aehchi
Member
Update to my speaker upgrade
I took the car back and had them turn up the gain on the subwoofer amp a little. Made a tremendous difference!
I took the car back and had them turn up the gain on the subwoofer amp a little. Made a tremendous difference!
So, I've been watching this blog for about a year and a half to get ideas about upgrading my Shaker Pro system. I'm a professional musician and thought that I was getting the best sound when chose the Shaker, but was surprised at how mediocre the sound was (someone here described it as "muddy" and I find that accurate).
I went to a guy here is Chicago who does all the high-end car stereo upgrades in town and he suggested a DSP/Amp combo (Mosconi or Audison) and new speakers. But then he said that there would likely be a hum or buzz in the speakers are very low levels - which would drive me crazy. So, I decided to simply replace the speakers and see what happened. It took a long time to find the specs on the original speakers and longer to find replacements that matched those specs, but I did. I'm putting this info out here, because I got my car back yesterday and the sound difference is remarkable. I had so much trouble finding accurate info, that I wanted to share what I found so the next guy has less trouble.
I did not want any cosmetic changes or to change the headunit or amp. This was crucial. I needed better quality speakers that matched the specs of the originals so that they could just be dropped in. Here is the info:
Front Stage:
6.5" mid-woofer = 2 ohm, 35 watt rms
3.25" midrange = 2 ohm, 25 watt rms
Tweeter = 2 ohm, no wattage info
Rear Stage:
6.5" coaxial = 2 ohm, 25 watt rms
Subwoofer = dedicated amp in the enclosure, 2 ohm, no wattage info
Front Stage Replacements:
Mid-woofer and tweeter = JBL GX600C
Midrange = JBL GX302
Rear Stage Replacements:
Coaxials = JBL Club 6520 OR Infinity Kappa 62.11i (may need to widen holes so magnet will fit)
Woofer/amp Replacement:
Woofer = Kicker CompR 43CWR82
Amp = Sound Ordnance M100-2
You will need a grill for the sub, so I suggest the Kicker GR80 8"
Total cost of parts: about $475 ($515 if you buy the Metra Speaker Mounting Brackets (which you get free if you order the speakers from Crutchfield). I went through Amazon and got all these components (except the Sound Ordnance) for less than anywhere else.
As I mentioned, I got the car back yesterday. No one can tell that any work has been done (all looks factory), except the sub (only because the factory grill doesn't fit over the Kicker sub).
...and, the sound has improved 1000%. Cleaner highs and mids and sufficient bass (though you could go with a bigger amp/sub if you want more thump). You may also look for a different midrange to balance the tweeter - I bought a coax and that may be too much high frequency for some. Just make sure to match the specs of the JBL GX302 (2-2.3 ohm, 25 watt RMS). Don't forget the Dynomat.
Still looking for info on the center channel speaker specs, but for now, it doesn't seem to matter.
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