[stringjerker]

Circuit City says that the Polk DB-950 fits front and rear. Crutchfield says they don't fit. I guess I'm going to have to buy them and find out for myself. Crutchfield has them for $99.95 and you get the second pair for half price. Circuit City sells them for $69.00. Crutchfield throws in the wiring adapters and illustrated instructions. Circuit city charges $6.95 for the speaker wiring adapters. You can walk in and purchase the speakers at Circuit City. You have to wait and pay shipping if you order them from Crutchfield. Circuit City looks like the better deal until you factor in state sales tax.

Changing the factory speakers won't give you an audiophile-quality system, but I've found that you can make a huge difference for little money by replacing the factory speakers with something better. The sensitivity rating of the Polks is 92 dB, so they should work well with the factory system. Polk makes decent speakers, IMO. I think it's all they do.

Dave

 

[Nickel II]

Just installed some new speakers in the rear doors to complete my speaker upgrade.

Sony 3-Way 6 1/2" Speakers
Brand/Model: SON XSV1630A
50 RMS
92 sensitivity
$64 at CC

These are to compliment the Pioneers that I put in the front a few days ago (see a few posts prior to this). I learned it is a very bad idea soundwise to only upgrade one set of speakers because the stock speakers muffled/muddy sound really stood out after the front speaker upgrade.

The Sony's went in without any trouble, but only two of the screw holes lined up so that is what I went with. I don't forsee it as a problem. They actually sound a little better then the Pioneers. I am not sure, however, if they would fit int he front doors due to less clearance for the speaker grill. The Sony's are 3-way and the mid/tweeter stick out a little. Plenty of clearance on the back grills.

 

[maiken]

As another data point for anyone trying to put coaxials in the front (as I understand it, the DX doesn't have wiring to the tweeter sites on the A-frame, making it harder to put in components):

I tried putting Infinity 6002i's into the front, but as per other people's experience, the protruding directional tweeter juts into the factory grille and prevents it from mounting properly. The Infinitys come with an adapter ring which adds height and makes the problem worse. I couldn't see any way to mount to the E's door without the ring, other than drilling new holes into the plastic, which I was unwilling to try. My local store didn't have the 6002si, which are shallow-mount, but another poster mentioned that they had worked for him.

I sidegraded (downgraded?) to Polk db650s, which are also coaxial but a little shallower, and they mounted fine. They are a noticable improvement from the DX's stock speakers, which have a single, paper driver; the high end has much better definition now.

Hope this helps somebody!

 

[Rattlecage]

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?

I like the 625is just the way they are, and have 4 of them in my Element. I noticed that the stock speakers' screws can "Clamp" down on the outside of the 625i speaker frame, making a very snug fit. I added a washer to improve this clamping action.

I used to have some very expensive component speakers ( the R series Alpines), and having the tweeter in a seperate place than the woofer caused the soundstage to get fragmented, causing a nasty audio effect I dont care for at all. The Infinitys sounded much more coherent.

So if you do go component, try to keep the sound all coming from the same location, in my opinion.

 

[HRoark]

Pioneer TS-A1670R fit and sound great.
Recommendation for installation: I wired into the exiting honda plug by removing the STACON (Stay Connector) from the plastic plug. To do this pop the cover on the back of the connector. Mark the connector with a sharpee to designate which wire goes were for polarity. Pry open the locking mechinism on the plastic connector. Take a small flat screwdriver and release the tension/latch which secures the stacon in the plastic connector then the wiring should come free.

Take the pioneer wiring and tin the ends. Pry open the Stacon metal prongs at the insulation end of the honda wiring. Place the tined pioneer wiring along the metal shaft of the stacon on the inside, opposite of the notched area which holds the stacon inplace in the connector. Close the prongs around new wire making a bundle of the existing and new wire. Insure the tined wire is laying flat against the stacon. Solder the new wire in place then trim any excess that may prevent re-insertion into the connector. insuring the proper polarity, replace the wiring back into the plastic connector and close all covers. The Pioneer wires should now trace out of the connector just like the Honda wires. Place the Pioneer wiring on the new speakers as Pioneer recommends.

