uswrnk54

As we all know the factory stereo in our cars is sub-par. I have an '01 with what I assume is a base model stereo. Thru some trial and error I've made a huge improvement in the sound quality. At one point or another I replaced all speakers in the car (incl dash, doors and rear panels). The best sound comes from leaving the door speakers alone (they are crossed over to produce bass only, and are ok speakers from the factory), replacing the dash speakers with "decent" units ($40-$90 on Amazon) and lower quality units in the rear panels ($30-$40 on Amazon). I was amazed at the difference. I was also able to use a trick noted elsewhere in this forum to include a jack to run my iPhone off of.

I realize some guys are going with Focal separates at $500-$600 which I'm sure is huge improvement, but I've made my stereo sound "acceptable" for less than $100.

AndyK

Details on which speakers you used in the front??

yank_my_chain

I would also like to know what 'decent' speakers you used in the front and the rear. Thanks!!

JMLavoie

Did you replace these speakers with same impedance speakers? The door speakers are 2 ohms. I don't know about the OEM ones you replaced.

white out

+1 for info on the speakers you used.

Does anyone have advice on decent door speakers (base stereo)?

uswrnk54

I used Kenwood KFC-1694PS 6.5" 3-way Speakers in the dash ($38.14 shipped from Amazon) & Kenwood KFC-1664S 6-1/2-Inch 3-Way Sport Series Coaxial Car Speakers in the rear ($27.48 shipped from Amazon). If I had it to do over again I would have just bought 4 of the front speakers (KFC-1694PS). There are certainly far superior speakers avail though, I was looking for a cost effective option.

Install is fairly straight forward, though you do have to slightly modify the speaker housings. A torx tool is required to remove the speaker housings. I used self tapping screws at an angle & mounted the speakers to the plastic housing(s).

JMLavoie: I was unaware that the door speakers were 2ohm & that is likely why my replacements didn't sound so good.

JMLavoie

uswrnk54:
I found those 2-ohm gems when I replaced my door latch this winter. On second thought, they might not have been OEM but something a previous owner installed at some point in time. They were pretty crappy and vibrating as well, so they had to be replaced.
I replaced them with some 4-ohm Pioneer speakers of about $60./pair. Nothing to write home about, but certainly better than those 2-ohm ones.
The 996 cockpit noise is certainly not conducive to Hifi listening, so I didn't find any point of spending more on sound for this car.
There is better sound coming from the pusher engine.

white out

how do you run 4ohm speakers in the doors?

ccaarmerciill

I did some very minor changes mine as well with great results.

- Morel Maximo 4" speakers front/ rear. $100 ish each
- kenwood KDC X996 $200 (amazing head unit)
- Sound Ordinance B8PTD 8" enclosed Sub $200

I did replace the door speakers because I had a friend with an old set never used that 10 years ago were very high end speakers. Even with some dampening, the bass in the doors never sounded good. So with settings from the Kenwood I was able to change the crossover for all the speakers, and let the small subwoofer handle the bass. Sound is so much more crisper now, with a nice full range. Down the road I may mess with the wiring to get those door speakers to work as mid-bass rather than just Bass.

AndyK

Slightly modify? How? Do the speakers un-plug, and did the wires plug right into the new ones?

white out

I think the speaker covers have to be slightly modified. Wiring should be plug & play.

AndyK

Looks like there are two speakers under the stock covers - tweeter and oval speaker. Will this round speaker replace both, or is there just one speaker stock?

uswrnk54

AndyK: slightly modify means drive small screws into the back side of the panels w/o having the screws poke thru the top. It's easy to do w/ a drill once you take the covers off.
I left the "tweeter" in the factory speaker cover & just cut the wire. I couldn't figure out how to get it out w/o braking the housing. The replacement speakers are 3-way units so they take the place of both factory speakers.
The wiring is just plug & play, but you need to cut the factory connector off & install clamps that attach to the aftermarket speakers. Make sure to get the polarity right.
It's really an easy mod once you get into it.

uswrnk54

ccaarmerciill: Where does the Sound Ordinance B8PTD 8" enclosed Sub fit in the vehicle? I'd be interested in your opinion of this product...

Gus B.

When funds become available, I am planning on replacing the CDR-220 with a Kenwood KDCX997 ( ). I could not find a better bang for the buck system than this. If someone has an alternate idea, please share!