Good aftermarket speakers - 6.5 inch using factory headunit?

Glad to hear! I used my earlier described setup with addition of the spare tire mounted subwoofer. Really woke it up. I left that middle speaker alone. I replaced it but it degraded the sound, so I reinstalled the original and added a piece of cloth to tone it done just a little. I wish it was a bit louder, but now it’s been in for a year and love the sound overall
 
I looked at your speaker pic. China and 4ohm. Mine were Vietnam and 2 ohm. I can see why you say the rears “woke up”, putting the 3 ohm infinity in place.
 
Okay... so I realized after I "cranked" up the volume to 22 (about 65%) that I have serious clipping starting around 21 on certain hard hitting bass, and it just gets worse the higher you go. I ordered the 6532IX infinity rear speakers.. NOT the 6532EX.. Is this going to be an issue that will go away once I replace the fronts, or should I swap out the rear speakers for the EX ones? Its "only" 5 watt difference RMS 55/165 watts for the EX and 60/180 watt for the IX.

I think im tapping out the factory amp already as the clipping starts before distortion... Maybe the speakers need more watts than my factory "amp" can provide and with lesser watt speakers the clipping would go away is my thinking. Is this correct? :unsure:

Thanks!
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Front speakers arrived. Installation was a breeze. They sound phenomenal even on the factory watts.. I had to take the bass down a legit four notches. I will probably keep the rear speakers because now I can’t ever get it loud enough for it to clip lol.. and I really don’t want to do the job again.

I think this is a wrap for this thread. Thank you everyone for the suggestions, feedback input etc. always appreciated..
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Keep in mind “premium” branded sound has weird speaker impedances - the JBL system in Toyotas, which is not too much off from your Hyundai Infinity system is known to mix 1-6ohm speakers. Aftermarket speakers are usually 4ohm.

To install an aftermarket amp, you’ll need an interface or a total aftermarket deck replacement. AFAIK, from toying with a Toyota, the factory amp gets fed a stereo audio signal and the volume knob on the radio is actually a gain adjustment on the amp, not the radio. The radio sends messages over AVC-LAN or CAN to the amp for gain/fade/DSP.

Hyundai systems can be tricky if amplified - they use a SPDIF connection between radio and amp.
 
Update: The rear speakers arrived today with the wire connectors and I have to say. It wasn’t easy 😂 I feel for the people that do this for a living.

used the rear speakers as a base plate and put in the new speakers inside of that base plate after cutting the speakers out of it. Otherwise even with the small adapter that is included there wasn’t enough space and the speaker frame was hitting the inside walls of the cut out for speaker sheet metal. But all in all, all the clips went back and shockingly not one of them broke all the plastic is good and everything is really secure.


The rear speakers sound so much fuller, the base is a different frequency and it’s tighter mid range sounds phenomenal and the treb is pretty clear without being overly pronounced. As a whole it sounds really great.

If the rear speakers sound this good even on the cut frequency of the factory head unit I am really excited for the front ones.

Oh and here’s a couple photos of the factory 20 W speakers.
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The rears are usually an improvement over stock. However, the fronts you will lose some mid-bass.
 
I suspect the distortion with bass is a result of the cones moving in or out beyond the reach of the magnet (motor structure) and therefore losing control of cone motion, until it snaps back in for another round. There’s not much you can do in an “open baffle” design such as a car door to make that better. Depending on the adjustments you have in the head unit, rolling off the lowest frequencies, such as anything under (pick a number) 80, 100, or 120hz will preserve decent low frequency information while taking out frequencies that can send speaker cones wild.

Technically, “clipping“ refers to an amp reaching max V and flattening out the signal which still wants to be “round.” i don’t think that’s what you’re describing, but if it’s actually the amp clipping, it’s simply at max output. It’s easier reached with inefficient speakers pulling a lot of current, or in some cases where in simple terms, the momentum of a traveling cone is too hard for the amp to slow down to reverse direction - the cone is back feeding power in every stroke which the amp must absorb and counter. Slew rate and damping factor are the words typically thrown around here.

ps - it’s harder to control unwanted cone motion on low impedence (ohms) speakers. So, while the 2.3 ohm and whatnot speakers are increasingly popular, they can contribute some to this challenge.
 
The distortion is coming from your factory amp, not the speakers. If you can’t send enough clean power to the speakers, it will sound like crud because of the signal, NOT the speaker. This is why it’s a bad idea to put a speaker with a high RMS rating paired with an amp that can at best supply 1/4 of the rated power of the speakers. The speakers need enough power to cleanly drive the cones.

