Upgraded the 3.5 door speaker???

[SergeyMelnik]

Why would you ruin the factory 3 way setup? So now you have two different sounding tweeters in two different spots ruining your sound and sound stage. Not to mention the rest of the speaker not matching with the tuning of the tweeter and mid woofer. If youre going to change the mid the very least you can do is get a pair from parts express with no tweeter built in or disconnect the factory tweeter all together.

What you guys are doing does not actually sound better no matter what you say. The factory setup is tuned specifically to the cabin. All drivers are time aligned and EQd. By changing the mid youre screwing with the factory tuning not to mention adding two point sources for the high frequencies. If you want an actual sound upgrade you need to replace the entire 3 way component set up. The only way to mix and match is to run active through a sound processor so you can individually tweak each drivers crossover, time alignment, and EQ.

Sponsored

 

[HextallS550]

[MENTION=26022]SergeyMelnik[/MENTION] Damn!! I was wondering if there were any fellow audiophiles here lol.
You're absolutely right. Most people would be amazed at how much time OEMs and their suppliers spend on these cars. The problem is when the bean counters get involved. I know in ***** and ***** Alpine, Panasonic and Clarion spend months on the system only to be told "No you can't have $5 dollar speakers you have to take $2 speakers and no, you can't upgrade the to the new amplifier with DSP you must make due with amplifiers we bought 2 years ago"
It sucks but that's why we have the aftermarket. But keep in mind the best Hybrid Audio Technologies or Focal will still not sound correct if they aren't installed properly

 

[jbailer]

Why would you ruin the factory 3 way setup? So now you have two different sounding tweeters in two different spots ruining your sound and sound stage. Not to mention the rest of the speaker not matching with the tuning of the tweeter and mid woofer. If youre going to change the mid the very least you can do is get a pair from parts express with no tweeter built in or disconnect the factory tweeter all together.

What you guys are doing does not actually sound better no matter what you say. The factory setup is tuned specifically to the cabin. All drivers are time aligned and EQd. By changing the mid youre screwing with the factory tuning not to mention adding two point sources for the high frequencies. If you want an actual sound upgrade you need to replace the entire 3 way component set up. The only way to mix and match is to run active through a sound processor so you can individually tweak each drivers crossover, time alignment, and EQ.

I don't know much about stereos and ours even more so, so these really are just questions. I was thinking in line with what you said. When people were replacing the door 3.5s with 3-ways, I searched for a decent 2-way. I looked for quite a while and couldn't find 1 so eventually I just bought the JBL 3-way. Then I tried to console myself thinking maybe there's a crossover (if they do that) or there's some special tuning/filtering done in the factory processors/amps that would eliminate the highs from the 3.5s. That way even though they had the capability to play them, they wouldn't be present. Is that wrong? Can you find any 3.5 coax that would fit there that are good?

 

[HextallS550]

[MENTION=15518]jbailer[/MENTION] There has never been a good 3.5-5.25" coaxial. You'd have to go back to 96-97 when MB Quart had the 6.5" and 8" coaxial separates or the KEF point source drivers.
I'm not sure what your set up is, or more importantly your budget but you can PM me for suggestions on a proper set up.

 

[mumbles]

I don't know much about stereos and ours even more so, so these really are just questions. I was thinking in line with what you said. When people were replacing the door 3.5s with 3-ways, I searched for a decent 2-way. I looked for quite a while and couldn't find 1 so eventually I just bought the JBL 3-way. Then I tried to console myself thinking maybe there's a crossover (if they do that) or there's some special tuning/filtering done in the factory processors/amps that would eliminate the highs from the 3.5s. That way even though they had the capability to play them, they wouldn't be present. Is that wrong? Can you find any 3.5 coax that would fit there that are good?

Make sure you aren't confusing a 2-way speaker (coaxial) with a 2-way system (separate mid and tweeter or woofer and tweeter). Since Ford saw fit to put a 3-way "system" in the front (separate door woofer, door mid, and a-pillar tweeter), those speakers should be replaced with like speakers... in other words, don't pull the stock 3.5" mid and replace it with a 3.5" coaxial because that will give you two sets of tweeters which will play hell with your staging and imaging.

 

[vnzbd]

Hextall and Sergey, Exactly as I have been thinking... If everyone had a chance to hear a decent system(parts, install, tuned) there would be a better understanding and something to strive for. Some will perceive any change or higher dB as better. Still learning on my side after 30 years as a experimenter and thousands of dollars invested!

