New speakers

[jipsom]

http://xs.to/xs.php?h=xs27&d=05181&f=phoenix.jpg

Fitted these Sunday - they sound amazing. A friend of mine said Phonix Gold's are brilliant, even though they're not too expensive. This component set only cost £100 so I was understandably cautious. But the improvement is incredible. Bass is thick & heavy, vocals are crisp but not too bright, and the music is now clear above the engine/road noise.

It feels wrong drilling a bloody great hole through the door after only having the car a week, but the component tweeters are well worth the effort. I think I did a good job, too. Hooray for me.

[lucozade]

jipsom said:

http://xs.to/xs.php?h=xs27&d=05181&f=phoenix.jpg Fitted these Sunday - they sound amazing. A friend of mine said Phonix Gold's are brilliant, even though they're not too expensive. This component set only cost £100 so I was understandably cautious. But the improvement is incredible. Bass is thick & heavy, vocals are crisp but not too bright, and the music is now clear above the engine/road noise. It feels wrong drilling a bloody great hole through the door after only having the car a week, but the component tweeters are well worth the effort. I think I did a good job, too. Hooray for me.

Looks nice

Did you change the head unit or is it still the standard Sony?

[jipsom]

Still the standard unit (CDX 770), but the speakers make it sound like a new one.

[LaurenceFrost]

Phonix Gold make fantastic speakers.
Did you fit Dynamat when fitting the speakers? If not you really should.

A £16 kit will do both doors and the difference is incredible. Very simple too.

[hunttheshunt]

Ooh which ones were they and can you do mine please!!

[Mr Noble]

I have fitted the similar speakers. Mine are the same but with the tweeter in it (2 way). I was a bit nervous of drilling through the door. However I second that the improvement is huge with the head unit left the same. (sony).

I did not fit any dynamat. Did you remove the foam surround that the std speakers sit in. Do you put the dynamat onto the back of the door panel or onto the door itself? Did you have to remove the door panel??

So many questions..............

[jipsom]

Mr Noble said:

I have fitted the similar speakers. Mine are the same but with the tweeter in it (2 way). I was a bit nervous of drilling through the door. However I second that the improvement is huge with the head unit left the same. (sony). I did not fit any dynamat. Did you remove the foam surround that the std speakers sit in. Do you put the dynamat onto the back of the door panel or onto the door itself? Did you have to remove the door panel?? So many questions..............

I removed the pathetic piece of foam that was dangling from the back of the stock speakers. This lets the inside of the door act like a resonating chamber which improves the bass extension (as long as the speakers are up to the job of shifting the air, and the volume of the door is not too great, otherwise the bass can get a bit wooly).

I also bought Dynamat but I've not fitted it yet. I thought I'd try it without first and then see if I notice the difference. To be honest, I'm not sure if I'll bother - they sound pretty damn good as it is. We'll see.

Merten, let's try and hook up for lunch next week sometime. I'll bring a drill for the door

[joust]

jipsom said:

I also bought Dynamat but I've not fitted it yet. I thought I'd try it without first and then see if I notice the difference. To be honest, I'm not sure if I'll bother - they sound pretty damn good as it is. We'll see.

I came to the same conclusion. The door hollow does actually seem to work as quite a good resonance box amazingly!

J

[lucozade]

If the sound difference is that good at not much of a price then I'm going to get this done too

So, to recap:

1. Order new speaker set. (What model, where from?)
2. Remove door panels and replace speakers?
3. Drill holes and insert tweeters.
4. Connect new wires?

Optionally use Dynamat but not really required?

All info appreciated.



>> Edited by lucozade on Wednesday 4th May 09:57

>> Edited by lucozade on Wednesday 4th May 10:02

[joust]

Yep - apart from you'll also need to find a home for the "crossover" which splits out the high frequencies for the tweeter.

Or, you can "cheat" like I did and fit an 'all in one' 2 way system such as the Alpine SPS-170A

This has the crossover and tweeter built into the main speaker. No drilling, just a simple replacement.

www.alpine-europe.com/content/english/a476.det.SPS-170A_6-1-2-165cm-DIN-Coaxial-2-Way-Speaker.htm

J

[lucozade]

joust said:

Yep - apart from you'll also need to find a home for the "crossover" which splits out the high frequencies for the tweeter. Or, you can "cheat" like I did and fit an 'all in one' 2 way system such as the Alpine SPS-170A This has the crossover and tweeter built into the main speaker. No drilling, just a simple replacement. <a href="http://www.alpine-europe.com/content/english/a476.det.SPS-170A_6-1-2-165cm-DIN-Coaxial-2-Way-Speaker.htm">www.alpine-europe.com/content/english/a476.det.SPS-170A_6-1-2-165cm-DIN-Coaxial-2-Way-Speaker.htm</a> J

Yeah was thinking about a two way system. Although I would have thought having the tweeter higher up would actually help with the high frequencies. Only problem is that if I start looking at alpine I'll end up with a new head unit too

My god I've just done a bit of surfing and found those Alpines at £39.99 - compared with £80-£90 everywhere else.

www.empire-direct.co.uk/content/products/details/html/API-SPS170A.htm

>> Edited by lucozade on Wednesday 4th May 10:45

[LaurenceFrost]

For the best deals around go to www.caraudiosecurity.com.

