-HEF- Posted May 5, 2005 Share Posted May 5, 2005 and i figured, hey, why not start up the fiftieth thread about it. what's worse is that i have no pics. but i will answer any question that anyone might have. i installed 4 polk db650's. the install depth is supposed to be 2" and it seems that the front windows rub on the speakers a little bit when they roll down. i am going to take the door panels back off this weekend and slide some spacers in there. i completed all 4 speakers, with drilling, in around 2 hours. and i had no idea what i was doing when i started. i bet i could do it again in about 1.5 hours. i did break the nubs off the door handle cover, but that is no big deal at all. like someone else said, now it is easier to get them off. the rear doors go quicker than the fronts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Helfrick Posted May 6, 2005 Share Posted May 6, 2005 Congrats. No amp? How does that sound? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-HEF- Posted May 6, 2005 Author Share Posted May 6, 2005 yeah, no amp on the cabin speaks. i do have an amp and sub in the trunk though. so far, and this may be due to the speakers that i chose, the only difference between the polks and the stockers is that i can crank the polks way up and they don't break up at all. the sound doesn't seem to have improved a lot though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deneb Posted May 6, 2005 Share Posted May 6, 2005 Hmmm....so you didn't get any better defined/cleaner sound? I may have to re-think my speaker upgrades....Interesting that you can turn them up louder, but no increase in quality, just quantity. Did you leave the stock tweeter connected? How is the stock tweeter wired? Off the midrange driver? Any weird issues removing the door panels, or was it pretty straightforward? Thanks for the info!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-HEF- Posted May 6, 2005 Author Share Posted May 6, 2005 Hmmm....so you didn't get any better defined/cleaner sound? I may have to re-think my speaker upgrades....Interesting that you can turn them up louder, but no increase in quality, just quantity. Did you leave the stock tweeter connected? How is the stock tweeter wired? Off the midrange driver? Any weird issues removing the door panels, or was it pretty straightforward? Thanks for the info!! yeah, i am no audiophile, but i do not notice a lot better sound from the aftermarket speakers. i haven't tried listening to a ton of different cds though yet. the stock tweeter is still connected. i thought that i would have to turn the treble down in doing that, but the treble is not over powering. weird. the wiring for the speaker goes to the door and then is split off. one line goes to the woofer and another goes to the tweeter. so it is not relayed from the midrange, it has a separate line. getting the panels off was very easy in my opinion. hardest part was getting the handle cover off. what i did was grab the handle and push it towards the front of the car (twist it forward), and it came right off. but for the front handle covers, 2 small tabs came off. it really does not affect how tightly they are held onto the handle though. but if you are a neat freak, i would follow the direx posted in other threads to get them off. there is a way to do it without breaking the tabs. good luck, and post when you finish. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric L Posted May 6, 2005 Share Posted May 6, 2005 stockers sound ten times better through an aftermarket head unit.. its the head unit Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sduford Posted May 6, 2005 Share Posted May 6, 2005 You need to turn off the tweeters. Because they are higher up and most likely more efficient you will hear the treble from them instead of from your aftermarket speakers. Sylvain www.digitalfotographer.com - Audi Q5 Club - MB-GLK Club Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Th3Franz Posted May 6, 2005 Share Posted May 6, 2005 Did you add any spacers? 2" isn't that deep. Try squeezing a CDT that is 2.75" hehe. I will upgrade the stereo in my car eventually, but it's a low priority. Did you do any sound deadening? -Franz The end of a Legacy http://www.youtube.com/th3franz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deneb Posted May 6, 2005 Share Posted May 6, 2005 stockers sound ten times better through an aftermarket head unit.. its the head unit I'm not sure I agree. I upgraded the stock paper full range speakers in my Mazda 626 to Infinity reference series using the stock head unit, and the difference in sound quality was amazing. I doubt my old Mazda had a better head unit than the one in the LGT, certainly not nearly as powerful. HEF, thanks for the info! If/when I upgrade the front door speakers, I'll probably disconnect the stock tweeter. As sduford said, that could be why you don't notice a big improvement, you're still hearing the stock tweeter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D-2.5-GT Posted May 6, 2005 Share Posted May 6, 2005 Hmmm... The more stories i hear, the more i tend to think it is the head unit. Previously, i was optimistic about the power output of our stock unit. Obviously an aftermarket one is going to be leaps and bounds ahead, but i thought we would be able to get away with just speakers. I think the stock unit is putting at least 20 RMS to them. It could also be the speakers you put in as well. Not sure on their specs, but i am not really a big fan of polk speakers, more specifically polk car speakers. Haven't ever really been too impressed with what i have seen. No doubt about it though, if you want the best sound you will have to add an amp to those speakers. Too bad there isn't an easy way to hook up a bunch of different speakers off the stock deck to listen too before purchasing. It is VERY misleading trying to listen to them off an aftermarket deck in the store. