upgrade just speakers

[5ABI VT]

I replaced the back deck speakers first with the hope it would add some bass and add volume from the rear to center the entire sound stage. The JBL GTO 629s helped, but could not overcome all of the weakness of the 9 speaker system. I then added the Rockford Fosgate P300-10 self powered sub. That did the trick. System sounds great. I did not touch the front door speakers and I am satisfied with the way everything sounds.

If you are looking to get most bang for your buck, I would add the sub first. Mine was $165 and that had the greatest effect on the overall sound quality. Once that is done, you may decide you don't need to replace the stock speakers. Now the stock speakers are paper and plastic crap. Ford should be embarrassed to call it a premium sound system with that junk installed. Once you give the system the low end it needs, you may be able to live with the junk. If not then replace the speakers

Mind me asking how did you route the power cable to the trunk from the battery ?

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[sandpiper]

Ran it through the passenger side grommet. If you turn the front wheels all the way to the right, you can pop off the clips, 5 or 6, that hold on the plastic cover in the wheel well. There are two different sized clips so keep track. Pull the plastic cover back and you should see the grommet. Cut the tip off and feed the wire through.

 

[Gdyup50]

So after some research last night, I came to the conclusion that the GTO 629 > GTO 638 because the 629 is a 2 way speaker? I think that's what I meant when I mentioned ohms in my last post. Anyway, would this be correct, video mentioned that people assume a 3 way is better, when in reality it isn't because the tweeter blocks more of the air than it does on a 2 way? Thinking about a powered sub, with 4 629's and then re-access....

 

[sandpiper]

Not much difference between the two way or three way JBLs. I went with the two way 629s because they had a higher sensitivity rating and theoretically could produce more volume from the same signal. I could not hear the rears at all, so I was trying to increase the volume from the back.

 

[bigred90gt]

Has anyone come to a definite answer on the specs of the factory amp for the shaker system (not shaker pro)? I want to replace the rear speakers with a set of coax, and the door mid-bass/pillar tweeters with a set of components, and the 3.5" door speakers as well, but I want something that will work with the factory amp as far as load rating and power output is concerned. If memory serves me (since I'm offshore and my car is currently at the airport) the rear speakers are marked 25w / 8 ohm. If that is correct, I don't want to buy 4 ohm speakers and over heat/burn up the amp, and I don't want to mess with retiring the entire system, but coming from the truck I just got rid of, this thing sounds like muddled crap.

In the truck I had Infinity 6x8 components in the front and 6x8 coax in the back running on an amp, as well as a JL sub with a separate cross over running on another amp. It was as loud as you could stand it and crystal clear. I pulled the sub/amp/crossover and have no problem installing it in the car, but that won't keep the rest of the speakers from sounding like ass. A decent set of speakers and components compatible with the factory amp would most likely be sufficient for me, combined with the sub I pulled from the truck.

 

[Bartly]

Sub'd

 

[Sub-Moa]

I have heard really good things about the Tang Band 3" speakers. They are relatively cheap and sound amazing. I am planning on using these along with Polk MM 6.5" components in the front. Not sure what I want in the rear though. I'm really surprised to hear some of you guys are only swapping the rears for more bass. Most car audio experts always recommend the fronts if only swapping one set (either front or rear.)

Also remember that substandard speakers can sound better than good speakers if installed correctly. What I mean by that is isolating vibrations, sealing the doors etc... I have heard really nice speakers that sounded sub standard due to the installation. Another good thing to do is get non hardening modeling clay and put it around the outside edge of the speaker spacer. I'm no expert in car audio but these are just the things I have learned from installing speakers over the last 12 years.

 

[cthomp21]

I have heard really good things about the Tang Band 3" speakers. They are relatively cheap and sound amazing. I am planning on using these along with Polk MM 6.5" components in the front. Not sure what I want in the rear though. I'm really surprised to hear some of you guys are only swapping the rears for more bass. Most car audio experts always recommend the fronts if only swapping one set (either front or rear.)

Also remember that substandard speakers can sound better than good speakers if installed correctly. What I mean by that is isolating vibrations, sealing the doors etc... I have heard really nice speakers that sounded sub standard due to the installation. Another good thing to do is get non hardening modeling clay and put it around the outside edge of the speaker spacer. I'm no expert in car audio but these are just the things I have learned from installing speakers over the last 12 years.

This is all very good input.

