I have recently installed Infinity 505 cs components in the front doors, I had to cut the plastic cups in the doors to accomidate for the magnet and then installed them with XTC baffles. There are some strict measurement concerns for the front speakers because of the shallow speaker grill and the window glass to worry about as well. As for the back i went with Polk GXR5's and all and all they sound great at least tonight they did because I just replaced the head unit and I am pretty excited by the big difference over the stock one. From what I have been seeing as well on this board are people installing 6 1/2 Infinity 652i's as well and with no problems. I would have put 6 1/2's in but I relied on Cruchfeilds advice on this and I was not to familiar with this board at the time.

Infinity 505 cs components $115.00 from Cruchfield, closeout speacial

Polk GXR5 also Cruchfield $49.00 closeout speacial.


Dont let the price fool you, much better than Pioneer, Sparkamatic or Kraco and the price was very right at the time especially if you are looking to upgrade the the speakers "only" on the EX system and these are 91-92 db which is reqired for the low power that this system puts out.

 

IF U HEAR THAT 5.25" SPEAKERS WORK FOR FRONT DOORS DONT DO IT. 6.5'S ALL THE WAY AROUND 8)

 

KENWOOD 6.5 Ecellen kicker6.5 in rear and kicker 6.75 CompRT in sub. Factory amp puts out 275 watts. But you’ll have to cut away some of the bracket hole in the doors to fit the sixs

 

IF U HEAR THAT 5.25" SPEAKERS WORK FOR FRONT DOORS DONT DO IT. 6.5'S ALL THE WAY AROUND 8)

So let me revise this a little bit - you don't have to use 5.25" speakers because most (not all) 6.5" speakers will fit - so there's not many good reasons to use the smaller speakers.

Also, let's stay on topic here - this thread is for tracking the specific types of speakers that do fit/work in the E. As such, it is important not to generalize. I envision this thread as being a reference speaker model archive of sorts, a place where a person can come and check to see if the speakers they would like to buy have been successfully installed by someone already.

Branaman, since it sounds like you have installed 6.5 speakers in your E please share the specifcs with us.

 

I have the basic Infinity's 652i in the rear....very simple job as I was done in about 20 minutes for both. Looking at Focal Slim Line componets for the front because of the depth problems the fron have......also looking at Polk 3565 componets for the front too, though I will keep my options open and still maybe even go with Infin 652i in front also but replace the tweeters with a JBL of Infinity models.....there has been much talk that the tweeters need replacing bad and this mod is one of the best for the buck. Other thoughts?

EE

 

Looking at Focal Slim Line componets for the front because of the depth problems the front have

You don't need the Focal slim lines - the regular 165K's fit nicely.

I have the Focal 165K's in my E. They fit and sound great.

I removed the plastic speaker backing cup in the door however and used a new foam baffle to seal off the speaker from the door cavity.

Check it out here:
http://www.elementownersclub.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=1488

 

[quote:a69a667f4d="eMass"][quote:a69a667f4d="Eazy E"]Looking at Focal Slim Line componets for the front because of the depth problems the front have[/quote:a69a667f4d]

You don't need the Focal slim lines - the regular 165K's fit nicely.

I have the Focal 165K's in my E. They fit and sound great.

I removed the plastic speaker backing cup in the door however and used a new foam baffle to seal off the speaker from the door cavity.

Check it out here:
http://www.elementownersclub.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=1488[/quote:a69a667f4d]

Emass, what would one pay for either your set up and or the slim line set up......talking just the mid range, tweeters, and crossovers that is. Thanks EE

 

Focal 165 V Slims are about $240 street

Focal 165 K (what I have) are about $260 street

Focal 165 K2 (note slightly different dustcap & bigger magnet) are about $330 street

Please note that the 165 K2's have a bigger magnet and therefore may pose slight depth problems. Please compare size specs to 165 K's before using.

 

E Mass, find me some Slims for $240 and I will buy ASAP....Thanks EE

 

[quote:d0def0ef30="Eazy E"]E Mass, find me some Slims for $240 and I will buy ASAP....Thanks EE[/quote:d0def0ef30]

Seek and ye shall find, my friend...

http://www.cbrstereo.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=CTGY&Category_Code=FOCALCOMPONENTS

There's a set of 165 V Slims on that page for $239.00 although I'd really recommend the 165 K's for $259.00 if you can swing it.

