Well i'm back into the forum and whatnot so I figured i'd dive right and see what others have done with their 2008 style Hifi system to improve it? I've read through all the other replacement speaker threads and all that. But i'd like a single thread for us Hifi owners to discuss modifications etc.

I have the following i'm planning on installing:
Alpine PDX5 amp
Sub enclosure with 8" sub from member I got a while ago
Speakers?! no idea yet.

Looking to retain ALL the stock locations and trying to figure out what I need to get. Looking at Infinity Kappa 693.9i speakers for the rear. The front speakers locations have me stumped as to how I can run them off my amp though since i'm clueless as far as car stereo stuff goes.

So there it is, what have you guys/gals done that has or hasn't worked?

 

Alpine IVA-D800E, Alpine PXA-H800, JL Audio HD900/5, JL Audio HD600/4, MB Quart QSD-210, MB Quart QSD-164, JL Audio 12W6v2 (2ea). All factory locations for the Quart speakers, amps and H800 processor under the seats. Custom enclosure in the cargo area.

You CAN use some 4" mids but you have to be careful about the depth and overall diameter. Just about every 6.5" midbass I've used will fit, some 7" drivers will as well.

 

Much easier just to look at my thread on the subject rather than try to explain it here to see what I have done.

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...-upgrades.html

 

Awesome, good to see people are having success modifying the premium stereo setup.

I might even take a little from both of your setups lol. Schatzy62 it looks like you are also using the PDX5 amp, are you happy with it? I couldn't find in the thread, but what speakers are you using for the doors, pillars, 6x9...pretty much all of them if you don't mind sharing. I think I read Focal's, but I wasn't sure which ones.

 

newbie question - is the HiFi the same as the Harmon Kardon system?
i am happy with the harmon kardon system, but not overly thrilled. picky about my sound.
---
should add, wish it had more EQ adjustments.

 

The Harmon Kardon (HK) System and the HiFi are two completely different systems. from 2007 to 2009 the HK was not available.

 

Focal PolyGlass 165 VR3 in the front doors and pillars

Apline 6x9 in the rear not sure what model - took them out of my pickup, bought them 15 years ago.

 

Ok so I ordered the dash kit to install a double DIN head unit at some point. Car interior is completely torn apart short of the driver and passenger seat. So now is the time for sound deadening and new speakers/wiring.

I'll be using the Alpine PDX-5 amp to power:
-8" sub in hatch area
-two 6x9's with tweeters in the rear normal spots
-two 4" upper door speakers normal spots
-two 6.5" lower door speakers normal spots
-two 1" tweeters in a-pillars normal spots

New wiring running to everything from the amp, so no need to tap into anything else. Bypassing but leaving the stock amp hooked to the wiring harness of the car, tucking the factory head unit out of the way but still connect to trick the car into thinking it's all still there and being used.

My question for everyone here with more experience than myself is...what else do I need? 4ohm speakers? 2ohm speakers? 3 way? Component?

More importantly...I have no idea how to wire this many speakers off of what are 4 channels from the amp, since the 5th channel is for the sub. How can I run more than 2 speakers off of the 2 channels for the front? Do I need crossovers?

I would love to just get the Focal kit for the front half of the car...but I just can't warrant spending that kind of dough. The rear I can probably figure out...it's the front setup i'm clueless on.

If there is another company that sells a similar kind of kit like the focal setup(Focal PolyGlass 165 VR3 ) so it's everything I need...but more for someone on a smaller budget that would be perfect.

 

There aren't many 2-Ohm speakers made anymore so don't sweat that. If you already know you want a 3-way component set up front (and that's what having midbasses, mids, and tweeters is) you need to decide on a component set or component drivers. Considering you want to power 9 speakers from a 5-channel amp you'd need, at a minimum, another four channels and an electronic crossover with enough output channel to do component drivers. If you go with a component set you can make everything work with thr 5-channel amp since you'll have passive crossovers to split the signal from the amp to the midbass, mid, and tweeter on each front side.

Another hint, don't waste and time, effort, or money on replacing the rear speakers. They, in no way, shape, or form, contribute to the tonality of the system. They're there to give you some fill, a feeling of space, and more volume. That's it. Leave them there, connect them to the amp, and spend that extra money on better fronts and/or a larger sub.

3-way component sets are NEVER inexpensive and it takes you to a whole other level as far as tuning and installation. Realistically, unless you know what you're doing, a good 2-way set will always sound better in a novice's car than a 3-way will. It's MILES easier to tune and you have a ton more options.

 

+1

 

Well I can get a shop locally to do the final setup, I'd just rather do the actual manual labor install myself especially since the car is already apart...

I don't mind spending money where it's worth spending it, but there has to be a setup that isn't $700 for what i'm looking to do. Worst case I guess i'll splurge for the Focal's.

Isn't there a mid-level brand/recommendation though? I'm not looking for cheap junk and i'm not trying to ask the same question over and over again until I get the answer I want lol. My lack of understanding of car stereo stuff is what's limiting me here.