I replaced my fronts with a set of Polk 6.5 components. They were a substantial upgrade from the stock speakers. I used some hushmat around the woofers which really punched up the bass from a set of 6.5 woofers. I flush-mounted the tweeters in the factory locations using a dremel, the mounting cup that came with the tweeters, and a hot glue gun. They came out really well. Running the wiring from the crossover mounted in the door to the tweeter was a chore, as I ran it through empty space in the molex connector. These components really shine and are only limited by the amount of power the factory amp puts out. I plan to eventually add an amp, so these components can reach their potential.

I replaced the rears with a set of Polk 6.5 coaxials. I used the factory speaker frame to mount them along with hushmat on the rear deck and foam threshold to seal the gaps between the factory speaker frame and the rear deck. While these speakers sound quite good, their impact is completely overshadowed by replacing the front speakers. I'd agree with Sub-Moa on replacing your fronts first along with a quality installation.

I chose the Polks as their nominal impedance rating of 4 ohms matched the factory speakers rating in my base stereo. I believe the JBL's are either 2 or 3 ohms, which may have an unpleasant effect on your factory amplifier.

I have been contemplating the idea of replacing my rear Polk coaxials with some Tang Band 6.5" subwoofers mounted in the factory locations. See these if you're interested:

http://www.parts-express.com/tang-band-w6-1139sif-6-1-2-paper-cone-subwoofer-speaker--264-919

Just keep in mind that it won't be able to handle as much power in a free air installation. They have a substantial Xmax of 11.5mm so they should be able to move a lot of air for a 6.5 speaker, and I worry about them hitting the rear deck cover when pushed causing some unpleasant noise. These will definitely need an external amp due to their low sensitivity rating and need of a low pass crossover.

 

[TheDivaDanielle]

im assuming without looking that the sub in the trunk is still a 10"??

this is what i'm thinking for an upgrade on my vert.

front door and tweeters - http://www.sonicelectronix.com/item_9109_Polk-Audio-db6501.html
front door mids - http://www.sonicelectronix.com/item_9123_Polk-Audio-db351.html

rear side panels (normally the deck for you fastback guys) - http://www.sonicelectronix.com/item_9111_Polk-Audio-db651.html


then I guess some polyfill for the subwoofer until i decide what's best to replace it with stock....

I went the full route on my '13 GT, was a Shaker Pro car and upgraded everything including the deck, and had aftermarket everything, and while it was awesome, i want to upgrade the speakers first before tearing anything else out, and when the money tree is ripe again work in aftermarket amps for the speakers to work w/ the stock Sync 3 system.

 

[Cobra Jet]

I read that some people don't bother with the center channel speaker but I'd like to get more out of mine. Has anybody upgraded their center channel?

I was wondering the same about the above question...

How is the center speaker accessible for swap out - do you have to dismantle the center stack?

 

[Sub-Moa]

Remember that with proper tuning you should be able to bring the soundstage to the correct spot for your ears. Yes a center speaker can help with that but is not always necessary to get a really good sound out of your system. Look into digital audio processors to get the sound you are looking for.

Sorry I couldn't answer your question about the center channel. When I get my car, I'll post a how to if I decide to mess with the center channel. I'm sure someone will beat me to it though.

 

[ForTehNguyen]

abandoned my center channel in my audio build, not worth messing with it

 

[Gdyup50]

Look into digital audio processors to get the sound you are looking for.

Interested in how these might work...

 

[The Great Gazoo]

Something like the old http://ms8.jbl.com/ would have been great. There are others out there like it to help auto-tune the car.

 

[ForTehNguyen]

way better product than the JBL MS-8 when combined with an amp. MS8 is only 18Wx8 @ 4 ohm or 30Wx8 @ 2ohm :(

https://www.minidsp.com/products/minidsp-in-a-box/c-dsp-6x8

Not many 8 channel amps on the market if you want all 8 speakers. Much stronger with 75Wx8 @ 4ohm or 100Wx8 @ 2ohm. I use a refurb one and it runs great. If you want to run a dedicated amp for subs, you can use a 6 channel amp instead.

http://www.dealercostcaraudio.com/jl-audio-xd800-8v2.html

to tune a system with MiniDSP youll need a plug in program like this which connects to a laptop by USB. This is a 4 way plug in, so you can tune subwoofer, woofer, midrange, and tweeter channels with this. With 8 channels you'll have a tuning file for each side of the car.

https://www.minidsp.com/products/plugins/4way-advanced-detail

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