality, just reputation.

...depending on the number of subs your getting depends on the size of the amp and where you need to put it. A 5 channel amp will be good if you are doing one sub with door speakers; two separate amps is good also (one for the door speakers and other for the subs). You should decide what you really want to do in regards to the sound inside the car. I have the base model also but gutted everything so I can personalize it...

Please don't do your Z disrespect by installing a 15' sub and rattle it apart...

I did 2 12s and nothing rattled apart except my only fillings.

Lots of options out there... we really need to know your plans for the rest of the system, as well as your taste and expectations.

What kind of music, how much power you are planning to give them, are you planning a sub or not, and what is your budget?

Older ID used to be good, can't comment on the new company since Matt is not involved with them anymore. I'm a fan of most of CDT's offerings, personally. Currently I'm running Dynaudio, but those are certainly not a budget speaker, nor for the casual enthusiast. What I am NOT a fan of is most of the off-the-shelf component sets offered today by the big-box manufacturers, though again, for the casual listener they are probably fine. Focal as mentioned above is great. Hertz is as well. If you want to go the mix-and-match route and are going to cross them actively, putting together a set from some different manufacturers might be a good option - Scanspeak, Eton, Dayton, Vifa, Seas, Audax, Tang Band - all have a ton of drivers, many of which might fit your application. I'm a big fan of non-mainstream stuff.

I'd be happy to offer some more pointed suggestions with more info on your budget, musical tastes, power available and knowing how in-depth you want to get with your system in terms of output and install. Kicks or doors? Stock locations?

Just way too broad a question, there, man. :/

I have personally used both ID and focal along with others. I would have to say ID is going to give you a higher bang for the buck over focal. I love the CXS line and have installed them in a few z's over the years. Just make sure you amp them.

As asked above he asked everything I would normally ask anyone looking for advice. But to answer your question ID is great!

I was looking to upgrade the speakers. No subs. Listen to everything. Just looking for a 2 channel amp to power the components. 500ish total for speakers and amp. Looking to replace the head unit first. The speakers in the base aren't bad. I used to have diamond speakers in my other car and loved them.

Looking to power 100w to each component as well.

500 for amp and speakers is TIGHT! You would spend at least 300 for a good solid amp. I would recommend going with mb quarts or polk mm if your trying too stay on a budget.

Agree.. Polks and alpine 4 channel.

Well, since I only have a set of components, don't I need just a 2 channel amp? 500 budget might be a pipe dream.

Indeed you're right, but if you are going to install a 2 channel might as well run a 4 channel at least if not a 5 channel so you are prepped for future upgrades...also upgrading the deck will be worth it.

2-channel will work, using passive crossovers supplied with the component set. 4-channel will also work, as these days most decent component sets can be bi-amped - meaning one amp channel per speaker.

Bi-amping still utilizes the circuitry inside the passive crossovers (coils, resistors and caps) to perform the crossover functions of filtering out the signals that are not optimal for their respective speakers. I.e., tweeters get a HPF (high pass filter) made from capacitors which will "filter" out or attenuate lower frequencies at a rate that doubles for each octave below the cutoff point. So... if you have a HPF at 6dB/oct at 5kHz, then at 2.5kHz a signal of the same amplitude will be attenuated 6dB. Likewise at 1.25kHz, it will be cut down by 12dB. At 625Hz, it will be reduced by 18dB. The same principle applies to the LPF (low pass filter) applied via coils wired in series with the midrange or woofer.

Keep in mind, the decibel scale is logarithmic in nature. 1dB is theoretically what we can discern as a change in volume, while 3dB is a "perceived" doubling of volume.

My personal preference would be a 4-channel for bi-amping, unless you have a very high-quality passive crossover and speakers that really shine with a great amount of power AND you have access to a very high-powered 2-channel amplifier you would like to use. Here is why:

Some passive crossover networks have a built-in configurability (is that a word? lol) to allow you attenuate the tweeter level. This is most notably necessary with metal-dome tweeters, which some of us will remember in the MB Quart components, etc. Some people love that high end brightness or "sizzle", personally, I find it a bit fatiguing very quickly and prefer soft-dome tweeters made out of cloth. Though I have now moved to HLCDs and never want to go back, lol. Beside the point. On the old MB Quart crossovers, they had a jumper you could set to different points to have the tweeter at 0dB, -3dB and -6dB. This was accomplished with resistors in the circuitry that would tone down the output of the tweeter, so people like me could save on headache medicine. :ugh2:

That will work to a degree, but personally, I prefer a 4-channel amp for components, because it offers you the best ability to individually tune each speaker for level. Keep in mind the path-length differences and such. Phase can be adjusted for each speaker with wiring. But level... well, level is more easily adjusted if you have a 4-channel amp. Many of you might think this is simply overkill, and for your application, perhaps that is true.

But I find it to be the best balance between bang-for-buck, configurability (there's that made-up word again - perhaps "flexibility" is better), upgrade-ready and ease of use/installation.

Just my $0.02.

Ok.... more like $0.03-0.04? lol

Hope that helps a little bit.