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I installed it just like in the pic and it sounds awesome. Now, I hope the amp holds for a good while, I won't be blasting it too much thou as I don't have the ML system.
What speaker did you end up getting? Running it off the stock amp? Would like to know the specs, especially efficiency.
I looked up part numbers and can confirm that the ML sub is different from the non-ML. It actually has a normalish-size magnet and output is decent -- it will easily cause the defrost lines to blur in the rear view mirror.
This is a cheap sub from amazon. 8 inch, dual coil 4 ohms. Sounds great for my expectations. I’m running it from stock, I’m just following the builder of this thread and what he have shared. I upgraded all the speakers except the center dash and now I want to upgrade that too. Smh
Decided to comment as I'm finally starting to upgrade the speakers in my car. My current setup I have are my two 8" kicker subs in a vented box in the trunk. I just purchased a third identical kicker sub to replace the stock sub, and two 4" coaxial kicker speakers to replace the mids. I do have one question for you. Ive eliminated a lot of rattle in my RC, got hushmat just about everywhere, and I only find rattle in two spots. One in my gas tank lid cover, and the other on the third brake light on the rc. It stick off the back window the RC almost like a rear roof spoiler, it rattles the worst. I find that the rattle goes away when i press on it. Any ideas? Ive tried putting some tape in there to stop it but no help. With the third kicker sub I can imagine its going to get worse.
Care to share model of your kicker subs you use to replace stock sub? thx
Looking to install this 8" sub, any advice whether it will fit?
To me, the center channel was the weakest link in the system.
$19 a pair MB Quart 4" coaxial speakers. This is an entry level speaker, but better than OEM and I just needed a starting point.
Metra 72-7400 speaker harness can be modified to plug into factory connector, so no cutting needed. $5 on ebay.
I had to cut off 2 of the mounting tabs and drill out the mounting holes on the remaining tabs and the speaker bolted right in.
I added the tape because the tweeters were a little too harsh and bright for me. A better speaker would fix this also.
Focal 4" coax upgrade 5/19
Updated mount and grill work below......So worth the extra effort. Sounds so much better.
I will definitely do this to the left and right dash speaker also.
Love this thread I ended up taking my car to a stereo shop and had them replace the door speakers (Focal Acess 2-way component front and coaxial back) as well as my two rockford amps one 4 chan and one for sub.
Now my question i totally forgot about changing the center speaker until after install but they said it's not necessary. What's your reasoning on why its weak? I am wondering if i should just order a 4" soaker and replace my self.
To me, the center channel was the weakest link in the system.
$19 a pair MB Quart 4" coaxial speakers. This is an entry level speaker, but better than OEM and I just needed a starting point.
Metra 72-7400 speaker harness can be modified to plug into factory connector, so no cutting needed. $5 on ebay.
I had to cut off 2 of the mounting tabs and drill out the mounting holes on the remaining tabs and the speaker bolted right in.
I added the tape because the tweeters were a little too harsh and bright for me. A better speaker would fix this also.
Focal 4" coax upgrade 5/19
Updated mount and grill work below......So worth the extra effort. Sounds so much better.
I will definitely do this to the left and right dash speaker also.
Love this thread I ended up taking my car to a stereo shop and had them replace the door speakers (Focal Acess 2-way component front and coaxial back) as well as my two rockford amps one 4 chan and one for sub.
Now my question i totally forgot about changing the center speaker until after install but they said it's not necessary. What's your reasoning on why its weak? I am wondering if i should just order a 4" soaker and replace my self.
Love this thread I ended up taking my car to a stereo shop and had them replace the door speakers (Focal Acess 2-way component front and coaxial back) as well as my two rockford amps one 4 chan and one for sub.
Now my question i totally forgot about changing the center speaker until after install but they said it's not necessary. What's your reasoning on why its weak? I am wondering if i should just order a 4" soaker and replace my self.
Thanks for the positive feedback. I think what I meant by "weak" was that it was the speaker that stood out as the weakest link to good sound. When I played anything with vocals, it was the first speaker to break up/distort. It sounded harsh and not natural sounding. I would get listener fatigue quickly. When I changed just that speaker first, it made a huge difference.
You now have nice, several hundred dollar speakers with Rockford power mixed with about a $5 ( I am being generous here) center channel speaker running off factory amp power. The stereo shop could have adjusted the amps in a way that the center is not really heard, so it may not make a difference replacing the center speaker. There is no right or wrong on how they adjusted it, it is just a preference thing.
I might experiment with just disconnecting the factory center channel first to see how it sounds.
So many cars do not have a good center location to experiment with. I think it is awesome that our cars do. The only real dilemma it causes is how to power it. If you use aftermarket amps, you almost need 7/8 channels of amplication to have full control of everything.
I think I might try what you recommended about disconnecting the center channel (you have me interested now) overall my stereo sounds good now. After changing the speakers and adding an amp. I wouldn't mind just buying a Focal Acess 4" speaker to keep everything the same.
Again thanks to your post I pulled the trigger and upgraded everything. I'll report back on what i decide to do
I think I might try what you recommended about disconnecting the center channel (you have me interested now) overall my stereo sounds good now. After changing the speakers and adding an amp. I wouldn't mind just buying a Focal Acess 4" speaker to keep everything the same.
Again thanks to your post I pulled the trigger and upgraded everything. I'll report back on what i decide to do
Can I throw one of these in the center or should I look for a coaxial?
I haven't done much lately. I was working on my other car hobby and preparing for a second annual trip. We logged 3400 miles in about 10 days from WI to CO and back. I'll start focusing on stereo upgrades again soon.
I ordered this "bundled" speaker wire (2 pkgs of 20')to install the fancy component crossovers in the trunk somewhere. I could stash them in the dash or something, but I'd prefer they were in the trunk near the amp or future amplifiers. I'll post up a diagram of my plan when I get this run and wired.
I was able to get the bundled cable run to the dash speakers and get the crossovers installed. It was a lot of extra work to be able to mount the x-overs in the back. I could have easily just stashed them in dash up front somewhere, but that didn't seem as cool and easy to change xover settings, etc... as I experiment. I plan to run the 6.5's full range and use the crossover for the 3" and tweeter only. The tweeter pods won't arrive for a few weeks, so this was mostly prep work.
Curious to know how did these adapters workout? I'm gathering my stuff now to do a full system in my IS and your thread has been a great help, so thanks very much 1st and foremost.