Door Speakers

7066 Views 21 Replies 12 Participants Last post by fourthmeal, Apr 30, 2011

jshak07

Discussion Starter · Aug 18, 2008

I am installing an amp on my door speakers and want to know the best way to do it. Should I run all the wire from the amp directly to each speaker thru the door, or would I be ok to just run the wire to the back of my deck and cap off the factory wires coming from the deck and connect my amp speaker wire to the factory wire that runs to the speaker. Thanks
Also what size wire should I use, the speakers are rated 50w RMS and the amp is a Memphis Power Reference 200.2

1 - 20 of 22 Posts

jpark

· #2 · Aug 18, 2008

Hmmm... I think I'd use the factory wiring myself.

If you really want something thicker than the factory 20-gauge wiring, then remove the door connectors, drill 1/8" or 3/32" holes ONLY through the connectors where empty holes exist, and run 14-gauge automotive wiring. That should allow you to use just about any speaker that will fit inside a car door without wiring damage. Be very careful not to nick the other wires on the door connectors.

The installation guide for Muth Signal Mirrors describes how to run wires through the door connectors. http://www.kwmuth.com/techsupport/pdfs/21000720.pdf

IMHO, speaker wire manufacturers want to make you believe that your speakers will sound like kazoos and your wiring will start a fire unless you use Romex to connect your speakers. If Monster Cable can really convince people that they need wire as thick as a soup can and get $59 per foot, then I'm in the wrong business.

:lol:

Just my .02.

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Blood Junkie

· #3 · Aug 19, 2008

Agreed. When I had my big sounds (before they were stolen.

). I ran all the wires to behind the H/U. I used bullet connectors to connect to the factory speaker wires.

Glad I did, as when my stuff got pinched, it was a 10 minute job to pull the H/U and re-connect the wires back to standard.

I would imagine for outright performance that new high quality speaker cables all the way to the speakers would be best, but the level of gain versus the hassle of doing so isn't worth it IMO.

Davis137

· #4 · Sep 11, 2008

jpark said:
IMHO, speaker wire manufacturers want to make you believe that your speakers will sound like kazoos and your wiring will start a fire unless you use Romex to connect your speakers. If Monster Cable can really convince people that they need wire as thick as a soup can and get $59 per foot, then I'm in the wrong business.

:lol:

Just my .02.

Is now a bad time to mention that I've got 100% Monster Cables wiring my entire HT setup, and the TV/Stereo in my Master bedroom, and the TV/Stereo in the spare bedroom (Talking Digital Coax, Digital Optical, Component Video, S-Video, RCA's, 7x speaker wire runs of 14 guage or larger for the HT)...lol! :lol:

BC, the stock speaker wires and they're respective harnesses going to your HU will work just fine for driving just speakers in stock sizes/locations. Just get the adapters for your wire harnesses in the dash, and you are set...50W RMS won't hurt a thing...

arbs

· #5 · Sep 12, 2008

i have always liked this article!

http://www.theguruguys.com/news/the-tru ... bles-again

jonas1022

· #6 · Sep 12, 2008

Thanks for that arbs! :thumb: :thumb:

Great references, and he did a great job of bringing some sense to non-techno people.

I was in a $1.00 store last week and they had the same or similar products for $1. And a wider selection at that.

arbs

· #7 · Sep 12, 2008

slightly off topic but does anyone know what size speaker will fit in the stock location and whether any adapters/spacers are necessary?

Lupo116

· #8 · Sep 13, 2008

arbs said:
slightly off topic but does anyone know what size speaker will fit in the stock location and whether any adapters/spacers are necessary?

Speaker size is 5x7" or 130 x 180 mm. Unfortunately not many speakers are available in that size.

For example the biggest assortment I could find

I took the Alpine SXE-5725s and I have to say, they're better than the original speakers. Price is really OK, too.

jpark

· #9 · Sep 13, 2008

Isn't the factory opening the Ford-standard 6x8?

I thought that 5x7 was mainly a Chrysler size.

arbs

· #10 · Sep 13, 2008

just doing some searches and it seems that most options will work with both 5x7 and 6x8 sizes, i think the basket/mountings is standard between the two. it also seems like you can buy plates so that a round 6.5 speaker will also slot into the stock location.

i'm half tempted to remove the grill and make a 'pod' which will protrude a bit but will give a better fixing/sound. woulkd then cover the pod with some matching carpet etc

Lupo116

· #11 · Sep 13, 2008

arbs said:
just doing some searches and it seems that most options will work with both 5x7 and 6x8 sizes

Don't know about that, all I know is that I bought 5x7ers and they fitted perfect. They have the same size as the original speakers and I used the original mountings. You could of course make 6x8 fit, but I wasn't in the mood of making things complicated.

Davis137

· #12 · Sep 24, 2008

Arbs, look into the Infinity stuff...they make true 4-ohm speakers that can be driven efficiently off of smaller amps, or your stock head unit.

http://www.infinitysystems.com/car/prod ... Region=USA

http://www.infinitysystems.com/car/prod ... Region=USA

JBL makes their own version of both of these too...

http://www.jbl.com/car/products/product ... EL&ser=GTS

http://www.jbl.com/car/products/product ... EL&ser=POS

The JBL's or Infinity's will fit in your stock speaker locations (assuming you have an 00-07 Escape)...and will integrate nicely with your factory head unit and/or sub...as the stock Ford stereos are made by JBL...

