How do you remove the sub woofer grill on a 98 XK convert?
Thanks in advance for the info!

You have two ways the first is to remove the rear seat and back cushions. The other is to just remove the grills without removing the seat. I did it without removing the seats and it was not hard. You have 3 screws and one 50hex bolt holding the seatbelt that are all related to the removal of the cover over the speakers. Remove them and your speaker cover will pop out of position. You have a part of the cover that is under the door kick plate. To remove that just press down on the plastic of the panel next to the kick plate and push it away from under the kick plate. Just take your time and it will come out. To the rear you will see a plastic stay that with a little patience will come out. This is the same with the cushions removed only a little easier. I replaced both my speakers in about an hour with the seats in.

The C5-650cw's aren't subwoofers. The Kicker is and for the money, the kicker outperforms that C5's.

Specs:
Kicker: 150w RMS 300w. peak
Freq: 25-350 hz.

C5: 75w RMS 225w peak
Freq: 48 hz up

The Kicker handles twice the power AND it goes to subwoofer frequencies, the C5's don't. C5's would be fine for the front doors, but not the subs. I'm looking at redoing the entire audio system with the face plate H20 mentioned. Thanks by the way H20! Great info. Too bad they don't have the part here in the states.

you referring to the NExxia adapter for the XJ? Yah, sadly, they're the only place that has one..but it only takes a few more days to arrive here from the UK. Worth it though!

And you are welcome, everyone loves tips.

Before I get crackin on a new building a new system, where is the stock amplifier located?

Kicker, outperforming JL Audio?

lol

You can say that particular speaker is more suitable for your application or desires... but to say that it outperforms? Only on paper... for your specific use.

I'm pretty sure build quality would easily go to JL. As for overall sound quality, you'd have to match them speaker to speaker but in most cases JL would most likely win.

Power rating? Power ratings don't mean much.

The argument is a mute point as you are comparing apples to oranges. If you read my thread, I said the C5's would be a good choice for the doors, not the subs as the C5's are not subs.

I'll preface this wtih: I'm not a audiophile....just passing along info....

Crutchfield tech support also mentioned they were a little concerned about whether or not the factory amp has enough power to push the Kickers well, but they were fairly certain the factory amp could make good use of the JLs due to thier lower power ratings/requirements.

That said, all the positive feedback on the bb re Kicker installs and sound performance - not to mention price - led me to pull the trigger on the Kickers.

Its too hot in Texas this summer! I wouldn't mind taking an XK for a spin in the cool UK if anyone wants to arrange a swap.

I managed to install the Kickers with no cutting on the car. However, out-of-the-box the Kickers would not fit into the subwoofer enclosures. The Kickers came with a plastic ring with the Kicker logo, etc that was glued around the circumference of the face of the speaker. With a little dremmeling and use of a screwdriver to pry the plastic ring off the Kickers, they fit perfectly into the Jag-factory subwoofer box. Even the mounting screw holes alligned.

The Kickers sound very good. There is some distortion at the highest volume levels, but I think that's the factory amp reaching its limitations, rather than the Kickers, as the highs/mids also start to distort at those volume levels.

I took a screwdriver and broke the ring off instead of machining it off.
The amp indeed doesn't have enough oomph to really drive the kickers right, that's why I'm putting in a separate amp for just the subs. Also, the enclosures for the subs aren't really designed properly, they should have been larger, but you can compensated for the under size by simply driving the subs harder with a bigger amp. An adjustable sub cutoff frequency adjustment also helps.

Mine sounds great. It was the right thing to do.

Does anyone know or have an idea if it would be possible/advisable to use a heat gun to melt the glue that holds the plastic ring on the Kickers instead of using a Dremel tool, chisel or screwdriver?

Thats good to know about the Pep Boys LED bulbs. I was about to put them in my dash this weekend. Guess I will go with the regualar 194 bulbs

I just now ordered the Kickers. These will work fine for me. Thanks to all for this great thread!

I simply took a pair of pliers, held it tight on the plastic ring, and twisted it off piece by piece. Didn't have a dremel, so next best thing. Only took a few minutes. I also made custom plates for over the speakers; i'll have to take a pic and post it.

I just did this replacement with the Kicker CVT 6.5 inch 4ohm subwoofers. It was a little more trying because I had taken it to a sound shop who tried to do something(?). I had to reconnect my tweeters which they thought to cut the wires on.

All I have to say is WOW! This really did the trick for me. The car sound is awesome!

Ed, DrDSP,

Does either of you have a step by step instruction of how to get the speaker out? I have taken off part of the cover (not touched the rear seat at all). I can see the speaker housing (black and quite substantial), but can't reach the bolts. Do I have to remove the seat? Thanks

See if this helps

Link JagRepair.com - Jaguar Repair Information Resource

I've always been an audiophile, and this thread is tripping my trigger to go inspect my audio system, which I'm very pleased with. Just want to get in there and see it. I have a coupe, and I have read that my subwoofer is installed center in the rear deck. I also see, however, the side panels in the rear appear to have something behind them, as seen in the pics posted in this thread of the convertibles.

I'd love to throw a Phoenix Gold X-Max in the rear deck if possible. Also, if I have a sub in the rear deck, what do I have in the side panels? I wonder if I could consider having 3 subs in the back, a good low-end 8" and a pair of 6-1/2" for extra punch.


I have noticed that the stereo in these cars is lacking in solid mid-range. I get the lows (the really LOW lows), and the upper range and highs are there, but I really need more sound between 100 through 500 hz.

Thank you very much Gus. That worked. While I am at it, I will try to replace the hydraulic lines to the top latch as well. Followed your advise and got the high performance custom made lines from Colliflower. Your instructions are detailed, so I have high hopes. Thanks again