You’d be MUCH happier with a 30W RMS speaker with a 75W RMS amp than the reverse. You’re asking the amp to provide more voltage & current than it’s rated for in your case; I’d seriously look into adding an amp like a Kicker Key-200.4 which will likely fit inside the dash.

Think of it this way- you can drive a lower power speaker to it’s full output while the aftermarket amp is cruising along at 0.1-0.5% distortion, or in your case you’re at best getting halfway to driving the speaker as intended at the point your amp is hitting 10% or more distortion. Generally, any time distortion on the amp signal exceeds 1%, you are going to hear terrible results no matter what the speakers are rated to handle.

As a final note, distortion above 1% will kill a speaker orders of magnitudes faster than powering say a 55W RMS speaker with 75W of nice, clean power. The problem isn’t the Infinity’s, it’s your factory head unit.
 
The distortion is coming from your factory amp, not the speakers. If you can’t send enough clean power to the speakers, it will sound like crud because of the signal, NOT the speaker. This is why it’s a bad idea to put a speaker with a high RMS rating paired with an amp that can at best supply 1/4 of the rated power of the speakers. The speakers need enough power to cleanly drive the cones.

You’d be MUCH happier with a 30W RMS speaker with a 75W RMS amp than the reverse. You’re asking the amp to provide more voltage & current than it’s rated for in your case; I’d seriously look into adding an amp like a Kicker Key-200.4 which will likely fit inside the dash.

Think of it this way- you can drive a lower power speaker to it’s full output while the aftermarket amp is cruising along at 0.1-0.5% distortion, or in your case you’re at best getting halfway to driving the speaker as intended at the point your amp is hitting 10% or more distortion. Generally, any time distortion on the amp signal exceeds 1%, you are going to hear terrible results no matter what the speakers are rated to handle.

As a final note, distortion above 1% will kill a speaker orders of magnitudes faster than powering say a 55W RMS speaker with 75W of nice, clean power. The problem isn’t the Infinity’s, it’s your factory head unit.
thank you! I think I will order the EX version infinitiy and swap out the rears - that's a lesser watt RMS speaker maybe would be less taxing on the very small amp.

But to note... the clipping "could" of been user error as I had the fade set to the rear 20%. (Fade R 2). From the factory it sounds like it is front bias so I set the fade to the rear to "equal" it out... But since I now know and hear the difference even more so after the speaker replacement I really don't believe the rear speakers are meant to be anything more than filler sound and the fronts are getting the "clear" full signal / watts.. so now I set fade to 0 F/R or even F1, as the rear speakers are not getting a good clean signal but a cut frequency and also watts. The bass is -4 and with the "new" fade adjustment sounds very pleasing.. I do notice though again its front bias and I don't even hear the rear speakers unless I really listen for them but it was the same way on factory speakers.. that's why I had it set to rear 2.. Im just comparing it to the other Hyundais / Kias and the Koup is the only one with this sound stage. the Sonata has a "equal" sound stage. Only thing I can think of it because its 2 door, the manufacturer adjusted the acoustics of the sound for the two-door set up and smaller interior?.

Either way It does not sound bad, and since im trying my best to keep the factory headunit atm, (next year project) look and feel, im very happy with the results. quick note about the clipping after fade adjustment even in mid 20's on volume playing a CD no clipping from the rears. XM seems to have a MUCH different bit rate on sound and the bass on some stations is pretty "boomy" so I can play low 20's without distortion - now distortion happens before the clipping from the rears. My normal volume is about 17 even with the windows down -19 if im in a great mood :LOL:
 
Consider also that you are asking the amp to provide more
thank you! I think I will order the EX version infinitiy and swap out the rears - that's a lesser watt RMS speaker maybe would be less taxing on the very small amp.

But to note... the clipping "could" of been user error as I had the fade set to the rear 20%. (Fade R 2). From the factory it sounds like it is front bias so I set the fade to the rear to "equal" it out... But since I now know and hear the difference even more so after the speaker replacement I really don't believe the rear speakers are meant to be anything more than filler sound and the fronts are getting the "clear" full signal / watts.. so now I set fade to 0 F/R or even F1, as the rear speakers are not getting a good clean signal but a cut frequency and also watts. The bass is -4 and with the "new" fade adjustment sounds very pleasing.. I do notice though again its front bias and I don't even hear the rear speakers unless I really listen for them but it was the same way on factory speakers.. that's why I had it set to rear 2.. Im just comparing it to the other Hyundais / Kias and the Koup is the only one with this sound stage. the Sonata has a "equal" sound stage. Only thing I can think of it because its 2 door, the manufacturer adjusted the acoustics of the sound for the two-door set up and smaller interior?.