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-HEF- Posted May 6, 2005 Author Share Posted May 6, 2005 okay, i take back what i said about the speakers. they are def better than stock. i think the problem was that i litened to only one failry poor recording yesterday after my chop job. i had a chance to listen to a wide variety of stuff, and i must say i am def happy. i did have to cut the treble back a notch. to answer you question, Th3Franz, i did not do any deadening nor did i use a spacer, yet. this weekend i am throwing a spacer in the front speakers. as for disconnecting the stock tweeter, i am not certain that is a great idea. here are 2 options and good and bad for both: 1) disconnect stock tweeter - the good is that you'll hear only the aftermarket speaker, the bad is that you'll lose having sound at that height in the car. the stockers are at ear level. 2) disconnect the tweeter on the aftermarket - the good is that you'll lose the overpowering treble, but the bad is that the stock tweeter wasn't tested with the aftermarket woofer, so i am not sure how good the stereo imaging would be, or if the crossover frequencies would be acceptable. so now i am thinking that i should have bought component after market speakers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gfxdave99 Posted May 6, 2005 Share Posted May 6, 2005 Hmm.. I might just get those 6500s this weekend then If everything seems under control, you're just not going fast enough. - Mario Andretti Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-HEF- Posted May 6, 2005 Author Share Posted May 6, 2005 Hmm.. I might just get those 6500s this weekend then if you mean the polk db650's, crutchfield.com is running a special where you buy one pair and get the other half off. pretty sweet deal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gfxdave99 Posted May 6, 2005 Share Posted May 6, 2005 No i mean these http://www.crutchfield.com/S-vBc9nbJpsox/cgi-bin/ProdView.asp?g=76400&I=107DB6500 the 6500 seprates.. However.. if i can get these for 199 and the two for the rear door at half off that might be a good deal If everything seems under control, you're just not going fast enough. - Mario Andretti Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NeedMoreBoost Posted May 6, 2005 Share Posted May 6, 2005 I think it will only sound as good as the signal leaving the head unit, no matter how good/expensive the replacement speakers are. I love music and I haven't attempted to replace the speakers because we can't replace the head unit. Just my 2 cents. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deneb Posted May 6, 2005 Share Posted May 6, 2005 I disagree, my experience with replacing factory crappy paper $2 speakers with quality aftermarket speakers resulted in a major improvement in sound, even though I retained the stock head unit with much less power than the one in our LGT's. Not saying an aftermarket head unit wouldn't also result in an improvement in sound quality however. It may very well be that disconnecting the stock tweeter will improve the stereo image. Good info about that on another speaker thread. I would most definitely NOT disconnect/disable the tweeter on your Polk's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deer Killer Posted May 6, 2005 Share Posted May 6, 2005 The stock speakers aren't THAT bad.. upgrading to a pair for $50 speakers is going to gain you what? Better sound through marketing? :\ For me the tweeters leave most to be desired anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deneb Posted May 6, 2005 Share Posted May 6, 2005 In my experience, you gain tighter, deeper bass, clearer more detailed highs, cleaner sound overall, and a better defined stereo image (such as it is in a car where you're sitting right next to the left speaker). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-HEF- Posted May 7, 2005 Author Share Posted May 7, 2005 No i mean these http://www.crutchfield.com/S-vBc9nbJpsox/cgi-bin/ProdView.asp?g=76400&I=107DB6500 the 6500 seprates.. However.. if i can get these for 199 and the two for the rear door at half off that might be a good deal yeah, i like that idea. if i had to redo it again, i'd get the components for the front. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mwiener2 Posted May 7, 2005 Share Posted May 7, 2005 the problem is in the head unit. The stocker is matched to the stock speakers and has an EQ curve built in. As you crank the volume, the EQ curve changes. The only way around this is to get a setup with the new CleanSweep thing that just came out. My Mods List (Updated 8/22/17) 2005 Outback FMT Running on Electrons Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NeedMoreBoost Posted May 7, 2005 Share Posted May 7, 2005 The stock speakers aren't THAT bad.. upgrading to a pair for $50 speakers is going to gain you what? Better sound through marketing? :\ Agreed the problem is in the head unit. The stocker is matched to the stock speakers and has an EQ curve built in. As you crank the volume, the EQ curve changes. The only way around this is to get a setup with the new CleanSweep thing that just came out.QUOTE] Agreed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brio11 Posted May 7, 2005 Share Posted May 7, 2005 Having done many stereo installs myself I also agree that upgrading your HU makes a lot of difference. Your factory speakers will sound much better. I had stock open air rears on my car and i scoffed at them as they are 15w paper cones. So i compared them to aftermarket open/closed speakers. The 15w factory pos took the cake in the end and i kept them. I was very very surprised. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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