Speaker recommendation for Hifi system

[Danimal]

My Boxster has the factory hifi sound system (dash components, woofers in doors, factory reset speakers in storage compartment). I replaced the head unit with a new Sony unit and the amp with a 996 cabrio 6x40w. So the rear speakers are now powered by the amp.

It sounds pretty good. But I decided to try some new speakers for the dash. I bought a set of 4” coax JBL C2s and hooked them up, prior to hacking up the dash speakers….and I’m glad I did. They produce less sound than the the factory ones at the same volume level on the head unit, BUT the doors still produce sound like normal. So if you turn it up to get more sound, the bass starts bumping big time and drowns everything out and sounds totally unbalanced. I think it’s bc the new speakers aren’t as efficient as the old ones (88 db).

So my long winded question, should I try a more efficient set like the infinity references (93db)….or let it be and keep the OEM components??

[KevinH1990]

Your set up has some similarities to mine. When I replaced my door speakers, I added a small amp to power them using the subwoofer output of my head unit. This allows me to adjust the low-range volume of the sound separately from the other speakers. You can see my journey to this solution in this thread: https://986forum.com/forums/boxster-general-discussions/79558-door-speaker-recommendations.html

It seems to me that you have some decent-quality dash speakers. Rather than replacing them, it may be better to replace the door speakers and add equipment that allows you to fine-tune the door speaker sound.

Another option is to replace the door speakers with some JBL speakers that match the efficiency of your dash speakers. The door speakers are not of the best quality and they may be showing signs of age.

Good luck.

[Danimal]

Thanks! Those are some interesting ideas. The way the factory amps crossover to the door speakers makes planning an upgrade pretty challenging.

I also thought about doing a 5 channel amp and splitting the sub output to the doors, but at this point I don’t think it’s worth it. I really don’t want to take everything apart and run wires again

[KevinH1990]

Originally Posted by Danimal

Thanks! The way the factory amps crossover to the door speakers makes planning an upgrade pretty challenging.

I agree. My understanding is that the Haes amplifiers send a signal to the door speakers that is a combination of the front and rear channel signals that is filtered to remove the very low and very high frequencies.

In retrospect, I made a significant amount of work for myself by deciding to install larger woofers in the doors. If JBL makes a two-piece coaxial speaker with a 5 and 1/4 inch low-frequency driver you could install the large driver in the door with a minimum of fuss. I understand that the separate tweeter would be wasted, but your overall cost would be relatively low.

If JBL doesn't make a 5-and 1/4-inch speaker with separate drivers, I think you could install a regular 5-and 1/4 JBL speaker in the door and it is likely to sound good. The filter in the Haes amp would only feed it lower frequencies.

I am pleased with the sound I'm hearing with my set up, but it took more time, effort and money than I anticipated.

[Danimal]

I was thinking something similar. You could swap everything to coax speakers, change the amp to a normal 6 channel and put in a small sub like the jbl nano. But seems like a lot of work for a modest improvement at this point.

[KevinH1990]

I have owned my Boxster for many years, and I have made upgrades to the sound system as time permitted. If you have some free time to work on the speakers, it is worthwhile.

I have kept in mind that the Boxster is an inherently noisy vehicle and that spending a lot of time and money on the sound system may not pay off. That said, I've made a few incremental changes over time and the result has been a significant improvement in sound quality over the OEM system.

The improvement is more noticeable when I have the hard top on the car in the winter because the hard top reduces road and wind noise significantly.

[BRAN]

My impression on investing in aftermarket car hifi: An active mini sub is ALWAYS a good choice for the Boxster, probably the best choice. Top down, 60mph/100kmh is the max sound barrier even with a sub. "Pre sub" 60mph used to be the sound barrier with the Top up. So a mini sub is the best bang for the buck solution.
Now the tricky part: None of the mini subs will fit under the passenger seat or properly behind it.

just fyi, always check the speaker Ohm, don't mingle 2/4 Ohm speakers.

[KevinH1990]

Originally Posted by BRAN

just fyi, always check the speaker Ohm, don't mingle 2/4 Ohm speakers.

That is an excellent point. I did a quick search on JBL C2s which are the speakers Danimal tested in his dash. The ones that popped up were rated at 3 ohms. Danimal may want to consider testing 4 ohm speakers in the dash. That my partially address the loudness imbalance between the dash and door speakers he noted in his first post.