Putting Lipstick on a Pig (upgrading factory stereo)

[bluevolume]

I want to make a few mods to the factory system in my 2000 XLS, but don't want to change the head unit. I've had 3 stolen, don't want to deal with it anymore.

First question is with the speakers in the doors. I know that Pioneer makes some 3-way 6-8? that replace the OEMs, but are they worth it? If it will make a noticeable difference then I'll go for it. What I don't like about the orignals is that they get a little muddy with highs, and the mid-lows sound too boomy.

I'm probably going to add some insulation under the door panels while I have them apart, best idea I've seen yet is the furnace pipe wrap stuff from Home Depot. Any other cheap solutions?

Finally I want to add a subwoofer in the rear storage bin thing (where the original one would be). I plan on designing the box myself and building with some 3/4" MDF. I'm not sure what to do about the amp -- is there room to put it above the fender (where they used to put the amps?) And how should I connect it to the feed from the head unit -- do I need to get a line-level converter or just use the high-level input on my amp?

Any other suggestions would be great too.

Thankx,
Blue

 

[jimbo74]

do you have the premium sound with the factory amp now? if yes, that is why your system souns muddy... the factory amp isnt capable of pushing clear enough sound.... when i upgraded my factory stereo to a sony x plod, even before i upgraded my speaker, i bypassed the factory amp, and the stock speakers played a lot better than they had ever before.....

 

[Robb]

Jim, he has a 2000 without the sub.......he should have no external amp.

The Pioneers would be a great improvement over the stock speakers.

About amp space.......it depends on how big of a box you will need to build to support your sub. There is room above the fender in the rear panel to mount an amp, but you may have to use up that space with your box.

Robb

 

[kkreit01]

You could mount the amp in the location where the stock one would be mounted if you had premium sound. It would depend on how big your amp is. I mounted mine under the rear seat -- passenger side. There's still enough room to lay the seat down, and you can get to it easily to fine tune. The Pioneers would be a large improvement over stock speakers, but there are better ones out there -- MB Quart, Polk, Eclipse -- all can be had on e-bay for < $100. I would definately recommend using a line-level converter to provide RCA inputs to your amp. I've tried using the speaker level inputs that a lot of amps have, and it has always produced horrible results.

 

[bluevolume]

You mentioned "Polk" as a better brand. I never thought of checking them out -- I've got a full 5.1 Polk system at home running off a H/K 520 and it sounds incredible. Do their audio speakers live up to the same standards? Anyone have them in their Explorer?

Thanks,
Blue

 

[woodychitwn]

Polk 6"x8" speakers generally don't have as much frequency response as Pioneer's. So they can't produce the lower or upper sound waves that a Pioneer can. But if you're adding a subwoofer with a crossover, it'll take care of the bass and shouldn't matter as much. Depending on the type of music you like, you may want to get better separate tweeters to cover the high notes. And Polk does cost less than Pioneer, and their speakers are made of higher quality materials. So, there are trade-offs. But I would try going to something like crutchfield.com to compare speakers on-line.

 

[M.Scott]

bluevolume, I have done what you plan to do. 4 new speakers, 4 channel amp, MTX sub, sub amp, all from the stock HU. I was very pleased compared to stock. While many go for the pioneers I preferred Infinity reference 6x8. Better bass, higher sensitivity, swivel tweeter. The infinities are only two way but I could not tell a difference in highs.

I also put the home depo self stick duct insulation on the back of my door panels just LAST NIGHT while watching the superbowl. I have not put the door panels back in the truck though. If nothing else it'll be warmer.


And while I bought the MTX enclosure for the sub I always wanted to make my own. My plan was to put a plastic bag in the empty compartment and use expanding foam to make a mold to fiberglass over to make the biggest hidden "box" possible. I figure there is a 1 cubic foot of space behind the panel.

I have since gone to an aftermarket HU, so I have most of the wiring you need is sitting in my basement (RCA, adapters, factory harnesses, etc). Let me know if you are interested in the stuff.

 

[kkreit01]

It depends on which Polk line you are referring to. Ghey have a low-end line and a high-end -- at least they used to. I have a pair of their high end DX-series 3-ways. They sound real good for a 5x7/6x8 drop-in. They retailed for close to $200.

Update: just checked Polks website and apparently they do not carry a higher end coaxial anymore. There highest end is an EX series -- which used to be low end. What a shame.....