Replacing speakers in the standard audio system / Dynamat

I've purchased new Infinity 6.5" component speakers that have separate crossover units.

http://www.infinitysystems.com/caraudio/pr...Ser=CAP&Cat=COS

The speakers are ceramic and available on EBAY for far less than that MSRP. They also come with 6.75 step up rings.

My question is where to put the crossover units that measure 3" x 4" x 1 3/8".

I hadn't expected it to be a problem because I'm also adding an amp in the back and I expected to place the crossover units back with the amp and run all new speaker wires.

But the install guy wanted to keep and use the existing speaker wires, tapping into them at the back of the head unit, as follows:

1. At the back of the head unit, cut the speaker wires from the head unit leading to the speakers.
2. Hook up instead to those head unit outs a PAC-OEM2 step down to enable using low-level RCA cables to send the audio from the head unit back to the amp.
3. Run a new set of amp-out speaker wires from the amp up to the head unit area where they get hooked up to the original factory speaker wires at the same place they were cut in step 1 above.

Reasons for this are:

1. Prevents engine noise by running audio lines down one side of the car, power lines down the other side of the car. For example, the RCA cables and the from the amp up to the head unit area speaker wires together along one side of the car, XM cable and 12v on to the amp (generated from that same PAC-OEM2) along the other side of the car.

2. Avoids having to run new speaker wires through the doors.

But am I correct that doing it that way pretty much requires placing those crossover units in the doors because it's not until the existing factory wires are in the front doors that the tweeter speaker wires split off from the one set of speaker wires entering the door?

Can those crossover units be secured in the doors so they won't rattle?

Or could both crossovers fit inside the dash area or somewhere between the dash and the doors? (Though that would require running an extra speaker wire into each front door to enable the tweeter split to occur outside the door - how hard is that?)

I think I'd still like to do what I'd thought I'd be able to do: place the crossovers at the back of the car with the amp. But contemplating such raises the following questions:

1. How hard is it run all new speaker wires from an amp in the back of the car to where the speakers are in the door?

2. Is there some way to run:

a. those new speaker wires described in 1 above.
b. RCA cables / 12v on from the PAC-OEM2 step down (installed in the dash) back to the amp in the back of the car
c. the XM cable from the XM unit in the back of the car to the head unit

using just the areas under the door kick panels and without generating engine noise that results when speaker cables are run next to power cables?

I think someone suggested that one only need be concerned about engine noise caused by speaker wires (or RCA cables) coming from the radio to the amp, but not speaker wires going from the amp to the speakers. Is that correct? Because if it is I can run the RCA cables from the dash (PAC-OEM2) to the amp on one side of the car, XM cable and 12v on down the other.

Otherwise, are there separate areas down the sides of the cars that would enable running both power and speaker wires along the same side of the car but far enough apart so as not to cause engine noise?

Another way to go would be to put the crossovers in the back, run new back door and non-tweeter front door speaker wires up to the head unit area to be connected to the existing speaker wires, but also route new tweeter wires from the crossovers in the back of the car into just the front doors.

Lastly, has anyone had any problem installing Dynamat in '05 Prius doors?

 

Re: Replacing speakers in the standard audio system / Dynama

Hi Bob,

Thanks for all that info. Even though I'm very glad to have read that putting the crossovers in the door is an option, I'm still a little hesitant to do so for fear over time that no matter how well they were installed they'd come loose, especially since you've assured me running new wires from the amp in the back into the front door isn't difficult.

Regarding what you wrote about not so easy with the rear speakers, is there a place inside the front door where I could easily tap into existing rear OEM speaker wires? Otherwise I'll just do what you suggested: send the amp's rear speaker out wires all the way up to the dash head unit area and connect them to the rear OEM speakers wires that had been hooked up to the head unit.

Some new info I learned today that might change my plans regarding the PAC-OEM2. A very experienced owner of a car audio shop told me that:

1. I don't need to worry about engine noise from the 12v-on that would be generated from the PAC-OEM2, even though the 12v signal is continuous and not just a pulse (as someone at an electronics store had insisted earlier in the day.)

2. In cases such as this where the head unit has no low-level outs, it is better to send the audio signals from the head unit to the amp using the existing high level outs and let my Kenwood amp handle the conversion, not the PAC-OEM2. LESS chance of engine noise than when using the RCA cables and no downside fidelity wise. He also didn't think using the high levels would make the increase in the beep level problem any worse.

But since that opinion re: engine noise less using the high levels is contrary to what I had been told before (even from, if I remember correctly, one of Kenwood's own tech guys) I'm still undecided.

But it's tempting because if that's the case, the reason for installing the PAC-OEM2 in the dash (so audio could be sent back to the amp using RCA cables to reduce chance of engine noise) no longer exists and I can install the PAC-OEM2 in the back near the amp, thereby entirely avoiding the issue of whether running the 12-v on line next to speaker lines might cause engine noise.

 

Re: Replacing speakers in the standard audio system / Dynama

Hi Bob,

That's certainly good news; perhaps you'll post it on the "beeps" thread too. And your success included the lowering of the beep volume even when the radio is off?

That sounds like a better solution than my switch the front for the rear signals to put the beeps in the back. Though I might still go that route if I get agreement from others that using the high levels is better re: engine noise.

I could actually do both by placing the PAC in the back with amp, where I'd prefer it to be anyway. That would allow using the (less engine noise?) high levels to get the sound back from the head back to the PAC (so I could use your beep solution) and then just use very short RCA's to go from the PAC to the amp.

When you say "kick panels", those would be those large vertical corner plastic pieces (to the right of the parking brake on the driver side)? Removing them is where I'd find a place to snake a wire into the front door?

Thanks.