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MMpridenjoy
03-04-2003, 08:51 AM
Hello. This post is for the people who have not upgraded their speakers in the MM yet. This post is also in reponse to an earlier post I read where a gentlemen said "if you have never changed or taken off door skins before, don't do it". Forget that! I can personally tell you that it is NOT hard. If you have never done this, then I will guide you through the install. Go for it....do it yourself.

First, I picked up two pairs of the Kenwood eXcelon KFC-X688C 2-way speakers. If you can spare the cash for these, buy them! These speakers are top notch and sound unbelievable. I promise you will not be disappointed. So when you are ready, lets begin.

1. The rear speakers are very easy and really need no explaining here. Simply lift up the grills from inside the car and then take the four phillips head screws out and swap the speakers. Put the grills back on and you are done. Installation time: 12 Minutes.

2. The fronts need a little more patience, but are not hard to change. Tools Needed: A nut driver with some bit attachments. You will need a 3/16, 9/32, torx bit, and flathead. Below is a picture of the only tools you will need.

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid53/p7a2c6d98ef4be0c62eb9b3e2ff6f5 b0a/fc8e0908.jpg

3. Now we will locate the screws that must come off to remove the door skin. You will find two 9/32 screws under the bottom of the skin. One 9/32 screw hidden under the switch assembly. And finally, one torx screw behind the door release under the cap.

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid53/p1924c26114152e70a4d51930b09ae 1cf/fc8e0824.jpg

4. Begin by removing the two 9/32 screws underneath the door skin on the bottom. Just take a look down there, you will see them. Next, use the flathead and gently pry the cap off behind the door handle. Use a torx bit and remove the screw behind the cap.

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid53/p19f56961c5b53c4a9f8fabf46e4e6 ab9/fc8e0823.jpg

Now we have to remove the switch assembly cover that is in the door. Use your flathead and gently lift up the front of the assembly so you can grab it with your fingers. Lift the panel up gently from the front and make sure to slide the assembly forward and out. Be carefull: There is a clip underneath that I broke off. See below.

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid53/p7fb270bc0585df4fe73ba713ea49b 292/fc8e0822.jpg

Here is the piece I am talking about that I snapped.
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid53/p3e2abf8f2210ed96d5f62bec23243 975/fc8e0821.jpg

Finally, you will see the 9/32 screw that is underneath. Just get in there and remove it.

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid53/p8fa732637494e7c16b201555140fa ceb/fc8e081f.jpg

Thats all there is to it as far as removing screws. If you removed more than 4 screws, you are wrong!

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid53/p1c2e5aa84cdbb7105c490f0a56a52 f5e/fc8e081e.jpg

5. Then we have to remove the triangle piece up towards the top of the door skin. This is not hard, just try to be as gentle as you can. Use the flathead again and pry the top of the piece away, so you can get your fingers under. Carefully pull the top away and out, remembering that the bottom of the piece slides up and out. Be carefull: if you just pull that piece straight out, you might snap the clip off the very bottom of the piece itself.

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid53/p388d9914bc11bf963c3524b4f7581 ab2/fc8e081c.jpg

6. Now you are ready to remove the door skin (or pull it away anyway). Carefully pull the door skin out and up to get it to come off. There are hooks on the inside that just lift up and out (NOT those pain in the *** door snaps that they use to use). Just rest the skin out of the way so you can have access to the speaker.

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid53/p750810be0c3cb0670b35292d59754 eb1/fc8e081b.jpg

7. You can now take the old speaker out by the four 3/16 screws holding them in. Unclip the old speaker and throw it in the trash (cause it aint worth CRAP!). Well, do what you will with them. Here is where you must take those same four 3/16 screws and cut them in half for the new speakers so you do not bind the speaker mount. I used a dremel and just grinded off half the screw. Use a hacksaw if you do not have a dremel. Finally, place the new speaker in, hook up your speaker leads, and screw it back in place.

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid53/pcb9fb436451f5ad50dc97702bea96 888/fc8e081a.jpg

NOTE: I used the clip adapters that just clip on to the factory wiring so you do not have to cut the ford factory speaker clip. Harness used: Metra 72-5600 turbowire harness. These are nice clips, but be carefull. The clips have a 4 inch lead on them. I screwed up by soldering the Metra on and having a four inch clip hanging. When I clipped on the factory plug, the speaker wires were all together too long inside of the door when I put the skin back on. This caused the window to interfere with the wire everytime I put the window up and down. On the drivers side it literally ripped the lead off the speaker and I had to take the door all the down to get to the speaker and fix the problem. What I did was, I cut the leads down on the Metra and just about soldered the clip onto the speaker terminals. Put everything back and was good to go.

8. Now you are ready to put the skin back on. It is the same procedure in reverse to get the skin on. Just take your time and it will button up the same way it came off. Put the screws back in place along with the other pieces you had to remove.

The pictures shown are of the passenger side door skin. The drivers side skin is exactly the same to remove. THATS IT!! You are Rockin' now! It is not hard at all to do as you can see. So get out your tools and GO FOR IT! You will be very happy when you are done when you realize how much those factory speakers suck. And you will be glad you did not pay some guy to rip your doors apart. Good luck! If I can help in any other way, drop me a line and I would be happy to give a hand. Take it easy- MMpridenjoy.

O's Fan Rich
03-04-2003, 08:57 AM
Now that is excellent!
Thanks:beer:

RF Overlord
03-04-2003, 09:03 AM
pridenjoy:

THANK YOU!!!!!
I was procrastinating on putting new speakers in for the very reason you just addressed...the door skins (I knew the rears were easy).

Thanks for a very well-written and detailed post, especially the pix... :up: :up:

I am now going to log on to Crutchfield and order my speakers... :D

MMpridenjoy
03-04-2003, 09:07 AM
Good for you RF... my pleasure. You will be loving it when you are done. Good luck!

Macon Marauder
03-04-2003, 09:08 AM
Excellent tutorial! Thanks MMpridenjoy.

MMpridenjoy
03-04-2003, 10:39 AM
Also, for those who are interested in these speakers, the Kenwood eXcelon KFC-X688C, you will find a decent price here at Online Car Stereo....$109.00 with free shipping.

Click Here: Kenwood eXcelon KFC-X688C $109.00 (http://www.onlinecarstereo.com/caraudio/product.asp?sku=11580)

....OR....

You can pay too much at Crutchfield...$149.99

Click here for TOO much. (http://www.crutchfield.com/S-Iz9Lj6bP1jR/cgi-bin/ProdView.asp?i=113KFCX688)

Take it easy, MMpridenjoy.

RF Overlord
03-04-2003, 10:47 AM
...OR...

You can get a good deal at Crutchfield...just bought the same speakers toddalanfisher installed (Infinity REF5752CF), normally $99.99/pair on sale for $69.99/pair...with all the instructions and adapters... :D

martyo
03-04-2003, 11:05 AM
Sure MMprideenjoy, where were ya before i skinned my knuckles looking for that screw hidden under the arm rest???

