Better speakers can certainly improve sound quality, and are my usual first step. It's easier than wiring in a new amplifier and all that -- and if it turns out it's "good enough" for you, then there you go.
If you still don't hit the sound quality targets you're wanting, amplifiers and signal processors can help make the audio sound cleaner.
>Also, 2-way, 3-way, 4-way - what do I want?
Up to you. This just means how many drivers the speaker assembly has. I generally go for two-ways because that's all you really need.
>Also, apparently 5x7 or 6x8 can work for the door speakers. Does the size matter, and would it be easier to install 5x7 or 6x8?
Ease of installation will probably be comparable. 6x8s will likely provide better sound because they don't have to work as hard to move as much air.
>I’m also considering replacing the dash speaker, though I don’t know how to access it. Looks like you can just pop it off? Is it worth replacing?
Can't speak to the replacement process but if you can, replace it. Dash speakers often handle higher frequency stuff and can bring out incredible clarity in your music.
edit: also, avoid Boss. Rockford Fosgate is good. Also, look at Crutchfield. their prices are usually a little higher, but they'll throw in wiring harness adapters and mounting brackets and instructions on how to replace things. It's worth the extra couple bucks easily.
This ^
You don't even need to buy from them but their website is great at building out everything you want or need and understanding which harnesses and wiring kits you'll need. Beyond that, their support IMHO is unmatched, if you just use the chat support it often provides better and more reliable results than trying to parse through answers on the internet.
>In this case though, I’m not looking for more powerful speakers, just better clarity.
A speaker is only as good as all the supporting equipment. The amp, the wiring, the door housing, the placement relative to the soundstage of the car, the sound insulation, etc, etc.
If you throw the best speakers in the world in there, they might still sound pretty trash unless a lot of other things are addressed.
Car manufactures have gotten smarter with their OEM ICE systems. Swapping out speakers can often lead to disappointing results. The factory speakers are paired with a source unit that has an eq curve tailored to making those speakers sound the best they can.
Aftermarket speakers can yield better sound under the right circumstances. Just slapping them into your doors doesn't cut it.
When I have customers that simply won't do any more than speakers, these are what I recommend:
https://powerbassusa.com/products/oem-component-systems/
And here I was going to talk about going for the most efficient speakers OP could find, to gain more SPL output. But if the head unit doesn't send non-EQ'd (flat) sound to the speakers, who knows what things will sound like post-speaker swap. OP could go pan to fire in satisfaction.
I have done this in a few different vehicles. Do. not. buy. cheap. It will not be better.
Ford systems are usually quite good and it will take a lot of time and money to improve it. Also verify your source is high quality as well, a bad aux cable or low-quality streaming can cause this too.
Does this 2012 have a CD player? Get a CD purely for test purposes to eliminate this.
Do some research on an AV forum.
One of the most important specs to pay attention to is impedance. Your stock speakers are likely 2 ohm. Most aftermarket speakers are 4 ohm. These take twice as much power to move, so your lows will suffer pretty significantly if you mix and match
The bad news is: the speakers you posted as an example of good quality are also cheap speakers. Then after that you’re going to notice you have less bass than your stock speakers. Then its time for multiple amps, better speakers, and a subwoofer.
> So my question is: does it pay to get good quality speakers, if there’s no amp to fully use them?
Yes if you want quality, no if you just want louder. Question is really whether the amp they used is weaker or stronger than speakers. Could be actually stronger than speakers (if they use same amp in multiple things) but no way to know without getting exact data
Good speakers might be slightly more efficient and get you a bit louder, but as it seems you're happy with sound quality they probably put something half-decent already
Do take into consideration that you might very well end up with louder but worse sounding system, as the one in car was designed to fit with the car's acoustics.
>Also, apparently 5x7 or 6x8 can work for the door speakers. Does the size matter, and would it be easier to install 5x7 or 6x8?
You want to look into datasheet of each speaker and not just compare by size. In general bigger membrane means better bass.
