Okay, I just installed front speakers (Polk EX368) and they have made about a 50% improvement in the clarity of the sound of the stock system. I'm thinking about replacing the rears now (assuming I'll notice a difference--I know that rears aren't quite as important as fronts). BUT when you go to Crutchfield's site, for instance, they only list ONE set of 6.5s that will fit the rear (a cheap set of Kenwoods) because they say that the tweeters on the rest of their 6.5s would hit the grill. Has anyone had success with a simple replacement of the rears with a speaker other than these Kenwoods?
Rear speakers that actually fit in the PR5?
- Thread starter ransom
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Rogue_Biker
Member
Can you use the grille that comes with 6.5" coaxial speakers? Or you have to use the stock grille that's on the door panels?
for starters the BEST thing you can do is have a matching set of speakers in the front and back...and what I mean is NOT the same size but rather speakers of the same make and series....they will naturally work together better.....
IF I WERE YOU, I would be getting the Polk 365's for the rear....I can not imagine how in the world the tweeter could hit the grill seeing as how it doesn't stick above the center of the speaker, I have never seen ANY coaxil speaker where the tweeter stuck above the level of the center of the woofer....hmmmm the 365's have a mounting depth of 1 11/16's inchs....so you will be fine there.
IF I WERE YOU, I would be getting the Polk 365's for the rear....I can not imagine how in the world the tweeter could hit the grill seeing as how it doesn't stick above the center of the speaker, I have never seen ANY coaxil speaker where the tweeter stuck above the level of the center of the woofer....hmmmm the 365's have a mounting depth of 1 11/16's inchs....so you will be fine there.
Rogue_Biker
Member
Crutchfield actually specifies how much the tweeter projects above the main cone on ALL their co-axial. Most of the time, the tweeters project something like 1/16"! Very small and may not be visible to the naked eye but when it comes time to mount a stock, flat speaker grille.....
OKAY....I just finished putting all new speakers in the P5...I used Rockford Fosgates....and I mean I went and put them in AFTER that last post....
and you are right....MY tweeters stick out JUST A LITTLE....but you know what? there is nearly a full INCH clearance between the surface of the speaker and the stock grills. there will be NO PROBLEM with any coaxil speaker out there.
NOW....as for the door depth....well I am here to tell you that the rear doors will take anything on the market....I have heard that both the front and rear doors have about 2 1/2 inchs rear clearance....well that is true for the fronts....BUT...the rear speakers have a CLEAR 4 INCHS REAR CLEARANCE!!! and YES that is with the windows OPEN!! and that four inches is NOT absolute clearance...as in actually TO the door skin...but you could put a speaker in there that was four inches deep and it will NOT hit the door!
REAR DOOR BACK CLEARANCE
Comparitive view of Stock Speakers to the new Rockford Fosgates
and you are right....MY tweeters stick out JUST A LITTLE....but you know what? there is nearly a full INCH clearance between the surface of the speaker and the stock grills. there will be NO PROBLEM with any coaxil speaker out there.
NOW....as for the door depth....well I am here to tell you that the rear doors will take anything on the market....I have heard that both the front and rear doors have about 2 1/2 inchs rear clearance....well that is true for the fronts....BUT...the rear speakers have a CLEAR 4 INCHS REAR CLEARANCE!!! and YES that is with the windows OPEN!! and that four inches is NOT absolute clearance...as in actually TO the door skin...but you could put a speaker in there that was four inches deep and it will NOT hit the door!
REAR DOOR BACK CLEARANCE
Comparitive view of Stock Speakers to the new Rockford Fosgates
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Rogue_Biker
Member
That is great info Sir Nuke. Thank you very much.
I was looking at the speaker specs from Cruthfield and they list Kenwood's Exelon series speakers (6.5" & 6x8") and both speakers go down to 30 Hz with a 92db sensitivity. Pricey suckers though ($149/pr). But if I can believe those specs, those Kenwoods should sound really great even wit the low power HU with minimal expenditure and install time.
I was looking at the speaker specs from Cruthfield and they list Kenwood's Exelon series speakers (6.5" & 6x8") and both speakers go down to 30 Hz with a 92db sensitivity. Pricey suckers though ($149/pr). But if I can believe those specs, those Kenwoods should sound really great even wit the low power HU with minimal expenditure and install time.
Esteban Toledo
Member
Rogue_Biker said:
I have the excelon 6x8's. They sound nice. They are capable of producing deep bass. Of course, they're not going to rattle other cars. Your door panels will rattle. Hopefullly, dynamat will cure that. I recommend replacing the head unit, too. There are times when I need more power. Also, a lot of things I listen to aren't produced the way I like. So, I need a receiver w/ a "loudness" button. I'm, currently, searching for the perfect receiver.
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God, is that what the factory's look like? YECHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!! I gotta get rid of those things. BTW, Nukey, is it a huge difference? I want not only improved sound quality, but more responsiveness and louder overall volume (more bass, more response).Sir Nuke said:
Lemme know!!!!!!!
My .02
Just installed Kenwood KFC-6808c 6x8's in the front doors, and KFC-1777 6.75's in the rear doors.
The 6808's are plug-n-play. The OE rainshields even fit on the new speakers without issue.
The 1777's use the new "oversize basket ring" needed to mount to the funky Ford / Mazda door opening. They're a plug-n-play of sorts as well. I had to slightly modify two of the speaker mounting holes (not a problem at all.) This was to allow the screws to flush mount all the way down, the way they should.
I didn't use the rear OE rainshields, but might put them on in the future, depending on my level of laziness.....
These speakers make a huge difference in both highs, and mids. Lost a bit of low end (compared to the stock speakers,) but I feel this is due to the lack of head power from the stock deck. Hands down, can't beat the sound improvement for the money spent ($160 for all 4.)
I'll install my Premier DEH840MP deck sometime this week, and post results afterwards.
HTH - Jim
Just installed Kenwood KFC-6808c 6x8's in the front doors, and KFC-1777 6.75's in the rear doors.
The 6808's are plug-n-play. The OE rainshields even fit on the new speakers without issue.
The 1777's use the new "oversize basket ring" needed to mount to the funky Ford / Mazda door opening. They're a plug-n-play of sorts as well. I had to slightly modify two of the speaker mounting holes (not a problem at all.) This was to allow the screws to flush mount all the way down, the way they should.
I didn't use the rear OE rainshields, but might put them on in the future, depending on my level of laziness.....
These speakers make a huge difference in both highs, and mids. Lost a bit of low end (compared to the stock speakers,) but I feel this is due to the lack of head power from the stock deck. Hands down, can't beat the sound improvement for the money spent ($160 for all 4.)
I'll install my Premier DEH840MP deck sometime this week, and post results afterwards.
HTH - Jim