I'm only replacing the 6x9's because they are blown anyways. So that's an easy one, I have a leftover set of Pioneers from my old car i'll throw in the rear just to have something there.

 

I guess that depends on what your definition of "mid-level" is. To me, around a grand is the low end of acceptable 3-way sets. Mid-level is up to two grand. High end is $3K-$6K.

You should never, ever, buy a 3-way set based on price. Price means nothing and you could end up with expensive paperweights if you don't like the sound. Personally, unless it's their high end stuff, I can't stand Focal. I will, however, pay through the nose for Morel, Dynaudio, and as I did, old school MB Quart. You have to know what you like and what products deliver that sound. Having said that, if you know how to tune, you can make 2 sets sound identical.

 

I actually finally found a local shop that walked me through a lot of stuff. I'm probably going to go with the Focal Access A3 setup. Obviously a step below the Polyglass but in my price range. They will help me get all the settings tuned properly after I do the install myself. I hopped in a GTI they had just done with the same exact setup i'll be using that they hadn't even tuned yet, sounded phenomenal. I know that's sometimes comparing apples and oranges, but it works for me.

I know buying speakers for price is not a good idea, but unfortunately I have to. Either way I can't see how this would possibly sound worse than the factory setup.

 

I think many people here give great advice !

I am a very vocal fan of Focal I have sold many high end speaker brands in the past and have always liked the Focal thge best . Speakers are subject so its hard to tell some what brand to buy.

I will say this
for the system you are trying to install
I would steer clear of the 3 way setup , I think the Focal access line is not real Focal and your money would be better spent put into a set of Polys or the Kevlar Kr165 2 ways

the front speakers are more important than almost anything else in the system (one could argue signal being the most ) so dont skimp out here
A budget is a budget but like posted above budget and three way usually dont mix well and when you mix them you get less than ideal results

I would say
stay with the same amp
and use all 4 front channels on a good set of 2 ways like 165kr
its been a few years since I have sold car audio and really looked over a pdx5 so i dont remember if it has a bandpass crossover for channels 3-4 if so I would look into a simple active 2 way system

you can even buy the Focal drivers stand alone without the crossovers (pm me i will tell you how)for less money than the set

then channel 5 for a small sub

this is by far the best budget system I have ever sold in the many years I sold Car audio

please ask them what they mean by tuning this is a realative term and can be just turning a dial on a amp by most

are they planning on putting a RTA on your car and tuning based of the computer or was this just the salesman telling you he would tune it (meaning turning your gains up on your amp)?

others feel free to chime in

I have the Focal kit no 6 and have ran them both active and passive .
I am waiting on a special processor to come out until I install my system

so I just ordered a pair of Focal Kr165 to tide me over till my install comes.


I love the old Mb quart product it was nice its a shame what happens to some brands

Still though best speaker I have ever heard are the Focal Be line

 

Apparently by tuning it they just meant they would help with changing settings around to get things going correctly...he gave me a lot more detail than that but again...this stuff is greek to me lol. To be honest despite the time they spent with me i'm probably just going to buy the same speakers online for over 150 bucks less...I don't mind spending extra for service, but i'm installing them myself anyways. Plus that's a 30 percent cost savings...

For now the Access are in my budget, at some point I want to go with a higher end 3 way setup. The more important part is getting ALL the wiring and sound deadening in place. Then having something in there to use since my factory speakers are mostly blown or just plain screwed up.

I want to have everything setup for when I do finally have the money for better speakers in the front. For now I know i'll be happy with the level this will be above the stock system.

The Focal Be line is unfreakenbelievable to say the least. They had a BMW 5 series decked out with that line there...I never knew a car stereo could sound THAT good! Plus the suitcase the speakers come in is pretty awesome too lol.

I appreciate all the input from people that know way more about this stuff than myself.

 

The stereo was alot easier to upgrade than I anticipated. I tapped into the front signal before the amplifier in the HiFi system. I fed that signal into a PPI DCX-730 processor without using a Line Out Conveter, the signal is very clean and low voltage at around 4 volts peak. The signal from the processor goes to a JL Audio XD600/6 amp for the front speakers and a JL Audio XD 600/1 amp for the subwoofer. For the front I used Hybrid Audio L6SE midbass drivers in the lower door location. I used Hybrid Audio L4SE midrange drivers for the mid pod location and my tweeters are Morel Supremo Piccolos. Sub is a Morel Ultimo SC 10''. I made custom a-pillars for the tweeters and it sounds fantastic.

 

Always did like the DCX730. Small, powerful, and sounded great. The controller was the biggest POS ever, but the processor itself was great.

How is your overall volume? I'm tempted to sell my HDs and use the XDs simply because the controls are on top. I found out that no matter if I use the H800 or the P-DSP, neither will fit well under the seat with one of the amps. Since I now have all kinds of room to keep the HDs there's no reason to change them except for ease of tuning.