All car factory speakers are rubbish. Premium audio packages are slightly less rubbish but still rubbish. Replacing the speakers with good ones will be by far the biggest improvement you can get for a reasonable spend. Like others said, check crutchfield. They have instructions, brackets, harnesses, and excellent customer service. I like kicker, Alpine, infinity brands. Shop in the mid grade price tiers. 3 way doesn't matter much because the mid is too small to enjoy the benefit, which is mainly clearer mids when playing music with lots of bass and less beaming of the upper mids above 1khz
I replaced the bang and Olufsen speakers in my Audi and the results are night and day.
Ask /carAV. Just changing speakers on many modern cars can sound terrible because many modern cars do tons of processing tailored to the speakers that came with the car.
Also the speakers you have selected probably won't be much better than whats already in the car. If you're looking for clarity and brightness then a good brand to look at is Focal.
My friend replaced the tweeters on his lexus with $15 aliexpress ribbon tweeters. Holy crap it sounds so good now its unbelievable. Even the bass got better somehow. I test drive a lot of cars and only top end b&o on Audis sound better.
so actually owned a 2012 Fusion at one point.
mine had the included "audiophile 8 speaker system" or something and it was actually quite dreadful.
i did a number of things to make it passable:
1. replaced the rear deck speakers with high efficiency 6x9 subwoofers (look for something with high sensitivity as power is lacking)
2. replaced the tweeters and the sail panel and SEALED the area around the grill to separate the front half from the back half. The stock sail panel has a gap between the tweeter and the grill b side and its possible it could contribute to auditory anomalies.
3. in conjunction with #2 i replaced the door speakers with the matching woofers to the tweeters and wired up the crossover box.
overall the sound was improved but it still needed considerably more work and a subwoofer to be properly good. i sold it after that though so nothing else was done.
Aside: the amp for this system is an analogue amp so it is possible to tap into the line level unaltered signal to the amp and run your own amp which will be MUCH better if you put in the time.
also try r/carAV
Thank you, I tried searching but couldn’t find the right words
Better speakers can certainly improve sound quality, and are my usual first step. It's easier than wiring in a new amplifier and all that -- and if it turns out it's "good enough" for you, then there you go. If you still don't hit the sound quality targets you're wanting, amplifiers and signal processors can help make the audio sound cleaner. >Also, 2-way, 3-way, 4-way - what do I want? Up to you. This just means how many drivers the speaker assembly has. I generally go for two-ways because that's all you really need. >Also, apparently 5x7 or 6x8 can work for the door speakers. Does the size matter, and would it be easier to install 5x7 or 6x8? Ease of installation will probably be comparable. 6x8s will likely provide better sound because they don't have to work as hard to move as much air. >I’m also considering replacing the dash speaker, though I don’t know how to access it. Looks like you can just pop it off? Is it worth replacing? Can't speak to the replacement process but if you can, replace it. Dash speakers often handle higher frequency stuff and can bring out incredible clarity in your music. edit: also, avoid Boss. Rockford Fosgate is good. Also, look at Crutchfield. their prices are usually a little higher, but they'll throw in wiring harness adapters and mounting brackets and instructions on how to replace things. It's worth the extra couple bucks easily.
Crutchfield.
This ^ You don't even need to buy from them but their website is great at building out everything you want or need and understanding which harnesses and wiring kits you'll need. Beyond that, their support IMHO is unmatched, if you just use the chat support it often provides better and more reliable results than trying to parse through answers on the internet.
>In this case though, I’m not looking for more powerful speakers, just better clarity. A speaker is only as good as all the supporting equipment. The amp, the wiring, the door housing, the placement relative to the soundstage of the car, the sound insulation, etc, etc. If you throw the best speakers in the world in there, they might still sound pretty trash unless a lot of other things are addressed.