Either way It does not sound bad, and since im trying my best to keep the factory headunit atm, (next year project) look and feel, im very happy with the results. quick note about the clipping after fade adjustment even in mid 20's on volume playing a CD no clipping from the rears. XM seems to have a MUCH different bit rate on sound and the bass on some stations is pretty "boomy" so I can play low 20's without distortion - now distortion happens before the clipping from the rears. My normal volume is about 17 even with the windows down -19 if im in a great mood :LOL:
i tried to explain this earlier with my first post, and why I went with lower wattage speakers in the rear. The distortion could also be from trying to get deep bass from speakers that only provide a mid bass. In My system, the front is biased louder than the rears. My thinking if Hyundai believes the three (5) speakers in the front would overwhelm the rear. Passengers in the rear would get enough to “balance” their listening position. Mine is also tuned that I can turn it full volume without distortion, unlike older radios where you could turn to max volume and distort the crap out of it. I have a Yamaha home receiver that does the same thing. It’s the one thing in mine ineish I could override.
 
thank you! I think I will order the EX version infinitiy and swap out the rears - that's a lesser watt RMS speaker maybe would be less taxing on the very small amp.
I'm guessing the 5 watt difference between the EX and the IX won't make that much difference.

While I have the IX 6.5's in the front doors and the bass is ok it is not near as good as the 6x9 in the rear.
 
OP if you want to keep those speakers, look at the Kicker Key series and the Rockford Fosgate BR series. They’re amps that will literally fit inside your dash to simplify installation, and make your overall system sound MUCH better.

More power isn’t just a Tool Time motto; with speakers it absolutely is better to have more available clean amplifier power than maximum rated speaker capability.
 
I have had Polks in my Pontiac Vibe for 10 years and they are usually about 100 bucks a pair. To me they sound fantastic and have a rubber surround that can take a beating LOL. As someone said earlier the highs can be a bit piercing but that can be adjusted with your preset EQ to compensate.
 
I'm guessing the 5 watt difference between the EX and the IX won't make that much difference.

While I have the IX 6.5's in the front doors and the bass is ok it is not near as good as the 6x9 in the rear.
Update: No more clipping from rear speakers at higher volumes. The Infinity EX had a smaller magnet vs the Infinity IX was the most obvious difference. Installation was straightforward since I did it already once and the rear EX sound pretty nice considering the watts and signal they are being sent. Honestly I'm very happy with the sound now and would like to see if I can get away without aftermarket amp and head unit for the time being as just upgrading the speakers was such a positive improvement.

But now I have a new issue. panel vibration rattles. Might be dynamat everything as suggested. With the Infinity speakers the bass "hits" differently vs the oem speakers. Its bass you can "feel" vs the "booming" oem speakers..
 
I had to do it as the final touch - removed the badge off of the speaker grills that came with the aftermarket infinity speakers, sanded down the post and then used a super strong adhesive to attach it to the door panel’s slightly above the speakers. It’s just enough to complement the other badge on the radio.
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2.5 month update!

The infinity speakers are now "broken in" and sound better then ever.

With the new speakers I've noticed how bad XM sounds now but otherwise im very pleased. Bass is strong with a nice mid and treble range to equal it out. The speakers are very "lively" and make the factory watts sound a lot more than what's really there.

I was looking at oem parts diagram and it appears there IS a small dedicated amp P/N (963701M200) in the passenger rear wheel well. That might explain why the speakers sound as good as they do.
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2.5 month update!

The infinity speakers are now "broken in" and sound better then ever.

With the new speakers I've noticed how bad XM sounds now but otherwise im very pleased. Bass is strong with a nice mid and treble range to equal it out. The speakers are very "lively" and make the factory watts sound a lot more than what's really there.

I was looking at oem parts diagram and it appears there IS a small dedicated amp P/N (963701M200) in the passenger rear wheel well. That might explain why the speakers sound as good as they do.
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ahh.. so it does have a "helper" amplifier, makes sense of why it sounds good. Sometimes (As you know) the internal amp just doesn't have enough punch. I know that many of the aftermarket audio companies make small amps that can hide behind the dash (power boosters we used to call them) for the radio/headunits.. Alpine and Sony come to mind.. Kenwood might make one too. Now they're full amps, digital I believe. Very cool!


I'm glad your speakers broke-in.. it's amazing when it happens. I never believed that they did break in way way back in the day when a car audio shop told me about that. Until you experience it, the sounds just "opens up" and has a clarity to it, of course you have to have decent speakers lol.. Which you do! Glad it's working out and very cool attaching the small "8" infinity logo! (y)
 
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