> You can't blow anything up, but if you hook one
> speaker up backwards
> compared to the other(s) they will be out of phase,
> which will destroy the
> stereo image and reduce bass performance.  Usually

Yup - you will wonder why you spent $$$ on a bigger /
better speaker to have it sound worse.  In my
experience with VW radios, the + is usually a colored
wire, and the ground is brown.  The + generally will
have a larger connector than the -

>
> > PS - Will a 5.25" speaker produce better or more
> sound than a 4" speaker
> > given the same input?
>
> All things being equal, a larger woofer will
> generally produce deeper bass.
> But this assumes that you are comparing two speakers
> that are precisely
> identical in all other respects.  A good quality 4"
> speaker is likely to
> outperform a cheapo 5.25" speaker.
>

Mostly true.  It depends on your definition of
"cheapo".  If by cheapo you mean Audiovox / Kmart &
wal-mart speakers, than absolutely.  If you define
cheapo as inexpensive, than it is not necessarily
true.  Car audio is just like car parts.  What is sold
under a company name is not necessarily manufactured
by that company.  For example - Febi manufactures a
lot of VW suspension parts.  Parts sold by Febi
directly (or through a reseller like Ron) to you are
going to be substantially cheaper than parts sold to
VW, stamped with the VW label and part no. and sold to
you from the back of a dealership.

Car audio works generally the same way.  A seller
(Infinity, JBL) sends a set of specifications out to
bid from actual manufacturers.  The low bidder wins
and produces the speakers with an Infinity label, and
you pay out the nose for a label.  You can generally
get the exact same speaker direct from the
manufacturer minus the fancy packaging for a lot less
(given you figure out who they are).

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.  They will also tell you that is what
they use, and they will use it because they get it at
store cost plus X.  The mark-up on car audio is almost
as bad as jewelry.

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.  You want to look for
something with a polypro cone and a preferrably
separate tweeter (labeled as 2-way) at least for rear
speakers.  You will be amazed at the difference.  A 4"
speaker is pretty much incapable of producing the same
low-end fill as a 5.25.  And low-end fill is what the
Vanagon is lacking with stock speakers.

I am not saying that Infinity or JBL suck (I have
owned both) but I have gotten the same or better
performance for a fraction of the cost out of
companies like NXS, Pyle and Boss Audio.

My .02 :)

Mark

> - Ron Salmon
>   The Bus Depot, Inc.
>   (215) 234-VWVW
>   www.busdepot.com
>
> _____________________________________________
> Toll-Free for Orders by Part #    1-866-BUS-DEPOT

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