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Best possible factory stereo speaker upgrade

TyphoonFiST

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#1
What are the best possible stereo speaker upgrade options for the stock head unit that others have found?

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AzNightmare

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#3
I would love to upgrade the sound system in my car. I don't even need something as complex as a subwoofer. I still value my trunk space, lol.

But something equivalent to just a faceplate with an equalizer would be great.

I don't know much about sound, but is it possible to just hook up the oem sound system to an amp that can tuck under the seat and use that to pump out better bass?
 


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TyphoonFiST

TyphoonFiST

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Thread Starter #4
There is a thread about under seat amps that was just done....complete write up and all with pictures.....i will be doing that but am looking for a good set of replacement speakers for a stock head unit..🤘

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#5
I would love to upgrade the sound system in my car. I don't even need something as complex as a subwoofer. I still value my trunk space, lol.

But something equivalent to just a faceplate with an equalizer would be great.

I don't know much about sound, but is it possible to just hook up the oem sound system to an amp that can tuck under the seat and use that to pump out better bass?
As TyphoonFiST mentioned, theres the under the seat one that should work, you can also put it under the false floor in the trunk like I did
 


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#6
My friend did a factory integration in my ST. Four 6.5" PRV speakers, 2 FSD amps (1 for speakers, 1 for sub), my old 2 12" Visonik subs (going to replace eventually), and most importantly the thing that makes it sound not stock head unit, Rockford Fosgate 360.3 DSP. It sounds amazing. A good 5 times louder than stock.





 


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TyphoonFiST

TyphoonFiST

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Thread Starter #7
Don't need alot of the boom boom...im too old for that shit....id still like to retain the stock head unit....like the thread says....so if anyone has put new speakers in and that's it....let me know your exp !🕺

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jmrtsus

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#8
What are the best possible stereo speaker upgrade options for the stock head unit that others have found?

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Do you mean best at all costs or best that fit the stock locations? What kind of budget do you have and what is your goals? More bass, louder, better tweeters, more clarity? What signal source do you use the most? Radio, CD, USB drive or Phone? Tell us what you see as the deficiency in the stock system to you tastes.

Why do these thing matter? If the "best"speaker does not fit the doors then custom fabrication may be needed. It is imperative to know a price point to make a meaningful suggestion, telling you to buy $200 a pair speakers when you have a $100 a pair budget for example would save people trying to assist you to not waste time on those that do not meet your budget. If your goal is more bass changing the door speakers will not appreciably add bass. If you are looking for loud high sensitivity become important, on the other hand a very low sensitivity speaker will not play as loud as stock. And last if you predominantly use low fidelity sources like USB, phone or radio changing speakers will also not do much to help these sources sound better due to their limited frequency band widths. So, in a nutshell tell us what your goal is in changing the speakers.

BTW, there is no "best" speakers, there are many thing to consider in speakers and what sounds "best" to me may sound like trash to you if our goals were different in selecting the speakers.

FYI, there is a move going on to put an Audio team together to present educational info on car audio and answer questions like this. The more you know the better decisions you will make in upgrading your audio.
 


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TyphoonFiST

TyphoonFiST

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Thread Starter #9
Well like I said no really need for the boom boom...like clarity ....something better than stock.....i use my Sirius radio and cds the most....once in a while BT stereo for my cell phone music. I spose I could bite the bullet and just buy some speakers and do that also....price isn't really an option either .....i just wanted someone's opinion on a decent speaker brand or setup for the stock head unit....i am looking to put subs underneath the seats as they do not seem to extensive to install.

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jmrtsus

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#10
Well like I said no really need for the boom boom...like clarity ....something better than stock.....i use my Sirius radio and cds the most....once in a while BT stereo for my cell phone music. I spose I could bite the bullet and just buy some speakers and do that also....price isn't really an option either .....i just wanted someone's opinion on a decent speaker brand or setup for the stock head unit....i am looking to put subs underneath the seats as they do not seem to extensive to install.

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To start with if you will be adding under seat sub(s) then installing a High Pass filters AKA "bass blockers" to the stock drivers will allow them to work less and you may find that is all that is needed for additional clarity. A great deal of the energy (power) from the stock amp is used to play the bass notes. With bass blockers the door speakers will not be pulling all of that power for bass and lets them focus on the upper bass, mids and highs improving clarity and amplifier headroom or power for loud audio peaks. Start there and then if you still feel you need improvements in the door speakers you will need to make a decision on utilizing the stock tweeters, adding stick-ons to your door or window pillar, or using co-ax speakers. So please try the subs first, you may save yourself some money. Keep us posted.
 


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TyphoonFiST

TyphoonFiST

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Thread Starter #11
Ok I will look into doing the under the seat subs as others have done with just stock setup and speakers then....at worst case I just have to buy more shit...

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#12
If you're looking to keep the stock headunit and don't want to wire amps I can recommend these for the front doors (there may be a newer model out): https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0024JARH6/

And one of these will fit under the false floor and leave access to the spare: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00Y3WKUX8/

Neither of these are top of the line, but if you're looking for a modest improvement on a budget I found it's a great combo.
 


