Date: Mon, 25 Mar 2002 22:02:37 -0600
Reply-To: Stan Wilder <wilden1@JUNO.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Stan Wilder <wilden1@JUNO.COM>
Subject: Re: Speaker Wire Polarity?
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
On the subject of speakers: You're not ever going to have quality sound
out of a Vanagon speaker unless it has a proper enclosure and that big
cavity of dead air and sheet metal in your doors or ovehead storage just
doesn't qualify. Anything you stick in your doors is going to drop dead
fast because of the moisture that gets in there. Better than average
speakers are only about $30.00 a pair for 5/6".
My tuner has 280 watts split by 4 and I've never found an automotive
speaker that I couldn't drive into total distortion with the WHO or ZZ
Top.
If you want quality sound break loose for some name brand bookshelf
speakers.
Boze are very good but expensive and there are ten other very good
brands.
As for me I expect standard made in China automotive speakers to blow out
by the end of each camping season.
You Barry Manalo and Frank Sinatra fans won't have that problem.
Stan Wilder
On Mon, 25 Mar 2002 22:12:48 -0500 The Bus Depot <vanagon@BUSDEPOT.COM>
writes:
> > The guys in retail will of course push the highest
> > dollar speaker as the best because the highest dollar
> > means the highest commission and the highest revenue
> > for the store.
>
> The highest dollar speaker is not neccessarily the highest
> commission one.
> Commission is often paid based on gross profit, not selling price;
> sometimes
> the most expensive speaker does not actually have the highest profit
> margin.
>
> > They will also tell you that is what
> > they use, and they will use it because they get it at
> > store cost plus X.
>
> Actually, they often get it for _below_ the wholesale cost. Many
> of the
> larger audio manufacturers offer their products to salespeople for
> below
> wholesale, correctly recognizing that "I own it myself" is a very
> powerful
> selling tool. On the other hand, given that the salesperson can get
> pretty
> much any of the brands at a cut rate price, there may still be some
> value to
> the fact that he personally picked one brand over the other (unless
> of
> course he is an idiot and/or has a tin ear, neither of which can be
> ruled
> out as a possibility).
>
> > The mark-up on car audio is almost as bad as jewelry.
>
> I would suspect that jewelry has a much higher markup. Typical
> markup in car
> audio is roughly 35% on electronics and about 40% on speakers.
>
> > That said - as long as it is not an extremely cheapo
> > speaker (i.e. paper-cone woofer) a 5 1/4 speaker will
> > always outperform a 4" speaker.
>
> I would disagree. A 5.25" speaker will have more bass, if all else
> is equal,
> but that does not mean that it will "outperform" the other speaker
> overall.
> Many factors will determine which speaker performs better. Among
> these is
> the speaker's sensitivity - a measure of how loud it will play with
> a given
> amount of power (the higher the number the more sensitive). If you
> are not
> using a separate amp, you want to avoid speakers that are
> insensitive,
> because your Vanagon has a relatively high ambient noise level and a
> large
> interior space to fill. Your indash may distort (clip) trying to
> drive
> insensitive speakers to moderately loud levels (which could result
> in _less_
> bass, simply because your indash can't deliver the power the speaker
> wants).
> Also, as a rule you will get better treble performance out of a
> speaker with
> a dome rather than a cone tweeter, as this will disperse the treble
> throughout the vehicle rather than beaming it in a relatively
> straight line.
> Woofer size is but one additional criterion to consider. Most of
> all,
> listen to them, with music you know and a comparably powered source
> unit,
> and buy what sounds good to you (even if it is not the most
> expensive model
> or brand). In the end the best measuring device, and the only one
> that
> matters, is your own ears.
>
> - Ron Salmon
> (15 years in the high-end audio business in my former life)
> The Bus Depot, Inc.
> (215) 234-VWVW
> www.busdepot.com
>
> _____________________________________________
> Toll-Free for Orders by Part # 1-866-BUS-DEPOT
>
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