Just kidding! GREAT JOB!! That's what this place is all about!

Now if we could settle that dispute over the sub woofer scotch brite.....J/K!

MMpridenjoy
03-04-2003, 11:11 AM
I am with you RF...that does look like a good deal at Crutchfield for those Infinitys. And I am in no way bashing Crutchfield (I have ordered stuff from them). Again, keep in mind sometimes you get what you pay for. Although the Infinity is a good speaker, the Kenwood, when comparing specs, shows to be a higher caliper speaker. But the drawback is that, yes, it is more expensive. When I decided to invest in speakers, I knew that the head unit that came with MM would stay. It is an impressive unit. But I also knew that I was gonna shell out a little more and treat her right with a FAT pair of noisemakers!

martyo
03-04-2003, 11:18 AM
MM: The Excelons are great speakers and I too would give them the nod over the Infinitys (I have the Infinitys in a different application). Spent the day driving yesterday. Shhhweeeet! Oddly enough, I could not hear my cell phone ringing!!

RF: Remember, my experience with the Infinitys is that they need to break in. That means you can't listen to that Britney Spears stuff you usually listen to.

MMpridenjoy
03-04-2003, 11:49 AM
OK, well, maybe I am bashing Crutchfield here. After looking around and researching the best price on the Infinity mentioned above, I am kinda down on Crutchfield now. They (Crutchfield) advertise the Infinity on Sale now for $69.99 from the usual $99.99. The funny thing is after looking for these speakers elsewhere, I found the average price for the Infinity to be $60.00 and that is the NORMAL price NOT a sale.

Click Here for Infinity $59.99. (http://www.etronics.com/product.asp?stk_code=inf5752cf&SVBName=215)

Now the bashing...Crutchfield implies you are getting a "deal"...I beg to differ! I believe now that Crutchfield is OVERPRICED.

RF Overlord
03-04-2003, 11:59 AM
pride:

Sorry, didn't mean to sound like I was bashing your choice of the Excelons...I'm sure they're great...I just don't need an Aerosmith concert at actual volume in my car, all I want is something a bit better than stock...if I don't like the Infinitys, Crutchfield will take them back in 30 days, no questions asked. Then y'all can say "we told you so"...

MMpridenjoy
03-04-2003, 12:04 PM
Hey, I was in no way even thinking you were bashing anything. Its always cool here at the Jersey Shore. More than just thinking in regards to volume of the speaker (I am not interested in how loud they boom), I mostly looked at the frequency response (how much sound I would actually hear) and determined they were the right ones for me. And I am in no way bashing Infinity either, they make fine quality stuff. Man, I am just down on Crutchfield now.

MassMarauder
03-04-2003, 12:17 PM
I LOVE this site! :bows:

jgc61sr2002
03-04-2003, 02:27 PM
MMpridenjoy - Thank you for the excellent thread. It makes a pro out of an amateur. John:D

RCSignals
03-04-2003, 03:08 PM
On the 300B there is a fifth screw at the back of the door panel. Hex head

Fourth Horseman
03-04-2003, 03:26 PM
Yes, excellent work with the photos and all. I was going to wait till spring / early summer to do this, but now I'm thinking I should just make this my weekend project.

gonzo50
03-04-2003, 04:08 PM
MMpridenjoy: Man, I can't wait for you to start the Woofer Project. That is a well detailed breakdown on parts and components needed to tackle this task on the speakers. Excellent !! :up:

vaderv
03-04-2003, 04:32 PM
MMprideenjoy where did you get those clips u mentioned? Also thanks alot for the door tech. ; )

joflewbyu2
03-04-2003, 04:41 PM
i went with the kenwood kfc-6808c - 3 way speakers. these have the same 10.1 ounce magnet and have a separate midrange and tweeter for clear mids and crisper highs. the cones are also mica filled poly that withstand the moisture better - especially in the doors than the front treated paper cones of the excelons. retail is $99 and can find them for approx. $60 on ebay. my next best bet would be the older pioneer ts-a6875 3 ways or the ts-a6895 compression horn speakers. those pioneers use poly cones too.

MMpridenjoy
03-04-2003, 05:25 PM
I appreciate all the positive feedback I am getting for this post. I have used plenty of other posts for valuable information. I'm glad I could return the favor to the members.

Anyway, the "clips" I used some guys are saying you can get at Best Buys and stores of that nature. I took the lazyman's route and ordered two pair online here:

Clich here for Metra adapters (http://www.sfxaudio.com/products/dispItem.asp?ProdId=95021)

The three way Kenwoods mentioned are quite comparable to the ones I installed. I'll bet they sound just as good.

As far as there being a fifth screw that is mentioned on the 300B, you guys got me on that one. As you can see I am running a 300A. And for those who don't know what they have....just look for that fifth screw mentioned anyway. Again, mine did not have that extra fifth screw.

Take it easy, MMpridenjoy

Donald
03-04-2003, 07:37 PM
BIG question!!

The replacements appear to be oval. What size and shape are the OEM speakers?

joflewbyu2
03-04-2003, 07:55 PM
The three way Kenwoods mentioned are quite comparable to the ones I installed. I'll bet they sound just as good.

MAYBE EVEN BETTER - IMHO. more detail. to each their own taste, different strokes for different folks. great pics and instructions. i did it the hard way. looked for the screws, scratched my head then my as* and 45 minutes later the driver's panel was off. the passenger's panel only took 5 minutes thou.

RF Overlord
03-04-2003, 07:59 PM
Donald:

The "official" size is 6x8, but a lot of speakers are listed as 6x8/5x7, they'll fit either application...6x8 is a kind of weird Ford/Mazda size, not much used anywhere else...

martyo
03-04-2003, 10:12 PM
Donald: They are oval as well.

gja
03-09-2003, 04:25 PM
I feel it is only fair to point out those wonderful, nifty adapters from Metra have REVERSED POLARITY !!!!

The connectors for positive and negative are swapped. Don't believe me? Do this simple test. Take a single battery and make note of the polarity.
Using two leads place a lead from the negative of the battery to one of the speakers inputs. Then touch the other to the remaining lead and observe the direction of the cone movement. If it makes an outward excursion (thrust) the polarity is correct as you have the leads, if it heas down,inward toward the magnet the polarity is reversed.

If the Metras are coded as I think they are, they intend the black to be the negative terminal and the white is supposed to be the positive, unfortunately on the OEM harness the positive resides on the clip side, where Metra has the negative....OOOPPS.

CRUZTAKER
03-09-2003, 04:33 PM
I'll go put a meter on the OEM wires with the radio on tomorrow, that's definately an issue.

Effster
03-09-2003, 04:35 PM
gja,,you are correc t......and win the thousand dollar prize!The metra,and the connectors from crotchfield have REVERSE polarity.I know this from doin the speaker swap myself this weekend.If you even need to check speakers or polarity,use an AA battery.Then cone should move out towards the frame,not in towards the magnet.Hense ,the black leads labeled ground - should go on the positive lead on the speaker.

