Speaker Comparison
 

I just bought four Rockford Fosgate Punch P1683 6x8 3-way speakers from Crutchfield. I installed the rear speakers today (before the rain came down and forced me inside). When I compare the Rockford Fosgates in the rear and the Factory speakers in the front, the rear speakers seem to need more volume and bass from the head unit. They don't sound bad, just not as much volume or bass response as I expected. Can anyone tell me why this is? And, will it change once I put the P1683s up front??

Thanks!
Jay
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2009 FX4 SCrew

cheaper quality speakers are designed to be driven with less power because they are just not as good. Better speakers require more power but the sound quality is better than the cheaper speakers.

Wykd is correct. The sensitivity of those 6x8's is probably in the 90db range... the stock speakers are a bit higher. What you get with the aftermarket drivers is headroom, the ability to use more power without creating distortion.

I bet the factory are a lower impedence

I am having the same issue. I have the crossovers still connected, but I am going to try and hook them up straight in and see if that changes. My Infinity speakers are 94db sensitivity, so you would think they were more efficient. It could be that the factory speakers are just tuned to the head unit..

Same problem here, changed all 4 to kicker 6x8's and they do sound better but still not powerful enough. Has anyone added an amp to the factory headunit? I don't want to change the look but also don't want engine noise.

Thanks for the replies! I may be outside replacing the front speakers tonight... I can't wait to hear the difference, but I have a feeling I'm now in the market for a sub. Maybe a powered bazooka?? But, where to mount it? I leave the passenger side bench down for my 6 year old's booster seat. The driver side bench stays up 99.9% of the time, and has a mobile ham radio unit mounted to the bottom. But, I don't think there's enough clearance for a Bazooka tube under the rear seat.

Jay

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2009 FX4 SCrew

I would pass on the powered sub. If your fixing to replace the front speakers also just pony up a little more cash and get a nice 5 channel amp. This way you can power all 4 speakers and have power to push a sub some what if you want.

Normally I would only power a sub or run 1 amp dedicated to the subs and 1 to the speakers but in a truck I think you will get enuff juice out of a multi channel amp to cover your desire to have clarity and some volume.

We just put a mb quartz 5 channel from the onyx line of amps into my bro's suv. it pushes everything nicely. I think it has 4 channels @ 80w plus the sub channel at 500w. Just enuff to the speakers to give it a little volume and thump from the sub. It will not rattle the paint of the car but sounds nice.

I suddenly see myself doing a lot more audio work this weekend. Does the factory head unit have pre-amp outs?

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2009 FX4 SCrew

I dont know which factory unit you have Sony Nav? THe factory head unit has no pre outs so you have to get a hi/lo converter. Or a couple companies sell adpater harness's that have pre-outs. The factory speakers have a 2 ohm rating and the aftermarket speakers are almost all 4 ohm. They dont need as much power to drive them however they dont play as loud either. A 5 channel amp is the way to fly as space is limited but I have seen a couple very nice two amp setups. I would also do seperates up front and order Sony Nav tweeter pods for the front to match the color of your truck.... But thats me.....

i am using kenwood amps in my set up and they have auto sense, therefore they dont require the line out converters or a remote wire. I am happy with the power they produce and the sound is pretty clean without spending a fortune.

I appreciate all the feedback from everyone. And, as much as I wanted to do this upgrade, I just don't have the time to do it myself. So, since I couldn't find an installer to install the amp the way I wanted (no LOC), I have pulled the Rockford Fosgates from the truck and listed both pairs of 6x8's, plus the amp/remote combo on eBay. If anyone is interested, here are the links:

Rockford Fosgate 1683 6x8 3-ways(Practically new, installed and removed)

Rockford Fosgate 1683 6x8 3-ways (New In Box)

JL Audio 700/5 5-Channel Amp & HD-RLC Remote Level Control (New In Box)

Thanks!
Jay

This is what I want to do. Replace all four speakers and add an amp only. How can I do this cheaply and cleanly so everything looks factory. Also where to mount the amp ? Under driver seat ? Any info would be nice.

I want to do this, too.

Get one of thesehttp://www.audiocontrol.com/31215/pr...Converter.html

This is what I did, keeping the factory Head Unit. I am running Focal 165V30 in the front door. With a JL Audio 10" sub. All powered by an Eclipse EA4000 four channel amp. It is more than enough for my truck. The amp and control unit are under the passenger side seats and the sub under the drivers side seat. I picked the sub box up from supercrewsound.com


Sir James...

Thanks. Did you do the work yourself or did you hire someone to do the install? If you hired a shop, would you recommend them?

for those that don't want to add an amp and just want factory replacements, check out JBL or infinity 6x8. They are all 2 ohm and from what I've read, are great factory replacements as they produce a lot of bass.

I got a brand new in the box audiocontrol lc8i LOC that I didn't end up using since I swapped out the factory head unit. If anyone is interested hit me up Ill cut you a good deal since I just want to get rid of it.

Would these fit my '11 XLT Scab? with non Sony factory stereo?

Amp w/ stock head unit & P1683 3 way speakers
 

This is a response to the Amp question. On my 2008 F150 I installed a Clarion 4 channel amp (XC1410) with the Rockford Fosgate P1683 3 ways and the system sounds very good. The Amp was extremely easy to install and is stored underneath the dash tray above the head unit. This is just another option to use an amplifier with the stock head unit that has worked very well for me.

I added 4 kicker door speakers and a Kicker Hideaway and I literally hate not being in my truck. It's the best system I've had in a vehicle. Loud, but not over the top.