Installing aftermarket rear speakers
 

I have been meaning to do this for such a long time and am only now getting round to it :rolleyes:

I'm not interested in sacrificing space for amp's and mega sized speakers I just want a reasonable sound to listen to.

I changed the standard Nokia dash speakers a couple of months ago and fitted some 4" Alpines which have improved things quite a bit(also fitted a Sony head unit)
I now want to fit speakers into the rear storage compartment.

My question is what size are the factory speakers? space does look pretty tight but was hoping to fit two 3,1/2" speakers in each side.
Has anybody fitted their own aftermarket speakers and if so what size did you use?
And how did it turn out?

Thanks in advance for any advice

I think I read somewhere rear speaker where 3.5 inch..

good luck with your project ;)

IIRC, if you have the OEM rear speakers you will need to modify (cut) the steel mounting plate as drivers used were not std 3.5". The Harvey PNP aftermkt kit did accept 3.5" drivers w/o any issues though.

Good luck :)

I recently added 4 3.5" Boston Acoustic speakers to the rear.

Here are my steps
-Removed the storage bag.
-Constructed 2 speaker boxes w/carpet
-2 speakers per box
-With the storage bag still out of the car I put both boxes into the bag. I inserted the wires into each bag mounting hole.
-I put the bag back into the car, hid the wires and reattached the bag.

I have a JVC head unit and currently have the stock door/dash speakers. I use the fader to have more of the sound coming from the front because the sensitivity of the rear is so much better than the stock speakers. I have new speakers coming in for the dash and door over the next few days so it will sound better.

Thanks for the input guys, after a little bit of searching I found these pics
http://i548.photobucket.com/albums/i...426_kitpic.jpg
http://i548.photobucket.com/albums/i...h/figure12.jpg
http://i548.photobucket.com/albums/i...h/figure13.jpg
It looks pretty straightforward so I will make my own mounting plates and source some 3.5" speakers from ebay will post pics when done if anyone is interested.

Although if it all goes wrong and doesn't work I shall deny all knowledge of this thread and destroy all evidence I ever tried :)

Ok guys it didn't turn out too bad at all so thought I would share with you.
Firstly I removed the storage unit from behind the seats.
http://i548.photobucket.com/albums/i...orth/004-2.jpg

I then removed the "cubbyholes" these are fixed with 3 torx screws but also hot glued at the front, remove the glued area carefully to prevent damage to the thin plastic edge.

http://i548.photobucket.com/albums/i...orth/008-4.jpg

http://i548.photobucket.com/albums/i...orth/007-4.jpg

I then made some templates from 3mm ply I had lying around to mount the 3.5" speakers I bought from ebay for £57 quite reasonable I thought!


http://i548.photobucket.com/albums/i...orth/001-1.jpg

Then I covered the mounts with some alcantara I had left over from previous interior mods I carried out

http://i548.photobucket.com/albums/i...orth/007-5.jpg

One side in place

http://i548.photobucket.com/albums/i...orth/008-5.jpg

And now in position in the car

http://i548.photobucket.com/albums/i...orth/013-3.jpg
http://i548.photobucket.com/albums/i...orth/014-3.jpg

Sorry for the iphone quality pics, not sure whether to purchase the speaker grills yet as they cost more then the speakers, but will give it a factory look.

Just got to wire them in this weekend and job done, not bad for less then £60!

Might do the doors now :rolleyes:

Looks great, well done! How will you wire them in, are they capable of running at 2 ohms?

Sam

awesome. was looking to do something like that too. tell me how they sound once wired. do you have to insulate them or pad in the back? please keep us updated on your progress.

Cheers Gents

Sam this is the first time I have tried adding extra speakers etc in a car so any advice would be helpful, my Sony head unit has a speaker impedance of 4-8 ohms with a maximum power output of 52 watts x4 at 4 ohms.

The speakers are 150watts peak 20 watts rms and 4 ohms

So do I wire the rear speakers in series or parallel?

Am I right in thinking wiring the speakers in series would lower the impedance too much for my head unit?

Will they work better in parallel?

Help!

I thought this was too easy :(

This should help you decide, it's a good read:

http://www.termpro.com/articles/spkrz.html

Sam

Looks like I got that the wrong way round!

So if I wire two 4 ohms speakers in series it will equate to 8 ohms my head unit can handle between 4-8 ohms.

Thanks Sam

Somebody stop me if it sounds like this is all going to end in tears........please!

Not sure if I will bother insulating will see how it sounds without first. I will update once up and running.

I wired the speakers up today in series, I used bullet connectors under the storage unit noting the left and right side wires for ease of removal when accessing the engine cover.

The sound is so much better now with the rear speakers filling behind my head with sound,

I don't think it will be necessary to insulate behind them as the speakers are mounted on carpet and the compartment they are in is

also carpeted and it sounds fine to me.

Very pleased :D

wow. awesome. you have inspired me to attempt this too. any pointers?

3mm ply fit in nicely? and where did you get the carpet for the ply?