To mount the speaker, I used the original three screws but did NOT used the original holes. There were three alternate holes about 10 degrees offset for the original holes; mounting was solid and easy.

Honda Plastic grill snap back in place.

 

[Type X]

i just picked up a set of 4 Boston Acoustics FX-6 h's
special shallow mounts for honda's

popped RIGHT in the element
i used my own self tapping screws and had to turn them a tad to get them in
front covers went right back on

rears did to BUT to get them OEM perfect on the inside lip i had to trim off a tad

WHOLE install w/ trimming from start to finish was MAYBE 30 min

super easy

i picked up the set of 4 for 180 cash no tax locally
and sound MINT
me = super pleased

ENjoy!
- Mike

 

[dmclone]

I also went with the Pioneer Pioneer TS-A1670R's. I couldn't find a wire adapter so I just sodered everything up. Be aware the all doors have two wires except the drivers door which has 4 wires.
They sound great. I was noticing with the old speakers that once you got about 3 lines from the top they would peter out. These new ones allow you to go all the way and still sound good. I got them for $92 (4 speakers) from Ultimate Electronics.

 

[Cappucino]

Re: Carpets do cut noise

Bought some 6.5" Pioneer TS-G1640R speakers in the front ($45 pluys free shipping from CC). They fit perfectly fine, already had three holes lined up for the screws. Didn't even have to cut off the plastic guides from the stock speakers...the pioneers had a little lip on them that went directly over the plastic guides.

I just bought 4 Pioneer TS-G1670R's ($100 for all 4, including S&H off Ebay), a Clarion Head Unit (DB345MP) mp3/cd player (from Crutchfield), and a Rockford Fosgate amp wiring kit (I already own a Bazooka 8" powered tube). I'm hoping I can get everything working good. I really didn't want to replace the whole system, but while the stock setup was ok (plus I loved the fact that the factory sub is in the bottom of the console), I wanted more, my stereo in my RAM spoiled me and I can never go back.

Wish me luck on my install, I'm hoping everything is in by the weekend.


-C

 

[Pookies]

I just put in two pairs of Infinity 6002SI. They are only 1 7/8 inches deep and do not require removing any original plastic. I used the mounting rings in the back. I had to dril some small pilot holes in the plastic because to mount the ring. In the front I cut off the mounting tabs and just mounted the speakers by drilling some new holes in the plastic. The screws that came with the speakers are too long and hit some of the door structure. You can buy shorter ones, or just cut them shorter. I purchased my 4 for $89 a pair at circuit city.

It sounds drastic, but a 1/16 of an inch drill bit and a screwdriver are all that is required. I am using the stock head unit and amp

 

[Wamba]

Sorry, I posted this in the Audio section as a separate topic, sorry.

I installed the Infinity 6002si speakers in the four door locations. No cutting or special modifications. I did not use the rigns provided with the speaker, bolted them directly, had to drill a couple small holes for the screws to set in as the pattern on the original speakers uses three screws, the 6002si's use 4.

Factory covers fit with no problem.

These units are currently on sale at Circuit City (12/27/04). They also have the 6002i units, but I'm not sure of the difference in depth.

The sound improvement is outstanding. (Kind of a crime to see the cheap paper speakers that come standard.) Mid range, voices, and instrumentation all is much cleaner, as well as improved bass response.

 

[Theelements]

so if i bought 4 6.5 speakers... they would fit right!

 

[SteveO]

Yes, theelements, conceivably they will fit, unless they're too deep. See other posts on what models fit best and you can glean the max depth that'll fit.

 

[StewPiddass]

Ok, has anyone gotten Image Dynamics Chameleons (6.5") in the front doors of an E? I'm funny this way, I have these speakers and won't buy a car they don't fit in... they are pretty deep...

