Quote:
Originally Posted by KVMan50
Kaigoss69, are you honestly telling me that the quality and design of your speaker doesn't make a huge difference in how your car will sound? What is the point of all those speakers on the wall at your local car audio dealer if not to choose something that sounds good to your ears. Generally in my experience, if you listen to the different range of speakers from the same manufacturer, the more expensive ones usually sound better. Not because of the cost, but because they usually put better components on their more expensive speakers. Rockford, JBL, Alpine, Pioneer, whoever make many speakers of whatever size and sonic quality. There is a huge difference in speakers and to my reasonably educated ears (40 years of music listening appreciation, concerts, good stereos, etc), speakers give the best bang for the buck.
As to your visit to Vancouver, I am available for stereo listening between Jul 30 and Aug 2 at different times. I don't really want to put one of the stock speakers back in the car to prove to you that the sound is better with the BSWs, but I will. Send me a pm when you'll be available and I'll check this board regularly
You know, the thing that pisses me off if you calling me a liar. I put this review up to give my honest opinion, and get called a liar. I have no axe to grind, nothing to prove and I get attacked like I am a paid lackey. Not nice, and why would I ever want to contribute to a board if this is what you get for contributing.
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Look, let me give you an example: I once installed Focal 100KP speakers in my doors. At $800 a pair, these are arguably some of the best and most expensive speakers you can fit in this car. As expected, the reviews are overwhelmingly positive, but you will also find some people who say they hate them, personal preference I guess. I happen to like them. I ran them off of the OEM amp at one time and to be honest, they did not sound much better than the L7 speakers. I was not surprised however, as I knew the limitations of the OEM amp and DSP, and the fact that even the Focal was not a dramatic upgrade in quality over the L7s. However, with a different DSP and amp, the Focals became different speakers. I guess you could say their full potential was unlocked with the help of a good DSP, a decent external amp, and some manual adjustments to the EQ and time delay. I was happy, but I always wondered if it would sound different/better if a pro had done the tuning for me. Fast forward to today: New car (335) with L7 system. I installed a JBL MS-8 processor as a first step with the intent to later upgrade the speakers with the Focals. Well, let me just say that the first step was also the last step (with regards to mids and highs). No need to do anything more. Above 150Hz the system sounds as good as I have ever experienced in a car. I cannot fathom it sounding any better than this. There was a small part of me that wondered, but those concerns were quickly put to rest when I read about the 325i with the MS-8 processor that won the IASCA SQ sound-off. That confirms what I am hearing: The L7 speakers with the right DSP and amplification will give top-notch sound.
So in the end, my experience is this: The quality difference between good and great component speakers is very small to begin with, and can be totally overcome through the implementation of a great DSP, such as the MS-8.
Sorry to call you a liar, perhaps my words were too strong. Given the history of biased reviews on this board however, it surely smelled like one.
Edit: I was half joking when I suggested we could meet, and actually I would have been glad to do so, but I am already back home now.