Kenwoods vs Infinity's

[DarkMastyr]

I'm looking to get new 6.5" 3-ways up front on my Gen3 Camry and I've been looking at two speakers.

1. Kenwood KFC-1689ie (http://www.kenwoodusa.com/product/pr...productId=2519)

vs.

2. Infinity Kappa 63.4I (http://www.infinitysystems.com/carau...er=KAP&Cat=MEL)

On paper, the Kenwoods seem to have a larger range in terms of frequency response, and I can also find them for about half the price of the Infinity's. However I also read some rave reviews for the Infinity's on sounddomain but haven't been able to find many reviews for the Kenwoods. I listened to a similar model Kenwood (I think KFC-1679ie) at Circuit City and they sounded pretty good in terms of clarity and bass.

I've had good experiences with my all Kenwood system so far (Kenwood MP3 head unit, 2x12" Kenwood subs, and 600W Kenwood amp) so I'm not sure if spending twice the amount of money on these Infinity's would really be any better in terms of noticeable sound. I'm not looking to go competition here, but just to have a sound system that's comparable to many premium factory packages coming on new cars.

[prophesized]

id go with infinity

if youre interested, ive got some 6.5" alpine type R components im trying to sell

[Stealth]

Go for the Infinity Kappas, they sound a lot better! I work at a Circuit City and can't stand listening to the Kenwood speakers. I've had Kenwood subs before and kept blowing them, and I'm not a very big fan of Kenwood amps either. Their decks fit budgets nicely, however.

I think you can probably get the 6.5"s for about $100 on I would definately suggest amping whatever sebay... just make sure to buy from a power seller with several thousand positive feedbacks and like over a 95% positive feedback rate.

I would definately suggest amping whatever peakers you do decide to get, because they will sound a lot better and get louder too.

[DarkMastyr]

Hmm Type-R's would be an interesting buy but I'm not sure where I would put the tweets. I don't wanna drill holes anywhere.

So Infinity's seem to be the consensus here. I might go to a Tweeter or Circuit City to see how they sound. The price is a big detracting factor here. Yeah I can find the Infinity's for about 105 on eBay but I can find the Kenwoods for about 70... so that's about a 50% difference in price which is pretty big and it seemed like they sounded alright at Circuit City.

On another note, would you guys suggest just leaving the rear 6x9's alone and focus on the fronts since it seems that wherever I go, people say that rear speakers mess up the sound stage (at least if you go higher than 2-way).

I've never had a problem with my Kenwood subs... never blown or distorted or anything. They're not even Excelons either.

I'm not going to play my music excessively loud so does amping my speakers really help that much with sound quality? The stock amp isn't going to be enough for a Gen3?

[prophesized]

Originally posted by DarkMastyr


I'm not going to play my music excessively loud so does amping my speakers really help that much with sound quality? The stock amp isn't going to be enough for a Gen3?

yeah amping your speakers is like a night and day difference.

[mauibuilt59]

I would highly recommend the infinity if you get an amp because they require more power than usual speakers. If you really want good sound for the price and you want to run it off of deck power, I would recommend you getting the Infinity Reference Components. They are probably the best components I ever heard for about 100 bucks. They have a 90+ sensitivity rating so it doesnt require too much power. The highs actually sound a little higher and louder than the kappa's.

[SurlySteve]

definitely infinity, they are just plain flat out a better speaker in terms of quality and the quality of sound. Course that just my opinion.

[IBAID]

go with the infinity's...it's so much better than kenwood...u will not regret buying infinitys...