I know the "should I replace the rear speakers?" argument has been beat to death, but I am wondering if anyone has just left the stock speakers in there and replaced the front with good components, and added subs. Since the rear speakers become much less important in this scenario, is it OK to leave the stock ones there and just keep them low, or would that kind of ruin the experience - since there will be high end subs/amp/fronts? What do y'all think?

 

i just run my front's and dissconntected the rears..you could use the rears as "rear fill"but if you have a good set of comp's upfront then no need for rear's

 

i just run my front's and dissconntected the rears..you could use the rears as "rear fill"but if you have a good set of comp's upfront then no need for rear's

 

Get new rear speakers. The rears are usually bigger than the fronts, and will make it sound more full. Why half *** it when you are already spending cash for a new system? all IMO

 

all about personal taste.... purists vs easy listeners...

the rear fill helps drown out the road noise...
spend 50 bucks and get a better rear speaker... for the price of a tank of gas, you can throw it in...

 

i need my rear speakers for DD5.1 or DTS...and yea, i like the fuller sound for music as well

 

Generally I like a more front stage bias, but having rear fill is nice as it provides a more surround sound effect.

I was once a front stage only person with subs in the rear, but having a little bit of rear fill is nice. For some reason having rear fill in the Z isn't much of a big deal compared to other cars. Most other cars if you have rear fill you'll have (forgot the word) where the sound from the front speakers hit your ears first and then the rear speakers will hit your ears right after, making it not perfect.... though most people don't care that much about it.

Now in some headunits you can set a delay so that the sound from all speakers will hit your ears at the exact same time.

 

It is just like the subwoofer argument. The purists insist on having a box in the hatch, while the average listener doesn't mind them in the stock location. I know that this is sort of a taste/personal preference kind of thing, but let's say that having rear "filler" is important - my thinking was that if they aren't really going to be pushed hard, does it make sense to spend a lot of money on speakers? Would the stock speakers be able to handle this task? Would your really be able to tell the difference if they are turned down low anyway?

 

I need my rear fills. I like that surround sound. I had just the fronts and faded out the rears. It just did not sound as good to me without the rear fills.

 

yeah, this one will be about as diverse as they come..

for me, i prefer front stage only...my goal is to make the dash of the car like a stage at a live performance, where the artists and sound is ONLY coming from infront of you. to me, all rear speakres do is pull the stage backwards, and dilute the imaging. a good sound system IMO, should sound full as the sound from the front stage echos and bounces off the back of hte car to create a natural ambience...

i have heard many front stage only set ups, when you close the guy, you thought you were in a much larger space than a car

b

 

What I did in my previous car was installed mid-range speakers in the back. NO tweeters. The highs of the tweeter in the rear is what pulls the sound backwards. Installing a mid range speaker in the rear will envelope you in mid range sound with the stage still being up front which is where all of your highs will be coming from.....

 

Rear tweeters are actually better for left - right imaging in the Z than front speakers, IF positioned back near the triangle window. This is because of the optimal distances from the listener.

 

the rear factory spkrs really dont put out alot of sound anyway, i was told they where like 17ohms? and that the people who replaced them had the amp turned down real low along with the fader, cause it was to much right behind your nugget. i would just put some 2 way coaxis in the doors and add a another set of components in the kicks or just another set of tweets. leave the rears.

 

bottom line, music is best w/ only 2 channels. rear speakers are pointless, especially on a car w/ no back seat. cut 'em.

 

I think "quadraphonics" will make a come back..

 

it's all about what you want... you're going to have to listen to it... so you decide what you want...

acid test... fade your current setup forward and listen to it that way for a week, then set it back to normal and decide which one you preferred...

you'll be surprised...

 

i faded mine to +2 front



Sounds ALOT better IMO


I still like sound comming from behind me....



For some reason when i turned up the volume it gets less distorted this way... if it was balaned the rears would sound crappy



P.S. I have aftermarket speakers but stock headunit

 

because you will have to tear the whole rear inside apart and risk more rattles and bent fasteners just to replace 2 marginaly effective speakers at best

 

Sounds like another one of those personal preference type things. If I am going to replace them, I definitely want to do it at the same time that I get the sub enclosure built so that I don't have to pay for the labor twice. I think the best solution will be to just buy some moderately priced speakers. A set of Boston's to match the components up front. I definitely don't want to decide that I want them after it is all said and done. I am going to throw one more question at y'all. If I am running the Boston components up front, a set in the rear, and 2 kicker 8" subs .... what are the pros/cons of just running it all off of one monster amp? Is there a good argument for getting a separate amp for the subs? I've been told that the JL 500/5 could run it all, and with the Z as you know space is always a concern....thoughts?

 

the only advantage of having a dedicated mono amp is that class d amps are more efficient for putting out bass...

but unless you're competing, it should all be good..