Need wisdom from the audiophile guys!

[Swankmotee]

A couple of years ago my 94' Integra GSR was stolen along with all my top-o-the-line stereo equipment that I had spent years and countless dollars amassing. The list included a Nakamichi TD560 head unit,NAK Musicbank 6 cd changer, Yamaha digital equilizer, McIntosh MC440 5 way amp, Rane crossover, Diamond premium 6.5 seperates with custom kickpanel mounts,Diamond MacDaddy 10"sub with custom enclosure,PG cap, and all Mogami interconnects. It sounded great and was truly dialed for the car and as you can imagine I haven't been the same way since! I have recently acquired another 94' GSR to replace my beloved and am in the throws of building another system with alot less cash to throw around. My question is... which speakers are the "best" audiophile seperates these days? Which multi channel power amp is a "best" buy these days? I still have a mint TD560 which I am working on mating with an older Nak cd changer and hope to get it back remotely close to where I was before. Any thoughts,observations, and tips would be greatly appreciated since I have been away from this stuff for quite a few years and need a Cliffnote catch up course!

[Perry Babin]

Although I like the old-school equipment, there's no reason to use it nowadays. A good quality head unit with a USB input will do everything that the older equipment will do and will be much more reliable. There's was nothing as unreliable as CD changers. If you don't like MP3 audio, use a hard drive or a large capacity flash drive and rip your CDs to wav files.

You should find a dealer that sells Focal speakers and go listen to them.

[Glowbug]

For complete component sets, I've become a big fan of the Hybrid Audio stuff.

Individual drivers, there's so many good choices out there. Scan Speak, Audio Technology, Seas, Peerless, Vifa, Hiquphon, etc, etc.

If I were in your shoes, I'd find a local MECA, IASCA or USACi show (this is the prime season for them now, and you're centrally located to many) and listen to as many different kinds as you can. See what you like, and what you don't. Hearing them in-car, in a vehicle tuned for SQ competition can be a very different experience than on a sound board.

[amc32]

Can't go wrong with DLS component speakers. But nothing is better than DIY

[Swankmotee]

Thanx to all of you for putting me onto some other speaker brands that do look really interesting! Only problem is the pricetag because the premium MB Quarts 6.5 seperates are alot cheaper and sound really great and can take the beating I give my stuff since I like loud rock stuff as well as softer music. I'm still a vintage Nak purist and can't quite get on with the losses of digital sonics but do get your point about cd problems which I never dealt with since I taped most of my stuff from my ZX-9 at home. I have had Focal stuff in the past but it couldn't hang with higher volume abuse for very long before giving up but that was a long time ago and I'm sure their stuff is alot more durable now. I'm looking into all your suggestions and please keep them coming!

[Glowbug]

I'm not a huge fan of Focal because of their tweets, but I've definitely heard their stuff take some abuse; in a properly-set up installation you should have no problems with reliability

You make a good point, though...the brand of the speakers really is the last part of it. The time and energy put into the installation is really where the benefits are...

[Swankmotee]

Originally Posted by Glowbug

I'm not a huge fan of Focal because of their tweets, but I've definitely heard their stuff take some abuse; in a properly-set up installation you should have no problems with reliability

You make a good point, though...the brand of the speakers really is the last part of it. The time and energy put into the installation is really where the benefits are...

That is exactly the problem I had with them when the tweeters blew after a short time but while they were working they sounded excellent. I have to admit that it has been quite a few years since I built that system and audiophile car stuff has come a long way but I'm really wanting to home in on the best sounding "bang for my buck" these days. I've run MB Quart stuff before and really liked it except for the stiff and fatiquing tweeters but it is hard to not like the low price of their premium stuff. How do they rate these days with you guys compared to the other lines already mentioned? The Diamond seprates I had last were "ok" and way too pricey in my book so I won't be going there because they didn't give me the warmth and sound stage like the Focals did. I come from an MR background where I was spoiled listening to playbacks on Genelec studio monitors and really want that kind of clarity out of my car speakers. Do you guys think two way or three way work better? I sincerely thank you for your help since I'm weighing all options.

[Glowbug]

It depends on your vehicle's layout and how much time you want to invest...personally, I've heard some amazing installs either way, but my current favorite cars are mostly 3-way

The MBQs I've heard were alright, but I'd rather piece together something from raw drivers and use an electronic crossover instead of relying on a pre-built passive.

[Swankmotee]

Originally Posted by Glowbug

It depends on your vehicle's layout and how much time you want to invest...personally, I've heard some amazing installs either way, but my current favorite cars are mostly 3-way

The MBQs I've heard were alright, but I'd rather piece together something from raw drivers and use an electronic crossover instead of relying on a pre-built passive.

Thanx for your thoughts but I don't have the kind of money to buy 2K or more of Focal 3-ways! Sure wish I did though and that is the dilemma. There are so many variations and no way to preview this stuff it's a real crap shoot.

[Glowbug]

Re-read what I said

There are ways to hear this stuff in person, and where you are makes it easier than most.

Also, check out some of the other brands I mentioned...specifically Vifa and Peerless. This stuff doesn't have to be $2k