yeah i would focus on the front components, rear speakers are a waste of money and you can always add a sub later if you want. as for how many channels, from what you said sounds like youre thinking about doing an active setup. which is when you bypass the passive crossovers that comes with the speakers and adjust the crossover points from either the headunit or amp. in which case youd need a four channel, one for each speaker and most importantly a headunit that has adjustable crossover. honestly an active setup is not for the faint of hearts, if you dont know what youre doing i would go for a 2 channel and stick with a passive setup. ive never tried kenwood but im pretty sure you can make it fit, may need to tuck the wires under the headunit though.

 

I have always been a fan of the eXcelon units but I do know that they stick out farther than Alpines and other shallow head units. I don't want it to conflict with my flip up S2000 lid at all. I know the Kenwoods feature multiple crossover features to adjust frequencies to all speakers (at least they did 10 years ago).
I'm looking for concert quality sound so I think that the JL ZR's and a beefy 4-Channel should do the trick mated with a head unit which would enable me to fine tune my albums on the fly.. The stock speakers have enough bass so I would automatically assume the JL's with a high powered amp would negate the need for a subwoofer. Trim the cost off the sub and get the doors Dynamatted.
BTW I found the JL's for almost half the cost of what I was quoted at the store from sonicelectronix.com. Now If only I can get that HD amp at a 50% discount I would be one happy camper!

 

You want concert quality sound and are mentioning JL?

Methinks you're going to be taken for a ride.

 

Well I want good quality for my price range. I payed $449.00 for a pair of $850.00 components, brand new. I don't want to pay thousands for top of the line breakthrough technology speakers...

 

Yeah you can put great speakers in, but I wouldnt go crazy either since the speaker position is less than ideal while being blocked by your leg =poor imaging. I picked up a set of Alpine SP-600 for the spring. You can do one thing at a time audio wise until you are satisfied...

 

I agree 100%. I bought these JL's because I heard them and have never had any complaints while owning their products for almost 10 years. I also got that at 50% off of what I would be paying elsewhere, Crutchfield, Local Stereo store, Ebay etc.. An under $200.00 Head Unit and a decent 4-Channel Amplifier is all I am aiming for at the moment. This isn't going to happen all at once until I have all of the pieces together. Thanks for your input!

 

Look, I can pick up far better speakers than those JLs for at or less than what you paid. That's precisely what I meant by "you're being taken for a ride".

Same goes for the Amps.

 

This is my first convertible. I've heard getting the highs is the key to an open car. I've already replaced my head unit and it made a world of difference. Before spring my plan is to install a nice set of JBL 2-way speakers in the doors and leave the stock tweeters right where they are...I've got an 03S2K. This set-up will essentially give me 2 tweeters per door. Most of my reading leads me to believe this should be what the car needs. Down the road I can still add an amp if I can't get adequate volume and maybe a small sub if I feel I need a bit more thump.

 

[QUOTE=jjgoff,Jan 4 2011, 06:01 PM] This is my first convertible. I've heard getting the highs is the key to an open car. I've already replaced my head unit and it made a world of difference. Before spring my plan is to install a nice set of JBL 2-way speakers in the doors and leave the stock tweeters right where they are...I've got an 03S2K. This set-up will essentially give me 2 tweeters per door.

 

Which "far better speakers" do you speak of? I'm extremely skeptical.. But Im all ears..