You can also find a ton of Focal stuff on eBay - in fact the slims are selling for $229.00 there...

http://search.ebay.com/search/searc...=1&st=2&category2=14936&SortProperty=MetaEndSort&BasicSearch=&from=R2&catref=C3

Rock on!

 

Perfect thanks......I had the ebay page, but only in the 6 1.2 section...much more here I see. I will see who I can get to install.....and go from there...Thanks E Mass

EE

 

OH I fogot.....does the OEM head drive both of those by Focal, or does one need another amp like you have? Thanks again...EE

 

No, these want like 80 watts RMS and about 160 peak - you'll ruin them if you run them off any head unit power. Get an amp.

 

I installed Polk Audio GXR6A 6-1/2" speakers with minimal hassle.

I was able to remove all the cover plates with just my fingers. I had to cut off the three plastic posts that align the factory speakers on the front doors -- there were no posts on the rear doors. The new speakers lined up with some smaller, extra holes already in place and I used the black screws provided by Polk (one hole was absent on the driver's side front).

I picked these because they were on sale from Crutchfield at $49/pr (which fit my budget). I couldn't get the website to add the free wiring harnesses until I changed my vehicle type to the S2000 and then it went no problem.

The sound is pretty decent although I am not very happy with the factory sub. It's about as musical as a lightswitch. I'm not sure my audio tastes need a dedicated sub so when I get around to replacing the head unit I may just skip it.

Regards,
Jim

 

I'm adding some info from nickoel that was originally added as a separate post.

I installed 4 Alpine 6 1/2 speakers last week. They are the SPS-170A model and they sound great.

Only one thing and this goes for many aftermarket speakers. Mine kept cutting in and out and when I took the back ones out I noticed the the + and - plugs were hitting the exposed metal in the back speaker cutouts. I fixed this by using liquid electrical tape to cover them up and the last three days have been pure bliss.

Just letting you all know the Alpines fit and about the shorting out issue.

see ya.

 

Just ditched the reference 5 1/4 505cs components for the higher line Kappa 6 1/2" 60.5 cs components and they fit just fine. I just had to cut the rest of the rain gaurd out where it meets the door inorder to get them to fit properly. So far they don't sound any better than the reference set only because I really need an amp and the 13 watts rms that my Eclipse 8443 just does not cut it so I am playing them at a low volume so I wont kill them (remembering a post from EMass on this topic). So now I'm in the market for an amp that will fit under the seat and I need to do it quick. Here is a link of pics and the one with the kappa woofer is there as well as other interesting pics.

http://photos.yahoo.com/bc/shnsx/lst?.dir=/My+Photos/Shane's+Element+EX&.view=t

 

Has anyone put tweeters in the front window posts? If so what is the wiring there and what type of speakers?

 

Check here: http://www.ecnet.net/users/gallery/element-j/ Look under tweeters.

 

Here are some pics of the speakers I've installed in the past month. In the front I put in a set of Infinity 60.5cs Kappa components for the back I installed Focal 165CA coaxials. Both sets are 6 1/2 and I had to trom the speaker mounting area with a roto saw to get them to fit and used Cruchfeild baffles behind them.

http://f1.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/sh...?.dir=/My+Photos/Shane's+Element+EX&.dnm=Infinity+Kappa+60.5+Woofer.jpg&.view=t

http://f1.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/sh...os.yahoo.com/ph/shnsx/lst?&.dir=/My+Photos/Shane%27s+Element+EX&.src=ph&.view=t

http://f1.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/sh...os.yahoo.com/ph/shnsx/lst?&.dir=/My+Photos/Shane%27s+Element+EX&.src=ph&.view=t

 

Thise Focals look scha-weet!

 

Just got through Installing Infinity Kappa 60.5CS in the front and Kappa 63.5i in the rear. What a difference over the stock, although now my lack of real amplification is noticable as I turn it up, it starts distorting about a bit over 3/4 way full. But still way better sounding than the stockers.

Hey Emass, how important are the Baffles, and should I mount the crossover inside the cab rather than the doors?