Fourth Horseman
03-09-2003, 11:46 PM
Did the speaker swap this weekend and it went like a snap. I had the old speakers out and four new Boston Acoustic FX8s in with less than two hours of work.

This guide made it easy. Thanks again!

joflewbyu2
03-10-2003, 07:19 AM
Fourth Horseman, notice any improvement? i did the change and am now use to the improvement. i noticed that when i unplug the amp in the trunk for the 6.75" rear sub, the 4 speakers seemed to be underpowered. i am now thinking of replacing the radio witha pioneer mosfet 50 unit or alpine mosfet 60w. i believe this will give the speakers the power they need to make them shine. i have efficient speakers too, sensitivity is 92 db. anyone replace the head unit without adding an external amp yet? did the radio power make a difference?

Fourth Horseman
03-10-2003, 09:22 AM
Yes, I noticed a pretty big improvement. Mostly I notice how much clearer the sound is. I didn't mess with the head unit, amp or sub woofer at all. Just ripped the four stock speakers out and put the new ones in.

The only thing that I did notice this morning on the commute to work was that it sounded like my sub was thumping harder than before. Could just be the extra bass from the new speakers is tricking me. I actually had to turn the bass down a bit.

RF Overlord
03-10-2003, 09:37 AM
For anyone concerned about reversed polarity on the speaker adaptors:

As long as all 4 speakers are connected the same, there is no acoustic difference. Whether a positive voltage produces an outward or an inward motion of the cone is irrelevant. The Infinitys I bought have different sized lugs for the + and the -, so you can't just swap the leads. It's certainly not worth cutting and re-soldering the adaptors, or taking everything apart if they're already installed.

The only time there would be a problem would be if one or more speakers were connected out of phase with the others. As long as you use all the same brand adaptors, it's not an issue.

WolfeBros
03-10-2003, 10:37 AM
^^^ He speaks the truth......old wiseone that he is ^^^^:rasta:

CRUZTAKER
03-10-2003, 03:32 PM
Originally posted by RF Overlord
Whether a positive voltage produces an outward or an inward motion of the cone isirrelevent ...........

There you go RF.

You beat me to the punch. Actually I did the test this afternoon on a break that will shed some light.........

I disconnected the easiest speaker to get to, left rear. I used a meter to check polarity (DCV) at the harness. After a voltage reading, the meter will indicate a positive (+) or a (-) voltage. I just look at my meter leads and the display, and I know EXACTLY the correct polarity. All the equipment I install in a telephone central offices operates on a
-48v buss. And with 60 amps on some of the $70K+ systems, I HAVE to know which lead is the load, and which is the return (aka GRD). A/C circuits utilize phase, not DC circuits.

All this aside, the results are as follows:

The radio and speakers in the MM operates on +12VDC. The wires on the OEM harness I checked (L-Rear), BRN/YEL is the load (+12VDC) and the blue is the return (-12VDC). The Metra harness has the White on the OEM'S load (brn/yel), and the black on the OEM's return (blu). As far as the instructions on my speakers, and the two different size female spade terminal connectors, THIS WOULD BE CORRECT.

Conclusion= There is nothing wrong with my Metra harness, nor the way it is connected to my speakers.

A little note that most high power audiophiles realize: The current flows reverse what you might think. The flow is from your ground connection to the equipment. This is why, when I power up some huge amps, I generally keep the ground cable as short as possible, and 3-4 times thickness of the associated load wire.

My last setup utilized a #4 load (because of high DC amps and the length of the run to the trunk) ran to a dist. box >to four #8's, and a whopping 1/0 for the ground

joflewbyu2
03-10-2003, 04:40 PM
CRUZTAKER, you are correct. i checked this too after hearing the wrong info. i looked at the rear of the speakers (both the OEM and KENWOODS) to check the order of positve feed and negative return from both the oem plug and the metra harness connected to the OEM plug. both were correct with negative being on the left.

GarageMahal
03-10-2003, 05:11 PM
So... who can copy the original post to the "reviews" section? I think it deserves nothing short of this honor.

jta

gja
03-10-2003, 05:24 PM
Ok, whatever...too bad audio signals are AC based not DC.
I will NOT start a pissing match gentlemen, but I am an electronics engineer. You CANNOT use a VTVM or AC_DC/vm to correctly show the polarity of an AC circuit. Care to debate?, forget it. I can point you to several online IEEE articles explaining this. I am a lousy teacher, I like to discuss only with folks in my arena and at my level. This is a privilege I have earned through many hard years of work.

RF...with all due esteem and respect, you need to rethink your response, a speaker is designed specifically as a POSTITVE DISPLACEMENT device. They are meant to move air in a specific manner, and evey speaker manufacturer I have ever used drivers from specifies a positive excursion as part of the operating spec. Sorry, you are flat wrong my good friend.

Additionaly, phase cancellation is only 1 reason polarity matters. If polarity is wrong to the feed of a crossover that is a 1st order Butterworth with or without a choke on the woofer feed (which is how almost all non-component car speakers operate) [that is a single capacitor design] there can be severe charge/decay timing impacts. This,again gives rise to phase errors due to timing delta(difference).

Cruz, you are quite off the mark here by using such a simple method to determine correct polarity. I stated I used the old-time battery test, but that was only to see which leads to the OEM speakers were in which polarity phase. I know polarity of the leads from the radio, that was because I PULLED the headunit out and checked !!!!!!!!!!
I may use laymen tests for simple stuff, but a Tektronix and Dynascan storage 'scope are just a few feet down from where I have my ham (amateur radio) gear. I have been at this a long time boys, let's get ALL the facts before assuming.

Everyone....do as you wish. I will post NO MORE on this. I like to be paid for consulting normally, and I will not corrupt my hobby further with my line of work coming into it.

Humbly submitted.......

TAF
03-10-2003, 05:29 PM
I just went to Circuit City and had them deal with this :censor:

You guys lost me a LONG time ago...
:banana: :lol: :up:

RF Overlord
03-10-2003, 05:35 PM
Originally posted by gja

RF...with all due esteem and respect, you need to rethink your response, a speaker is designed specifically as a POSTITVE DISPLACEMENT device. They are meant to move air in a specific manner, and evey speaker manufacturer I have ever used drivers from specifies a positive excursion as part of the operating spec. Sorry, you are flat wrong my good friend.
Humbly submitted.......

OK. But I fail to see what difference it makes if the positive half-cycle of a sine wave causes an inward movement of the cone, and vice versa for the negative half-cycle...all that would do is create a 180° phase shift, which would not be important unless another speaker were wired in the opposite manner in the same acoustic space. Since the audio played back in our cars is not "real time", there is no such thing as absolute phase, only relative phase from channel-to-channel.

TAF
03-10-2003, 05:38 PM
HOLY *****!!!

