[Emanuel]

I have a 1994 Caprice Wagon LT1. Recently, the rear driver and front passenger speakers went out. So, I decided to do some internet searching for them. What turned up was the fact that these speakers (4x6 front, 6x9 rears) have 10 ohm impedance and are imposssible to find. Replacing them with anything of lesser ohmage, would most definately blow the radio amplifier.

So, my questions for you car guys out there are:
1.Has anyone had this problem?
2.Did any of you guys replace these speakers with aftermarket speakers and did the original radio still work?
3.Where can I get the OEM replacements. They are no longer manufactured and I don't want to get them from a local junkyard.

Can any of you out there help me out??

 

[GoldSSWagon]

You will not hurt the radio putting in aftermarket 8 ohm speakers. Its just a matter of finding something you like/afford.

 

[grandpas wagon]

" Replacing them with anything of lesser ohmage, would most definately blow the radio amplifier."

This couldn't be more wrong. Speaker impedance is a very nominal rating. Put an ohmeter across the terminals. A 10 ohm speaker will typically measure about 6, but there may be wide variations. In actual operation, the impedance curve will vary even more. Most car speakers are rated 4 ohms. You really don't want to buy factory OEM speakers. Millions.....no, billions of aftermarket speakers have been installed without damaging the radio. In short, don't worry ........... unless you do a custom audio job with multiple speakers per channel without the right amp, crossover network, etc. Your concerns are a non-issue. Your local audio store will have a dizzying asssortment of suitable replacements. The low end should be fine for you. Almost anything will be better than OEM. Be prepared for a large amount of salesman BS.

 

[RMC]

"...definately blow the radio amplifier.." is a very strong statement. If you are careful about how loud you run them, then you can get away with it. If you run them loud for a long time, you will likely cause some damage. You may also notice more distortion at higher volumes (due to impedance mismatch). You have to remember that when you go from 10 ohms to 4 ohms that you could increase the amperage by as much as 2x.

Comparing aftermaket components to factory Delco is comparing apples and oranges. Most aftermarket components are based on an industry agreed upon 4 ohm speaker load. Delco designed their components around 10 ohm speaker loads. The output circuitries are often very different to take this into account.

As far as measuring the resistance with a VOM [volt-ohm meter] and comparing that to the impedance rating for the speaker, you have to understand that resistance is only part of the impedance. The other part(s) vary with frequency. The nominal rating is typically done at 1-2 KHz. [I heard that woofers are now being measured lower, but I don't know a number.] The VOM reading is useful to tell if a speaker is blown or shorted, but that's about it.

I too have had good results using 8 ohm home component speakers with Delco head units and playing them loud for long periods of time, but to be honest my best results are when I replace the head unit with an aftermarket unit and go with good aftermarket speakers.

 

[sherlock9c1]

This is good stuff - I'm gonna sticky it.

The other thing I would add is that I've found great success installing a decently powered sub along with an aftermarket head unit with built-in crossovers. This way I can kill the bass to the stock speakers and route all the bass to the sub. This produces the best sound quality. I've got an older Pioneer DEH-P3600 head unit, and everything is crossed over at 80 Hz, sounds great.

 

[JimKellyfan]

I have Polk's in mind

Polk Audio, either on their ebay site or Newegg, I was wanting for mine.
Boston Acoustics I was told was good as well.
But, I have Polk's in my house and love 'em.
The other good thing about Polk is they are marine graded and can tolerate the elements.
I would go one step further and put some dynamat on the exterior panels to absorb resonance.
Hope this helps.