Anyone have info on front speaker options

[1stcar240sx]

I want to know if somebody has any ideas/info on how to change the front speakers on my s13.  I will leave the rear stock but the front really needs help.  Oh, and, if it helps, I am on a limited budget. I know this means I won't get top quality stuff, but oh well.  
-thx

[andrave]

take  a look at my page, www.sounddomain.com/id/andrave
on the 2nd or 3rd page there is a kinda blurry (crappy digital) pic of my mdf buildouts to fit behind the stock grilles.  these were easy as hell to make, are solid, gave me some mounting depth for my 5.25's, and should be easy for you to duplicate inexpensively.

[Yoshi]

I put infinity kappa 4x6 2-ways in my front, they costed only $100 for the pair off of ebay - new -

dunno if that's more than you're looking to spend or not, but you should check if you have the built in amps or not (called active sound or something?  It'll say on your grill if you have them).  If you don't, good deal, if you do, you might want to get a 4-way amp while you're at it.

[Mtt22]

why would you need an amp if you have them and not need one if you dont i dont get it, are they not amps already?

[zweebach]

I'm putting 4" component sets in the front (separate tweeters on the sail-panel on the door).  They're on the way, but my car is going into the shop, so it'll be a while before I have pictures of my install.

[Chew Slice]

The internal amps in the car limit the power of the speaker i believe.
basically theyre crap. &nbsp;Ive also got MB Quart 6.5's i the front and they POUND! <img src="http://www.zilvia.net/f/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/cool.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':cool:'>

[sxtasy]

I built some door pods out of 3/4" MDF that houses my 6 1/2" and 5 1/4s. I covered the MDF in black vinyl and added a 1/4" piece of MDF covered in grill cloth. (I mounted the tweeters of the component set in the upper door panel. Total cost for the pods $20 and a lot of time........... Sounds VERY good.


http://www.rjautosales.com/Pics/doorpods.jpg

[Yoshi]

Mtt22: basically what chew slice said is pretty accurate. &nbsp;The stock amps have a different ohm rating, are low current, and basically all around suck. &nbsp;They sound better than the baseline setup, but that's about where improvement ends, you would NOT want to use them with high(er) quality components... it would just be a waste (read as: make your newer better speakers sound worse than they would otherwise)

sxtasy: looks nice! great job! &nbsp;I'm contemplating adding separate tweeters to the little triangles that oppose the sideview mirrors <img src="http://www.zilvia.net/f/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':)'> &nbsp;Where did the silver ring around the driver come from?

[sxtasy]

Thanks for the compliment Yoshi.

That is part of the speaker, they are a cast aluminum (sp) basket -neodimium magnet- and the ring you see is the polished part of the basket. They are Cadence ZXN6Ks.

[Chew Slice]

My 6.5's are basically in the stock location, still behind the factory grille. &nbsp;I havent had any problems with it except when water got between the door and shorted one of my speakers. &nbsp;I solved this by cutting a plactic bag and covering my new speakers. (or you could just use speaker hats). &nbsp;Keeping new speakers in the same spot is much less time consuming and costs a hell of a lot less.

[YellwMonky]

I must be a newb....what is MDF? I'm really interested in fitting some larger speakers in my doors, but don't know exactly how to go about doing it.

Can somebody go a little more into detail on how to do this ?

sxtasy: Youre setup looks real nice. That's exactly what I want to do. Real clean.

[sxtasy]

MDF is (medium density fiberboard). It's just a type of compressed wood product kinda like particle board but much denser and "stiffer". Anyhow, I think i took some pictures of the process. I'll look and see, and if I do I'll put together a little "how to" and send it to you.

[Chew Slice]

okay. &nbsp;to have 6.5's just in the door with little modifications, its fairly easy. &nbsp;When you take out the whole stock speaker component from the door, there will be a large hole. &nbsp;Just trace the hole about an inch wider and cut a thin piece of wood to the shape. &nbsp;Next, drill holes in the door and the wood outline and add some silicone around the edges just to make a good seal. &nbsp;I dont think building the speaker out is such a good idea considering that the imaging in the car is already bad. &nbsp;Its as simple as that, just remember to use speaker hats so you dont get your speakers shorted like i did. &nbsp;No Fun. &nbsp;Hope i didnt miss anything

[rancid240]

sxtasy you must live in a really good neighborhood or have a really good alarm...it would be near impossible to mount speakies like that here in downtown LA

[misnomer]