Who pushed RF's "button"? That sounded like straight out of "Hal"...

gja
03-10-2003, 05:52 PM
RF Overlord said:
"which would not be important unless another speaker were wired in the opposite manner in the same acoustic space"

one word....WOOFER.
Bingo.
Wanna test it as I did?...go here http://www.ymec.com/hp/signal2/check02.htm
And here for why polarity/excursion matters:
http://www.positive-feedback.com/Issue1/cjwoodeffect.htm

RF Overlord
03-10-2003, 06:16 PM
I did not include the SUB-woofer in my statement, as, although it operates in the same acoustic space, it operates in a separate "frequency space" which reduces the interactions between it and the "regular" full-range speakers.

CRUZTAKER
03-10-2003, 06:18 PM
Damnnnnnn,

I did it again. Prepare for LOCKDOWN, get your 2 cents in while you can:P

GJA: I am NO TEACHER, nor authority on this....Can't keep up with all that jargon.......we only use T-Birds to test DS3 transmission loss. Can't check a radio with that. I only know power and broadband.....Therefore you win.

As long as we are all satisfied; Run with it :burnout:

PS: Woofer is MONO

WolfeBros
03-10-2003, 06:43 PM
For these speakers in this application I fail to see where RF gave improper advice. I too changed out my rear deck speakers and knew exactly what RF meant in his post. The sub-woofer was never touched nor mentioned so the polarity difference at the cross over didn't occur. Gja speaking down to an audience is never a good way to convey your point. You were right in everything you said technically but it sure came across the wrong way. We are all here to learn and help where we can.
I'm done.......next.

RF Overlord
03-10-2003, 06:56 PM
That pic under your sig looks mighty familiar, WolfeBros...or should I say SergntWolfe...

:lol:

WolfeBros
03-10-2003, 06:59 PM
Where do ya think he got it ?? LOL
I found it somewhere and brought it to a thread here.
I was tickled to see the Sarge using it. I have been wanting to put it in my sig line and finally just figured out how.
I am hoping that you and the Sarge and others will use it too.
Kind of like us old guys sticking together..... :up:

edited note: RF was talking about the Mercury Marauder Logo that Sarge was using.......I have since changed to the WolfHead logo.
The trouble is not in your set. :rolleyes:

Effster
03-10-2003, 08:35 PM
im still with gja,,the polarity is reversed.do the battery test and look at the plugs,,its backwards.i had to check it 3 times myself just to make sure i wasnt off in left field.and btw,,woofers move out,,not in.i dont care how the system is wired.

MMpridenjoy
03-10-2003, 10:09 PM
"Can't we all just get along??????"

Slowpoke
03-15-2003, 04:41 PM
Today I took advantage of the warm weather to install the Infinity Reference speakers....

A few observations.. MAKE SURE YOU HAVE A 'STUBBY' [SHORT] PHILLIPS SCREWDRIVER IN ADDTION TO A REGULAR SIZE ONE. It will make removing the screws on the rear deck much easier. there are 4 screws in each speaker and the two closest to the rear window are impossible to remove with a regular size screwdriver because the window is in the way.

the instructions were excellent. the only problem i had was that i did not tighten the hex-head screws on the front driver speaker tight enough and it rattled... i had to remove the door panel again to check to see what the problem was.

as mentioned before, i WAS able to get at that FOAM piece by lifting the deck once i removed the rear speaker and wedge my stubby fingers in there to grab it. The piece is sorta star shaped and almost 1 inch thick!! no wonder my subwoofer sounded so mumbled . I still have a slight rattle when i play music really loudly - i will take another piece of foam and wedge it between the deck and the frame now that i know how easy it is to remove the rear speaker grills.

Also, am I the ONLY person to hit their head on the top corner of the front door?? I got a nice cut at the top of my head near my eye. looks like I got hit with an ice pick - got blood on the dashboard, etc. blood came off easily.

An hour after i cut my face on the door, my dad [i did installation at parent's house since i do not have a place to work on my car] came out to check on me; he reached down to hand me a screwdriver and BLAMMO, he hit his forehead on the top corner of the same door. I cracked up as the blood rolled down his forehead!! I am still laughing about it. Mrs. 'Poke thought it was funny too since we look exactly alike except he is 25 yrs older than me.

anyway, speakers sound awesomes...makes a hell of a difference and highly reccomended. Rear speakers took 30 minutes to install - would have been only 15 minutes but it took some time to get than foam out. Front speakers took 3 hours including removing the panel the second time and cleaning up the blood from cutting myself.

rock on.....

gja
03-15-2003, 04:45 PM
And I quote from the movie Tommyboy
"That's gonna leave a mark"

RF Overlord
03-15-2003, 05:48 PM
Originally posted by gja
And I quote from the movie Tommyboy
"That's gonna leave a mark"

Also said in "Spaceballs"... ROFL!

CRUZTAKER
03-15-2003, 06:01 PM
Also said by my neighbors 3 year old daughter.............

She is TOO sharp!

WolfeBros
03-15-2003, 07:04 PM
Now let me get this straight........poke got poked by his car ??
Then Pokes pop got poked ?? That makes plural pokes if you include pokes pop. I gotta lie down again......that guy hitting me with the lol sign all day gives me a BIG headache........:lol:

RF Overlord
03-15-2003, 07:16 PM
WolfeBros:

I think it's YOU hitting the bottle of Jim Beam all day that gave you the headache...

:P :D

MAD-3R
03-15-2003, 07:40 PM
HEY!!!
I got jammed next to the eye today TOO!!. Car was up on stands doing the stat, and I leaned into the door, and it bit me!!!!

Guess it was the day for it.

Slowpoke
03-15-2003, 07:50 PM
Now let me get this straight........poke got poked by his car ??
Then Pokes pop got poked ?? That makes plural pokes if you include pokes pop. I gotta lie down again......


yeah... that's why i posted it...it is too funny!

martyo
03-15-2003, 09:45 PM
'Poke: Check your door label and see if your car is the "Christine" model......

darebren
03-27-2003, 05:09 PM
has anyone upgraded their amp?

MMpridenjoy
05-26-2003, 10:55 PM
Was wondering if anyone has replaced the amp yet????

BigMerc
05-27-2003, 09:06 AM
I installed the speakers and it feels like I lost some volume, which was traded for clarity. I have terrific sound but I am going to have to up the amp to make up for the volume loss. P.S. MMpridenjoy those were absolutely terrific instructions

MMpridenjoy
05-27-2003, 08:39 PM
My pleasure bigmerc!

Mikeenh
07-03-2003, 02:57 PM
MMpridenjoy,
THANK YOU!!!! I just installed 4 Infinity 6802cf speakers in my MM. Without your instructions, I'd be all day doing this instead of a little more than an hour. I used the Turbowire #72-5600 speaker wire adapters (2pr @ $5.99 pr) from Best Buy. The Torx screwdiver is a #27.
They sound great. Thanks again.

Mike

MMpridenjoy
07-05-2003, 12:50 PM
Glad to help...this is what it is all about here!