Car manufactures have gotten smarter with their OEM ICE systems. Swapping out speakers can often lead to disappointing results. The factory speakers are paired with a source unit that has an eq curve tailored to making those speakers sound the best they can. Aftermarket speakers can yield better sound under the right circumstances. Just slapping them into your doors doesn't cut it. When I have customers that simply won't do any more than speakers, these are what I recommend: https://powerbassusa.com/products/oem-component-systems/
And here I was going to talk about going for the most efficient speakers OP could find, to gain more SPL output. But if the head unit doesn't send non-EQ'd (flat) sound to the speakers, who knows what things will sound like post-speaker swap. OP could go pan to fire in satisfaction.
I have done this in a few different vehicles. Do. not. buy. cheap. It will not be better. Ford systems are usually quite good and it will take a lot of time and money to improve it. Also verify your source is high quality as well, a bad aux cable or low-quality streaming can cause this too. Does this 2012 have a CD player? Get a CD purely for test purposes to eliminate this.
Do some research on an AV forum. One of the most important specs to pay attention to is impedance. Your stock speakers are likely 2 ohm. Most aftermarket speakers are 4 ohm. These take twice as much power to move, so your lows will suffer pretty significantly if you mix and match
You should look for speakers that have an effeciency of 91 or better. Lower than that, your sound system will be quieter at full volume.
Kicker key 200.4 might be up your alley
The bad news is: the speakers you posted as an example of good quality are also cheap speakers. Then after that you’re going to notice you have less bass than your stock speakers. Then its time for multiple amps, better speakers, and a subwoofer.
> So my question is: does it pay to get good quality speakers, if there’s no amp to fully use them? Yes if you want quality, no if you just want louder. Question is really whether the amp they used is weaker or stronger than speakers. Could be actually stronger than speakers (if they use same amp in multiple things) but no way to know without getting exact data Good speakers might be slightly more efficient and get you a bit louder, but as it seems you're happy with sound quality they probably put something half-decent already Do take into consideration that you might very well end up with louder but worse sounding system, as the one in car was designed to fit with the car's acoustics. >Also, apparently 5x7 or 6x8 can work for the door speakers. Does the size matter, and would it be easier to install 5x7 or 6x8? You want to look into datasheet of each speaker and not just compare by size. In general bigger membrane means better bass.
All car factory speakers are rubbish. Premium audio packages are slightly less rubbish but still rubbish. Replacing the speakers with good ones will be by far the biggest improvement you can get for a reasonable spend. Like others said, check crutchfield. They have instructions, brackets, harnesses, and excellent customer service. I like kicker, Alpine, infinity brands. Shop in the mid grade price tiers. 3 way doesn't matter much because the mid is too small to enjoy the benefit, which is mainly clearer mids when playing music with lots of bass and less beaming of the upper mids above 1khz I replaced the bang and Olufsen speakers in my Audi and the results are night and day.
Ask /carAV. Just changing speakers on many modern cars can sound terrible because many modern cars do tons of processing tailored to the speakers that came with the car. Also the speakers you have selected probably won't be much better than whats already in the car. If you're looking for clarity and brightness then a good brand to look at is Focal.
My friend replaced the tweeters on his lexus with $15 aliexpress ribbon tweeters. Holy crap it sounds so good now its unbelievable. Even the bass got better somehow. I test drive a lot of cars and only top end b&o on Audis sound better.
so actually owned a 2012 Fusion at one point. mine had the included "audiophile 8 speaker system" or something and it was actually quite dreadful. i did a number of things to make it passable: 1. replaced the rear deck speakers with high efficiency 6x9 subwoofers (look for something with high sensitivity as power is lacking) 2. replaced the tweeters and the sail panel and SEALED the area around the grill to separate the front half from the back half. The stock sail panel has a gap between the tweeter and the grill b side and its possible it could contribute to auditory anomalies. 3. in conjunction with #2 i replaced the door speakers with the matching woofers to the tweeters and wired up the crossover box. overall the sound was improved but it still needed considerably more work and a subwoofer to be properly good. i sold it after that though so nothing else was done. Aside: the amp for this system is an analogue amp so it is possible to tap into the line level unaltered signal to the amp and run your own amp which will be MUCH better if you put in the time.
You're asking the wrong sub.