Speaker recommendation in-dash

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dhowlan

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Joined 2008
#1
I'm thinking about using something like these 4x10 replacement plates in my Valiant. http://www.forabodiesonly.com/mopar/showthread.php?t=41543
(halfway down)

Does anyone have a recommendation on what would be good for this? I'm thinking a mid-range and tweeter combination, but I haven't bought anything audio for a car in about 20 years. I don't want to put speakers in the doors or kick panels. I think if something decent were mounted in-dash and pointed in the right direction, the sound reflected off the windshield could be decent.

Thoughts?

Thanks.
 
#2
Are you going to run rears? If you expect bass out of them you need to go big. Maybe try to fit a set of 5x7 comps in there with the tweeters to the outside? 4x6 or smaller will sound weak without some rears that make bass, even 5x7 or 6.5 round are minimal. If you have room attach a 3/4 ply spacer to it to mount a larger speaker, IMO even if the hole is smaller the sound is better because it has some bass. I'd even stuff 6x9 in there if possible, I've done it before in various cars.😉
 
#4
I think if something decent were mounted in-dash and pointed in the right direction, the sound reflected off the windshield could be decent.
Click to expand...

Decent is about all you'll get with a simple adapter and two little speakers like that. Don't spend a lot of money on 3" autosound speakers, especially for this location!

You can easily make the adapter by tracing the factory 4x10 outline onto a piece of plywood or aluminum. Add a bit of adhesive backed foam on the front to seal it up against the dash.

You can augment the lower midrange/midbass by building in little enclosures behind the speakers. PVC, wood, a fiberglass 'box', even a capped cardboard tube soaked with epoxy or polyester resin -anything will help.

Old American cars (I'm assuming a mid-60's Valiant, 273cid?) are so open under the dash that the sound from the backside of the speakers can easily pollute what you hear.

If you can isolate that backwave, it will be worth the effort. And if you can provide a box of (even remotely) the correct size for the speaker, it will help that much more in bringing the music up front where it belongs by making the midbass/lower midrange more substantial.

jol50's suggestion of bigger is right on, if you have room.

if not...

There are some decent full-range 3"-4" speakers out there if you look past the standard car audio market:

http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?&Partnumber=264-811

These would fare very well in something like a 4"x10" enclosure 3" to 5" deep, and won't require a tweeter.

Plenty of other similar options out there, too.
 
#5
Last time I did that I ran 3.5 coax in a dash, but I had 6.5 in doors so they were mostly tweeters. I would make a ply plate to mount under dash and put the largest thing that would fit. If not up to making a box you could try the foam baffles you can get for doors, but they don't work as well as a box of sorts would.
 
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