I'm getting four new speakers for my wife's Jeep Cherokee. All four speakers are the same size--5 1/4". I'm just looking to replace the OEM units, nothing crazy. I've been browsing through the Crutchfield site, and my question: I'm getting thrown off by the 2-way/4-way thing. What does that mean? And will I be fine by just ordering four 5 1/4" 2-way speakers, or what? As you can probably tell, I'm not well-versed in this stuff. Thanks in advance.

2way, 3 way, etc means the number of cones in the speakers. For example, a 2-way speaker has a woofer for bass, and one central tweeter to handle all the midrange and treble. A 3 way would consist of a woofer, then a tweter for the midrange, then a smaller treble tweeter. It's pretty easy to tell simply by looking at the speaker. Here is a 3-way speaker:

http://akamaipix.crutchfield.com/graphics/infolib/carlib/speakers-glossary-3way.jpg

This baby here is a 5 way speaker. note the four circles in the middle.

http://i6.ebayimg.com/05/i/06/b1/f1/32_2.JPG


It has nothing to do with the size of the speaker, but has a lot to do with the sound characteristics. A 3 or 4 way speaker might have a more pronounced high range or a smoother midrange than a 2 way, which could sound good or bad depending on the vehicle. I am not really an expert, so you'd have to read some other people's opinions in regard to sound.

Personally, I have Infinity 2-ways in the front, which are nice, and 3-ways in the back, which I think are a little too harsh in the treble department. They aren't bad with a little EQ, though, and the bass is very nice.

well thanks--I think I get it. I'm guessing I'll be all set with four 2-ways, although I wouldn't rule out a combination like you described.

Thanks again.

Anything more than a 2-way in a 5 1/4" speaker is massive overkill on the high end. I've never heard a 3 or 4-way 5 1/4" that wasn't overly bright on the high end.

I am thinking of changing the speakers in our '03 EX-L. They suck, I want to drop some Infinity Kappa in it. Will the Honda headunit be powerfull enough or I will need to replace the CD player as well?

The Honda headunit should be fine. If the sensitivity of the Infinity Kappas is anything like the Infinity References, the factory HU should drive them better than the stock speakers, if anything.

Aren't the Kappa's 2-ohm?

Aren't the Kappa's 2-ohm?

I'm not sure about the impedance of them. The References are 4 ohm.

ok man dont order from crutchfield. theyll charge u up the A, find the speaker u want then look around, i garuntee ull find it for cheaper

jeez i dont think i could add up how much money froogle has saved me over the years