I have a pair of Cerwin-Vega 5.2 inchers in the rear and a pair of Blaupunkt 4.5 inchers in the front. The head unit is a high power Sony CD player 4x19 WRMS, (4x50 peak). All the speakers as well as the CD player are new. I am not happy with the sound. I can not crank up the volume to an average level without serious distortion coming in. The bass is very weak and distorts easy. The Cerwin Vegas in the back are a little more resistant to distortion than the front Blaupunkts. The speakers are connected correctly, the factory fader knob in the console has been bypassed and the polarities are correct. I thought that it must be the head unit reaching clipping levels, so in order to test it, I borrowed and connected a 2x100 WRMS amp to the speakers and they reached distortion at the same levels as with the head unit. So, I came to the conclusion that it is due to the speakers.
I would like to get some opinions from people who have tried other speakers. I do not want to modify the vehicle, so the speakers have to fit the stock locations. I am looking for clarity as well as tight bass. My musical tastes lean toward classical music and demanding orchestra passages.
My future plans include the addition of a 4 channel amp, but for now I will be without one. My budget is about $500 for all four speakers. Any input is appreciated.

Public Enemy:
We share the same tastes in music. My intention is to do a setup like Michael went through 500E Stereo upgrade

I have selected a Nak 45z deck, and am still choosing between Boston Acoustic or Diamond Audio for the front. The Boston's sound a little more warm, but not by much. The Diamond's are a better fit and can be bi-amped. For $500 you ought to be able to buy 2 BA or Diamonds for the front, leave out the rear speakers, and put an amp and 10-12" accurate speaker in the wheel well. Or, you could put BA/Diamonds at all 4 corners and get the Blaupunkt amplified sub that is sold at http://www.continentalimports.com/cms_265.html

I haven't installed my stuff yet, I have to recover from the IRS before I can buy anything!

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John

2003 Firemist Red/grey leather SL 500
2015 Palladium Silver/black mbtex GLK 350
1987 Smoke Silver/burgundy mbtex 300E Sportline (SOLD)

Click to see 87 300E

Today I replaced my Sony CD player with a Blaupunkt Tokyo and my speakers with Diamond Audio. The difference is unbelievable. I am happy with the results.