 

[jbailer]

This is so confusing. Every time I think I get it, I find out how little I know. I thought there was only 1 speaker in the door, a 3.5" coax being a woofer and mid-range? And that the tweeter was in the A-Pillar? I don't even know what speaker to put in the door to replace the 3.5. My setup is the EB 201A, same as 401A for GT. I just figured since the door speakers carried the bulk of the load, it would be good to replace them to make it sound better. I really don't want to get into changing the amps and all that other crap in this car but it just sounds kind of lifeless.

 

[vnzbd]

Jbailer, below is a version of what should be a good replacement for all of the front stage(minus center if you have it). I would expect that it could be done for less money or better parts. Either way woofer, mid and tweet. But it is a write one check and get what you need system(+ amp).

http://www.jlaudio.com/c5-653-car-audio-speakers-c5-speaker-systems-99125

Below is a build by one of the members here and I think he did it cheaper on parts but more complicated on build. Parts were ordered individually, I expect cheaper. The amp and processing set up a little more money and certainly more complex.

Bottom line it your ears, what sounds good to you?!


http://www.mustang6g.com/forums/showthread.php?t=29714

 

[HextallS550]

That JL set is WAAAY too bright. Go with something in the Hybrid Audio Technologies Clarus line. Unfortunately the stock amplifier isn't going to make most of the aftermarket stuff sound as good as an amp with 125W per side. Older JL Audio Slash amps are what I recommend on a budget. Designed by the same person who designed the legendary PPI Art Series.

I suggest doing it in steps. But I will tell you the same as vnzbd, buy what YOU like but for god sakes get out and listen to other people's cars before you buy anything. Don't just go to the local car audio place and listen to the soundboard. The east cost is crawling with good shops.

 

[jbailer]

The thing is, I really don't want to modify the electronics in this car. I don't mind replacing speakers, I see them as normal replacement items. I don't want to add in a bunch of stereo stuff because of how it's perceived on resale later. I was just hoping I could simply buy some better speakers and it would help with clarity and maybe a little punch although I know the later comes from the amp probably.

 

[Racemaster]

Before I put the Hertz Mille in,I was using these faital pro's from parts express.

I bandpassed them from 350hz to 5000hz if I remember.

They sound pretty good for a $35 speaker.

 

[mumbles]

The thing is, I really don't want to modify the electronics in this car. I don't mind replacing speakers, I see them as normal replacement items. I don't want to add in a bunch of stereo stuff because of how it's perceived on resale later. I was just hoping I could simply buy some better speakers and it would help with clarity and maybe a little punch although I know the later comes from the amp probably.

I understand not wanting to modify the electronics. If you do it correctly, you can just bypass the factory amp and feed an aftermarket system that will be plug-and-play and totally reversible should you decide to sell the car.

Just adding aftermarket speakers to the factory amp has been tried before and the results were not so great.

 

[aarshad81]

I am also in the process of upgrading the 3.5. I have the 9 speaker premium version. I added a JL 10W3v3 sub in enclosure with monoamp. Added KST25 tweeter. This sounds sooo good together. Now for mid-range, I am thinking of replacing 3.5 speakers. But I don't know any 3.5 which don't have tweeter. I don't want to have a tweeter output there too, since I am using my A-pillar tweeters with stock amp. Any suggestions ?

 

[wildcatgoal]

Often you can see the wire going to the tweeter and you can cut it but you'll probably change the ohm rating of the coaxial then. Buy a dedicated midrange from parts express.

 

[mumbles]

I am also in the process of upgrading the 3.5. I have the 9 speaker premium version. I added a JL 10W3v3 sub in enclosure with monoamp. Added KST25 tweeter. This sounds sooo good together. Now for mid-range, I am thinking of replacing 3.5 speakers. But I don't know any 3.5 which don't have tweeter. I don't want to have a tweeter output there too, since I am using my A-pillar tweeters with stock amp. Any suggestions ?

The Faital Pro mentioned above by Racemaster would be a good choice. Other good choices are Tang Band, Peerless/Tymphany and Dayton. Check out this link to Parts Express;
http://www.parts-express.com/cat/mi...eca:matches(.,"P_Searchable","1")]&PortalID=1

The factory midranges are 1.5" deep and there isn't much room between their surround and the door card, so try to find something that is close to that depth.

Sponsored