1. Attachments are working again! Check out this thread for more details and to report any other bugs.

Prius Speaker Replacement Guide by ~sparky~

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Audio and Electronics' started by ~sparky~, Jun 12, 2005.

  1. HTMLSpinnr

    HTMLSpinnr Super Moderator
    Staff Member

    Joined:
    Dec 8, 2003
    5,341
    920
    251
    Location:
    Surprise, AZ (Phoenix)
    Vehicle:
    2018 Tesla Model 3
    Model:
    N/A
    10kHz seems a bit high for a tweeter, no?
     
  2. DanH

    DanH New Member

    Joined:
    Aug 17, 2004
    201
    0
    0
    Actually, that's what I was thinking, but I checked two charts and even did a hand calculation and came with up with the same results for a 3.9 uF cap and a 4 ohm speaker. Maybe I'm missing something here, but I don't know what. Now it is a gentle roll off since it is a single cap and not a inductor/cap arrangement. Maybe it has something to do with that. Also there is the frequency response of the tweeter itself. It seems maybe this somewhat odd crossover frequency takes that into account. Anyway, those are just some guesses.
     
  3. ~sparky~

    ~sparky~ New Member

    Joined:
    May 8, 2005
    109
    6
    0
    Location:
    Tempe, AZ
    ok... amp and sub are in - see detailed post separately at

    http://www.priuschat.com/forums/installed-...ent-vt9711.html

    everything went fine - the system sounds fantastic... after a little tuning to get all the levels correct. i set crossover to 'hi-pass' for both front and rear speakers - letting the sub do the bass work. i originally planned to set the front filter at hi-pass and the rear filter off, but the rear sounded a little too boomy - much better set with the hi-pass filter. on the sub, the volume / output control goes from min to max, and i have it set very low (probably 2 on a 1-10 scale).

    no problem with loud beeps as suggested in other posts - i set the gain (output) for ch1+2 (front) at a little lower than NOM, and it sounds fine.

    anyone see problems using 14ga wire for power and ground? i originally put in the 4ga 'firehose' kind of cable, but that was not ok...
     
  4. HYACK

    HYACK New Member

    Joined:
    Jun 12, 2005
    110
    0
    0
    Location:
    Cape and Islands, Massachusetts
    Sweet, sparky... excellent!

    Hey, you forgot to figure in your time tho! hehe.. I'm sure you're worth at least what, $150/hr? X 10 hours total labor? more? You're looking at a $2,000+ system there mate! ;)

    Seriously, I'm going to take a plunge sometime late this week by taking my brand spanking new vehicle in for a professional install (i know, i just lost all pride) and I still am not sure what exact pkg I'm going to install! lol

    One request however, could you share trade secretes in maybe a rough, 3-step guide, how you went about disassembling your dash?

    Start from right side then worked everything to left forinstance? or Left, working right? both sides working in to center little by little? you know..

    You can PM me if you prefer, np.

    Thanks a million.
     
  5. ~sparky~

    ~sparky~ New Member

    Joined:
    May 8, 2005
    109
    6
    0
    Location:
    Tempe, AZ
    started on far left (driver side) and worked across - two great resources:

    2004-2005 Prius XM Radio Installation Instructions by Eddie Bell
    and
    Stereo Accessory Installation Guide for 2004 Toyota Prius by Chris Dragon
    google these or search the forums... they are handy step-by-step guides with photos - and were the inspiration for my own guide on speaker replacement !

    maybe you could provide this info to your installer (?)

    do you have your car yet? if so, what package did you get?
     
  6. wilco

    wilco New Member

    Joined:
    Feb 20, 2005
    402
    1
    0
    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(DanH\";p=\"99511)</div>
    I think the tweeters are 6 ohm, which would make it a 6.8khz at 6db/octave.

