I was wondering if anyone knew what kind of speakers come in a 2006 Scion xB? Are they made by Pioneer, and are they of especially good quality?
The reason I ask is because I am thinking about investing in a good pair of tweeters and Im not sure if I should switch out the stock speakers for aftermarket ones.

 

The speakers are of OEM quality from Pioneer. Nothing spectacular. Now then, you can go with aftermarket speakers and have the system sound better, or worse. If you have an aftermarket head unit, there will definitely be a change in tonal quality of the speakers. If you have an amp, there's another change in the quality. You can find some aftermarket speakers that are OMG fantastic that sound horrid on the OEM head unit. The best way to do any kind of aftermarket equipment, plan everything. Listen to what other people have installed and see what the quality is. If you really like the way a sound stage is on one car, chances are it will sound completely different in another.

Now, you can get a decent system for a very low price. There was even a competition on par with IASCA and USAC (car audio competition spec'd groups) called ISUC (International Stereo Underchievers Competition). The competition was for the best possible sound quality or level of db output for the cheapest price. The key part of the competition is, all parts went off of retail value and no OEM was allowed.

The key element behind finding your ideal speakers/components, what's your price range?

 

Id like to spend no more than $300 if possible. I already have a decent sub installed. I was under the impression that I could install speakers that handled just mids and highs and that would make for a full range of sounds. I guess its not entirely that simple.

My biggest concern was to extenuate the mids and highs. Would you recommend getting tweeters, or just better speakers in general?

 

one thing to check before you shell out dough on new speakers is to be sure that the "car type" is set on the head unit. With the 06's you can select XA, XB, or TC. Each setting will give you a different sound dynamic in the box.
To get into the "Car Type" setting, hold down your "SSP" button on the head unit for about 5 seconds untill you get into "Car Type" setting mode, then you can use your "next / previous buttons to cycle through each setting. XB is more bassy and fuller then XA, and the TC setting, well... I have an 04 so i dont know what the TC setting sounds like, but you get the idea... You may just not like the sound of the speakers because of that setting, or your SSP setting. Personally i like the XA setting, on the "loud" Eq setting. with my amps/sub/componants sets i think that sounds best to me..

 

I think you could get away with just replacing the tweeters in the dash with something a little more full range. There are some fantastic 4" speakers that have a great range of sound which even complement the stock door speakers. With $300 you have a very large range to work with... from bottom of the barrel to something you might find in a comp class setup. I don't remember the exact depths or height restriction, just search around the forums for 4inch.

Here's a great thread with information on the dash: https://www.scionlife.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=64509

 

I have these in my dash.

Got em on Amazon for $30. They improved the sound significantly. This weekend, I installed a pair of 6.5" 3-ways in the door... also Amazon for $50. They further rounded out the soundstage, coupled with my 10" Infinity Basslink and my Alpine deck, it sounds great and didn't break the bank.

 

give Elemental designs a look. great prices and lots of XB choices. or you can just go for it all... it is a fun weekend project

https://www.scionlife.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=150032