Speaker Upgrade

[StevieB]

Hi All,

First post on here.

I am contemplating changing the speakers for some Alpine units when I get the car. I believe they are 6.5" 2 way at the rears and 6.5" components at the front.

I might leave the tweeters as they are, as to swap might not be so easy in the holders.

Has anyone done this? I presume that there will be 2 screws holding the door cards on. 1 behind the door lock handle, and one below the armrest. Rest of the door will be clipped on around perimeter? Will I need any spacers etc, or should it be straight forward? I.e who's seen the door card off?

The 2016 Outlander should have more sound deadening in the doors, so that will already make a difference. I have some Dynamat left over from another project which I can add in, but essentially I don't want to touch the car much - just a simple neat speaker swap so it still looks OEM.

Many thanks for any tips or links.

 

[StevieB]

Has anyone removed the door cards at all? Or have info/links how to?

If doable, I might do a 'How To' for others.

Cheers.

 

[Regulo]

Hi, Stevie, and welcome. Looks like this one's all yours. . Off you go, and let us know how you get on!

 

[billa]

Hi Stevie,

Just read your post.
Having gone through what you describe please read on and have a good think about it. The result of my efforts was to re-fit the original speakers. I have included a list of tools you will need to do the job and procedure in Part (B) of this answer if you decide to proceed.

Part (A)
I bought my PHEV 2015 this spring and was disappointed with the sound quality of standard speakers, I went online for advice after much searching decided on two pairs of Pioneer 300W speakers.
During removal of the original speakers I noted on the back was printed 15W I was surprised at the low power rating but went on with the installation.
After installation it became clear the standard stereo just doesn’t produce the power output to drive 300W speakers properly.
I decided to re-install the original speakers however before fitting I lined the doors with self adhesive speaker material and found this improved overall sound quality greatly.

Part (B)
To fit aftermarket speakers you will need the following tools-
A car door panel removal tool (available on ebay)
A cross head screwdriver
Electrical connectors
Four (4) speaker adapter rings (available on ebay)

Procedure-
To remove the door panels, first remove the retaining screws located under the plastic covers behind the door handle and in the arm rest.
Use the panel removal tool to unclip the plastic retaining clips, start from the lower part of the panel and gently work your way around to the upper part. Once unclipped lift the panel upward the panel remains connected by the window electrics, remote door cables and door handle housing.
To release the door handle housing remove the single screw at the back and to remove the electrical connectors push the retaining clips fully in and pull outward. The panel should now be free.
To remove the speakers hold the housings turn anti-clockwise and pull toward you, finally disconnect the speaker cable as described above.
Re-fitting is basically the above in reverse you will need to screw the new speakers to the adaptor rings and connect the speaker cables using new electrical connectors.

That’s it......

 

[simonrh]

I have found the sound quality and "depth" to be far more dependent on the source i am using. DAB and Ipod sound great. Anything over bluetooth sounds pretty horrid.

 

[StevieB]

Hi Stevie,

Just read your post.
Having gone through what you describe please read on and have a good think about it. The result of my efforts was to re-fit the original speakers. I have included a list of tools you will need to do the job and procedure in Part (B) of this answer if you decide to proceed.

Part (A)
I bought my PHEV 2015 this spring and was disappointed with the sound quality of standard speakers, I went online for advice after much searching decided on two pairs of Pioneer 300W speakers.
During removal of the original speakers I noted on the back was printed 15W I was surprised at the low power rating but went on with the installation.
After installation it became clear the standard stereo just doesn’t produce the power output to drive 300W speakers properly.
I decided to re-install the original speakers however before fitting I lined the doors with self adhesive speaker material and found this improved overall sound quality greatly.

Part (B)
To fit aftermarket speakers you will need the following tools-
A car door panel removal tool (available on ebay)
A cross head screwdriver
Electrical connectors
Four (4) speaker adapter rings (available on ebay)

Procedure-
To remove the door panels, first remove the retaining screws located under the plastic covers behind the door handle and in the arm rest.
Use the panel removal tool to unclip the plastic retaining clips, start from the lower part of the panel and gently work your way around to the upper part. Once unclipped lift the panel upward the panel remains connected by the window electrics, remote door cables and door handle housing.
To release the door handle housing remove the single screw at the back and to remove the electrical connectors push the retaining clips fully in and pull outward. The panel should now be free.
To remove the speakers hold the housings turn anti-clockwise and pull toward you, finally disconnect the speaker cable as described above.
Re-fitting is basically the above in reverse you will need to screw the new speakers to the adaptor rings and connect the speaker cables using new electrical connectors.

That’s it......

Excellent - pretty much what i thought.

The 2016 model should have a touch more sound deadening, which will improve matters.

The quality of the speaker and cone can make just as much difference as the power rating. I would have thought though, that 300watt would have been a bit much. I would have guessed no more than 160w a speaker max. Not sure RMS value.

I'd imagine headunit would give out no more than 4x45 watt.

The depth isn't too bad - just the quality and clarity.

Did you change your tweeters too? Also did you get away without breaking any clips?

Many thanks for your reply.

 

[billa]

Hi Stevie,

No problem I got away without breaking any clips, just use the panel removal tool.

Left my tweeters as standard.
Go into the stereo sub menu to access the equalizer and tone control this also helps with the sound quality.

Hope all works out for you...

 

[StevieB]

Hi Stevie,

No problem I got away without breaking any clips, just use the panel removal tool.

Left my tweeters as standard.
Go into the stereo sub menu to access the equalizer and tone control this also helps with the sound quality.

Hope all works out for you...

Than for the reply again. Did you notice any slight improvement in quality when you swapped the speakers at all?

Or was there literally no difference?

Also which adapters did you use?

Many thanks.

 

[billa]

Hi Stevie,

The Pioneer speakers I bought were 3-Way units and I must admit the mid range was slightly better, but bass and upper ranges were not so good.

I’m now looking at an amplified bass unit to fit under my seat as an alternative.

The adaptor rings can be bought here-
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/351286680574?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

Billa