    EDIT: I went back and looked at that picture and I think the 4 ohm label that you can see in the picture is actually a resistor glued to the back of the tweeter. I can't see what the wiring is from the picture so I don't know what the resistor is there for, but it could be in series with the tweeter for attenuation, or it could be in parallel for damping oscillation.

    EDITED AGAIN :oops: If it's the former, the crossover frequency would be lower. It occurs to me that the 6 ohm value mentioned for the tweeter in another thread may or may not include that resistor which may be in series or parallel, so without having a closer look I can't really give a value for the xover freq, but if the resistor is in series, it would be lower than the 6.8khz I posted above.
     
  7. talonts

    talonts VFAQman

    Joined:
    Jan 9, 2004
    448
    69
    1
    Location:
    Florida
    Vehicle:
    2006 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    http://www.vfaq.net/FAQ-stereo.html has the impedance of both the base and JBL speakers.

    Bottom line - if you just replace the speakers on the JBL system, be ready to be VERY disappointed in the sound levels. Or be ready to mess with your own crossovers, etc, as the JBL system uses non-standard impedances.
     
  8. talonts

    talonts VFAQman

    Joined:
    Jan 9, 2004
    448
    69
    1
    Location:
    Florida
    Vehicle:
    2006 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(~sparky~\";p=\"100001)</div>
    4ga is overkill when running to the aux battery, but if you're pushing high watts, I wouldn't go with 14ga. 10 or 8 should still be easy to run and should work decently well.

    What went wrong with the 4ga?
     
  9. ~sparky~

    ~sparky~ New Member

    Joined:
    May 8, 2005
    109
    6
    0
    Location:
    Tempe, AZ
    i think i just had a faulty ground.
     
  10. ehaltmeier

    ehaltmeier New Member

    Joined:
    Jun 1, 2005
    11
    0
    0
    Location:
    central NJ
    Has anyone out there tried or considered the Infinity Kappa Series 63.7i? Sparky, I know you used the 62.7i and were thrilled with the results. I just wonder what kind of difference the 3-way speaker will provide....more mid-range? Is it worth it? Any input is appreciated.

    Eric
     
  11. ~sparky~

    ~sparky~ New Member

    Joined:
    May 8, 2005
    109
    6
    0
    Location:
    Tempe, AZ
    haven't seen anyone that has tried the 63.7 - they are brand new, yes?

    there seem to be lots of boston acoustics fans on this site - including a pro in my local audio shop... but my ears prefer the infinity, hands down.

    the 60.7's (component) were actually about twice the price of the 62.7's, and they sound pretty similar - both came w/ crossovers, plus i'm running them with an alpine amp with all 4 speakers (front and back channels) running on a hi-pass filter - so they are NOT running the bass at all.

    if it were my $$, i wouldn't hesitate to try the 63.7's - they are brand new (the latest technology), they are infinity (fantastic sound), and they are only a little more than the 62.7's, so what's to lose?

    looks like they are pricing at $80 for the 62.7's, $100 for the 63.7's on ebay... i'd spring for the extra $20 to get a brand new model. good luck!
     
  12. tomdeimos

    tomdeimos New Member

    Joined:
    Feb 16, 2004
    995
    2
    0
    Location:
    Lexington, MA
    Just followed Sparky's guide and replaced my speakers. I used the kappa's with coax for the rear and 2 way componenents for the front.

    I used the plastic mount. After removing the rivets I put in new ones with threads. I used the plastic as a guide. It would help to center it if you put screws in the 4 speaker mount holes so they just fit in the hole. I didn't do that and got some centered better than others! Anyway I found 1 hole I could re-use for a rivet. Then added two new holes for the rest. I installed with silicone caulk around the plastic mount and then the speaker mounting plate with grille. I put it all in with a bit of foam weather strip on the top, so it seals against the door panel like the original. It just fits perfectly that way, elimiinating sound leakage around through the big plastic covered holes.

