Speaker upgrade

conaero

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I am going to do this before I go to Le Mans, as seeing the cones of the speakers the other day, they really are rubbish.

I will replace all 6 so can anyone recommend what I might need?
 

lozcb

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I am going to do this before I go to Le Mans, as seeing the cones of the speakers the other day, they really are rubbish.

I will replace all 6 so can anyone recommend what I might need?

Take it then Matt your getting that fatal crackle when the volume is too high , me too , ive learnt to just undo the drivers window much clearer harmony

Been meaning to get round to this myself , but seeing as i know diddly squatt about hifi and car audio and believe it or not a place the size of Milton Keynes has no shop for displays with fitting services , apparently there were one or two but both went to the wall a couple of years ago , so ive left it untill there is a good enough set formatt to follow and yes im a sheep baa baa

regards loz
 
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conaero

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Its not that Loz, I have upgrade the head unit to a becker GP, which is fab, but the speakers are rubbish and I am prepared to throw £200 for the parts, any ideas what make to go for?

The fronts are 6.5", the mids are 5x7" but I dont know what the rear shelfs are?
 
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lozcb

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Are all speakers the same just differing sizes and quality , i need to know which ones can take the cars amp output , this is where i get stuck and lost , really i just want to give the car to someone and tell them to give me good sound quality and more volume, so when they start talking watts and ohms and impedance i just wanna runaway, years ago you just bought a stereo and plugged the **** thing in , its got far to complicated for its own good , tho i will be getting the Zenec Player/satnav thingy when i finnally get round to it

regards loz
 

dm2

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I upgraded my speakers about a year ago and they're much better than the stock. I didn't bother with the speakers in the rear headrests as it looked like too much fuss, but now with the instructions in the technical area of the forum I might try this.

The stock speakers are 4 ohm I believe, which is pretty much standard. The watts rating of the speaker are not hugely important - more important is that you don't over drive the the amplifier (i.e. turn it up too loud) resulting in distorted sound - the distortion is usually a sign that the signal to the speakers is being clipped by the amp, and clipping is the major factor in destroying speakers as opposed to the number of watts passed through them.

I have Infinity (part of the Harman-Kardon group I believe) speakers in the front (6522i I think). They are a two way variety. The key thing is to get shallow fit speakers as there is not space in the door panel. The rear passenger speakers are 5x7 IIRC, but I bought some crappy no-name (Legacy LS570) but they are still day and night better than the stock.

One thing to beware of is that the grill of the 5x7 speakers in the back have a sleeve which is designed to fit over the stock speakers. So when I put the Legacys in I found the grill would not fit - I had to break off the the sleeve. Still in the end I have the standard speaker grills on all round so all looks in order.

In the end the sound quality was much better than the stock speakers, so worth doing. I spent about £80 I think on both sets of speakers.
 

conaero

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Update, I found an old post on ML, and Jeff from FD clearly states that the rear headrest speakers are 5" but can take the standard 5.25" no problem.

So just to reiterate:

Door: 6.5", Mid rear: 5x7", Rear shelf: 5.25"

Some people have cut in 6.5" rounds in place of the 5x7"
 
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dm2

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Yes it would be too easy to have the same size speakers in all locations wouldn't it ;-)

Cutting a hole in place of the 5x7 is a step too far IMHO. If I was a buyer of such a car it would be a negative me thinks.
 

lozcb

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Me too one little slip with that knife/saw blade and an expensive panel replacement needed , certainly couldn't live with a bodge


regards loz
 

MAF260

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I've done dozens of installations on various cars over the years and did my 3200 not long after I bought it. Changing speakers will certainly improve sound quality, but there are limitations. My advice would be to approach it in this order:
1. Concentrate on buying the best replacement front speakers you can - most of the sound you want to hear comes from these. As standard they are component speakers (separate driver/woofer in the bottom of the door and separate tweeter mounted higher up). Buy components, not 2-way where the tweeter is mounted in the middle of the speaker. You don't have to replace the factory tweeter if you don't intend to install a bigger sound system further down the line, but I recommend you do so as you should be taking the door panel off anyway. Replacing these is very simple and will make the biggest difference. You will need to either research which speakers to buy, or take the driver/woofer out and take it to your audio retailer to get the correct size as there is very little room to fit and so it must be a shallow speaker. When you fit the replacement driver make sure you insulate the connections with tape as some owners have had issues of the terminals shorting against the metal on the door (the fit is that tight!)
2. If you really want to spend money to no real avail then buy some replacement speakers for the rear quarters. These speakers by design are only for 'rear fill' (to replicate sound bouncing back behind you) and in the standard size will never amount to doing much. I wouldn't bother replacing these and would adjust the fader on the head unit towards the front a little if you find them at all instrusive with the new front speakers running.
3. Rear parcel shelf speakers - even more pointless than the ones in the rear quarters. Again, if you have money to burn and like cramping yourself into small spaces connecting fiddly things then go ahead and replace them.
4. Standard head units, no matter how good/expensive do not contain very good amplifiers. The power outputs claimed are usually very generous and are for peak power, not continuous. They will usually suffice for a simple speaker change, but think of them as entry level. After spending money on good replacement front speakers I would next direct the contents of my wallet towards a separate amplifier. Only at this stage would I consider changing the rear quarter speakers (and disconnecting those in the shelf) as a suitable amplifier will make a considerable difference to sound quality and output/loudness. The amplifier can be mounted in various different places inside the cabin depending on how much of the interior you want to remove. When I'm installing a complete sound system I always remove all seats, consoles and carpets.
5. For those of you still reading, the next stage is where it can get a little more expensive. A subwoofer (mounted in the boot) will provide the low-down bass missing in most car systems and is starting to feature as standard equipment in many cars. The Maserati is a heavy, well built car and so needs something fairly substantial to create the desired effect. This speaker will need it's own dedicated amplifier which can be expensive. The subwoofer and amplifier can be mounted in the boot space, where the spare wheel well can be utilised if you have the standard Maserati can of tyre weld.