Glenn
09-21-2003, 12:53 PM
Thanks for the speaker information. I just received my new Infinity speakers for the rear. I need some help. Most of the speaker replacements are for the 300A. I have not read any rear speaker replacements for the 300B. Can you provide me any detailed information on removing the rear package shelf to get to the speakers or steer me in the right direction for help. Another change for the 300B which no one mentions is the cloth covering over the rear speakers versus easily removable grills for the 300A.

Glenn

67435animal
09-26-2003, 04:51 AM
Glenn, I have an A so I cannot help you. Does the cloth cover the individual speakers or does it cover the whole package tray?

I installed Pioneer 6x8 speakers (TS-A6880R) in my 300A that sound many times better than the stock ones in the rear. The vibration problem that I had originally seems to have disappeared as well (probably as a result of installing the new speakers). For now, I am leaving the ones in the doors alone. I will replace them eventually.

Bob

Glenn
09-26-2003, 10:02 AM
The cloth covers the entire package tray. I would like to get a copy of the directions from the MM Shop Manual on the package tray removing procedure. But, the manual is very expensive.

Glenn

67435animal
09-26-2003, 01:22 PM
Glenn,

Looks pretty easy:

1. Remove the center stop light screws (2).
2. Disconnect the stoplamp connector.
3. Remove the 2 stoplamp brackets - looks like they just clip in place.
4. Remove the 2 pin type retainers in front of each speaker.
5. Pull the shelf up and in toward you.
6. Replace speakers (did you buy the wiring harness adapters?? Circuit City has them and Best Buy does as well. You'll need a pair before you do this.)

That's all Ford wrote.


BOB

GarageMahal
09-26-2003, 04:14 PM
Originally posted by 67435animal
Glenn,

Looks pretty easy:

1. Remove the center stop light screws (2).
2. Disconnect the stoplamp connector.
3. Remove the 2 stoplamp brackets - looks like they just clip in place.
4. Remove the 2 pin type retainers in front of each speaker.
5. Pull the shelf up and in toward you.
6. Replace speakers (did you buy the wiring harness adapters?? Circuit City has them and Best Buy does as well. You'll need a pair before you do this.)

That's all Ford wrote.


BOB

I am pretty sure step one here is remove rear seat....

jta

67435animal
09-27-2003, 03:03 AM
Maybe so but, there is no mention of it.

Bob

Logan
09-27-2003, 05:40 AM
Yes, the rear seat has to come out first, which isn't that big a deal. The seat bottom pulls up and out. The seat back is attached with 4 bolts and two nuts. At that point follow the above procedure to remove the package shelf.

Glenn
09-27-2003, 12:39 PM
Thank you all very much - appreciate the help.

Glenn

67435animal
10-04-2003, 10:05 AM
I'll have to say that the rear ones were easy. The fronts would be easier without the easily snapped plastic clips. I snapped one on the driver's side arm rest. I'm gluing it back now. Also, watch for the metal clip that retains the trim piece above the door panel and opposite the mirror. I lost one down the door(*^&%^$&$&).
And, there is a fifth screw at the rear of the panel that needed to be removed as well.

Anyway, the new speakers sound much better than what was there so over the long haul, breaking a few plastic clips is not that big a deal. Just call it a learning experience.

And, the Pioneer speakers I bought have a wiring clip where I could tick the excess wire to make sure that it did not interfere with the window. At least that part worked out. And, rather than cutting screws, I bought 8 #6 x 1/2" machine screws.

Now I need some insulating material for my rears speakers to stop the package shelf, where they are mounted, from vibrating.

Bob

67435animal
10-05-2003, 08:01 AM
Thanks to Slowpoke for discovering the obvious about his subwoofer. I pulled the screen on the driver's side, and reached under there to find two big pieces of foam like material. In addition, the padding over the package tray support had already been cut (95%) to conform to the shape of the subwoofer and it was easy to pull it out. It is as if they intended to put a grill over the subwoofer and then forgot or changed their minds.

For any of you with the rattling and vibration complaint, especially when there is lots of bass, the removal of this padding should be your first step. Glenn, get this while you have the package tray out!

Anyway, to make a long story short, no more vibration, just heart thumpin' bass! And, my new Pioneer speakers sound so much better than the stock speakers. The subwoofer and amplifier are good enough for me (for now).

Now, I have to fix my inside door handles as they are both binding. I must have not set them right. And, dammit, I broke the little plastic clip (more like a tab) on the rear of the driver's door armrest and I cannot get it to stay glued for the life of me; I'll order a new one from Ford tomorrow.

Thanks to everyone who contributed to this thread. It saved me from having to figure it alll out.

**Update** I got the inside door handles to work. No need to remove the panels again. Simply remove the tabbed cover over the large bolt, loosen the bolt, and carefully push the door handle into place; done; tighten the bolt, replace the cover and your door handles, like mine, should now work.

**Update #2 - if you're a clutz like me and you break the tab on the switch housing, just order a new one. I did and for 15.00 it will look better than my trying to patch the existing one with glue (I've never found a glue that holds anyway.

Bob

GordonB
10-08-2003, 11:34 AM
To all 300B MM owners, you mean to tell me definitely that the ONLY way to replace rear speakers is to do it from INSIDE the passenger spaces in the back seat??? Meaning, there is no way to get the rear spears out from inside the trunk area? Is this a correct understanding? I am baffled by how Ford assdembled our cars.

GordonB.:confused: :(

67435animal
10-10-2003, 01:52 PM
Gordon, I assume speakers, then package tray, then seats. I suspect you could but the package tray and mount your own speaker grill. I would think that you could purchase the grills...probably from Ford.

Bob

03SILVERSTREAK
10-10-2003, 02:13 PM
I was wondering if anyone here has changed the sub with a direct aftermarket replacement . our factory sub when you crank up the volume starts to pop and flat top out . seems the sub amp is internally cranked all the way and no adjustment to turn down the power output .

GordonB
10-12-2003, 07:24 PM
67435animal,
Thank you for the assembly insight.
Come to think of it, my Lincoln MK VII has its rear speakers mounted from inside the car on the package shelf with grills on top. Tha JBL external amplifier is mounted from inside the trunk. So I guess the MM's assembly order is understandable.

GordonB.

Glenn
10-26-2003, 01:05 PM
I just installed my new Infinity 6802cf rear speakers in my 300B MM. Some installation tips -

1.) Rear seat bottom and back must come out. Two nuts for the seat belt anchors and four bolts for the rear seat back. Pull rear seat back up and release it from the spring clips.
2.) Remove two screws from either side of the rear stoplight and pull out. Unhook electrical connector.
3.) Pull two push pins from the front of the package tray and gently remove.
4.) Remove four screws per speaker (phillips) and remove speakers. Disconnect speaker wires. Insure you purchase speaker adapter cables (Metro Turbowire #72-5600). Remove the glued on speaker grills from the OEM speakers for use on the Infinity speakers.
5.) The mounting holes in the Infinity speakers need to be enlarged about 1/8" to properly mount up to the drilled holes in the metal shelf. Put OEM speakers grills on top of the new speakers (not a good fit), connect the new speaker cable adapters and screw speakers to the metal shelf.
6.) I almost forgot, remove the 1"+ thick foam rubber plug sitting on top of your subwoofer speaker.

