My speaker upgrade

here is a picture of the speaker area after removing the stock speaker.... there are 3 nubs you will need to remove for new speakers... you can see two of them near the top screw hole and one near the lower left screw hole... i used the pliers to rip them off and the boxcutter to cut off any hanging pieces...

ok i followed carnut's advice and sealed the speaker... instead of using weather stripping I used dynamat that I got for 10 dollars at best buy designed for front doors... as you can see in the pic I had to cut the edges tgo make it fit in the area behind the grill... i advise using a boxcutter to make the cuts since you can h9old up the dynamat to the area to see what exactly needs to get cut off... once the area is covered with dynamat, mark off where exsiting holes you will use to mount the speaker... i could only line up one hole up top....

you can also see that i cut a hole in t he middle of the dynamat... i drew an circle on the dynamat using the cutout in the first picture..... i recommend using highlighter to draw that circle

here is finished product... i drilled one extra hole at the bottom and used the existing hole up top.... to connect the wires I bought a wiring harness for acura/honda from circuit city for 6 bucks... you can see it in the first pic.... i didnt have a drill to make the extra holes so i used a power screwdriver which did the trick.... i dont think you need anymorte than two screws to mount especially since the dynamat provides a good seal....

another tip, do all of this work with the windows rolled fully down... this way you see if anything touches the window... you dont wanna go thru this then find out everytime you roll down the window, you knock a connection loose.. my apologies on the blurry pic....

if anyone is interested here is a pic of the stock speakers... they are alpines 30W, 4 ohms and only one way.... im keeping them since my car is a lease and i will be swapping these back in once i turn the car in.....

the results of the upgrade??? AWESOME!!! the highs are really crisp now and the bass no londer drowns out the highs and mids... i already put in a JL sub so i was fine in the bass dept but now everything seems to be in balance.... i will probably do the rears at some point but I understand its a bit more involved so ill wait till carnut posts his pics....

the speakers ran me 55 at millionbuy.com(they're 95 in Best buy), 6 bucks for the harness, 10 bucks for the dynamat.... not bad for the improvement in sound... much thanks to lausy and carnut for the advice......

Macky said:

Teck,
jliveMDX probably doesn't have the Touring Package. BTW, Bose speakers upfront for Touring were just 25W, 4ohms.

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I just upgraded my front speakers with the same Pioneers and dynamat. I have the Bose system. My speakers look exactly the same as the Alpines except they have an adhesive label on them that says Bose and the part number.

Thanks much for all the advice and excellent documentation in this forum! I'm going to replace the rears next, and someday the amps.

jliveMDX said:

hey omaha, did you use the dynamat like I did or did u put it behind the speaker opening???? the way u described it in the other thread kinda confused me.... or post ur pics if u dont mind....

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Jlive, I got the Dynamat with the foil on one side. I didn't realize they had two kinds. Apparently the type with foil is for higher temp locations.

Anyway, for the front speakers, I installed it just like you did, except that I didn't cut out the middle. I just cut an "X" in the middle part and pushed it in so that it is stuck inside the cone part of the door panel. I didn't put any Dynamat behind the speaker on the outer door panel. I didn't think about that, but that might have its own advantages as well.

For the sub, I just cut a big rectangular sheet (approx 12' x 14") and stuck it to the inside of the outer vehicle panel behind the sub. I didn't use any around the sub frame.

I'm very impressed with the increase in sound quality! Pioneer makes some good automotive and marine speakers. I put some of Pioneer's best marine speakers in the boat last spring and the difference is amazing.

I can now hear the inadequacies of the rear door speakers, so they have to come out also. I'm not sure whether to go with another set of TS-1665's or go with the TS-G1645 two-ways for the rear.

Regards,
John in Omaha

Dynamat & Speaker Replacements

lungc_98 said:

Omaha

I have also replaced the OEM speakers with the same Pioneers (both front and rear). Now you get me interest in adding the Dynamat. I beleive you used the XTREME version. How many sheets of Dynamat (or size) do think I need for the front , rear, and subwoofer areas. Also, I think you have replaced the OEM sub. Can you tell me the model number? Many thanks!!

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This was my first experience with Dynamat. I hadn't heard of it until I read about it in this forum. I checked the box and it was the extreme version. A one sheet roll that was 4 sq. ft. I have plenty left over to do the rear speakers. I can visualize how it might help dampen and reflect sound from an area such as the plastic door mounts, or the vibration of the sheet metal behind the sub. I can't speak with authority on its acoustic benefits. Perhaps someone else can.

On the sub, I was looking for a relatively low cost, high efficiency sub, due to the 2-ohm low powered Bose amp. I got the Pioneer TS-W28C. It is a long stroke design and also designed for small enclosures. I might replace the sub if/when I replace the amp. Any suggestions on amp replacement are welcome!

The Bose sub is light weight and 2-1/2" deep. I would guess it weighs quite a bit less than one of the 6-1/2" Pioneer TS-1665's. I was always under the impression that sound required air movement and loud, tight sound requires a lot of air movement pushed quickly by the speaker. The Bose sub's design seems to defy that logic.

I've attached pics of the removed Bose sub and of the Pioneer installed in the MDX.