putting a system in my explorer

[98ws6]

hey guys im thinking about putting a nice simple sound system in my 97 XLT but i dont know what would fit and what you gusy would recommend as far as speakers and subs....i know they have some boxes that go under the rear seats do you think those are the best or should i just get a sealed box and put in the back? let me know guys
thanks

 

[konaboy]

Check out www.crutchfield.com they have a chart that tells you sizes and options. They have a cool sub that mounts in the rear side panel where the storage area with the net is.

 

[blairallenvt]

I've got a rocking system in my '97 XLT. I believe all 4 door speakers were 6x8's. I got some Infinity ones off of eBay that have 100W peak power rating. Even without the subs, the system rocks hard compared to the factory system. Changing out the head unit is very simple, although if you have a CD changer in the center console, you will lose that feature. I don't believe there is any adapter to make the factory CD changer work with an aftermarket head unit, but I may be wrong about that.

For the subs, getting a sealed or ported box and putting it in the cargo area is by far your best choice. You won't have very much clearance under the rear seats, which will limit which subs you can get (you'd have to get low-profile subs). I have two 12" subs in a ported box with a 1920 watt amp attached to it and a 1.5 farad capacitor in parallel. My biggest problem has not been getting good sound out of it, but trying to vibration-proof the explorer because the subs vibrate the bejesus out of the truck!

The biggest problem with getting a full system set up is choosing a nice balance between cost and quality. But usually if you do your research well, you can get a great system for not a whole lot of money, which works out really well if you are an audophile like myself.

Let me know if you'd like more detailed specs about what I've installed, and what other people I know have installed. I did all the work myself, including putting dynamat on all the doors, so I can give you some tips and advice.

 

[98ws6]

I've got a rocking system in my '97 XLT. I believe all 4 door speakers were 6x8's. I got some Infinity ones off of eBay that have 100W peak power rating. Even without the subs, the system rocks hard compared to the factory system. Changing out the head unit is very simple, although if you have a CD changer in the center console, you will lose that feature. I don't believe there is any adapter to make the factory CD changer work with an aftermarket head unit, but I may be wrong about that.

For the subs, getting a sealed or ported box and putting it in the cargo area is by far your best choice. You won't have very much clearance under the rear seats, which will limit which subs you can get (you'd have to get low-profile subs). I have two 12" subs in a ported box with a 1920 watt amp attached to it and a 1.5 farad capacitor in parallel. My biggest problem has not been getting good sound out of it, but trying to vibration-proof the explorer because the subs vibrate the bejesus out of the truck!

The biggest problem with getting a full system set up is choosing a nice balance between cost and quality. But usually if you do your research well, you can get a great system for not a whole lot of money, which works out really well if you are an audophile like myself.

Let me know if you'd like more detailed specs about what I've installed, and what other people I know have installed. I did all the work myself, including putting dynamat on all the doors, so I can give you some tips and advice.

pm'd

 

[NoRockUnturned]

I just installed a simple system into my 97 xlt this weekend I got a panasonic
CQ-C1333U head unit 50w X 4, and (4) 2 way 5 X 8 Memphis audio 100 watt speakers. I did all the work myself in under an hour and a half, and the cost total was $350.00 . It sounds awesome. Im going to add a sub real soon to complete the sound but as for now it sounds really good!

 

[thndrbear]

I've got a rocking system in my '97 XLT. I believe all 4 door speakers were 6x8's. I got some Infinity ones off of eBay that have 100W peak power rating. Even without the subs, the system rocks hard compared to the factory system. Changing out the head unit is very simple, although if you have a CD changer in the center console, you will lose that feature. I don't believe there is any adapter to make the factory CD changer work with an aftermarket head unit, but I may be wrong about that.

For the subs, getting a sealed or ported box and putting it in the cargo area is by far your best choice. You won't have very much clearance under the rear seats, which will limit which subs you can get (you'd have to get low-profile subs). I have two 12" subs in a ported box with a 1920 watt amp attached to it and a 1.5 farad capacitor in parallel. My biggest problem has not been getting good sound out of it, but trying to vibration-proof the explorer because the subs vibrate the bejesus out of the truck!

The biggest problem with getting a full system set up is choosing a nice balance between cost and quality. But usually if you do your research well, you can get a great system for not a whole lot of money, which works out really well if you are an audophile like myself.

Let me know if you'd like more detailed specs about what I've installed, and what other people I know have installed. I did all the work myself, including putting dynamat on all the doors, so I can give you some tips and advice.

I agree. I recently installed a system on my '05 EB. I replaced the factory door speakers with Lanzar 5x8s then powered it with a 4-channel amp. For low fill i installed a box on the folded third row using a pair of Lanzar Heritage 12s and powered it with another amp, this time a mono block class d. The sound is superb! The amps and the 2.4Farad capacitor is installed diagonally at the flooring of the third row seats just below the front of the sub box. The doors look stock, its just the drk carpet of the box that lurks at the back of the 2nd row seat that gives it away as an upgraded explo. Do your research and mind your budget.

 

[techboj]

hey guys im thinking about putting a nice simple sound system in my 97 XLT but i dont know what would fit and what you gusy would recommend as far as speakers and subs....i know they have some boxes that go under the rear seats do you think those are the best or should i just get a sealed box and put in the back? let me know guys
thanks

I've got a 99 Sport 2 dr. But I guess the speakers would be pretty much the same. The fronts are 5x7. The rears would hold 5x7 or 6x8 or even 6x9's with minor mods. I used Clarion SRC5795 for the front. These are actually 2 drivers mounted on a plate and shaped like a conventional speaker (as opposed to bi-axial speakers). The idea here is to be able to position or point the highs from the tweeters toward you while your driving. The rears are standard Alpine SPS570A. Again 5x7 and directly bolts into the stock speaker mountings. As blairallenvt mentioned, having a separate box in the back is the best way to go. I have 2 x Alpine SWR 1021D in a custom alpine ported box. It will basically eat up most of your "trunk" space but it's well worth it. Power comes from 2 Alpine MRP-M350 mono amps for the subs. The drivers are all basically being powered by the head unit - a sony Sony CDXM8805 with MP3 and a 10 disk Sony 757MX changer with MP3 also adds to the selection.

Basically, a good head unit with high power output should be enough to get u rockin'. Good speakers on all 4 corners and at least a sub or 2 with modest amplification should be enough. It all depends on your music of choice. You can get monster amps and subs and be heard (an felt) a mile away but they might sound crappy inside your truck. So focus on clarity for everything - remember that you should be the one enjoying the tunes and not others outside the vehicle. Also don't get a cheap head unit. Get at least some with built in equalization or even with customizable EQ points. Sony units have a proprietary feature called positional DSO and it makes the door mounted speakers sound as if they were "higher" up and firing toward you more accurately - and they're cheaper too.

 

[kabukie]

I have a pioneer premier cd/mp3/wma player then a 600W audiobahn amp. And since money was short when i upgraded from a single sub to dual ported box. I have one JL 10W3 and a Kicker Comp CVR. I turn up the highs and mids at the head unit the make up for the slack the other speakers have.

 

[richarcm]

just going to a 50x4 headunit will COMPLETELY wake up your stock speakers. I was amazed at the sound quality of the stock speakers. They werent that great in my past mustangs. I plan on replacing them with Boston Acoustics.

I bought a sealed box with 2 10"s. Its okay but i like the deep lows so i want to go with a ported box and 2 12"s. I just dont like sealed boxes.