4" speakers in front for 1988 4runner

[mspa]

I have an '88 4runner with the original speakers all the way around. I want to replace all four speakers and keep them hidden in the factory positions. I don't plan on adding an amp, since I'm okay with the listening level of my current system (I'm 46 with slight hearing loss in one ear from too many concerts).

I basically have no money. Actually, I can afford $20 speakers now, or wait another few months and jump to $50-60 speakers. Since my 20 year-old speakers aren't too bad to my ears, I'm wondering if the Pyle Wave Series speakers (PLX42) are worth considering? I had some Pyle speakers back in the 80's and I really liked them. FYI, I have owned Alpine and JBL's, which I loved.

The other consideration I have is that with oversized tires, and my hearing, I am not going to appreciate speakers with finer detail. I don't want to go past the point of diminishing return.

Oh, and my CD deck is an older Clarion ProAudio deck that does okay, but at some point, I will replace as well, but most likely with another deck that has about 25w + 25w . . . or along those lines.

I'm basically looking for the best budget setup, I guess.

 

[004Gunner]

It's hard to recommend something like speakers but I would have to say just stick with a name brand and you probably will not be disappointed. A lot of times the best speaker upgrade you can do is to replace your h/u with one that will put out more power. The difference between a budget speaker today and factory speakers of '88. . . can't even begin to imagine

 

[Blurr]

any set of speakers will be better than the factory 4" in the dash. however I wouldn't expect a huge improvement in sound quality due to the speakers pointing down and not being able to handle low-end frequencies when the stereo is remotely loud.

 

[MLB]

It's hard to recommend something like speakers but I would have to say just stick with a name brand and you probably will not be disappointed. A lot of times the best speaker upgrade you can do is to replace your h/u with one that will put out more power. The difference between a budget speaker today and factory speakers of '88. . . can't even begin to imagine

Speakers haven't changed significantly in many years.
Stop listening to the salesman. :bigok:
The oem speakers I took out of my 07 had the tiniest magnets I've ever seen. About the size of a quarter but thicker.

In my main stereo setup I use a pair of JBL studio monitors that are 15 years old. They were "good" speakers when new, more than $400 for small speakers was expensive at the time. Every couple of years or so I listen to some new speakers to see if there is a noticable improvement, checking up to $1,000 speaks and guess what, the difference is not much. I ask every time, "have things changed for the better" answer from them, "nah". :biggrin2:

 

[MLB]

I have an '88 4runner with the original speakers all the way around. I want to replace all four speakers and keep them hidden in the factory positions. I don't plan on adding an amp, since I'm okay with the listening level of my current system (I'm 46 with slight hearing loss in one ear from too many concerts).

I basically have no money. Actually, I can afford $20 speakers now, or wait another few months and jump to $50-60 speakers. Since my 20 year-old speakers aren't too bad to my ears, I'm wondering if the Pyle Wave Series speakers (PLX42) are worth considering? I had some Pyle speakers back in the 80's and I really liked them. FYI, I have owned Alpine and JBL's, which I loved.

The other consideration I have is that with oversized tires, and my hearing, I am not going to appreciate speakers with finer detail. I don't want to go past the point of diminishing return.

Oh, and my CD deck is an older Clarion ProAudio deck that does okay, but at some point, I will replace as well, but most likely with another deck that has about 25w + 25w . . . or along those lines.

I'm basically looking for the best budget setup, I guess.

I was told some years back that all the different "brands" of 4" speakers come out of 2 factories in the world, and the differences were too small to matter. Cosmetic. I have no idea if it's true, but was told by a salesman that "seemed" knowledgable. (uh oh) :bash:

So look on Craigs list and Ebay for some used "good" speakers. 4" aren't used much anymore so You can likely find some name brand 4" for $10 pair I would reckon. I put "kicker" brand in the headrests of my Miata and they sound "decent". (that's all you'll get from a 4" speakered system) :bigok:

 

[004Gunner]

Blurr is right with the placement of the 4". You can't image them well at all, otherwise you can get great highs out of a 4" (pretty much an oversized tweeter). And granted aftermarket speakers have not changed significantly but anytime you go from a standard factory speaker to aftermarket speakers you will notice some sound improvement and certainly the performance and power handling increase.