We have ordered loads of stuff from them. I got some Infinity components from them and they really are fantastic sounding speakers.

£120 everywhere, yet they sell for £70! That was cheaper than anywhere on ebay!

[jipsom]

lucozade said:

joust said: Yep - apart from you'll also need to find a home for the "crossover" which splits out the high frequencies for the tweeter. Or, you can "cheat" like I did and fit an 'all in one' 2 way system such as the Alpine SPS-170A This has the crossover and tweeter built into the main speaker. No drilling, just a simple replacement. <a href="http://www.alpine-europe.com/content/english/a476.det.SPS-170A_6-1-2-165cm-DIN-Coaxial-2-Way-Speaker.htm"><a href="http://www.alpine-europe.com/content/english/a476.det.SPS-170A_6-1-2-165cm-DIN-Coaxial-2-Way-Speaker.htm">www.alpine-europe.com/content/english/a476.det.SPS-170A_6-1-2-165cm-DIN-Coaxial-2-Way-Speaker.htm</a></a> J Yeah was thinking about a two way system. Although I would have thought having the tweeter higher up would actually help with the high frequencies. Only problem is that if I start looking at alpine I'll end up with a new head unit too My god I've just done a bit of surfing and found those Alpines at £39.99 - compared with £80-£90 everywhere else. www.empire-direct.co.uk/content/products/details/html/API-SPS170A.htm >> Edited by lucozade on Wednesday 4th May 10:45

The reason I chose the Phoenix Golds over the Alpine component set is because the crossover is built into the wire that goes to the tweeters - without any loss of audible quality. The main speakers have 2 sets of terminals. You attach your existing wires from the head unit into one set and then plug the tweeters into the other. This means you don't have to wire your new tweeters to the head unit seperately or find a place to secure the crossover.

Technically there should be a small improvement when using a larger dedicated crossover but I think the improvement would be minimal at this level. In fact, when I listened to the Alpines next to the Phoenix Golds in the shop I actually preferred the sound of the Phoenix Golds. So there.

Be careful when drilling the holes for the tweeters. As you'll see when you remove the door panel, there's only one position they'll fit into (see my pic)where there's sufficient space in the door frame. Luckily, it's the perfect spot. And make sure you don't cut the hole so big that the flange of the tweeter won't cover your barbarism

[lucozade]

jipsom said:

Technically there should be a small improvement when using a larger dedicated crossover but I think the improvement would be minimal at this level. In fact, when I listened to the Alpines next to the Phoenix Golds in the shop I actually preferred the sound of the Phoenix Golds. So there. Be careful when drilling the holes for the tweeters. As you'll see when you remove the door panel, there's only one position they'll fit into (see my pic)where there's sufficient space in the door frame. Luckily, it's the perfect spot. And make sure you don't cut the hole so big that the flange of the tweeter won't cover your barbarism

Cheers mate, I've ordered the Alpines since at £40 its a gamble worth taking. If the sound doesn't improve by that much then at least it didn't cost much to try.

I'm a bit of a wimp when it comes to cutting up bits of my car !

[gt03raf]

joust said:

Yep - apart from you'll also need to find a home for the "crossover" which splits out the high frequencies for the tweeter. Or, you can "cheat" like I did and fit an 'all in one' 2 way system such as the Alpine SPS-170A This has the crossover and tweeter built into the main speaker. No drilling, just a simple replacement. www.alpine-europe.com/content/english/a476.det.SPS-170A_6-1-2-165cm-DIN-Coaxial-2-Way-Speaker.htm J

Are the existing speakers standard 6.5"?
did you have any depth issues with the Alpines or is there a lot of room at that point in the door?

[joust]

There is bags of room!

J

[gt03raf]

joust said:

There is bags of room! J

that makes a change from the rest of the car then!

[chillidog]

How do you remove the standard speakers on the M400?; I can't see any obvious screws on them and I don't won't to knacker anything.
--
Richard

[billywiz]

Have a look at Wyka,s system which i spec'd and the factory put in. Very tight bas - midrange , detailed top end at any speed, no distortion. BAss - midrange at front took place of existing fronts in doors + good quality tweeters in the right position on the doors . Then quality rare magnet full range in a full lentgh box on rear parcel shelf . sounds great and looks part of the car.

[jipsom]

Have you got an image/link of this box on the parcel shelf? I've been designing one but if it's already done I can save myself the time.