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2000 XJ8 has broken speaker grills in the front (previous owner found speaker grills a convenient location to push door open with feet) and the front speakers buzz when strong bass is played. I want to swap out all 4 of the 6.5" door speakers. Can I simply replace with coaxials? I am aware there is funky connector which I can cut off and replace with standard connectors. Is that possible or is the wiring from the amplifier going to give me a problem? If you haven't noticed, I am an audio novice.
I understand door panels need to come off and thankfully I know how to do that.
That's a good fix Bob suggested, and works perfectly on the premium subwoofer, which is a hard item to replace as they're shallow and dual voice coil speakers.
Any quality speakers will fit, but rather than cut the loom connectors, you can solder the connectors off the old speakers onto the new for a factory look and install.
I prefer to replace the speakers and the broken grills rather than repair them. My issue is the door molding has a fixed diameter which really can't be modified since it is a molded fit. See photo.
I haven't taken the door panel off yet but it appears that the grill mounts from behind the panel. If I can purchase a new grill that fits exactly in the opening then I assume that I can put most any speaker behind it. True?
My memory is of a typical design -- the ring and grill are part of the panel. The speaker is attached to the door.
Used yards often want to sell the whole panel -- but you may find someone with just the grills. Slapping a speaker through the panel and into the door is not going to look very good.
It's more often the case that OEM audio is specifically designed to be difficult to modify -- strange speaker size w/odd ohm etc. But if KC above had good luck with RF's .... that may be the way to go.
I prefer to replace the speakers and the broken grills rather than repair them. My issue is the door molding has a fixed diameter which really can't be modified since it is a molded fit. See photo.
I haven't taken the door panel off yet but it appears that the grill mounts from behind the panel. If I can purchase a new grill that fits exactly in the opening then I assume that I can put most any speaker behind it. True?
The grill is mounted to the door panel. The speaker is actually mounted to the back of the door panel and not the door itself. A really poor design since the space between the door panel and the door is used as the enclosure, not the door cavity like most cars.
My 2001 came with the standard audio system and I replaced the speakers with 6 3/4" Pioneer mid-base model 1720's and Clarion tweeters. The difference in sound quality was amazing but the bass response suffered. The Pioneer's weren't designed for the poor enclosure of the 308's design. But from 200 hz on up the change was more than worth it. Very smooth mid-range and crisp highs. Really needs a subwoofer though. I also replaced the standard head unit with an aftermarket Alpine.
Most websites list the speaker size as 5 1/4" but they are really 6 1/2 - 6 3/4".
I also believe (but not sure) the woofer gets a full range signal so you might get an increase in treble response from a coaxial speaker.
I'm thinking about replacing the door speakers on my 1999 XJ8 with basic sound system, tweeters in door handle cups, no sub woofer in back and was wondering if these would work in stock locations:
I simply replaced the stock 6" one-way speakers in all 4 doors with 6" Rockford Fosgate 3 ways and kept the stock tweeters and rear subwoofer connected. The stock tweeters and subwoofer are probably inferior since they are 18 years old but I didn't test the sound by disconnecting them. My teenage son drives the car and he's not complaining, so far.
Thank you for the reply, I don't have the system with a subwoofer and wondering if the stock head unit will have enough power to drive the four replacement door speakers if I go with the three way RF.
It will be fine. But 3-ways are probably a waste of time. 6" 3-way speakers are usually more of a gimmick, and you might be better off getting a higher end set of two way coax's
You should be ok leaving the factory tweeters in place too, but if it sounds a bit too 'bright' then you can drop the treble at the headunit, or maybe cut the wires to the tweeter in the new coax's
Thank you for the response, could you recommend a higher end two way that would do well without a subwoofer in the rear and powered by stock head unit.
I'm looking at replacing both front and rear door speakers.
I can recommend a lot of very expensive speakers... but it's all dependant on your budget.
If you stick to reputable shops and brands you can't go too wrong. Look for something with a higher sensitivity, rather than something with a high power rating, as these will play better on your factory headunit.
I ended up ordering four Rockford Fosgate P1650 2 way full range speakers and a Rockford Fosgate R300 50 Watts x 4 Amp to go with them. They should be here by mid next week and after install I will post results.
Sure will and something else to consider, I originally ordered a cheap 17.00 Boss installation kit but after researching further cancelled and went with a 60.00 Rockford Fosgate kit with very good reviews. The cheap kit had a history of catching on fire and poor performance so something like that is well worth looking into.
Sure will and something else to consider, I originally ordered a cheap 17.00 Boss installation kit but after researching further cancelled and went with a 60.00 Rockford Fosgate kit with very good reviews. The cheap kit had a history of catching on fire and poor performance so something like that is well worth looking into.
Yes stay far away from Boss there's an old "the good,the bad,the ugly" list online that's spot on w/ brand quality. It may not have been updated lately but it rings true to my experiences.
Had the Rockford Fosgate P1650 2 way full range speakers and a Rockford Fosgate R300 50 Watts x 4 Amp professionally installed and wow !! this setup sounds great. The amp came with a factory measured 402 watts RMS and its running at about 50% to the speakers producing very crisp highs, nice deep lows with a little thump, excellent mid range and I'm very impressed. Everything from Steve Rothery The Ghosts of Pripyat to Jethro Tull Aqualung sounds incredible, Dave Mathews with Tim Reynolds and anything else I have plugged into the stock CD player as well. The stock speaker grills were maintained and all wires are hidden, so you can’t tell any difference from the stock base system until you turn it on, and then wow !! this setup sounds great.