My Adventures in Upgrading the Subwoofer and Center Speaker

[System]

What exactly improved with replacing this center speaker in your opinion? Are voices more clear?

I did the same center channel upgrade and it's definitely worth it. Clarity took a big jump. For the money, it's a no brainer.

Sponsored

 

[Starship Enterprise]

The problem is, that all the speakers are front loaded with very little coming from behind. So when I try to balance the sound all it does is get muffled. The upgraded Pioneer sub seemed to help the system overall vs. sounding more prominent. I got some improvement by dropping the rear seat, which allows me to hear the sub better, and also the exhaust as a bonus.

This stereo is hard to gage sound becuase whether off my phone or SXM, each song sounds wildly different in quality. Some bands like Beck and Gorillaz sound amazing from my phone, while a lot of classic rock is very dull in sound.

You can atribute it to older recording technology, but compared to when I played the same music in my old '06 Mustang with the Shaker sound, it was MUCH better.

I have tried switching between stereo and surround sound, and the surround does sound better overall, with the stereo setting sounding almost mono by comparison.

Changing any speaker is an improvement because the stock speakers are the cheesiest paper cone crap with the tiniest magnets you could put on one.

Ford really cut corners on the sound system and called it "premium". But really, it's the only mild complaint I have about the entire car. Other than that I love it. The best music comes out the tail pipes anyway....lol

 

[Junkyard Dog]

So speakers changed, and still not "premium sound."

 

[Starship Enterprise]

The sound improved, but overall the biggest problem still is a lack of power. Changing the sub and center speaker wasn't a waste of time IMO, but I'm just saying don't expect miracles.

They allocated a pathetic amount of wattage to the sub. Just more sub wattage would have really made a difference.

One nice thing is that local radio stations sound good, better than my 06 GT did. Odd.......

 

[System]

Agreed. If changing the sub, an amp is really important. When I swapped in a Hertz sub, I added an Audison amp and the sound is unreal even in a convertible.

 

[Fruitstang]

The problem is, that all the speakers are front loaded with very little coming from behind. [...]

This is called "front staging" and a characteristic most Hifi- connoisseurs absolutely prefer because only that will provide properly the feeling of sitting in front of the band playing.
Rears typically only used at lower volume as "rear fill".
But in the end, it's just a matter of taste off course, but Ford and B&O surely had that in mind.

[...] Changing any speaker is an improvement because the stock speakers are the cheesiest paper cone crap with the tiniest magnets you could put on one.

Based on my own experience:
Installing an amp that not only powers a new subwoofer, but also the front speakers and has a DSP built in can get the very best out of the speakers.
And that is an almost unbelievably huge improvement (I listen to a ~$6,000 or so Hifi-setup at home, so my ears are trained).
With the DSP you can set up EQ, crossover frequencies and time alignment for each speaker individually. Should use a professional microphone and a specific software to do all the corrections of course.
Best if untrained spend some $ and have a pro do the work.

[...] The best music comes out the tail pipes anyway....lol

Yeah, that is very true

 

[Starship Enterprise]

Fruitstang...some really good insights!

it sounds like you have a great system going on in your car!

I hadn't thought about "front staging" sound, and it's a valid argument. My personal preference though, is surround sound, and even going back 40 years where I had 6x9's on the rear package shelf cranking out tunes off my Radio Shack 40 watt power booster. Between that and the front dash speakers, it sounded great....and I was surrounded by sound.

In the Mustang most of the sound coming from the front sort of hits my face and is actually uncomfortable to listen to. It's not like where in a big room the sound has room to breathe.

Just adding an amp to the sub would be a massive improvement, but I would also prefer to be able to adjust crossover. But as it stands, I am truly OK with how it is because I really do enjoy the exhaust note more.

My wife's Lincoln has a 28 speaker Revel system....now that is nice!

 

[Sig Oris]

I played it safe and also swapped 8 ohm for 8 ohm, but not being an audio expert, I have no idea if changing to a 4ohm makes too much difference for such a small speaker. It might not be that bad?

for maximum power transfer, the load impedance needs to match the source impedance

I need to bookmark this post to revisit in the spring

thanks

 

[Junkyard Dog]

going back 40 years where I had 6x9's on the rear package shelf cranking out tunes off my Radio Shack 40 watt power booster.

You must have been hanging out with me and my friends.

 

[Starship Enterprise]

Dazed and Confused was a documentary of my youth....

 

[exm]

So I upgraded my center speaker today with Kenwood Excelon KFC-X3C and I love the results. The Kenwood is a 4 ohm speaker unlike the 8 ohm OEM, but with the very low 83db sensitivity (1w/1m) it blends in much better. Such a great upgrade. Here are some pictures and comments during the installation process:

Here's the stock speaker:

Junk. After removing the stock speaker, here's the stock and new one side-by-side:

Here are the connectors on the stock speakers. I cut the wires from the stock speaker to re-use the connector plug:

Here's the Kenwood. I cut off the crossover module:

There's to ways to connect the new speaker to the original speaker plug (that I cut earlier):
- Solder
- Use a wire-connector

I decided to go with the latter option. Pretty easy and quick:

Here's the speaker mounted in the dashboard. Fits perfectly.

Maybe I should have put some foam around it, but as long as it doesn't rattle, I'm good.

I have another one of the speakers available since I bought a pair. I'll sell it at cost ($50+shipping to you). I'll put this up for sale in the classified section at some point, but PM me if you're interested. Shipping shouldn't be more than $10 I think.

Highly recommended upgrade!

 

[Starship Enterprise]

Nice! glad it worked out!

 

[GooberDH]

I chose to be weird and go with a Celestion full range speaker for my dash. 3.5in, 8ohm, 35w, 287dB sensitivity, frequency range 98Hz-18.5kHz. I just unsoldered the stock wiring from the old speaker and crimped some quick disconnects on I found at Autozone that fit the connection blades on the new speaker. It uses a square mounting frame so I cut off two corners to give it the same overall shape as the stock speaker. Is it better than the Infinity or others people use? I don't know, but it sounds better than stock when I compared them and overall with surround setting for the stereo I prefer it vs the dash speaker simply unplugged like a lot of people do. I ordered it from Guitar Center, it took a couple months to arrive but it eventually came. AN3501 is the model number if anyone is interested, it was about $50.

 

[Starship Enterprise]

ultimately, anything is better than the stock speaker....lol.

 

[Gregs24]

Changing any speaker is an improvement because the stock speakers are the cheesiest paper cone crap with the tiniest magnets you could put on one.

Actually most of the speakers are not paper cone - only the sub and centre speaker

Sponsored