Is there a recommended 6.5" Coaxial speaker that is a drop-in replacement for the front door EX speakers? To me, drop-in means not having to cut the plastic shield behind the speakers and also works well with the existing amp and wiring. Besides being a coward about wanting to avoid trashing the front housing, I'm concerned about leaving myself open to water damage and interfering with the widow.

From the forum, the "consensus" opinion (inexpensive) seems to favor the CDT CL-6X for a coaxial speaker - but my impression is that a lot of hacking and cutting is required for the CL-6X installation. Possibly, one of the other favored coax 6.5" speakers - such as the MB Quart, JL Audio, or Crystal Mobile doesn't require any "cutting". Alternatively, is a 5.25" coax - which Crutchfield seems to insist upon - the only way to get a drop-in solution. If so, are the recommendations the same (CDT CL-5X), or do some of these also not "drop in".

Continuing the thought, if I only install a quality coax speaker in the front (CDT, MB Quart, etc.) - will I immediately notice a significant improvement in the mid-range? Or should I also plan on replacing the tweeters at the same time? From the Element-J and other posts, the tweeter replacement appears to be fairly straightforward as long as a small high pass (crossover) is used (i.e., easily fits in the A-pilllar).

Or maybe another way to look at it - is to recognize my ignorance and use a quality local installer? From the typical internet dealer pricing, my estimate is that I could install recommended components (front speakers and A-pillar tweeters) for about $200 max. - while an installer will want at least $300 for the same job.

I decided to quit over-analyzing this to death and went ahead and ordered a pair of FOCAL 165CA's for the front - Thanks to an earlier posting from EMASS.

[quote:b72679f8b1=" "]Is there a recommended 6.5" Coaxial speaker that is a drop-in replacement for the front door EX speakers? To me, drop-in means not having to cut the plastic shield behind the speakers and also works well with the existing amp and wiring. Besides being a coward about wanting to avoid trashing the front housing, I'm concerned about leaving myself open to water damage and interfering with the widow.

From the forum, the "consensus" opinion (inexpensive) seems to favor the CDT CL-6X for a coaxial speaker - but my impression is that a lot of hacking and cutting is required for the CL-6X installation. Possibly, one of the other favored coax 6.5" speakers - such as the MB Quart, JL Audio, or Crystal Mobile doesn't require any "cutting". Alternatively, is a 5.25" coax - which Crutchfield seems to insist upon - the only way to get a drop-in solution. If so, are the recommendations the same (CDT CL-5X), or do some of these also not "drop in".

Continuing the thought, if I only install a quality coax speaker in the front (CDT, MB Quart, etc.) - will I immediately notice a significant improvement in the mid-range? Or should I also plan on replacing the tweeters at the same time? From the Element-J and other posts, the tweeter replacement appears to be fairly straightforward as long as a small high pass (crossover) is used (i.e., easily fits in the A-pilllar).

Or maybe another way to look at it - is to recognize my ignorance and use a quality local installer? From the typical internet dealer pricing, my estimate is that I could install recommended components (front speakers and A-pillar tweeters) for about $200 max. - while an installer will want at least $300 for the same job.[/quote:b72679f8b1]

I just dropped-in my CL-6X in my rear doors during my lunch break today. They're very slim, about 2.25". Although I haven't tried, they should fit into the front doors without much hassle. They're about the same size as other speakers made by Infiniti, and those drop-in without much work.

I'd go with the CDTs, they're the very best for the price, $44 a pair if I remember correctly.