upgrading dash speakers

[JayG]

I just finished upgrading my dash speakers from the factory ones. I have the basic sound system, no Bose, no door speakers, no rear speakers, and no amp. My factory speakers were very basic, no separate tweeter or even a wizzer cone
The factory speakers leave a bit to be desired, so they had to be changed out.

My new speakers sound so much better!

I saw in several threads that there were some adapter plates available, I could not find them and I did not want to destroy the factory speakers to mount the new ones so I made some.

I used 3/16" Lexan. I went to a local plastic store and found a piece of scrap 6" x 24". They charge $1.00 per pound, but went I went to pay, they just gave it to me!

I cut out the plates with a rotozip and then used my angle grinder to smooth and adjust for final fit. You also need to grind off the mounting tabs on the speakers. I found the speaker adapter wire with the correct connector at Crutchfield for $10.
I used silicon caulk to "glue" the speakers to the plates

I have a template for the adapter plate, so if you are interested, PM me and I'll email it to you

This is the first part of my full system upgrade. I plan to change out the head for a Parrot Asteroid Smart, add an amp, add rear speakers and a sub-woofer. I found a powered sub-woofer that almost fits below the right seat, just have to figure out how to raise the seat tracks about 3/4"

Ill post additional pics, etc as I progress

This is the factory speakers


Adapter plates



front and back views






New speaker mounted with adapter plate and speaker connector

[BFeller]

Looks nice.

[BRAN]

I did my upgrade last weekend.

From: Basic sound system, no door speakers, no rear speakers, factory speakers without tweeters.
To: Infinity Referenz 4002cfx Series 2

I used the old speakers to create mounting devices/gaskets. Pretty easy with a Dremel. Although the right speaker side seemed pretty tight, with little adjustments the new speaker sat flash after all.

WHAT A SOUND DIFFERENCE!
The HAES speakers went directly in the garbage!
50 bucks well invested! Now an active mini subwoofer is on the way...

[JayG]

Add rear speakers, they make the most difference

What sub are you getting and where will it mount?

[BRAN]

Kenwood KSC-SW11 active subwoofer (11 x 7.5 x 2.8 inches)

--> it should fit under the passenger seat, we'll see...

[hancock1701]

I got those Infinity speakers last year too. Sounds great. I also cut out the old speakers to put the new ones in. The driver side took some effort to shove the speaker assembly back in the hole, but it finally went it.

[Giller]

Sound can be very subjective, but IMO these cars have a great cockpit for sound and even just upgrading the doors (as I did) or the dash can have a huge impact.

I put in a couple of nice Focals in the doors and upgraded the head unit. Huge huge improvement.

Can be costly though. The adapter alone for the head unit was over $300 (plus shipping and exchange for us Canucks). Ouch.

[JayG]

Originally Posted by BRAN

Kenwood KSC-SW11 active subwoofer (11 x 7.5 x 2.8 inches)

--> it should fit under the passenger seat, we'll see...

I have been looking at that one. Just not sure if it fits

Someone has also tried a sub from a Subaru legacy

Here is another option, only 2.4" thick
http://www.amazon.com/PIONEER-TS-WH500A-HVT-Sealed-150-Watt-Subwoofer/dp/B00QNSZUOY/ref=pd_sim_sbs_422_9?ie=UTF8&refRID=0WF486WG17CZ3N0RWHZ0

[EJ-Fresno]

Is it possible to install a subwoofer on a stock 6-way amp?
Or you need an aftermarket HU?
Thanks.

[amagalla]

The speakers in the doors on the Hi-Fi optioned systems are subwoofers (although not very good ones).

[EJ-Fresno]

Originally Posted by amagalla

The speakers in the doors on the Hi-Fi optioned systems are subwoofers (although not very good ones).

Yes, I replaced those with Polk speakers but it is still not that good... Maybe I should have put small subs?

[particlewave]

The problem is the weak stock amp. Most after market head units put out more power.

[Jamesp]

I put in 3 1/2 infinity reference and ran the stock amp. Mediocre at best. Just bumped that to 80W per channel with a new double din unit and the infinities rock. Upgrading with more Infinities, a couple of thousand watts and a sub soon.

[lkchris]

Originally Posted by JayG

Add rear speakers, they make the most difference.

They are good for sure.

Interesting thing when you have M490 (door subwoofers and amp) is that the amp has inputs for rear speakers but no output connection. For this, just find a 6x40 amp from a 996 to replace your 4x40 and insert the pins of the rear speaker harness in the empty spots in the output connector and you're good to go. 996 amp is same physical size, fits existing bracket, and existing harnesses connect right up. A little modding of output connector is required but pins stay the same.

996 amps come in coupe and cabrio versions. First one I tried was coupe and I was underwhelmed. A cabrio version made a significant difference, so much so that it's as if it's the first time I've actually heard my door speakers sounding like subwoofers.

This is as far as I'm going for now, as the radio is inaudible at highway speeds and will see if next tire set improves that enough to consider more stereo power. Maybe some dynamat in doors.

[JayG]

Originally Posted by lkchris

They are good for sure.

Interesting thing when you have M490 (door subwoofers and amp) is that the amp has inputs for rear speakers but no output connection. For this, just find a 6x40 amp from a 996 to replace your 4x40 and insert the pins of the rear speaker harness in the empty spots in the output connector and you're good to go. 996 amp is same physical size, fits existing bracket, and existing harnesses connect right up. A little modding of output connector is required but pins stay the same.

996 amps come in coupe and cabrio versions. First one I tried was coupe and I was underwhelmed. A cabrio version made a significant difference, so much so that it's as if it's the first time I've actually heard my door speakers sounding like subwoofers.

This is as far as I'm going for now, as the radio is inaudible at highway speeds and will see if next tire set improves that enough to consider more stereo power. Maybe some dynamat in doors.

You must have some really noisy tires

I can hear my stereo really well on the freeway and I just have a CDR-23, dash and rear speakers no amp, no sub

[amagalla]

This is what I did:
Complete Audio Upgrade (plus adding a garage door opener)

[EJ-Fresno]

Originally Posted by JayG

You must have some really noisy tires

I can hear my stereo really well on the freeway and I just have a CDR-23, dash and rear speakers no amp, no sub

Agree, I can hear pretty good even at high speeds with top down. Stock radio, dash, door and rear speakers. No problems so far.

[Nmbrsix]

Hmm, those Infinity speakers are 2ohm...which means they should likely work with the OEM Bose system too...

[Porsche9]

Nice work.

I know this is a common issue, poor sound quality, but that's never been an issue in my Boxster. It not great but not bad enough that I ever cared. Works just fine up to about 80 mpg with the top down. I do have the door speakers so that helps. Maybe the PO upgraded the speaker. Glad to see upgrading is easy enough as Im sure at some point my speakers will crap out.

[lkchris]

Originally Posted by JayG

You must have some really noisy tires

I can hear my stereo really well on the freeway and I just have a CDR-23, dash and rear speakers no amp, no sub

Or, it could be an age thing ... my age.

We'll see ... but other mods are more fun in the meantime so will just let them get more worn before replacing them.