mixing different brand speakers. How will it sound?
 

Ok, I'm gonn have Kenwood 6 1/2's, in the back and Blaupunkt 6x8's in the back. I'm going with Blaupunkt in the back bacause they are a lot cheaper than Kenwood 6x8's Will it be ok to "mix and match" speakers? Will this have any affect on sound quality? Or should I just buy all the same brand speakers? Oh hell maybe I'll just take my Kenwoods back and get Pioneer.

In my F-150, I have Polks in the doors and Boston Acoustics 5"x7"'s in the back, all in their stock locations, and it sounds awesome. Of course, there's also two amps under the center seat, and a 100 watt Bazooka behind the passenger seat, but you get the idea.

Take care,
-Chris

It shouldnt matter about the brands the only problem i could see is mixing good speakers with less quality ones. I would definently take the kenwoods back and get the pioneers. Infinity would be better but thier kinda expensive IMO. Alpine makes good speakers but I dunno if they make them in 6x8 size.

Later,
Nick

i agree with Midnite. Using high quality speakers from different brands can be more rewarding soundwise and alot better sounding that sticking with one brand. I have kickers, pioneers and Orions in my stang and it sounds superb but I could use a little more clarity and bass :p I also have tweeters mounted right above the rear seats that sound pretty cool

why limit yourself to a brand that may make a perfect mid range speaker, but have really bad tweeters? i have clarion, blaupunkt, pioneer, and rockford in my car and it sounds great! my highs are supported by seperates in the fronts with 1" tweeters mounted high in the doors, and mids low in the doors. that really cleans up the sound!

Just don't put different speakers on the side (like on the doors and such) it might sound lopsided. Front and rear speakers could be mixed and it could wind up sounding good, matters what your mixing up.

A good amp makes a BIG difference, find one with a low THD. I had a pioneer amp and it was stolen along with my head unit and I replaced the system and got talked into an eclipse amp. I wondered why my system didn't sound nearly as clear as before(same speakers) until someone pointed out the THD ratings:confused:. I paided $250 for an amp with a .1 THD when I could have had one with a .003 THD for less:mad:. I'm shopping a new amp now. I'm thinking pioneer or PPI..

I was searching www.pricescan.com the other night and found this site www.etronics.com. I can't recommend etronics because I've never used them, but they have some KILLER prices. You may want to inquire if their products are new, if you decide to order from them. I have ordered from buy.com a few times, I can recommend them.. no problems/fast delivery. Still, you can find better prices by using pricescan.

I never had kenwood before but I can tell you Pioneer is good unless you put an amp befind them. I added a 30watt Pioneer amp and cracked all my Pioneer 6 1/2s(the 'good' ones). I replaced with infinity kappas(can be had for $99 through Crutchfield), they have stood the test and come with a 3 yr warranty. There is better than infinity, I'm told(Polk, MB quartz?), .. but I'm happy with mine. :)

The only real problem with mixing speakers is voice matching, speakers all sound a little different with the same power and source. If you buy the same brand and line of a high quality speaker they should be voice matched, meaning they will sound just like each other.
This usually isn't a big deal in the normal car setup for a couple of reasons:
Most people can't hear the difference anyway.
In a car you have more noise that will muddy up the music, so it's even harder to tell the difference.
Speaker locations in a car are not exactly ideal.


It's really just a matter of your listening preference, If you are a music connosuier(sp?) listen to some other systems and see what you like.

If you are going to externally power the speakers be sure to use a crossover, that is best way to get crisp sound from all your speakers, then they only produce the frequencies they were made for.

Sorry for being so long but stereos are my second favorite thing.