CW

I've a friend who works at a high end car stereo store and is offering me a Diamond Audio set (2 tweeters, 2 midrange, 2 crossovers) for $199. I believe they're the Motorsports, can't remember the rest of the name. I've heard guys mentioning MB Quart, but my friend says Diamond Audio makes a better product. Objective opinions plz. I've the Concert radio (not Bose) and am thinking about just upgrading the front speakers. Will the concert head unit put out enough power to make this purchase worthwhile, or do I need an amp for the fronts also? I've also a 8" self amp. Bazooka tube for bass. TIA<p>Chris 99.5 1.8tqms

Kris

I have a pair of 4" Diamonds mounted on the front doors. They sound very well and are worth the price. I do have an external amp driving these speakers though.<p>You also need to consider the size of the speakers. I have to make an adapter to fit them in.

del

NM

sgrue

i sold car stereo and home stereo for years. my systems have always been all a/d/s/ and nakamichi head units.<p>that said, a former co-worker is selling diamond and mb quart. he likes the mb's, but he's just plain different. in my humble opinnion, the diamonds sound most like the a/d/s/ than any other speaker except for a set of soundstream spks. that aren't even made anymore.<p>boston acoustic's have always been good too. their new highend line tries to mimick the a/d/s/ but stil have a boston sound which is like the mb quarts.<p>that's a great deal by the way on the diamonds.

ChuckH

...also quite happy with my Boston Acoustics, but I didn't care much for the MB quart sound when I've listened to them. The MB's didn't seem to have a very good balance and were limited in range. The Bostons always seemed more flexible to me. I will say that the Boston tweeters are quite brite, and some may prefer a smother high end like in the a/d/s. Maybe the new lines on both bring the sound closer together? Hmmmm! :-)<p>Charles<br>

Paul C.

All things being equal, the installation is the most significant reason why one system will sound better than another. I'm not sure if the Diamond set will "fit" better in the A4 than the Quarts. I know that Quart makes a mean component coaxial that has a swivel tweeter. This may sound even better than separates. The reason being that "point source imaging" will eliminate a lot of the phase problems associated with mounting a tweeter some two feet away from its mid driver. My advice is to go with what sounds good to your ears. If you have a chance to listen to speakers in a car, preferrably in an A4, that should tell you what you like better. Speakers sound a lot different in the car than in the soundroom of a stereo shop. Also, I would recommend an amp with at least 50watts per channel for your front speakers. The more the better actually. Well, hope this ranting has helped a little. Both brands are great though so you can't really go wrong.<p>Paul C.

Steve S.

My choice is Audiovox. It is Sweeeeeeeet. I opted for the 6 inch door speakers and the 8" woofer enclosure for the back. Man, do I rumble now. I think I have 75watts of power at my beck and call. :-)<p>Let me know if you would like pictures of my install. It was tough but I was able to finish it in a week.<p>Steve S.<br>97 2.8QM

stevebrown

The head unit in the concert won't power most decent aftermarket speaks & you can destroy a speaker if you underpower it with distortion.<p>If it was my choice, I'd go with Diamonds...I haven't listened to them in a couple years, but when I did, I liked them better than MBQuart. <p>steve

cytoe

Kef components sound very clean...and not to bright. I got em

Rodney

As noted, underpowering can destroy speakers. Also, if you listen to the concert stereo, it's at its worst at high volume. This indicates that the amp is already being strained by the stock speakers. I would start by replacing the amp only. I've heard an A4 with just an amp, stock speakers, and a subwoofer, and it sounded pretty decent. This also gives you the option of just dropping in speakers at a later date if the sound needs further improvement. I've listened to the MB Quarts and found them too bright. Right now, I'm leaning towards the Boston Acoustics, but would like to listen to the a/d/s first.<p>Regards,<br>Rodney<p>'99 A4 1.8tqms