    I used ties and silicone caulk to attach the crossovers to the bottom of the door inner sheet metal, below where the window can reach. Clearance was not a problem for the rear, but the front window goes lower and just fits.

    I cut and pulled out the tweeter wires. Then rerouted the feet line down to the crossovers. Had to crimp on big butt splice terminals to the wires to fit the component crossover. The clamps could not hold the tiny wires tightly.

    Sound is now far better and once I get my sub-woofer in, that I saved from my old car, it should be great.
     
  13. mehrenst

    mehrenst Member

    Joined:
    May 26, 2005
    439
    7
    0
    Location:
    San Jose, CA
    Vehicle:
    2005 Prius
    Model:
    II
    Well, I replaced the rear speakers about 2 months ago and delayed replacing the front because of some of the comments about it not making a large improvement. They were wrong. The front speaker replacement made more of an improvement than the rear ones.

    Replacing the front speakers was a piece of work. :ph34r: I took a bunch of pix and will do a write up similar to sparky's with pix. I found that if you were very careful there is room between the plastic door panel and the sheetmetal to mount the crossover so you could pop one or two of the holddowns and reach the boost switch. :D Also, by removing the metal speaker grill on the tweeder it will mount, with minimal trimming of the plastic, directly where the original tweeter mounted. I used some black rubberbased sealer to "set" the tweeter against the enclosure with a small dab on instant glue on the back to hold it in-place. The rubber sealer replaces the foam cushion on the original tweeter.

    Just a reminder, before you venture into replacing the front speakers get some spare metal clips for the tweeter enclosure. My Prius has eaten three. They are like socks in the washer, they just disappear. No rattle, just gone. I think they slide into the same folded space that Toyota uses to get so much interior room into what appears, on the outside, to be a small car. :huh: Check for my previous posts to get the part number for the clips.

    I was at the Crissy Field gathering last Sunday and after listening to the sound some comments indicated that it was better than their premium system.
     
  14. leeskarha

    leeskarha New Member

    Joined:
    May 23, 2005
    79
    1
    0
    Glad to hear it made a big difference in sound. I am going to replace all speakers Monday. Any chance you could post the pics this weekend. It would help.
    Thanks…
    -Lee
     
  15. mjw

    mjw New Member

    Joined:
    Oct 31, 2005
    31
    0
    0

    OK, I feel like an idiot, but I can't seem to find any attachment to this post, either in the Audio forum or the File Library. Can somebody let me know what I'm doing wrong?
     
  16. ScubaX

    ScubaX Member

    Joined:
    Mar 29, 2005
    484
    1
    0
    Location:
    Redding, CA
    Vehicle:
    2005 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    Attachments were lost in the great crash of 2005 ;)

    I have stored it on my server until things recover and Sparky posts it to the files section.

    Index
     
  17. simple_in_seattle

    simple_in_seattle New Member

    Joined:
    Oct 13, 2005
    58
    10
    0
    Location:
    Lake Stevens, WA
    Did you have to splice the factory wires at the speaker locations to swap to the Infinitys? That is the only part I'm reluctant to do.
     
  18. ScubaX

    ScubaX Member

    Joined:
    Mar 29, 2005
    484
    1
    0
    Location:
    Redding, CA
    Vehicle:
    2005 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    I tapped them and left the origianl connector intact for replacing the originals if needed. Running new wires to the doors would be a pain in the :eek:
     
  19. simple_in_seattle

    simple_in_seattle New Member

    Joined:
    Oct 13, 2005
    58
    10
    0
    Location:
    Lake Stevens, WA

    Yeah. I have an Infinity Basslink (10" sub with 200W Class D Amp combined) that I want to re-use. I would need to tap the rear speakers to get my signal which means I'd have to run them from the back doors. UGH!
     
  20. leeskarha

    leeskarha New Member

    Joined:
    May 23, 2005
    79
    1
    0
    Here is my Basslink install (see attachment). Just tap the wire under the passenger seat.