Car Speakers - question.

fat controller · 02-04-2008, 16:59

My car has a very odd size of speaker aperture, and is currently fitted with the factory fit component speakers comprising mid/bass drivers in the doors (near the bottom of each door) and tweeters mounted in the top of the dash for the fronts and in the parcel shelf for the rears.

Now, someone that has the same car recommended some speakers to me, which are co-axials, because they fit the apertures in the door cards separately. He tells me that on his, he has simply disconnected the tweeters and with a twist of the wrist, he has pulled them off - hence making them a mid/bass driver only, so that they work with the factory fitted tweeters - and that they work well, being a vast improvement on the factory fitted ones.

Does this sound as though it will be OK, or is there any risk of damaging the stereo by doing this?

niall campbell · 03-04-2008, 11:27

there is a huge market for replacing factory fitted speakers with upgrades. Go to your local Halfords or car spares shop and you will be bewildered with the choice available

you wont damage the stereo if you do decide to replace them HOWEVER what about the door panel and trim ? If you are confident enough to say put grease in the runners for window winders you will find it easy enough but otherwise leave well alone

fat controller · 03-04-2008, 12:14

Thanks for the reply.

Fitting them isn't an issue - I've got half the car dismantled awaiting parts at the moment

, so I'm not worried about the actual work. (Just as well, as the previous owner has left a LOAD of bodges in the car's wiring, that I am slowly working through and repairing!) - I have ordered a load of the wee plastic clips that hold the door trims on, just in case I break a few getting the door cards off.

Sadly, of all the speakers that are available, there are very, very few that will actually fit the apertures in the doors, and I know that the speakers recommended physically fit - I was just a bit concerned at the Heath-Robinson approach at ripping the tweeters off them.

niall campbell · 03-04-2008, 12:25

you will probally find the wire leading to the tweeter is a continuation of wire leading from a speaker

I would tape the wire end over so it doesnt actually short out and you may find you think the sound is worse in a couple of months and wish to connect them back up !!

you would really have to listen to the other car and see if its better, too me it would sound too much bass..... I like a lot of treble and a wee bit bass in there

but its a personal choice ................................ the townies like the car to bounce with their big bass speakers where as country boys like to bounce with their girlfriends ha ha

MartinImber · 03-04-2008, 13:14

Coaxials have tweaters in front of the bass driver.

However can you get adaptors?

I've got Infinity 605CS in my doors complete with crossovers

fat controller · 03-04-2008, 15:08

I'm not looking for car bouncing bass (getting on a bit for that lark

), just to get a clearer, tighter sound than I've got now. I am told that the wires that feed the tweeters go through two wee holes in the mid/bass cone, and are soldered onto the termination block at the back of the speaker - and that the wires can be simply pulled through and snipped off without disturbing the wiring of the main driver. The tweeters themselves simply twist off, and may not be able to be left in place as they sit about 4mm proud of the speaker basket.

However, I shall wait and see if there is enough room to mount them with the tweeters still in place - if there is, then I shall simply nip one cable off to leave the tweeter open circuit, but still allow reconnection at a later date. I am going to use some self adhesive foam rubber weatherstrip as a gasket, which may just give that few mm needed to leave the tweeters attached.

Sadly, there are no adaptors available, and the only thing I have seen was a home made job, made out of MDF - however, this forced the speaker to sit further back, requiring the waterproof membrane on the door to be punctured, and making it uncomfortably close to fouling the electric window mechanism, so I'm not too keen.

I would love to hear the set up in this other car before I begin, but sadly he is at the other end of the country, so thats not an option. I do know that the stock tweeters in the dash are an absolute b*stard to get at, so disconnecting them doesn't appeal - that coupled with the fact that the speaker apertures are at ankle level, means that I can see the logic behind keeping them.

