Luis A.

I've decided to upgrade the speakers on my '96 equiped with the 10-speaker "Hi-Fi" option. I've read every archived post I could find on the subject. It's not clear in many of those what will or will not fit specifically on the HiFi equipped cars and whether the plastic mounting box on the doors where the speakers are installed has been removed to put in the new speakers.

Can those of you who've upgraded and have the HiFi option please share what speaker model you've used and what the extent of the install involved, i.e., lose the box or not.

AJ: I've seen your site, very nice. The Diamonds are now only M3 and M6, which one corresponds to your M5's? Where can I find Diamonds; I've not been very successful online.

Thanks everyone

Luis

Curtis - '97 Targa

I removed the speaker box and took it to the stereo store. We found a woofer that would fit but no mid-range yet. An additional problem is that the crossovers are at the amp so each side has two feeds: 1) a low range for the woofer; and 2) a combined mid/high for the tweeter and mid.

I replaced my woofer and tweeter with a Boston Acustics two way set but did not install the included crossover...I just used the factory amp/crossover.

New sound is much improved, but still not great. The mid range driver can't keep up with the woofer and tweeter so the sound is kind of hollow. I'm looking for a driver that will fit, now....

Luis A.

Curtis,
Thanks for your reply.
I had not read on the board about the amp crossover and the individual low and high frequency feeds to the speakers... Mmmmhh... That's going to be a problem with installing the high end speaker systems with included crossovers, as you point out.

Does anyone have any ideas on how to deal with that issue *without* replacing the existing amp?

Thanks,
Luis

bbeckmann

If you're looking for really good sound in your car, the amp has got to go. I just ripped out my whole system, and put in Rod Birch's recommended system. It sounds 10 times better, and it wasn't that hard. If you want to keep the factory head unit, it shouldn't be a problem. I think becker makes the right conversion plugs.

I went with the 5 channel MTX amp, and Focal door speakers. I also put in the Nakamichi 6 disc in dash changer. Nice not having the changer taking up precious space.

A.J. - 95 993

Luis, Thanks for the compliment. I agree with bbeckmann. If cost is not a huge issue, don't worry about using the factory amp. If cost is an issue, the safest route to go is to replace the factory speakers one-for-one with same size speakers (which I didn't investigate, so I'm not sure of sizing issues). Otherwise, you may be opening Pandora's Box.

Upgrading the speakers should really improve the sound. If you're the least bit picky (I consider myself VERY picky, but not eletist) about your sound, upgrading the speakers will most likely lead to finding fault with the power of the amp. Upgrading the amp alone could be tricky, because connecting that to the factory radio will likely prove to be just as difficult as matching the factory amp output to a different speaker arrangement. The whole thing gets messy. IMHO, simplest amp install is with an aftermarket radio that uses phono input/outputs.

As far as the Diamonds go, I still love them, and they were priced very well. At that time, authorized dealers were the only ones who sold them. I don't expect that has changed. Here is the disclaimer from their website:

Online Purchase Disclaimer
Diamond Audio does NOT authorize ANY internet sales of car audio products.

There are no authorized dealers in Louisville, so I had to go out of town. I don't know what the difference is between the Diamond Audio M6 and the M5, but visually, they appear identical. So the M661 would be comparable to my M561. It's the 6 1/2" woofer. I think the HEX is very similar in specs and components, but the crossovers are made from aluminum instead of plastic, and are more intended for display or competition. Personally, I would love to be able to display my crossovers somehow, but I don't have time for all that.

In case it wasn't spelled out explicitly, I did remove the bass boxes, and installed the 6 1/2" speaker in the opening in the door panel that the speaker box uses. I used the same speaker cover with the egg-shaped grille, and you can't tell that there is a single speaker under there.

The crossovers fit very nicely in the space of the speaker box. I ran my own wire from the amp to the crossover in the right door. It was SO DIFFICULT (took 2-3 hours), for the left speaker I connected my amp to the factory lead going to the left door. Like I said, I'm not a purist, and there is no way it's discernable.

One word about a subwoofer. I strongly suggest one. I have all low frequency signals to the front speakers filtered out, even to the 6 1/2". They just can't compete, even with my "little" (but big sounding) 8" sub. They would only muddy up the sound. I don't see any way to get anywhere near the sound by using just a door speaker. It has to be heard to be believed, and is my strongest recommendation to anyone considering a system for their car. Which makes it more important to install your own amp.

A.J. - 95 993

One other thing that's interesting to add - after removing the Nokia speaker box from the door, I noticed a draft by my feet. It turns out that the speaker box is ported, and there's a hole for this in the bottom of the trim panel that covers speaker box. In the winter time, I could feel cold air rushing into the car. So I sealed the hole closed, both sides.

Luis A.

AJ and Bobby: Thanks for your replies.

I'd agree that replacing the amp (and therefore the head unit...) would be the best way to go. My motivating factor to get going with this project right now is an upcoming road trip. My tme is very limited between now and then so I reasoned that upgrading the speakers would give me the most bang for my time invested and proceed to a full upgrade later on.

Thanks,
Luis

A.J. - 95 993

If time is of the essence, you could buy the speaker(s) of your choice and install them as you see fit. You may have luck finding exact replacement sizes, but you may have to compromise the brand for finding the exact size. You could also buy a component set, such as the Diamonds or something similar, and tie into the factory leads from the amp. I would recommend using the factor tweeter for the sake of time, but use the lead to the factory woofer, remove the speaker boxes (which is very simple to do) and mount a 6 1/2" speaker to the door. Only problem is I think the lead from the amp plugs into the speaker box, then there is a lead from the speaker box going to the tweeter.

Alternately, you may need to hook up the crossover that comes with the speaker to the signal going to the factory woofer, then wire the croosover to the factory tweeter and a 6 1/2" for the door. The shape of the speaker box trim cover is such that the crossovers don't need to be screwed down. They can sit inside loose and won't cause a problem, in case you decide you want to alter the setup later with something more permanent, or a different layout/arrangement.

Bob 96 993 Cab

Could one of you guys give us the dimensions of the old amplifier for the HI-FI Stereo system?

I want to determine if the Phoenix Gold Ti400 Amp will fit in its place.

TIA

Bob <img border="0" alt="[bigbye]" title="" src="graemlins/xyxwave.gif" />

Sputnik

By the way ..which speakers (doors or rears (or both) NOKIA amp feeds (hi-fi option)?

Sputnik

I tried to measure the NOKIA amplifier. It appeared to be

6.5"-W
2.2"-H
7"-depth.

There are two other plastic boxes at each side of the Nokia amplifier. Does anyone know what is the purpose of those little boxes?

bbeckmann

I can't remember what those boxes do, but you need them. They do important car stuff.

You can remove them, take out the metal plate, shove the boxes under the seat rails on the side. Then you can mount a fairly beefy amp at an angle. It won't win you any IASCA points, but it works great. I love it.