I hope this helps other 300B owners.

Glenn

67435animal
10-26-2003, 02:06 PM
Originally posted by Glenn
I almost forgot, remove the 1"+ thick foam rubber plug sitting on top of your subwoofer speaker.

One of the most important steps since this solves the subwoofer rumbling complaint.

Congratulations, Glenn. Now you have something worth listening to!

Bob

joflewbyu2
10-26-2003, 03:07 PM
67435animal, why did you put the speaker grills on? the Kenwood KFC-6808c that I used are specific 6x8 speakers - not dual 5x7/6x8 fitment. they dropped in snug, holes lined up, and were definately larger by a thumb in length and width. Anyway, amazing what a difference they make - huh? the OEM 5x7 speakers really sucked - no highs, harsh midrange and lacking bass.

67435animal
10-26-2003, 03:28 PM
JoflewbyU2,

I put the package tray speaker grills on (I have a 300A). I did not even think to remove the speaker cover over the stock ones like Glenn did and put those on. Why would it make a difference?

And, I installed 6x8 Pioneer speakers that fit like a glove without any mods.

You sure you're not talking to Glenn?

The sound is 1000% improved.

Bob

joflewbyu2
10-26-2003, 05:20 PM
67435animal - sorry, yes I meant Glenn.

Glenn
10-26-2003, 06:15 PM
I re-installed the factory speaker grills on the new Infinity speakers to provide protection. The package tray panel is very thin and without the added speaker grill support directly underneath the panel it could be punctured and damage the speakers. (Also, the Infinity installation directions said to do it.)

Glenn

Agent M79
11-04-2003, 05:05 PM
I've got my Kenwoods and my Metras. I've read this thread front to back about 5 times now. I am going in this Saturday. I shall document the laughter, the tears, and the triumph!

67435animal
11-05-2003, 01:56 AM
Originally posted by Agent M79
I've got my Kenwoods and my Metras. I've read this thread front to back about 5 times now. I am going in this Saturday. I shall document the laughter, the tears, and the triumph!

It's actually a fun job. Just don't be a clutz like me and break anything, especially the switch bezel retained on the door! Even if you do, The Dealer can send you a new one for about 15.00.

Live and learn....and the sound is great! No rumble!

Bob

Agent M79
11-08-2003, 04:36 PM
Fronts are done.

From the thread here it was mentioned by RCSignals that the 03’ 300B has an additional hex head screw on the rear of the door panel. The ’04 300A has this as well.

Taking off the switch panels from the arm rests is a little unnerving if you are not used to pulling cars apart (like me). You do have to use a fair amount of sharp force to get the front clips to give.

Because of the multiple mentions of breaking the rear clip, I was careful enough not to break mine. With the force needed to get the front clips to release, I completely understand how the back one could break.

Once inside the door it looked pretty much the same as what MMpridenjoy had in the instructions. My vapor barrier sheet thing was not white tho, it was clear.

The speakers came out quite easy.

For whatever reason, the factory harness wire ran from the front edge of the door across the back of the factory speaker to the connector which faced the rear of the door. I could see that with the full length of the metra, there would be a lot of excess wire hanging loose in the door.

I left the terminals on my metras and routed the metra wire through a clip on the back of the speaker frame and positioned the connector to face the front edge of the door from the top of the speaker.

I connected the speaker connector from the door to the metra and then wire tired the factory harness wire to the speaker frame closest to the front of the door. This took care of the slack problem.

I tested the window clearance while the door was disassembled. It worked fine.

Now… understand I have NEVER done anything like this before…

I could not get the <long string of explicatives deleted> door panel back on. Just before 2 hours of trying had elapsed I figured the problem was the door handle. I was just not coordinated enough to get everything to go back together right and get the door handle to mate correctly with the receiver on the door.

Sooo…. I popped it out. It “hinges” at its top edge and clicks into place with some firm clips at the bottom. As soon as I got that out of the way, the panel was back on in 30 seconds (20 of which was spent lining up the door lock with it’s hole on the door).

Once the panel was on, the door handle assembly clicked right in.

I buttoned the rest of it up and did the repeat treatment to the driver door.

Everything was the same for this door except that the additional wiring did leave a little less room to work. It was difficult to align the mounting holes on the speaker properly without being able to see the bottom ones. I ended up using my wife’s compact mirror to do it and it worked great.

Once all buttons and windows on both doors were thoroughly tested, it was time for the audio test.

I was hoping for a noticeable difference. Truthfully, I thought the factory speakers were pretty good. Well… I used to anyway.

There is a big difference. The quality in the whole range of sound was seriously improved.

Both my wife and I listened as I shifted all the sound to the rear and back to the front to compare and it only took doing that once to hear a big difference. We did it a few more times just out of astonishment.

This was an excellent mod suggestion and an excellent outline. Thank you MMpridenjoy. I would not have even considered attempting this had you not posted this thread. Bravo!

Thanks to the rest of you that rounded it all out as well.

I have no idea about the polarity issue. I may be reversed or whatever but I guess I’ll never know cause I ain’t going back in there.

Tomorrow, if there is no rain, I am going to do the rear speakers.

Like the ’03 300B, my ’04 300A does not have the speaker grilles. I will have to remove the rear seat. This is ok since the factory buried one of the seat belt receivers so deep I can’t reach in to pull it out so I’ll fix that while I am in there.

Anyone had the whole back seat out yet? I’ll search it, but if you have any helpful suggestions, I’d like to hear them.

67435animal
11-09-2003, 02:46 AM
Way to go! When you come down next weekend, you can hear the sound out of my rear speakers just to get you set up to do it. Glenn has done the speaker install in the rear and has pulled out his seat. You might check with him. Make sure you remove the gray foam that has been precut over the subwoofer while you're in there.

Bob

Agent M79
11-09-2003, 04:09 PM
Backs are done.

I did contact Glenn and he was able to fill me in on the specifics of getting the back seat removed. Thanks to Glenn!

The seat cushion does simply lift out with some effort. Needed a pretty good effort but you will hear and feel a POP at about the center of each side where the hooks are.

Now in my car, I assumed that the left side seat belt receiver was folded up under the seat somehow and I just couldn’t reach it to pull it out. It didn’t worry me since I knew I would be in there to do the speakers.

Well guess what… it’s not there! It’s not like it was there and then was removed (like QA saw a problem with it and sent it back). The stud it would mount to is pristine and has never had anything on it. So they didn’t put it in and QA (if any) didn’t spot it.

The seat back on the ’04 300A is held by only 2 bolts. Those are the ones at either side that double as the seat belt anchors. The other 4 bolts are for the child safety restraint anchors and on the ’04 300A are not attached to or anchor the seat back in any way.

Let me tell you a little something about those 2 bolts that do hold the seat back in. Those <long string of explicatives deleted> bolts are a pain.