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#13
https://www.amazon.com/Kenwood-KSC-SW11-Compact-Enclosed-Subwoofer/dp/B00BO8O9XQ/

I have this and LOVE the way it sounds. It adds in the bass that the factory speakers are lacking. If you want to rattle the windows, this wont do it. If you want to enhance the sound without spending $500 + this is the way to go. It's a night and day difference.

I followed this write up except I ran my power wire to my battery.
http://www.fiestastforum.com/forum/...Subwoofer-Install-Overview-(Kenwood-KSC-SW11)
 


AzNightmare

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#14
https://www.amazon.com/Kenwood-KSC-SW11-Compact-Enclosed-Subwoofer/dp/B00BO8O9XQ/

I have this and LOVE the way it sounds. It adds in the bass that the factory speakers are lacking. If you want to rattle the windows, this wont do it. If you want to enhance the sound without spending $500 + this is the way to go. It's a night and day difference.

I followed this write up except I ran my power wire to my battery.
http://www.fiestastforum.com/forum/...Subwoofer-Install-Overview-(Kenwood-KSC-SW11)
Besides wiring supplies, is this one unit the only thing I need?
 


AzNightmare

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#17
Yes. It has a built in amp.
I was reading the guide you suggested to use. But I got a bit confused on the wiring part. Am I supposed to tap the wires from the Kenwood subwoofer to each speaker in the car? Or is there one spot on the main power wire that I can just tap into that connects to all of the speakers? It said to connect something at the B-Pillar, but I'm not sure what I'm looking for there. Then route the wire under the rear seat?

I can sort of find my way around, but I'm still fairly inexperienced in electrical. Unfortunately, I need a bit more help than what the guide provided if you can offer some advice.
 


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#18
I was reading the guide you suggested to use. But I got a bit confused on the wiring part. Am I supposed to tap the wires from the Kenwood subwoofer to each speaker in the car? Or is there one spot on the main power wire that I can just tap into that connects to all of the speakers? It said to connect something at the B-Pillar, but I'm not sure what I'm looking for there. Then route the wire under the rear seat?

I can sort of find my way around, but I'm still fairly inexperienced in electrical. Unfortunately, I need a bit more help than what the guide provided if you can offer some advice.
You're going to need to tap into the rear speakers in both b-pillars. If you pop out the b-pillars there's going to be a channel with wires running through it. Your speaker wires will be in there. Just follow the colors from the write-up. I chose to run a power wire from my battery through the fire wall to the sub. I also took out my front seat to give myself some more room to work, but you don't have to. It's just held in by 4 torx bolts but make sure to unclip the harness or you're gonna have a bad time haha. Also, make sure to disconnect the negative terminal on the battery until you are finished to avoid any chance of electrical shock/setting of an airbag. You don't need to use the connectors he used. I just used some standard crush connectors and they worked just fine. All in all it took me about 4 hours to get the job done, but I was really taking my time. Would a quick video help? I can show you where I ran my wires etc.
 


AzNightmare

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#19
You're going to need to tap into the rear speakers in both b-pillars. If you pop out the b-pillars there's going to be a channel with wires running through it. Your speaker wires will be in there. Just follow the colors from the write-up. I chose to run a power wire from my battery through the fire wall to the sub. I also took out my front seat to give myself some more room to work, but you don't have to. It's just held in by 4 torx bolts but make sure to unclip the harness or you're gonna have a bad time haha. Also, make sure to disconnect the negative terminal on the battery until you are finished to avoid any chance of electrical shock/setting of an airbag. You don't need to use the connectors he used. I just used some standard crush connectors and they worked just fine. All in all it took me about 4 hours to get the job done, but I was really taking my time. Would a quick video help? I can show you where I ran my wires etc.
Thanks for the quick reply. So are the front and rear speaker wires located in the B-Pillar? Because i'm still not sure why the rear seat was removed. For the power connection, I'll just connect it to the fuse box like in the guide because I'm a bit more familiar with that portion of the process and I already have the add-a-circuits. But I just want to be very sure I understand what to do with the wires tapping into the speakers. If it's not too much trouble, a video help would be awesome. And very appreciated. [biggrin]
 


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#20
Thanks for the quick reply. So are the front and rear speaker wires located in the B-Pillar? Because i'm still not sure why the rear seat was removed. For the power connection, I'll just connect it to the fuse box like in the guide because I'm a bit more familiar with that portion of the process and I already have the add-a-circuits. But I just want to be very sure I understand what to do with the wires tapping into the speakers. If it's not too much trouble, a video help would be awesome. And very appreciated. [biggrin]
The rear speaker wires are located in the b-pillars. You wont need to do anything with the front speaker wires. It's a total of 4 wires you'll have to splice into. The rear seat is removed because you have to run wires underneath of it to get to the fuse box and the passenger side b-pillar. The unit itself comes with the wires to tap into the speakers, as well as one for power, remote and ground. I don't think the remote wire was long enough to reach to the fuse box behind the glove box though so I had to splice an extra remote wire I had laying around into it. I can send you a quick video tomorrow after work.
 


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