02-04-2008, 16:59	#1
fat controller Forum Member Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Slightly round the bend Posts: 12,685	Car Speakers - question. My car has a very odd size of speaker aperture, and is currently fitted with the factory fit component speakers comprising mid/bass drivers in the doors (near the bottom of each door) and tweeters mounted in the top of the dash for the fronts and in the parcel shelf for the rears. Now, someone that has the same car recommended some speakers to me, which are co-axials, because they fit the apertures in the door cards separately. He tells me that on his, he has simply disconnected the tweeters and with a twist of the wrist, he has pulled them off - hence making them a mid/bass driver only, so that they work with the factory fitted tweeters - and that they work well, being a vast improvement on the factory fitted ones. Does this sound as though it will be OK, or is there any risk of damaging the stereo by doing this?

03-04-2008, 11:27	#2
niall campbell Forum Member Join Date: May 2006 Location: Aberfeldy Posts: 7,035	there is a huge market for replacing factory fitted speakers with upgrades. Go to your local Halfords or car spares shop and you will be bewildered with the choice available you wont damage the stereo if you do decide to replace them HOWEVER what about the door panel and trim ? If you are confident enough to say put grease in the runners for window winders you will find it easy enough but otherwise leave well alone

03-04-2008, 12:14	#3
fat controller Forum Member Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Slightly round the bend Posts: 12,685	Thanks for the reply. Fitting them isn't an issue - I've got half the car dismantled awaiting parts at the moment , so I'm not worried about the actual work. (Just as well, as the previous owner has left a LOAD of bodges in the car's wiring, that I am slowly working through and repairing!) - I have ordered a load of the wee plastic clips that hold the door trims on, just in case I break a few getting the door cards off. Sadly, of all the speakers that are available, there are very, very few that will actually fit the apertures in the doors, and I know that the speakers recommended physically fit - I was just a bit concerned at the Heath-Robinson approach at ripping the tweeters off them.

03-04-2008, 12:25	#4
niall campbell Forum Member Join Date: May 2006 Location: Aberfeldy Posts: 7,035	you will probally find the wire leading to the tweeter is a continuation of wire leading from a speaker I would tape the wire end over so it doesnt actually short out and you may find you think the sound is worse in a couple of months and wish to connect them back up !! you would really have to listen to the other car and see if its better, too me it would sound too much bass..... I like a lot of treble and a wee bit bass in there but its a personal choice ................................ the townies like the car to bounce with their big bass speakers where as country boys like to bounce with their girlfriends ha ha

03-04-2008, 13:14	#5
MartinImber Forum Member Join Date: Jan 2003 Posts: 6,775	Coaxials have tweaters in front of the bass driver. However can you get adaptors? I've got Infinity 605CS in my doors complete with crossovers

03-04-2008, 15:08	#6
fat controller Forum Member Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Slightly round the bend Posts: 12,685	I'm not looking for car bouncing bass (getting on a bit for that lark ), just to get a clearer, tighter sound than I've got now. I am told that the wires that feed the tweeters go through two wee holes in the mid/bass cone, and are soldered onto the termination block at the back of the speaker - and that the wires can be simply pulled through and snipped off without disturbing the wiring of the main driver. The tweeters themselves simply twist off, and may not be able to be left in place as they sit about 4mm proud of the speaker basket. However, I shall wait and see if there is enough room to mount them with the tweeters still in place - if there is, then I shall simply nip one cable off to leave the tweeter open circuit, but still allow reconnection at a later date. I am going to use some self adhesive foam rubber weatherstrip as a gasket, which may just give that few mm needed to leave the tweeters attached. Sadly, there are no adaptors available, and the only thing I have seen was a home made job, made out of MDF - however, this forced the speaker to sit further back, requiring the waterproof membrane on the door to be punctured, and making it uncomfortably close to fouling the electric window mechanism, so I'm not too keen. I would love to hear the set up in this other car before I begin, but sadly he is at the other end of the country, so thats not an option. I do know that the stock tweeters in the dash are an absolute b*stard to get at, so disconnecting them doesn't appeal - that coupled with the fact that the speaker apertures are at ankle level, means that I can see the logic behind keeping them.

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Car Speakers - question.