Hello all. This car has been in the family for some time, but I've recently just started driving it. 2000 XK8 with the premium (Alpine) audio system. The front speakers (door and dash top) are working so there is plenty of treble and some high mid, also the subwoofer is working very well. The problem is there is absolutely no midrange or upper bass - big hole in the sound of the system. Is there a separate amplifier for those speakers? While on that subject, where are the 'other' speakers in this system? Door panels? Rear quarters? Very irritating to listen to anything with vocals as they are nearly non-existent. All tone controls are set to flat and the sub level is at +2.

 

Also should mention - when I run the fader all the way to the rear, the only sound is from the subwoofer. Is this normal?

 

Convertible Rear Speakers are Sub-Woofers only.
Front Lower Door Panel Speakers are Mid-Range and Mid-Bass.

 

This might help. Schematic for the entertainment system for a 2001.

 

Thank you for the schematics. I should have included in my original post that I have a coupe.

My door tweeters and 'fascia' (assuming these are the ones on the dash) speakers both work and it appears they are on a common feed from the amp so that makes sense. My door mid-bass and rear quarter speakers are not working at all. Would you agree that this is likely an amp issue and not a head unit issue? Is this a known failure point for the premium amplifier? Has anyone had the amp apart to see if the failed component is something obvious, maybe in the power supply to that particular section of the amp?

 

There is an easy way to check if your speakers are bad, without having to tear apart your whole system. Take a 9 volt battery and use a snap-on connector with bare leads on it. Touch the bare leads to the speaker terminals, using the correct polarity. The speaker should give a "pop" sound and the cone should push outwards. If nothing happens, it's a bad speaker. This will not do any damage to an existing working speaker.

 

Good idea. Seems a bit of a coincidence if all four of those speakers have failed at the same time, but I agree it would be good to eliminate that possibility. I'll just need access to the connectors at the amp - where is it located?

 

I would just remove the grills and test the speakers. If one of the four was good, then probable it would be in the amp.

Here is an old thread that might help
https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...ocation-53706/

 

When I first bought my 2000 xkr convertible, I had the same issues. I ended up replacing the mid-range speakers in the door panels that had stopped working (very easy to swap out). I originally was confused about the "fade" effect to the rear... until I found out they were only subwoofers! Apparently a different speaker set-up in the convertibles.

By the way, I found out the best sound from my system happens when the top is down

 

I don't see a grille over the individual speakers in the doors or the rear quarter panels. Does the entire upholstered panel in those areas pop off? I'd rather not break some critical clip trying to figure it out.

 

small screw on the underneath of the small upholstered speaker grill, and there are two tabs on the top that hook under the leather door panel itself.
check this post: Fitting New Speakers To XK8
If you are just checking on or replacing with exact fit, no need to pull the entire door panel.

 

Great write up on the fronts - thanks for the link. They talked about the rears but there were no details. Do those grilles just pull straight off the rear quarters?

 

Correct for the Coupe.

 

I have the same problem with my convertible; the 'back seat' speakers do not work. I have pulled the amp and found it has hydraulic fluid in it from the top pump, expertly placed above all the electronics. I do not know if it is the problem yet, but as you have a coupe, I am doubting it now. What I did notice is that recall work had been done in the area which meant they had to remove the 'stack' of electronics to gain access, and when it was reassembled, it looks like they realized that they no longer had the length to route the wires to the amp back to their original location and wrapped them around the metal shelf stretching them till they reached the plug. So I think I may have some damaged wire insulation coming into contact with that metal rack, or other partially stripped wires from the sharp edges of the rack it sits on touching each other. I plan on pulling the rack and re-routing the wiring, as everywhere there was recall or warranty work done, the wiring is just shoved back up where ever it would stay long enough to get the panel back on.