What's the general consensus on the 3.5" dash speakers when upgrading? Keep them or get rid of them? If I keep them I would go with the straight aftermarket replacement, not the component option. Also, how do you remove the 3.5" dash speaker grill?
When I had a T-Bird with that setup, I went with 6.5" components and put the tweet in the dash. Worked really well. Also used a 3-way component setup from MB Quart that had a 8" midbass and a 4" coax with outboard crossover network. Took a bit of filing, but the 4" went in the dash nicely, and it was all stealth to boot.
KEEP THE DASH SPEAKERS! Get some rockfords for 50 bucks and a warranty, cause tweeters can go out quick, and you are good to go. Sounds awesome. You take the speaker covers off with a socket on the sides of them, just one screw. (the door has to be open to get to them) Hope this helps
Definitely keep them. The more speakers the better in an everyday system. If you have subs or a lot of bass it will even out the highs and the rest of the system. Most 3.5's can run off the headunit so they don't require too much power. Mine are run along with the 6-1/2's in the doors and they sound great. Dan
belewmoon Thanks Yea if u ever need help or advice on systems i've done quite a few mustangs and all cars so just PM me and Ill help you out. Dan
yeah, def keep the dash speakers... i have some power acoustiks up front and i put some bass blockers on them so they act pretty much as a tweeter... if you get distortion when you play your music loud, bass blockers eliminate it very easily... they come in a variety of settings and can be found in any crutchfield catalog... and tha grilles can be taken off easily once removing tha bolt, just pry it out with a straight edge, then it just pops right back on... POWER ACOUSTIK reprazent
if you are worried about 6 speakers with a 4 channel amp, ditch the rear ones as they are just fill anyway. all you imaging and stageing comes from your front set up. Also teh farther off axis your ear is off your tweeter, the more sound is lost as tweeters are very dependant on direct lines to create sound, unlike bass wich is omni-directional.
I don't know enough about stereos to know about 6 speakers working with a 4 channel amp. Would this be a problem? Does each channel go to each individual speaker? I was going to upgrade the speakers and then later get an amp/XM tuner and have them installed at the same time. I have a Pioneer deck so I was going to get the Pioneer XM tuner. Components - always interested in other opinions. My parameters are: 1. cost 2. sound quality (how clear) 3. sound quantity (how loud) 4. installation difficulty/cost I figured it would be easiest to just replace each speaker with a new (upgraded) speaker. If all I have to do to get to the 3.5 speaks is loosen 1 bolt then that's pretty easy. The doors could pose a problem if the panels don't come off easy. The rear decks should be no problem with access from the trunk. What am I missing?
Your best help will come from forgetting that these words were ever uttered. It should say, the more frequencies you can accurately cover with a single driver, the better. Why would you want the same sound coming from more than one point? Imagine 2 people reading a book out loud at the same time. One standing about 5 feet in front of you, the other standing 2 feet to the side. Do you suppose it will sound like one voice??? Or, will it sound like the sound is reaching you at 2 different times (hint: it is).
Components sound awesome. However, #1 cost and #4 installation difficulty would take a serious hit. Your point is well taken tho. How 'bout that 4 channel amp? Channel per speaker or does it not work like that? Thanks.
I went with Infinitys. Not the components unfortunately. Everything on sale at Circuit City. 3.5" - 3002cf, $45 5.25" - 5002i, $38 (half price when buying another Infinity pair) 6x8" - 6802cf, $75 Will install soon. Anything will sound better than those 14 year old Ford speaks!
His goal was to have a decent system and i will not disagree that components would be better but for loudness in a budget system, the more the speakers the better.
Not necessarily true about the cost. You can get a pair of Boston or MB Quarts lower line of comp sets for as much as you would pay for a nice set of 6.5 and 3.5 coaxs. And the comps would sound better.
And installation cost for those components would be comparable to regular speaker install? After almost a year, the speakers sound great! If I had the $$$, I would go component...
If you're an audiophile I would do 6.5" components in the door, mount the tweeters on the A-pillar, ditch the 3.5s, and get some nice 6X8/5X7s speakers for the back with a 4 channel amp.
IMO You will not find a 3.5" replacement speaker that will be able to compete with a decent component. Put the 6.5 or 5.25" in the door and the tweet in the dash (where the 3.5 was). I did this in both my Mustangs, very easy. Sound is great. From what I have seen speaker companies don't produce a good 3.5, most likely due to the fact that not many vehicles use them. The vehicles that do use them usually aren't upgraded. With the tweet, you can mount it in the dash using some of that cheap muffler bracketing from NAPA. This is the strapping with holes stamped in it. This will also allow you to direct the tweet where you want.
I just installed all Infinity Kappa coaxs in my car because I got them for free (cousin) and they are a nice upgrade from the stock speakers. The 3.5s sound amazing! I can't believe so much sound is coming from them. I have the 6.5s being pushed by a JBL 180.2 at 90 wrms. The rear speakers are run off the HU also. I am saving up for a pair of DLS MS6 comps that I will be making a custom door pod for. Then a sub in the spare tirewell will finfsh it off.
