Why do you feel they are a waste? Plenty of people use those here and love them.

Your not going to get great sound on a cheap budget in an S. If you want great, that's fine you can have it but you have to be willing to spend money and get some nice stuff. But from what you've written here it doesn't sound like you want to do that.

I honestly think you need to figure out what you want out of your sound system, ignoring the price for a few minutes and then work towards that. Because you seem a little confused as to what your after here...

We can go back in forth like this all night but in the end you need to decide. It just doesn't sound like you know what your looking for.

How can you go from thinking a set of cheap coax speakers(I say cheap because you can get Infiniti Reference 6.5's for like $35-40 bucks) to Focal's in the same line of thought?

 

dude I think they are a waste because like I said, the S2000 is not a good platform for high end sound system PERIOD.

Its like saying the S2000 is not a good platform for a drag racer. Sure you can spend thousands and thousands of dollars to make it a little better each time but in the end, its not a great drag race car.

The amount of road noise and the characteristics of the car are simply not optimal for a great stereo system. You got exhaust noise from the back, engine noise from the front, wind whistling in from the top and thats all with the top up. Sure you can spend 5 grand on a system and be a little bit better than a 2 thousand dollar system, but to me, as you spend more especially in this car, the marginal improvements become very minute. Thats why I say "its not worth it."

I know some people love audio and love S2000s at the same time so Im not gonna say its stupid to spend a shitload on a stereo for a S2000.

What Im looking for is better sound clarity along with being able to hear stuff with the top down. I dont need to feel like I am in some concert hall. Right now, I can turn on the radio and not even understand the damn lyrics unless I turn the stereo to full blast and increase the impurities in the sound. When Im driving down the highway at 70mph in traffic, do you really think I can tell a huge difference between some Reference Coaxials and Focal comps?

 

anyway, lets switch the topic a little

lets say my budget is 1000 bucks

Alpine 9855
JL 300/2

what are decent components under $400 that will fit in a S2000 without any cutting etc?

 

Actually, the ones you should get are the Alpine Type-X components that he has. I ran them in my last car (a Camaro Z28 convertable) with the mids in the doors and the tweeters mounted in a custom fiberglass dash, it was amazing.

I know it sounds expensive, but you can get a set of Type-X components for $350-$400, and you can run them on 100 Watts with no problems.

The reason for picking these components is that they are specifically made for installs where the tweeter and the midrange are spaced further apart, they work fantastically in this environment and won't distort your Q. Plus you can win most SQ competitions with this set, which is saying a lot for the price tag.

 

are these the same speakers?

http://www.cbrstereo.com/index.asp?PageAct...WPROD&ProdID=27

 

Yes, fantastic price on those, but they probably don't have a warranty or proper support with them. If you don't need that stuff, great way to save $100. The other good thing about these (and most good component sets) is that the tweeter pods swivel so you can get the best imaging out of them. Great for installs into our cars.

 

The SPX-177a was the older model (up to 2003), the SPX-177r replaced it. Your link says SPX-177a, but that is in fact a picture of the 177r. Either would probably be nice, but most of the new stock nowadays will be the 177r. The differences are only in the color of the woofer cone (177a was deeper blue), and the tweeter. 177a used some sort of 1" dome tweeter while 177r uses a Vifa 19mm ring radiator tweeter which is supposed to be excellent.

The 177r can be found close to $200 unauthorized, from places like ikesound and fleabay. Buyer beware as usual. Back to your original question, the Focal 165v2 and CDT CL-61 will definitely fit with no cutting, only a modification or replacement of the plastic mounting ring. The 177R woofer will definitely fit, the tweeter should too though I am not 100% sure.

I recently picked up a set of the 2003 model flagship F17M, which has a similar mid-woofer to the Type X set but replaces the tweeter with a set of Scan-Speak made 28mm fabric domes which are normally sold for $310/pair. The whole set cost me $240 new on fleabay. Even though I have a set of focal and CDT that I would sell, I'd still say the Alpine works better for my tastes in this car. The Vifa sourced wood pulp cone midwoofer is pretty neutral and free of nasty peaks in the upper midrange, and the Alpine tweeters cross over fairly low which helps to curb some of the off-axis rolloff that you get when the woofer has to play too high. The Scan-Speak tweeter on the F17M is very laid back, which I like, but supposedly the one on the 177R is also very good and smaller for an easier install.

I'm sure there are plenty of other sets that fit, these are only the ones I have some experience with. There is also the option of buying raw drivers from a place like Madisound and using the internal crossover of an Alpine HU to run them active. You can get excellent results on a lower budget, but may need to do a little more research and work on the installation.

Peter

 

Wow thanks for the all the help. I havent checked ikesound in forever but the SPX-177R are only $215 there.

Would you suggest keeping my 75x2 Autotek supersport or going with more wattage like the JL 300/2?

I guess after 3 people suggest these comps for the S2000, I better listen.

 

What about the Boston Pro 60? Reviews suggest its one of the best under $500. I found a set for under 350 shipped.

Also, any amp recommendations that are more than 150x2. Maybe 200-220x2. Kicker kx550.2 with the boston pros?