Speakers for my 850
 

I have the Premium Sound System that Volvo offered in my '95 850 and over all I'm pleased with the sound. I'm looking to replace a couple of speakers that are crackling and poping under pressure.

I believe the speakers are 8 ohms. Most that I have found for replacements are 4 ohms. I can't remember what the big deal about ohms are but I don't want to get 2 new speakers that will throw my balance off because of an ohms issue or sensitivity issue.

Should I take the chance and replace 2 speakers or should I plan to replace all 8 at the same time?

I would do all 8... You don't have to do all at once, but in order to get the best resutls. Do all... I personally like Boston Acoustics.. That's what I run in my 850. The sound is INCREDIBLE, but in the 240 I bought Pioneers from Walmart. They are nice and produce a good sound. Imaging wise, the 850s set up is great. But speakers, like oil and a few other things are subjective...Good Luck!

I'd replace all of them. Only because the factory speakers are going to sound different then the new ones. So the sound will be off in some way or another.

I second Boston Acoustics speakers. I had them in my old 850 and loved them.

Ohm change wont hurt you. The rears say a 6" x 9" but if you use that size the stock covers wont go back on and you'll have to rework the screws to get them to fit. A 4" x 6" would definitely fit and allow you to reuse the grills and a 5" x 7" might work.

The door speakers are a 5.25" size but you'll again have to drill some new screw holes. I didn't replace the tweeters in the dash.

I used Pioneers in my sons 850 and we are please with the sound.

Boston is great stuff and the Polk speakers work nice too....gotta be careful with Pioneers as some of their low end stuff sounds awful.

The ones we used were middle range. They sound fine for what my son wants, which is a decent speaker that covers all ranges as he listens mostly to classic rock.

I was looking at getting some Alpines. Alpine SPS-13C2 Coaxial Car Speaker. They are 4 ohms. The ones in my back deck and in the rear door seem to be the same. The ones in the front doors seems to be different.

funny, ive got the same issue. One of my back door speakers crackles with a lot of bass. If those alpines turn out well for you without replacing the front, let us know!

Alpines are great for the money!

Alpines are good. I favor Infinity. I have an enclosed infinity sub and it produces more a better quality bass and more of it then friends' twin 10's and 1000 watt amps. And I would replace them, pretty much any aftermarket speaker if it's not some OEM speaker will sound different and produce more sound than the stock speaker.

infinity reference or kappa?
 

for my 850, I'm going to replace the speakers within the year because there are at least 2 that crackle at high volume, and one is practically dead.

I made a great discovery the other day. Because of where I work part-time (consumer electronics store), I get accommodation pricing on Infinity speakers. I can get the Kappas for the same price as the References, but I am trying to figure out what to get for the best sound.

Currently considering the following:
2 pairs of Kappa 52.9i , for the doors (5.25 inch)
1 pair of Kappa 42.9i , for the dash (4inch) or Kappa 32.9CF (3.5inch)
1 pair of Kappa 462.9cfp , for the rear deck (4x6inch)

will this sound good, or should I consider putting some references in instead? I heard the kappa series is a bit "bright" and the reference is a bit "smoother" with the high end, but I'm getting the impression that Kappas are better all around. Will I be OK replacing all of my speakers with Kappa?

Also, if I chose not to replace the dash speakers, would I risk blowing out the front door kappas due to overpowering?

Put 5x7's in the rear deck.

There is an ohm rating for a reason. it is unlikely that a change in the ohm resistance will cause a serious problem, but it could. today car speakers are often 4ohm. GL with the search, as you see we all favor our own brands. listen to a few and decide what you like.

Kappas are great speakers. They are bright in sound. Most people that use those are also running subwoofers to offset. Kappas are the pro series. I like them , but prefer Bostons.

yeah, I am just trying to figure out if I will be able to take the edge off enough to make them sound alright without a sub. I figure I will stay Infinity just because of the discount, and although the Kappas seem to be reviewed as brighter, they also seem to be constructed better + have their own crossovers.

Help?
 

Ok I have a '97 volvo 850 R Station Wagon with the premier sound system. I want to upgrade the speaker for the same reasons as listed here but I wanted to do them on my own and now am running into problems. I'm a noob when it comes to this stuff and I just got the car from my dad so I have only had it for a year or so. How do I get the rivets out of the dash speakers?!? Please help and thank you for the advice on the types of speakers! :)

Probably just have to pry them out, same as all of the other plastic rivets through out the car.

for mine, i had to lightly push in the center pin, then pry out the entire rivet. they are reusable also

As for the rivets, I just push out the center then they come the rest of the way out easy. I also re-use them when they are not broken from age.

I have heard some Hertz componets amplified and they were loud and clear. In my yukon, i am gonna go with some alpine type R componets in the front and coaxials in the rear. Just got done wiring some type R's in my boys 740, should sound good with a 400 watt amp and 15" sub he has