I think they are fine when they are installed but I think they crimp them to make sure they never work loose. I do not know what size they are supposed to be, but they crimp one side to 11/16th. The others are a little bigger than that. This crimp means the bolt bites the stud all the way up until it is removed.

Once I had the bolts off, I could see indents about 1/8th to 1/4th of an inch from the top down on the 11/16th sides of the bolts. The threaded hole is obviously oval in shape.

Center stop lamp and associated hardware came out as described. The package shelf came out easily. Almost thought the C-pillar covers might have to come out but the shelf slide out from under them with a little bit of convincing.

The speakers came out and new ones went in effortlessly.

I had the scotch-brite foam thingie in my subwoofer too. I took that out.

Everything went back in exactly as it came out, only faster since I now understood it all.

Those… those… heinous bolts took too long cause of that.. that.. crimp thing. GRRR!

Once the discs realign in my back, I’ll post a few pics.

Thanks again everyone for contributing to this mod. I never would have taken it on if not for all the attention paid to it and shared here!

Effster
11-09-2003, 05:05 PM
agent,,check the polarity of those aftermarket adapters.gja and I have both confirmed that they are wired in reverse.the dot you see on the ford speaker is the NEGATIVE,,not the plus.use the simple AA battery test to check it.the cone should move outwards towards you when the + is connected properly.good luck...yes better speakers make a world of difference.

Agent M79
11-09-2003, 06:50 PM
Doh!

Don't make me go back in there!

If they are bass ackward, how can I tell without going back in? Is there any way?

They sound great. Could they sound great and be backwards? Is backwards bad for the speaker?

Glenn
11-09-2003, 07:04 PM
Agent:

The adapter wire cable may be backwards, but I can tell you the installation manager at Best Buys that have one of the largest car radio and speaker installation shops I have ever seen, plugs them up out of the bag. I asked him. Did you use the factory grills???

Glenn

Agent M79
11-09-2003, 07:39 PM
Are you talking about the black plastic covers on the factory speakers? I did not transfer those to the new speakers.

If I gotta go back in, I may look at a speaker grille mod for those back speakers.

67435animal
11-10-2003, 01:47 AM
Originally posted by Agent M79
Doh!

Don't make me go back in there!

If they are bass ackward, how can I tell without going back in? Is there any way?

They sound great. Could they sound great and be backwards? Is backwards bad for the speaker?

Agent, if they sound great, leave it. There was a discussion on polarity earlier in the thread and it turns out that as long as both speakers are wired the same, it's not a problem. You want the speakers to be in phase and they are OK now.

Bob

Fly N Low
11-26-2003, 05:47 PM
Pride:
Thanks for the pix and detailed instructions. That was nice of you.

MB Quart makes a really good speaker too. Its the RCE268 I recommend these if your looking for something a little more high end. I have these with a soundstream amp in my bird they sound awesome. Otherwise, the Kenwoods are just fine.

03SILVERSTREAK
11-26-2003, 07:17 PM
Welcome to the site.http://smilies.sofrayt.com/1/g0/beer.gif

KraziKid
11-26-2003, 10:43 PM
Kudos to whoever figured out about that foam piece over the subwoofer. I just removed it, and wow, what a difference. Thanks for the instructions on how to remove the back seat.

Agent M79
11-27-2003, 08:02 AM
KraziKid,

Were the bolts anchoring your seatback crimped like I described mine? How did you end up taking them off?

jgc61sr2002
11-27-2003, 10:12 AM
Fly N Low - Welcome aboard. Nice folks and good info. Enjoy your new ride.:D :up:

dhawke98
12-07-2003, 09:16 PM
Great post!!! Thanks!!! Now I know what to do with my wife's discount at Rockford-Fosgate after Christmas!

beast
01-31-2004, 08:19 PM
MMpridenjoy,
Please clear up your note in step #7. Do I need to purchase a wiring harness adapter or not? Will the factory lead clip right onto the replacement speaker?
Thanks!
Beast___@hotmail.com

67435animal
02-01-2004, 05:28 AM
MMpridenjoy,
Please clear up your note in step #7. Do I need to purchase a wiring harness adapter or not? Will the factory lead clip right onto the replacement speaker?
Thanks!
Beast___@hotmail.com

Since I have done this, the answer is yes, puchase the adapter for the MM speaker harness. You will need two of them as they come in pairs. You should be able to find them at Best Buy or Circuit City.

They are made by a company named Metra and I recall that you want the one for Ford and Mazda cars.

Bob

FordNut
02-01-2004, 10:08 AM
It is a special adapter, I believe it's different for the '03 from previous years. At least that's what I gathered from Circuit City when I ordered mine. That's why I believe they're different because they had the ones in stock for the '02 but had to order the ones I needed. Search thru the posts and you'll find the part number.

CRUZTAKER
02-01-2004, 10:28 AM
They (the harness end connectors) will appear round, not rectangular for our application.

Black Terror
02-02-2004, 08:14 AM
Metra Part Number is 72-5600 for Marauders.

HwyCruiser
02-15-2004, 12:58 PM
First, this is the thread to read if your contemplating a speaker swap. Thanks MMPridenjoy!

I only bring up the polarity issue again because my Rockford Fosgate FRC3268's have an on-board high-pass capacitor across the tweeter. It's an electrolytic, meaning it could eventually explode if installed backwards:

http://www.mercurygallery.net/mmnet/watermark.php?file=500/1594speaker_tweeter_closeup-med.JPG

The wiring colors are covered in the "Factory stereo wiring???" thread. Thanks Murader03. They matched up to my 2003 300A.

If anyone cares to see, here are some comparison pics of the stocker speakers vs the FRC3268's:

Side by side view (http://www.mercurygallery.net/mmnet/watermark.php?file=500/1594speakers_side_by_side-med.JPG)
Top view (http://www.mercurygallery.net/mmnet/watermark.php?file=500/1594speakers_top-med.JPG)
Bottom view (http://www.mercurygallery.net/mmnet/watermark.php?file=500/1594speakers_bottom-med.JPG)

I took the pics of one of the speakers I used in the front with the adapter soldered on (reversed).

-JD

rookie1
02-28-2004, 05:06 AM
FANTASTIC INSTRUCTIONS! Thought I'd add color codes for quick reference:

Front Passenger: + White/Light Green
- Dark Green/Orange

Front Driver: + Orange/Light Green
- Light Blue/White

Rear Passenger: + Orange/Red
- Brown/Pink

Rear Driver: + Gray/Light Blue
- Tan/Yellow

metroplex
03-20-2004, 05:04 PM
the stock speakers on my 00 Vic aren't half bad.
they're not as high caliber but they're good enuff for me.

drgnrdr33
05-18-2004, 03:11 PM
I installed four KFC-6889ie last night. Didn't take too long. the Metra adapters were especially helpfull. Also removed the foam over the sub. The sound is greatly improved. :up: A few of my CDs still need more power. I see an amp in the future....

