I had the same set of alpines in a previous Accord of mine and I took them out because they sounded like cr*p. My wife and I both have leased Accords over the last several years, and the speakers are the first things I replace. I've installed Infinity, Alpine, Bostons, Polk, and of course, Focals. Of those I've mentioned, the Alpines were, by far, the worst sounding of the bunch. I'd rank them in this order, with the Focals being in first place my a wide, wide margin.
1. Focal 2. Polk 3. BA 4. Infinity 5. Alpine
Hint, notice the cheaper speakers are at the bottom.
Now, will my setup match the amped bass of your system? Of course not. But I guarantee you that it will sound better at all other octaves. And, to address the original poster, the Focals have a deep enough bottom end that you could live without a sub, unless you are an absolute bass-head.
To put it another way, if you think that a supercharged Civic equals a BMW 325, then you are dreaming.
It all boils down to what is important to you and what you are trying to accomplish. Some people are happy with laminate floors, others insist on real hardwood. Some people will drive a new car every other year (me) and some people will only buy used. Some people will buy an inexpensive Timex, others insist on owning only Rolex. Getting my meaning?
By the description of your previous and current systems, it's clear that your criteria is different than mine. It doesn't make it better or worse, just different. However, coming on this thread and busting my butt because you think your version of a sound system is "better" is narrow minded and un-appreciated. If you are completely satisfied with $200 Alpine components power to you. I wasn't. The 6 1/2 Focal components cost me $475, and for me, are WELL worth the difference. Now stop being an ass and drop it.
