Speaker size & recommendations?

[Kaido]

Looking to add aftermarket speakers to my 2014 Kia Soul (base model, doesn't have the premium Infinity system). Not listed on Crutchfield yet (for sizing purposes), but Infinity has the sizes in millimeters here:

http://www.infinitysystems.com/kia-soul.html

I won't be installing the center speaker, but I will be installing the front & rear door mids & tweeters and a box subwoofer. Not quite sure what size speakers to go with...based off millimeters to inches conversions, they all look to be non-standard sizes and will possibly require baffle adapters. Plus the front tweeters have a goofy reflecting setup:

http://www.truedelta.com/images/mk_reviews/1384676955-Kia-Soul-tweeter-and-instrument-shade.JPG

I'm guessing 3/4" tweeters and 6.5" woofers, although the direct conversion is about 6.3" - I'd rather not have to pull apart the door only to find out that they don't fit, but since no one has done an upgrade on the 2014 model & posted it online, I don't really have any other way of finding out yet. I'm also not quite sure what they mean by the coaxial setup with the tweeter & woofer in the rear doors, if it's like a 6x9" or what (graphic is separate, but I'm sure they mean a single unit with the tweeter in the middle of the woofer); I'm not even sure if I need tweeters back there (as the Infinity website suggests).

I don't really have any set budget in mind, although I'm also not an audiophile, so a multi-thousand-dollar setup would be wasted on me. Not sure what brand to go with, either - Alpine, Infinity, Polk, Focal, Rockford, etc. I was also thinking of going the Parts Express route, although then I'd have to figure out the crossover stuff myself instead of just a plug & play system:

http://www.parts-express.com/vifa-ox20sc00-04-3-4-fabric-dome-tweeter--264-1002

http://www.parts-express.com/dayton-audio-nd140-4-5-1-4-aluminum-cone-midbass-driver-4-ohm--290-216

http://www.parts-express.com/vifa-ne149w-04-5-1-4-full-range-woofer--264-1082

I'll probably need a line converter if I want to do an external amp:

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=bl_sr_ca...l&node=1077068

Kicker has the CX series of amps, which are fairly compact: (probably hide under the seats or in the huge glovebox)

http://www.kicker.com/CX_Amplifiers

I'm not sure if I really need to do an external amplifier, but that will depend on the speakers I go with. I will be adding my own subwoofer box, but I want to do a break-away system since trunk space is limited and sometimes I'd need to remove it to haul stuff. I haven't seen an off-the-shelf system before, but I read about one guy who went the DIY route here:

http://www.diymobileaudio.com/forum/711691-post4.html

I also think I'd like to try throwing in some bass shakers into the front seats, probably the entry-level Clark Synthesis models:

http://www.amazon.com/Clark-Synthesi.../dp/B002IFEGNC

So for a parts list:

1. (2) tweeters
2. (2) mid-ranges
3. (3) mid-woofers
4. (2) bass shakers
5. (1) box sub
6. (1) 4-channel amplifier
7. (2) subwoofer amps (one to the sub, one to both transducers)
8. (1) line-out converter (for factory head unit)

It's been awhile since I put a car sound system in, so any suggestions are welcome!

 

[Smoove910]

I can't answer all of your questions, but I can offer some advice regarding brand names.

Tweets/mids - Image Dynamics are the shizzy
http://www.sonicelectronix.com/cat_m178_i7_image-dynamics-car-speakers.html

Subs - Fosgate, I use RE Audio SEX series sub (awesome). Dual 4ohm voice coil, so only a single sub was needed for my application
http://www.sonicelectronix.com/cat_m538_i39_re-audio-car-subwoofers.html

Amps - If you want small, fosgate has a compact model
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_no...+ultra+compact

I'm also looking at the new Soundstream Reference Series amps, although I have not actually heard them to compare. They are much, much larger though, but sound quality should be much, much better (if you have the ear for it):
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_no...am%20reference

As for bass shaker, I would opt out. Just more wires and shit you have to worry about hooking up. The fact of the matter is if you get the right box, with the right sub, and the right amount of power, you're going to have way more bass than you could ever hope for.

Lastly, if they sell the brand name at Walmart (exception of Pioneer), do not buy (cough, kicker, cough).

 

[Kaido]

I can't answer all of your questions, but I can offer some advice regarding brand names.

Thanks for the recommendations! I just remembered that the trunk has a false floor with a foam storage tray, so I could outfit that with regular-sized amps & some heat-proofing material. As far as the sub goes, I'm building a BFM Autotuba to stick in there and the bass shakers are more for a fun effect. One route I'm thinking of going is integrating a MiniDSP and then trying out an Air Motion Transformer tweeter:

http://www.parts-express.com/dayton-audio-amt2-4-air-motion-transformer-tweeter-4-ohm--275-092

And then setting up the car as a single front left/right speaker set - tweeter & mid-range in the front seat, the mid-woofer in the back seat doors, and subwoofer in the trunk. Not exactly sure how that'd sound, but that'd be basically give me a 3-way component system, which would be interesting. Plus lots of control with the MiniDSP, although that would probably be overkill, haha. I'm not exactly sure how a high-end tweeter would sound with the weird tweeter cone in the car though...

 

[monkeydelmagico]

I'd be willing to bet 6.5" in the doors. Rear tweeters are, IMHO, not needed. A decent 2 or 3 way speaker in the rear is fine. They are fillers anyways with the soundstage being the fronts.

Trying to use a mid-woofer in the rear doors will be a PITA. First, the size is just too small. Second, doors are nototiously difficult to make into any kind of a woofer. Better to have a small box or pre-made kicker.

 

[slugg]

Forego tweeters and woofers. Just get as many 15 inch subwoofers as you can afford.

 

[The Boston Dangler]

I'd be willing to bet 6.5" in the doors. Rear tweeters are, IMHO, not needed. A decent 2 or 3 way speaker in the rear is fine. They are fillers anyways with the soundstage being the fronts.

Trying to use a mid-woofer in the rear doors will be a PITA. First, the size is just too small. Second, doors are nototiously difficult to make into any kind of a woofer. Better to have a small box or pre-made kicker.

rear tweeters are counterproductive, and there's a good argument for no rear speakers at all.

 

[Kaido]

I'd be willing to bet 6.5" in the doors. Rear tweeters are, IMHO, not needed. A decent 2 or 3 way speaker in the rear is fine. They are fillers anyways with the soundstage being the fronts.

Trying to use a mid-woofer in the rear doors will be a PITA. First, the size is just too small. Second, doors are nototiously difficult to make into any kind of a woofer. Better to have a small box or pre-made kicker.

Yeah, the previous-gen Soul had an almost-6.75" speaker (odd size), so you could get away with using a 6.5" with a baffle adapter. I'm guessing it's the same with this one.

 

[Kaido]

rear tweeters are counterproductive, and there's a good argument for no rear speakers at all.

That's why I was thinking of doing a mid-woofer in the rear doors...have the component system up-front, mid-woofer in the back, and subwoofer in the trunk. Kind of spread it out a bit for fun. Or, go with a 3-way component system and use the rear doors for the third speaker portion, that would be kind of interesting!