Looking to upgrade from the wonderful Ford Speakers...

In the past I have just rolled with the Pioneers in the white box from walmart, but looking for something a little better this time.

When in comes to speaker materials, and wattages etc, what should I look for? I listen to mainly country music, classic rock, and some newer rock stuff. VERY occasionly when the girl friend gets all partied up she'll play that "rap crap". (not meaning to offend anyone, just personal tastes)


What should I look for?

 

Look for RMS power handling on the speaker (watts) and try to provide +/- 20% power.

Power: your stock deck probably provides less than 5 watts per channel. Aftermarket decks do better but not much. Look for a reputable amplifier (alpine, kicker, jl, mtx etc.) Beware (crunch, Jensen, boss, etc.). I find 35-75 watts per channel RMS is more than adequate for most listeners. Running more or less than 20% +/- of RMS increases risk of speaker damage and will yield less than favorable results.

Stereo shops:
Most good shops will be full of audio geeks who if any good will be glad to take you to their personal vehicles to show off their goodies and let you listen. Listening to a good stereo is really the best way to know how you are doing for comparison.

 

I agree with Ryan, also bring a cd that you like to the demo and listen to all the brands and types(coaxial/component). If space is an issue check out the digital amps, really small footprint for the power they produce.