Yeah, what Chew Slice said. I used 1/4" plywood (no good fiberboard that thin at home depot when I was there). You don't need much, I had four square feet and lots to spare. Basically, &nbsp;take the entire plastic doohickey that holds the speaker out, measure the hole, cut the wood to fit it, mount a speaker in it. I picked up some cheapass foam baffles that go behind the speakers to protect them from water in the door. You will need to use a mutimeter to find which wires are which from the speaker to the deck, or better yet replace the speaker wire. I fit 6.5" Infinity Kappa components up front, put the tweeters in the same place as sxtacy. Sounds premo! Plus, they will fit fine behind the factory grills if you are worried about security or doing an ugly job (mine is ugly as hell behind the grills <img src="http://www.zilvia.net/f/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':p'>). Make CERTAIN you don't get speakers that require much more power than your deck can put out, otherwise you get ass for bass untill you get an amplifier, which brings you out of the realm of "budget." If you are keeping the stock deck, don't bother replacing the front speakers unless they are blown. You won't get a big enough difference to justify the price, in my opinion.

[YellwMonky]

thanks a lot for the info. I think I might try this over the weekend. I'll let you know how it goes.

[Natty]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (Chew Slice @ Sep. 04 2002,02:13)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">My 6.5's are basically in the stock location, still behind the factory grille. I havent had any problems with it except when water got between the door and shorted one of my speakers. I solved this by cutting a plactic bag and covering my new speakers. (or you could just use speaker hats). Keeping new speakers in the same spot is much less time consuming and costs a hell of a lot less.</td></tr></table><span id='postcolor'>
Oh crap, I never thought about water damage. How do yo think water go into there? My speakers are just bolted into the door. Only problem is that I don't have any room to add baffles because the screws are too short &nbsp;<img src="http://www.zilvia.net/f/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/crazy.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':crazy:'>

I did what everyone else did. I have Pioneer 6.5"s up front and I really like them alot. Ditching hte factory amps was a bitch though! My screws seemed to be seized or something, so I had to dremel the amp out. I have some Cerwin Vega plates in the back. They are a 4x6 plate with a 4" speaker and a little tweeter and a built in crossover. They sound amazing! They were tough to fit in there and I just recently stopped them from rattling. I have bass blockers on them, so they just add in some "fill."
Sucks, all my bass comes up from the front, and the nice imaging is in the back &nbsp;<img src="http://www.zilvia.net/f/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/crazy.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':crazy:'>
Jeff
Oh, I searched sound domain and got the idea for some baffles. I never knew andrave was on this board. I did a good job copying with 1/2" plywood.
Jeff

[transient]

Personally, i'm going to put some 4x6 alpine plate speakers in. I don't think I really need to go to the trouble of mounting components... the plates will do just fine. I'll probably get a 4 way amp though...

[Alias]

If you looking for a cheap setup that will fit. Get some pioneer 6x9's. They sound alright and with a quick cut with the dremel they will fit perfect.

[YellwMonky]

I went into Home Depot today to get some 1/4" MDF, but they didn't have MDF that thin. Also, the thinnest plywood they had was 5/8 inch. Is taht too thick to fit over the speaker hole and still fit my door panel on ? They also had 1/4" hardboard...will that work fine ?

Also, What did you guys use to cut the MDF? Especially the circle for the speaker?

[misnomer]

Look around Home Depot, I found 1/4" plywood in a "project size" of four square feet, was perfect for the job. The MDF that thickness felt waaay too flimsy. I cut mine with a jigsaw.

And a word of caution, be careful with plate speakers. The front speaker mounts are designed for a standard 4x6, plate speakers are typcially too wide at the ends, and the offset midrange driver will not fit (I had tried with Kappa 4x6 plates)

[AuburnRyan]

OK, Ok, I had the same setup "installed" before on my 93, but I was just doing this to my '91 with amps, and I've taken out the whole amp/speaker setup and....5 wires. &nbsp;
Blue
Blue-Yellow
Blue-White
Green
Black
i searched the archives...found a wire "guide" that seems to explain the harness (behind the radio), but all I'm trying to do is find positve and negative for front drivers side, are the rest not utilized anymore...? &nbsp;Thought I'd ask since I have no meter to check <img src="http://www.zilvia.net/f/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/whatsthat.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':whatthe:'>
Also for the passengers side, as I haven't gotten there yet, but will.
Thanks

By the way I'm using 1/4 hardboard...works fine, although thin, but sturdy for the application! &nbsp;A hole saw (6" in my case) eill cut your hole perfect, or jigsaw ans sturdy hands <img src="http://www.zilvia.net/f/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/thumbs-up.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':thumbsup:'>