-tuan

Hi Tuan

It's pretty straightforward, the 3mm ply was a perfect size for the speaker mounts just be careful when cutting the holes as you do get quite close to the edge! If I was to do this part again I would probably use 3mm mdf for a little extra stability
I used alcantara to cover the mounts (as I had some left over from previous mods)
I ran the wires under the centre console and behind the rear carpet
You have to check the link Sparker posted on wiring multiple speakers as it explains everything very well.

http://www.termpro.com/articles/spkrz.html

If you decide to go ahead and have any questions send me a PM and I will help if I can.

I think you could have quite a market for these if you bought a bunch of the speakers and cut multiple baffles at a time. People would be willing to pay for a pre-made, pre-wired, alpine rear speaker upgrade.

Sam

hahah i opened that and man ill have to be a few brews in to tackle that. its been too long!

haha not that full on mate, but any excuse for a few brews I guess!!!
Sam

This is something i'd be interested in doing too, but is there a complete kit that can be bought new including the grills or is it something I might get from a breakers? Is the wiring there already or will I need to run a wire from the head unit?

Thanks, Andrew.

Search Harvey and PNP on Boxster forums. I bought the complete kit a few years ago. Don't know if he's still in business. Good bang for buck I thought.

Hi, just did a search and loads of old posts but he does not seem to be still about.

Darn and drat.

He's on ebay ...

Here's a link to the speakers.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Porsche-Boxster-Rear-Speaker-Kit-1997-2008-Upgrade-/220691578423?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories &hash=item33623e3e37

(I ordered the door sills from him. They are pretty good quality and fit nicely)

I actually just did my own rear speakers for less that $100 (polk speakers + all materials). I can post the installation pictures if people want. I also created a template to cut out the speaker mounting boards.

Hi thank for the info, but i've just bought the kit from Porsche-apart. I'm guessing all the kits should come with 4 speakers? Also is the front to rear wiring already in place? I have a CDR22 and the with upgraded sound system, ie door speakers and the amplifier, if that makes any odds.

Thanks, Andrew.

I also have the CDR220.

It's been a few years since I installed my PNP kit, but I think it has 4 speakers.

The kit came with the front-to-rear wiring, which was the most time-consuming part of the install. (Initially they sent me the wrong cable, but followed up quickly with the correct one once I let them know.)

This is one mod that's a must-do, for sure.

I've been thinking about this and ready for it now. I have cdr220, and what else do I need except speakers and wires? Any wiring harness for cdr220? Should I connect the speakers (two per each side) in series or the other way? I'm thinking of cutting 1/8" thick black plastic sheet to make it fit. Could you share the template? Thanks in advance.

John

I will be trying this soon

I just installed the kit from Suncoast. Install was about 5 hours. Results are...meh. Not sure the new sound is worth the $325.

Thanks for the honest evaluation! Saved me some money.

are the rear shelf speakers wired in series or parallel? Planning on doing this upgrade as a DIY project and wonder which would provide better sound. Based on my understanding wiring them in parallel sounds like the better idea. I would probably add an amp for those 4 rear speakers also.

I'm interested in this too. I'd most likely buy some 8 ohm speakers and wire them in parallel.

Tony

It's going to depend on the speakers and amp. How you wire will depend on what impedance are you shooting for.

I installed my Pioneer 3 1/2" speakers today, the stock ones were crumbling. I used the original plastic mount by enlarging the openings a little bit with a dremel but not too much. The sound is excellent now! The speakers are wired in parallel.

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads01...1394845915.jpg
http://986forum.com/forums/uploads01...1394845940.jpg
http://986forum.com/forums/uploads01...1394845963.jpg
http://986forum.com/forums/uploads01...1394845990.jpg

I also replaced the door speakers with 6 1/2" speakers(http://986forum.com/forums/general-discussions/49796-found-6-5-speakers-fit-door-without-mods.html) and replaced the dash speakers(http://986forum.com/forums/diy-project-guides/33439-dash-speaker-replacement.html) All pioneer. A big thanks to all of those who have posted on here in the various threads that I used:cheers:

I got mine installed in the "engine cover". Great sound.
Got a 3 way DLS system with basses in the doors, 4 speakers at the front, and 2 in the back.

As an update, I was not happy with the look of the modified OEM bracket so I sent an email to Euro Motorspeed concerning the brackets they include in their kit. I ended up talking to Toi and ordered just the brackets. I wish I had done that in the first place! The brackets are of excellent quality and fit the 3.5" Pioneers perfectly. Even though no one ever sees the modified brackets, I knew what they looked like and it bothered me. I know, I have issues:rolleyes: The brackets cost $65 shipped and IMO are worth every penny considering you would not have to spend the time to modify the OEM plastic brackets. The Euro ones are metal and are a perfect fit.

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads01...1424022079.jpg

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads01...1424022099.jpg

Bruce,
Thanks for the info on the brackets. They are nicer than stock, and certainly nicer than MDF! I am going with Panasonic all around also. I am even going to try out a Panasonic under seat sub woofer from a Subaru Impreza

I'm looking at that sub as well
Let me know how it works for you

Jay, A dealer not too far from me has several used one's, I will probably go pick one up this week.

I would be curious about those subs as well.

Hogosha, are you planning to do an under seat install?

Also I found wiring info
http://www.scoobymods.com/showthread.php/oem-underseat-subwoofer-info-199.html?t=199