Just wondering if anyone else has put new speakers in their cars? I want to upgrade the front door components at least. Maybe the rear doors too. After looking on SonicElectronix site, they only show what fits your car...it says we have 6 1/2" up front and back for the doors.

These are the components I wanted to put in:

http://www.sonicelectronix.com/item_...io-C5-653.html

Where would you put the tweeters? Or would you not even use them at all? I am concerned that it will not even make a difference in sound due to the factory amp. Think its powerful enough? The Rockford Fosgate amp i have in my Denali puts out 100 watts a channel RMS lol. I have no clue what this one does. Is it possible to run an aftermarket amp or would that screw up the touchscreen?

 

I have upgraded mine on the front to a round speaker from the original oval std factory issue. It is amazing that the originals sounded half decent as they are very ordinary! The factory has taken great care to make sure the door cavity has an efficient seal, make sure you do the same after you have pulled everything apart! I did have to make an aluminium template for the door round speakers and placed the tweeters on the base of the A pillar. The crossovers were placed in the cavity next to the bass rounds. For obvious reasons a 2 way split is easier than a 3 way. The templates to accomodate several round sizes are avail. on ebay out of the US. For the rear I have a high performance 2 way again, not split, yet to install. Running std system, no amp. Difference in just fitting front splits is huge!!! Although am finding volume is constantly on full so amp is sorely lacking! Looking for jag original. See my previous posts for photos. Not sure about non jag amp, do search for that one. Good luck.

 

Do you have the Alpine stereo? If so it's pretty much an all or nothing deal. You can add an aftermarket sub and make the system sound 10x better. BUT you can't rip out the alpine amp, you can use a JL audio clean sweep or the like to get the signal to an aftermarket amp.

My car did NOT have the alpine stereo. But the speaker mounting spots are exactly the same.

I did mb quart components in the front. I used a scosche adapter plate, reinforced with some dynamat, and sealed in with some silicone. I mounted the tweeter next to the woofer.

Here's a pic.


Take care,

George

 

Thanks for your help, actually I do have the alpine system. So I can't leave that system there and just run a separate amp to some components?

 

Ok. Not exactly.

I'll try to explain this as best as possible.

The alpine system has no speaker level or line level audio outputs. Sound is sent digitally through the d2b fiber network to the amp. The digital to analog conversion happens at the amplifier. There is no way to connect aftermarket amps directly to the head unit.

The Alpine system has 10 channels of amplification, and internal equalization and crossovers. The alpine amp isn't half bad though. You may be pleasantly surprised.

Btw, you arleady have factory tweeters - look behind the inside door handle.
Channels are as follows:

Front midranges (2), Front Tweeters (2), Rear Midranges (2) Rear Tweeters (2) and the 2 6.5" "subs" in the back deck.

The good about the alpine:
The system is Eq'd relatively well. The speakers are OK. Power output is decent, unless you're into prematurely going deaf OR pissing off your neighbors.

The bad about the alpine:
The bass response SUCKS and the midrange response is muddy. 95% of this is due to the speakers they used, and the lack of a real sub.

Here's what I would do with an alpine stereo. It will improve the sound quality dramatically.

First, replace the front speakers with aftermarket components. Just replace midbass for midbass, tweeter for tweeter you have no choice but to use the Alpine Amp's internal crossovers, but that's ok. Wire them to the factory wires. This will clean up the front sound stage. ALOT.

Second, remove the two 6.5" "subs" in the rear deck. Yes remove them.

Then using a line output converter, wire the ouput from the alpine amp's rear sub channels to an additional amplifier, and add a real sub. Either a 10" or 12" sub in a small sealed enclosure.

This can be done relatively inexpensively. ~ $500. Especially if you do the install yourself. I'd be glad to help once the weather gets better.

Those two things will dramatically balance out and make the alpine stereo sound 10x better.

Take care,

George

 

Wow, thanks so much that really helped a lot! So I decided i am going to go with JL Audio C5-650's at $400 a set. I'll do the front and rear doors to make it complete. I'm anxious to see how good it will sound hehe.

 

08Z06 Why on earth would you buy components for the rear???? Your wasting money. By the 650's for the front and the 650X's, or 570X's for the rear if your set on replacing all 4 speakers.

 

Aren't they the same thing as the front doors?? If so, i want the full sound effect. I don't half *** things lol

 

I fully agree that the Rear speakers do NOT need to be replaced. Spend your money where it matters. Do the front first, fade the stereo forwards a bit, and then have a listen. If you insist that the car needs rear speakers then go ahead and do it.

Where are you in Jersey? Come have a listen to my car if you're close to the Mercer county area. It's all aftermarket, EXCEPT for the stock rear speakers running off the headunit. I bet you if you have a listen you'll forget your desire for rear speakers.