Thanks to MMPridenjoy and others who contributed here!

joflewbyu2
05-18-2004, 04:06 PM
I replaced my radio with a clarion rated at 18 x 4 at less than 1% distortion and it sounds much much better. The oem radio must be 8-10 rms since its volume is like half of the clarion. You can definately tell in the thump department.

djcwardog
06-21-2004, 03:41 PM
I put MB Quart Reference Separates speakers all around in the car. I used 5.25" woofers and 1" tweeters in the back and 6.5" woofers and 1" tweeters up front. The rears were fairly easy - got an adapter plate from Crutchfield, reamed it out slightly to accept the woofers and screwed the tweeter into one corner. Flush-mounted the plate into the stock opening and reattached the stock MM grille. All fits under the grille and all work done from the top - inside the car without having to go into the trunk. Crossovers were placed down inside the shelf under the speakers on each side. For the fronts, took off the door panels and then I made an adapter plate out of MDF board to follow the contour traced by the stock speaker that I took out. I screwed the woofer into that and fastened it all to the door. I used radio backstrapping to fabricate a simple bracket that spans across the center of the woofer. I attached the 1" tweeter in its enclosure to the middle of the strap, directly over the center of the woofer. You need this orientation so that the tweeter is behind the small holes of the stock door panel. Check carefully from the side to ensure that the speaker cone of the woofer does not strike the metal backstrap even in strong bass passages. As long as the strap is out away from possible contact with the rubber speaker surround, I recommend this as a way to get top-notch speakers in the MM without butchering the interior. Also - the crossovers for the front speakers will fit in the rear-bottom of the front doors in a pre-existing cutout provided by the factory. I used zip-ties to attach at two points and to keep the crossover from bouncing around. If Q-Logic would only come out with a Q-Form kick panel enclosure for our cars, then I would have gone that route and done without the front door mounting locations at all. I hope this helps people as they choose speakers.

MENINBLK
06-28-2004, 11:11 PM
I did not include the SUB-woofer in my statement, as, although it operates in the same acoustic space, it operates in a separate "frequency space" which reduces the interactions between it and the "regular" full-range speakers.

I disagree with this statement.

If all 5 speakers are not POLARIZED correctly, they are all OUT OF PHASE.

There are harmonics and overtones produced by all 5 speakers, and if they are not IN PHASE, the OUT OF PHASE speakers will not sound acoustically correct.
These Harmonics and Overtones ADD to the acoustic experience and audio quality ONLY if all 5 speakers are IN PHASE.
They will SUBTRACT from the acoustic experience and audio quality when OUT OF PHASE.

An OUT OF PHASE Subwoofer can have dramatic effects on the upper bass and lower midrange acoustics.
This will affect the audio quality produced by the woofers and the midrange speakers present in the doors,
and the subwoofer will only appear to be producing audio in the very low bass range.

The resulting audio will be very bassy and bright, without the warmth of the mid to lower audio ranges.

If you don't believe me, using your Home Theater system, just take any THX DVD Movie
and play the THX Audio Test with your subwoofer OUT OF PHASE with the rest of your speakers.
You will experience OUT OF PHASE audio during the Subwoofer portion of the audio test.

jeffdomersr
07-25-2004, 07:21 AM
I am going to upgrade the audio in my 04 MM. what is the best way to connect an amplifier? Are there any low level outputs?

MMM2003
10-27-2004, 04:20 PM
I just got some new front speakers (Thanks Sarge!).
The first post on this thread has some great instructions. Unfortunately 3/4 of the linked pic's don't work for me. Anyone else have this problem?

Anyone happen to have a copy of the full instructions with pic's? Or can someone re-link the pic's?

Also looking to upgrade rear speakers and sub with drop-in replacements.

I did some searches, but didn't find any specifics.

What rear speakers have you used? What replacement sub have you used?

I don't want to re-wire, go bigger, or make some fancy enclosures. Just looking for some improvement in sound and clarity. Shouldn't be hard over the $10 OEM speakers. Any suggestions anyone?


TIA !

Peter aka MMM2003

P.S.: I guess, I'll better start a new thread with all these questions.

TechHeavy
10-31-2004, 09:08 AM
Hi MMprideandjoy! Your post is so excellent I was just getting ready to print it out as a definitive how-to for this project, but stopped when I saw the pics aren't loading up. Darn! Do you need to re-upload them?

Thanks,
Tech

TechHeavy
11-04-2004, 01:09 PM
It worked today! Got the pics just fine now. Thanks for this great post.

DEFYANT
11-27-2004, 12:24 AM
Has anyone found a direct upgrade replacement for the factory sub woofer?

BTW, I removed that rear deck cut out that vibrates over the sub from inside the trunk. The sub comes out by removing 4 nuts. I just reached up and pulled the POS the factory neglected to remove. Sounds great and took 20 minutes. There was no need to remove the spare, but it would have been easier.

RR|Suki
07-15-2005, 07:35 AM
Any chance of a rehost of the pictures :-D

khc3
12-22-2005, 02:43 PM
Any chance of a rehost of the pictures :-D Yes, please!

fastblackmerc
12-22-2005, 03:01 PM
To all 300B MM owners, you mean to tell me definitely that the ONLY way to replace rear speakers is to do it from INSIDE the passenger spaces in the back seat??? Meaning, there is no way to get the rear spears out from inside the trunk area? Is this a correct understanding? I am baffled by how Ford assdembled our cars.

GordonB.:confused: :(
Correct.... on my '04 the speakers are dropped in from inside the passenger compartment. So you do have to remove both parts of the rear seat, high mounted stop light and the package shelf. Been there, done that.

MM03MOK
12-22-2005, 03:06 PM
He hasn't logged in since July, '04. By refreshing the page and right click and "show picture" I got most to appear. Maybe sometime Bunny has nothing to do, she'll load the pics into the Gallery and redirect the link......maybe.... ;)

martyo
12-22-2005, 04:25 PM
Maybe sometime Bunny has nothing to do, she'll load the pics into the Gallery and redirect the link......maybe.... ;)

Bunnies are busy at easter, elves are busy at Christmas, so get crackin'!

MM03MOK
12-22-2005, 05:08 PM
Bunnies are busy at easter, elves are busy at Christmas, so get crackin'!SIR, YES, SIR! ;)

All done and found in Reviews!!

http://www.mercurymarauder.net/reviews/showproduct.php?product=7

martyo
12-22-2005, 08:13 PM
SIR, YES, SIR! ;)

All done and found in Reviews!!

I obviously have a career in motivational speaking.

MM03MOK
12-22-2005, 08:15 PM
I obviously have a career in motivational speaking.:laugh: :laugh:

Vortech347
12-22-2005, 08:18 PM
Thank you for this post. I'm going to print it up and use it as a reference when I go to fix my stupid stereo problem.

KAILUAZ
09-26-2006, 06:22 AM
Tag for future reference,,,,,,

MM03MOK
09-26-2006, 06:33 AM
Tag for future reference,,,,,,Also placed in our Reviews section for easy finding.

http://www.mercurymarauder.net/reviews/showproduct.php/product/7/sort/2/cat/14/page/1