Like any audio system you can buy different levels of quality and spend many thousands if it all gets addictive (my Range Rover had over £13k of kit in it!) - buy the best you can afford to get the best effect. If anyone would like some individual advice or even help with buying/installing please let me know.
 

conaero

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Thanks Maf, so what you are saying is just replace the front door woofer and leave the factory tweeter in place?
 

conaero

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The rear mid upgrade from 5x7 to 6.5's is done like this, so you dont have to worry about cutting the trim panels, you have to make a mounting plate, simple really:

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527ba92b88.jpg
 
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MAF260

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If you want to make a difference without spending a fortune, then yes you could simply replace the woofers in the front doors. I'd still recommend you replace the tweeter at the same time though as the door panel would/should be off anyway.
 

dm2

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On the 4200 there is no need to take the door trim off for the tweeter - it simply levers out (carefully!) with a small flat-blade screwdriver. One of my tweeters is broken so have disconnected them electrically but left them in so it all looks normal. What I couldn't find (but didn't look in to too much) was an upgrade tweeter which looks stock.
 

MAF260

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If you buy new components you should also get a crossover for each side included (separates bass and treble and sends correct signal to corresponding speaker) - if you fit the woofers & tweeters you should also fit the crossover that is designed for them which will necessitate in removing the door panel in order to secure it behind, plus the correct cables supplied. I haven't experienced fitting to a 4200, but in many cases you can fit the replacement tweeter behind the original grill/mounting to keep the stock look. Not knowing what Maserati used as a crossover (but assuming it will be as rubbish as the speakers or perhaps even a basic in-line resistor) I wouldn't trust it to do the job properly. Nobody would be prepared to skimp on servicing or mechanical repairs, so shouldn't try to short-cut the audio either.

dm2 - if you have disconnected the standard tweeter have you replaced the woofer with 2-way speakers? If so you will have the sound stage firing directly at your calves - not the best acoustic solution, especially within a car!
 

dm2

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The 4200 tweeter and grill is a single unit unfortunately. Yes I have a 2-way in the front, and you're right, it's not the best placement for the treble! However I have to say that it's still miles better than the OEM speaker sound, so I'm happy enough. But I will look in to the replacement tweeters again as I agree the sound would be even better if treble was coming in at roughly head-height.
 

conaero

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So it looks like change the fronts for 6.5" component with tweeters and crossovers. Change the mid read with a 5x7 2 way coax, and replace the rear shelf with 5.25" component subwoofer only.
 

dm2

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Matt I'd be very interested when you do this - I think I will also be looking at replacing the rears with a 1-way speaker (although calling it a subwoofer is a bit kind!). As for the fronts - unless you don't mind a different look, I would keep the original tweeters. If you don't mind a slightly different look, then of course replace them (the tweeters I saw were not that different in appearance, but didn't like the fact a lot have the make on there like Vibe or something).
 

conaero

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I would only buy tweeters that would look standard, the fitments are all similar anyway.

What I have outlined above is what I am going to do, the only bit up for reconsideration is the 5x7" swapping for 6.5" but they would both be 2 way, woofer with the tweeter in front, angled upwards.

Now all I have to decide it the manufacturer, I want them all to be the same and have looked so far at:

Vibe
Focal
JBL
Kenwood

The Vibe seems to be winning it at the moment, but I know nothing about them, anyone care to comment?
 
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ENZ525

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Matt,
Kenwood are the only name I have used in the past from your list,
having spoken with my 16 year old son, he recognises all of those,
but says that they all have a low end and a high end range, so would
advise to look at some reviews of the actual model(s) you are interested in.
He mentioned trying somewhere like reviewcentre.com,
Regards,
Enzo.