 

I would definatly get baffles for the front doors because it actually gets wet in there and because of this I would mount the xovers under the dash or something. Now there is a jumper inside those Infinity xovers, did you change it for "custom contour" or did you leave them "flat"? I have the 6.05's myself and for the most part i love them, I thought about the 63.5's for th back as well, but i was concerned about the tweeter pod, if the height would be a problem, did you have any problems? I went with Focal 165 CA's instead for the back, they don't have "screaming" tweeters like the Infinitie's but for the back I don't need that anyway since I fade +3 to the front anyway




[quote:6e614b7be2="elementale"]Just got through Installing Infinity Kappa 60.5CS in the front and Kappa 63.5i in the rear. What a difference over the stock, although now my lack of real amplification is noticable as I turn it up, it starts distorting about a bit over 3/4 way full. But still way better sounding than the stockers.

Hey Emass, how important are the Baffles, and should I mount the crossover inside the cab rather than the doors?[/quote:6e614b7be2]

 

I left the front crossover settings at flat for now, but I do wish that the middle range on the 60.5 was a little better, it seems to be pretty flat, but I should be able to fix that once I replace the head unit with one that has a better equalizer settings. I had no problems mounting the 63.5's in the back,after removing the plastic speaker backing cup, it fit perfectly.
Now I just have to figure outwhat I want for a head unit. I have a Clarion Auto PC, which is abut 4 years old, which is cool for the nav features, but I want to keep the aux jack, and the Auto Pc dosent have an imput in. I guess I could just tie in the aux jack into the RCA imputs in the electronic crossover that I have, as it has two rca imputs. Heh, I could actually listen to MP3's from the iPod while the Nav is working. Guess I'm talking myself into remounting it Does anyone know if any of the dash mounting kits come without the pocket, and just aq flat cover? The autopc has a seperate unit that plugs into the deck and would fit well in the space below the deck.

 

Rear: Polk 602a 6.5" Coaxials ($-from old car; 15 mins. to install)
This was the easiest part of the whole speaker upgrade. I cut off the plastic nubs sticking out and in it went. I decide to use #8 - .75" screws instead as this prevents the screws from hitting the 2 cross beams in the door. (Bloody factory screws are ridculously long). They do a decent job as rear fill.

Front: CDT Audio Classic CL-61 2002 ($130; 2 hours)
I got these 2002 models from www.mainstreet-audio.com for $130 only and free shipping. (Thanks eMass). I think they are the speakers to beat for the price. It cleared up the whole midrange and female vocals have presence they lacked with the OEMs. The midbass thumps well too .

The installation is a bitch since I think I have found the upper end of what one can fit in the Element. The mounting specs are 5 11/16" diameter and 2 7/8" depth! I had to totally cut out the rear plastic cup but it still does NOT sit flush as the basket is larger then the 5 1/4" opening. It sits about 1/4" above the door panel and the speaker terminals bump the lower metal cross beam. I mounted it with the terminals on top and the speaker grill panel will fit back on barely. I had to remove the foam on the speaker grill panel and the lower front corner does not sit flush (about a 1/8" off but totally unnoticeable). I think I will borrow my buddy's Dremel and enlarge the speaker opening so it sits flush over the weekend.

Addendum: I finally got around to cutting out and enlarging the speaker opening. I took a rotary tool and cut 1/8" around the entire perimeter of the opening and the basket can then be removed. I reinstall the speaker with XTC foam baffle inserts. The speaker grill now sits flush and the speakers now sounds tighter than before.

I also ran two 16 gauge wires to the speaker opening so I would not have to cut the factory wiring. If you want to do this I would recommend using 18 gauge wires instead since 16 was very tight. The crossovers were secured underneath the dash on either side with 2 wire-ties.

The tweeters were a breeze once I figured out which mounting bracket to use. CDT ships 1" tweeters with flush and angled suface mount. I used the angled surface mount and 2 layers of double stick tape. I stuck this on a sheet metal bracket I made much like what Element-J did. This made a wonderful fit and the tweeters are aimed higher then before.

 

Once I installed my 85 watt x 4 amp the 60.5's mids really came to life, I too prefer the "flat" setting because the other way makes the tweets way too LOUD



, but I do wish that the middle range on the 60.5 was a little better, it seems to be pretty flat, but I should be able to fix that once I replace the head unit with one that has a better equalizer settings.

 

With the focal and JL's does your E have a good bass thumb w/out the SUB? I wanna put new speakers all around but I cant put any subs in because we use the back to much and the PS2 is going where the factory sub is now. :?

 

To be honest w/you I wouldn't know since all my speakers go through crossovers to cut bass to the mids and everything except highs to the tweeters.

You should look for full range speakers from polk, infinity, pioneer and the like - they are better suited for full range sound vs. component sets like Focal and JL.