 

[paulj]

Some deep speakers will still fit - if you cut out plastic cone in the door panel. I think Infinity speaks often require this.
paulj

 

[breitlingdj]

So, from what I can tell, I haven't read any posts concerning massive, powered, serious audio systems. I have the plan under works for purchasing my E, and am starting to put together a system that will be installed for me by a good friend who is a professional installer.

-Alpine CDA-9855 Head Unit & 6-Disc CD Changer
-Alpine iPod Adapter thing - allows the HU to control the iPod
-Infinity Perfect 6.1 6.5" Component Kit Front
-Infinity Kappa 63.5i 6.5" Coaxials Rear
-Infinity Perfect 12.1d DVC 12" Subwoofer
-Infinity Reference 7541a 111w x 4 Amp
-Infinity Reference 610a 456w x 1 Sub Amp
-All Monster Z2 Reference Speaker Cables
-Tsunami Power Capacitor of some sort
-Q-Logic Sealed Sub Box
-Enough Dynamat to cover a small planet

This stuff (minus the Dynamat and Cable) will be sitting on my garage floor in about two weeks, and literally the DAY I pick up my '05 E (NBP) it is going to his shop for paint, light upgrades, possibly a coil-over suspension, Baer/Alcon Brakes, and 20"x8.5" wheels - black with polished lips (Hopefully, HRE 546r's) with whatever camber correction is needed.

I can't bloody wait for all this to happen, it'll be rad.

:evil:

 

[MTP]

Tons of good info in this thread.
I am interested in swapping out the 4 speakers only to use with the stock EX HU (with cd), stock sub-woofer and tweeters.

Will that cause a problem down the line? I mostly listen to my ipod through the system.

Any advice on which speakers to get? If I decide to go 6-1/2:
I am thinking of either the Polk db650s or the TS-G1640Rs and getting a set of the speaker adapters.
However, if I stick with the 5-1/2 Polk db525 seem to be on the higher end for more power (4-45rms).

Also notice no-one mentions using dynamat to try and keep in the music and the noise out. Any reason why?

Lastly no-one mentions how to get to the speakers in the doors, I haven't looked yet, but I am curious how hard it is to pop the panels off.

I remember the pain the in ass plastic clips on my old trucks door panels.

 

[special k]

I bought the Pioneer TS-G1340R (5 1/4") for both front and rear. Got them from crutchfield, scratch and dent (which turned out to be just an open box taped back up). Came with adapter plates and honda wiring harnesses free. $40/pr. Regular of $50 per pair. Marked improvement over the factory speakers. Took 3 days (including over a weekend) to get. Had them installed in about 30 minutes.

 

[special k]

MTP, the speaker covers popped off without using any tool. just grab an edge and pop them out by hand, they snap back in no problem either.

 

[ChrisD]

I popped the speaker grills off with a plastic ice scraper, no damage.

I think that you will have more room to install larger speakers in the rear doors as opposed to the front doors since there is no window drop clearance issue. I've installed Infinity reference 6002i's in the front doors with very minimal plastic cutting. It seems to me that the tweeters in these speakers out shine the stock speakers in the A pillars. The speakers where $78 shipped from Crutchfield. I'm looking for rear speakers with more bass and better tweeters for the pillars. Any suggestions will be appreciated.

 

[meuzick]

I am in the process of transferring my system into the Element. So far, I have installed MMATS PRO 6.5's in the front doors, and 5.5's in the rear doors.
I had to cut out the plastic "bowls" in the front doors to accomodate the big magnets, and BEWARE... Do not let your crossovers "lay" in the hollow of the front doors because water definitely gets in there, mount them up and away from that area. I lost one X-over so far.
That being said, I still need to install the head unit, XM antennae, XM receiver, Sub amp, and my 2x10" bass box. (I have no idea where I am going to put that).
Any suggestions?? I have someone telling me to build a custom mount where the spare tire is. Hmmm.. :?
And BTW, thanks all for your help, fog lights look awesome, put 'em in today!