Alright, this is intended as a little bit of a review because I was trying to find some speakers for my S. Long story short, using the search feature on this site made it really difficult to figure out which speakers worked well in the S.

I read a couple of posts on here that people used the Polk db6500's so those were on my short list for speakers. I PM'd PAS2KNut and he recommended some Infinity 6010cs speakers, great speakers I'm sure. I was almost about to order those but then I remembered reading on here time and time again that a speaker should be listened to FIRST before deciding to purchase.

It just so happened that a Circuit City just down the street from me had the db6500s in stock and hooked up in their listening booth. I was able to listen to them powered thru a head unit and also powered via an external amp. I loved them! So I bought a set and installed them.

At the moment I just have the stock head unit in my '03, I have an Alpine 9885 in the mail though. I'll update on how that sounds. What I can say is that even with the stock head unit these speakers are night and day better than the factory units. The sound stage just opened up when I turned these things on for the first time, they sound great! They fit in the factory speaker baskets without any modifications (no need to cut the basket), the install was a snap. I know lots of people like to upgrade their head unit first but I would recommend a set of speakers like these first. They're extremely efficient so they sound great even with the factory head unit. If I had one minor complaint it would be that the tweeters are extremely bright, I found myself turning the treble way down to even out the sound.

Just a shameless plug for some of the major contributors to this section. I ordered a Modifry DCI late Friday afternoon. I received a ship confirmation on Saturday, USPS had it to my door today (Monday). Now that's what I call fast service! Thanks Modifry!

And thanks to all the guys that post their FAQs, howtos, and pictures of their setups. These helped me a bunch because I'm new to this stereo stuff. Lots of people post questions or problems but I wanted this post to be a compliment to this forum. You guys rock!

UPDATE:

My Alpine 9885 arrived yesterday so I sat down for a few hours and got it installed. If I had to do this again it would take me an hour tops. This was my first time so I went extra slow and tried to get everything right (being that I'm an EJ virgin and all ).

The Alpine unit is incredible compared to the stock system. Just being able to fine tune the bass and treble controls helps tremendously. I realize compared to many of the setups on this forum mine is incomparable but, I can honestly say that I'm very pleased with the results. I would recommend the Alpine 9885 to anyone looking to upgrade the factory HU in the S2000. I found it easy to use and the screen is great! The fit is perfect and the radio door closes just fine.

I have a few questions about my install that some of the more experienced people might be able to answer.

1) Is the wiring harness supposed to be pressed right up against the heatsink on the back of the head unit? It's such a tight fit back there that the head unit doesn't have any room to breath. After listening in the car for a few hours I pulled the head unit out and the heat sinks on the back were so hot that I could not comfortably hold my hand on them. Is it safe to keep the wiring harness and the head unit sandwiched against each other like that?

2) How do I remove the passenger side knee pad? I removed the only screw I could see that was holding it in place. It doesn't seem like it wants to come out. Do I just need to pull harder or is there a hidden attachment point that I'm missing?

3) Nevermind, I found the answer to this question here. I bought a Modifry wired DCI and modifry radio harness with my Alpine HU. I can't get the mute button on my DCI to work. I've tried connecting DCI violet to the radio harness violet. I've also tried connecting the DCI blue to the radio harness violet, in both cases neither one gave me a mute/att function. What am I missing here?

 

Good job doing your homework and getting the job done! Enjoy your new gear!

 

i just installed the polk momo MMC 6500's with a rockford amp and the alpine CDA-9883.. WOW i cant believe the clarity of sound coming out when it is turned up really loud... i can hear it perfectly going over 100 mph wit the top down

 

Actually, while these speakers are VASTLY superior to the stock ones, what you are hearing is your money spending placebo. Technically speaking, the sound in your car got worse. Since you got better speakers, that reproduce sound better, and clearer than stock, you basically are taking the crappy signal that your stock headunit puts out, and are making it clearer.

The analogy of this would be...

Imagine someone that really annoys you everytime they open their mouth....

Now, give them a megaphone.

However, none of this matters, as you are getting the Alpine, THEN you'll be hearing the good stuff.

 

I find the db6500's way too bright. Even when I turn the higher frequencies down through the headunit, I think it's still too bright. S's turn slightly hissy.

 

how can you compare Polk db6500' and infinity kappa perfect 6.1? which is more clear using a amp?

 

The polks have slightly better bass response. The Kappas IMHO are better for vocal mids, and all highs, especially metal instruments (cymbals, guitar strings, etc)

 

Added updates to my original post, including HU install and wired DCI questions.

 

Modifry's wired DCI works great! I'm really impressed by that thing, I retained all my factory dash controls and gained some neat functionality (change up/down folders on my MP3 disks, etc. etc.). Highly recommended, adds that final level of detail that makes for a clean, functional install.