If you don't want to do a sub in the trunk, at LEAST get a couple good JL 6.5 infinite baffle subs and replace the rear deck speakers.

Take care,

George

 

HI George,

from that link to the JL Audio, it seems its a 3 way component set up.
do Jaguar S type has a mid range? where is it located?

thanks

 

Oh I didn't even look at the link.

To answer your question. No Sir. The S-Type uses a 2 way component. 6.5 midrange (in the alpine system), and 3/4 inch tweeter component set.

The alpine stereo actually has an adapter plate built in to the speaker to mount the 6.5 into the 5x7 hole. I don't know if it can be reused with an aftermarket speaker.

this is what a stock alpine speaker looks like:



this is what a stock non alpine speaker looks like:


Hope that clears things up.

Take care,

George

 

The purpose of components over coaxials is to seperate sound. Putting components in the rear is generally never done and I can't see it serving any useful purpose. As you drive what does it matter where the location of your rear tweeter is?

Get front components and don't bother with back speakers for now. Also $400 for C5-650's is a rip off. You can grab them for much cheaper if you shop around.

 

Not exactly.

The purpose of components isn't to separate sound, but to use multiple drivers to more accurately reproduce sound. It's simple physics, but I'm not going to get into a long winded explanation.

A well setup car stereo shouldn't HAVE rear tweeters, if you are trying to optimize the experience for the front seat passengers. It completely messes up the soundstage.

When was the last time you went to a concert and turned AROUND and faced the back of the stadium. You want the soundstage to be in front of you. By placing another tweeter behind you, you mess that up. Especially in a car like an S-Type, which any reasonably sized guy would have to sit far enough back in the seat so that the rear tweeter (in the door handle) is physically closer to your ear than the front tweeter is.

The higher the frequency, the more directional it becomes. Because the less it reflects due to shorter wavelengths. That's why you can put a sub almost anywhere and not tell where it is.

In nature, lower frequency sounds reflect off the back of a concert hall etc. Higher pitched ones do not. To recreate this in a car, you use what is called rear "fill" basically just the midrange and lower frequencies, at a level approximately 1/2 to 2/3 of what the front is playing at.

The car will sound BETTER and more natural from the front seats if you do this. Personally I accomplish this by leaving the back stock and fading it significantly forwards. You never want to be able to hear a rear speaker (and be able to tell it's a rear speaker). All replacing all 4 doors with components will do is make it Louder, not better.

I agree that you can get a better deal. For that price I'd consider focal or dynaudio as well, but too much speaker not enough amp for that.

Take care,

George

 

Nice post George.

 

George:
Can you post what model of MB Quart speakers you used? I prefer MB Quart over JL. I use JL for subs but not for anything else.
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That's funny I'm the same exact way.

MB Quart or Boston Acoustics for highs. JL Audio or Kicker for subs.

My 500sl has a 3 way Boston proseries component set in the front.

All old school soundstream amps.

I think I have the previous version of these:

http://www.amazon.com/MB-Quart-PVI21.../dp/B001B05ODG

Mine had the clear musicomp crossovers, they changed them now.

EDIT: To the OP. If you're NOT planning on using a sub, go with the JL components. MUCH more lower bass. You can cross 6.5" Jl's At 60hz. You'll blow MBq's doing the same thing. But the MB Quart tweeters can't be beat.

Take care,

George

 

HI George

thanks for the info.

 

hello boys,

great info, i'm actually in the middle of this upgrade also.

so far i have added an old school ppi mono amp to power a new JL audio 10" powerwedge box (which fits perfectly in our str trunk). However with the stock alpine system and with the box it still sounds bad! maybe it is because i have not removed the two stock 6.5" subs from the deck but they have been disconnected already. Any input on this would be great...

Secondly i plan to change out the front door speakers and I have been looking at the infiniti seperates; should i go for a set of 5x8" seperates or 6.5" seperates? i'm leaning towards the 5x8 due to the fact that i may get a little more midbass. also where is the stock tweeters currently located? behind the inside handle?? thx for any input....

 

Definitely remove the 2 6.5's from the rear deck. It will vent more of the bass to the cabin. Make sure the crossover on the PPI amp is OFF - run it full range. (The Alpine amp crosses over the outputs internally). A 10" is a little weak, especially if it's the powerwedge enclosure I'm thinking of.. (The slim one with a 10w0 in it). But it should sound alot better this way.

As far as your front doors. I would not do a 5x8 component set. Oval speakers = distorted midrange.

The right 6.5 set will make the car sing. You're limited to alpine amp power here unless you gut the entire car stereo wise, so I'd do something efficient like MBQuart in the front doors. I'm not a big infinity fan, their tweeters sound shrill, and their midbass is almost non existent, but to each is own.

Take care,

George

 

Can anybody else post the exact model of speakers you used when upgrading the front door units? George already did and thanks for the great pictures too!
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