L8tz

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CrashNburn

· #13 · Sep 27, 2008

any of you guys that swapped out your front door speakers feel like donating them to me let me know, i got one that makes an annoying crackling sound. but im too cheap to buy aftermarket.

jonas1022

· #14 · Sep 27, 2008

The S & H charges will be greater than just going down to the WallyWorld store and getting some replacements... :shades:

CrashNburn

· #15 · Oct 1, 2008

i have a set of speakers i think i could use in the doors. they are a bit older but there are no rips or nothing. whats the factory output of my head unit? i have a regular system with the 6disk in dash. (if this is a hijack i can make a new thread)

arbs

· #16 · Oct 1, 2008

dunno but it will be tiny - probably 5-10w per channel

SkipNJ

· #17 · Feb 8, 2009

Davis137 said:
Arbs, look into the Infinity stuff...they make true 4-ohm speakers that can be driven efficiently off of smaller amps, or your stock head unit.

http://www.infinitysystems.com/car/prod ... Region=USA

http://www.infinitysystems.com/car/prod ... Region=USA

JBL makes their own version of both of these too...

http://www.jbl.com/car/products/product ... EL&ser=GTS

http://www.jbl.com/car/products/product ... EL&ser=POS

The JBL's or Infinity's will fit in your stock speaker locations (assuming you have an 00-07 Escape)...and will integrate nicely with your factory head unit and/or sub...as the stock Ford stereos are made by JBL...

L8tz

Hey I just got an '05 Escape, I was planning on getting the Inifinity Kappa 6x8's you linked above but they are marked "do not fit" at crutchfield.com. Have you tried those speakers yourself? I have a 90wx2 amp laying around that would have been perfect for those speakers.

slick9115

· #18 · Feb 9, 2009

arbs said:
just doing some searches and it seems that most options will work with both 5x7 and 6x8 sizes, i think the basket/mountings is standard between the two. it also seems like you can buy plates so that a round 6.5 speaker will also slot into the stock location.

i'm half tempted to remove the grill and make a 'pod' which will protrude a bit but will give a better fixing/sound. woulkd then cover the pod with some matching carpet etc

as always, im too tired to reply to retarded post above about speaker wire. go ahead and run bass-heavy sounds through your 2mm speaker wire, tell me how it sounds. I'm not saying you guys need 8awg wire for you 'Dual' and 'Pyle' speakers... but when you talk about good wire, it's not just about the wire guage. the main thing is interference protection ESPECIALLY in cars where your speaker wire actually touches the circuit for the main source of power in your car (chassis). I wonder why the first blogger didn't have any a box for response... maybe he knew it would be flooded with scenarios and different aspects.

Big Chris said:
Agreed. When I had my big sounds (before they were stolen. ). I ran all the wires to behind the H/U. I used bullet connectors to connect to the factory speaker wires.

Glad I did, as when my stuff got pinched, it was a 10 minute job to pull the H/U and re-connect the wires back to standard.

I would imagine for outright performance that new high quality speaker cables all the way to the speakers would be best, but the level of gain versus the hassle of doing so isn't worth it IMO.

Big Chris is the only voice of reason here... I totally agree 'gains' are totally outweighed by 'hassle', just use stock speaker wire, I wish I did.

As for the speaker sizes... if you have 5x7 or even 6x8 (I had 5x7), just buy a set of 4 adapters for 5x7">to>6.5" for $20 off ebay. For the love of god don't try to fit the 'SAME' size speaker in there or worst... bigger. Just for a simple sound upgrade pay the $20 for plug-and-play. I guarantee you a good set of 4x 6.5" component speakers will beat almost all 2/3-way 6x9s.

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matt164

· #19 · Apr 29, 2011

If you used those Infinity Speakers, they have a 2ohm impedance? Which Infinity calls "True Four Ohm" but in reality aren't they 2ohm? Any relatively inexpensive aftermarket head unit won't be able to put out enough RMS wattage to safely power these speakers right? And as under-powering them would cause clipping and damage I suppose you would have to use an amp..but then do you buy an amp based off of the actual 2ohm rating of the speakers or the "True Four Ohm" claim?

fourthmeal

· #20 · Apr 29, 2011

It has to do with the way a nominal ohm reading differs from an actual ohm reading. As in Re does not equal Z.

As you can see, its not anywhere near its nominal rating, because the impedance changes constantly with frequency.

BTW, I would run far, far away from Infinity Kappa type speakers due to their tweeter design. A reflective car environment with near-field speakers (close to you) ... usually a great idea to not use ear-piercing designs. Softer-on-the-ears silk dome/textile dome tweeters would be good in most conditions.

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The Tribute is gone but I'm still here for you guys. Full photo album of all past and current builds of the Tribute on my Shutterfly account http://2008tributepics.shutterfly.com/

I build car audio systems as a hobby and as a side business. Tribute's last configuration - Pioneer F900BT navi head unit running 3.0 software from the X910BT, with Diaftia mods (see avic411.com) - Alpine SPX-17PRO tweeters in door panel, H-Audio Ebony woofers in factory location - 4 x array of Tangband 6.5" subs in slim ported box - Kenwood eXcelon X1R and X4R amps w/ built-in DSP - Phoenix Gold 1/0 wiring - fully deadened and sealed with RAAMmat and Sounddeadenershowdown.com products.

Current vehicle is a 2010 Ford Flex SEL, Dark Ink Blue. MS8 Processor, Exile Audio Xtec 10 x 2 subs in spare tire well, Fountek FR89EX mids left, right, and center, Dayton tweeters, Exodus Neo 6.5" midbass, RAAMmat BXTII and Ensolite deadening

Want to learn how to do car audio right? http://www.bcae1.com the Bible of car audio

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