Audio Question
#1
Lead Lap
Thread Starter
Audio Question
Curious, has anyone here replaced the speakers but kept the stock audio system? I have a 2000 ES with the Pioneer system. Typically the speakers in almost any system are the weak point so I figure replacing the speakers while leaving everything else would be the highest value improvement until or unless I decide to replace the HU... I'll probably leave the Sub for the moment as well until I feel like pulling apart the interior to wire in an amplifier...
#7
Lead Lap
Thread Starter
Say... shouldn't you be driving an Aston-Martin or BMW???
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#8
I replaced the rear speakers in my 96 ES300, just did a little measuring and research, checked ohm and wattage values, bought basically the same thing except newer technology and by Pioneer. Had to solder the wires to the speakers but that wasn't difficult and probably better.
On a side note, if I were going to replace the sound system, I believe I would do a total rewire to the speakers (replace those too) bypassing the original sound system completely. Reason being, the weakest part of the system would be going thru the old amp. etc.
On a side note, if I were going to replace the sound system, I believe I would do a total rewire to the speakers (replace those too) bypassing the original sound system completely. Reason being, the weakest part of the system would be going thru the old amp. etc.
#11
Lead Lap
iTrader: (10)
GEt an in-dash first. It will bypass the current amp, and your oem speakers will sound better than vice versa.
The new one's could be rated at a higher wattage but will run on lower since the limitation is the oem amp. Almost all aftermarket HU's will amplify your current speakers better than the oem amp... OEM is something like 20w/channel, where headunits now can do up to 50ish on average.
If i decide to dump money into this car [still] i will get a nice HU, and upgrade the oem sub to a better 8" and leave it at that.
Another thing is, unless your current speakers are blown the aftermarkets will sound the same [no noticeable difference] than the oem's with that HU.
The new one's could be rated at a higher wattage but will run on lower since the limitation is the oem amp. Almost all aftermarket HU's will amplify your current speakers better than the oem amp... OEM is something like 20w/channel, where headunits now can do up to 50ish on average.
If i decide to dump money into this car [still] i will get a nice HU, and upgrade the oem sub to a better 8" and leave it at that.
Another thing is, unless your current speakers are blown the aftermarkets will sound the same [no noticeable difference] than the oem's with that HU.
#12
I wouldn't just replace the speakers and leave the factory amp, you'll be disappointed.
You would think better aftermarket speakers would mean better sound, but the factory speakers were designed with a low-powered amp in mind, aftermarket speakers usually need a lot more juice to sound good. There's also all sorts of unique crossovers that you'll need to figure out.
The factory Lexus system is actually pretty good, the last car I had I put in some pretty decent Infinity aftermarket speakers and Clarion head unit, and honestly the stock Lexus system sounded better. If you just put a more powerful sub/amp combo in, it would probably be what you're looking for unless you're a real hard core car audio enthusiast.
You would think better aftermarket speakers would mean better sound, but the factory speakers were designed with a low-powered amp in mind, aftermarket speakers usually need a lot more juice to sound good. There's also all sorts of unique crossovers that you'll need to figure out.
The factory Lexus system is actually pretty good, the last car I had I put in some pretty decent Infinity aftermarket speakers and Clarion head unit, and honestly the stock Lexus system sounded better. If you just put a more powerful sub/amp combo in, it would probably be what you're looking for unless you're a real hard core car audio enthusiast.
#13
Lead Lap
Thread Starter
I used to be major car audio guy but not so much anymore. At some point though, I will be getting an Alpine in-dash Nav unit and I won't use it with the stock speakers. Looking at a set of Boston Acoustics coax speakers for the back doors, components for the front doors and an Alpine amp and JL Audio 8" sub... will do the speakers first. Once I replace the head unit I'll re-wire all the speakers at that time and run the sub amp off the pre-amp outputs of the head unit.
The stock unit is nice but the lack of tweeters in the rear contribute to a slightly tinny sound to the high end... kind of annoying.
The stock unit is nice but the lack of tweeters in the rear contribute to a slightly tinny sound to the high end... kind of annoying.
#14
I'm not as familiar with this version of the ES but I recently upgraded the audio system in my ES-350 in steps. It is covered in detail in the ES-350 section.
The first upgrade was just the head unit with a PAC-TATO (Pacific Audio Corp. Toyota Digital Amp Interface) to work with the factory system. Immediately, the mids were better and the highs were excellent. Bass was still lacking.
The second upgrade was adding a 10" sub and amp to power it. I used the new head unit's internal crossover to filter 80hz and below from the factory amp. This allows the amp to run more efficiently and really let them run with no distortion. A 10" sub with 250w were enough to provide great bass.
The final upgrade was this past weekend when I replaced the door mids and dash tweeters with a component system. The factory door speakers ran full range in parallel with the tweeter. The pulled the sound stage down. The 2nd order crossover in the new speaker set filters the highs from the door speakers and really locks the sound stage up on the dash.
Each part of the upgrade makes a difference. You need to pick the one that works for you.
The first upgrade was just the head unit with a PAC-TATO (Pacific Audio Corp. Toyota Digital Amp Interface) to work with the factory system. Immediately, the mids were better and the highs were excellent. Bass was still lacking.
The second upgrade was adding a 10" sub and amp to power it. I used the new head unit's internal crossover to filter 80hz and below from the factory amp. This allows the amp to run more efficiently and really let them run with no distortion. A 10" sub with 250w were enough to provide great bass.
The final upgrade was this past weekend when I replaced the door mids and dash tweeters with a component system. The factory door speakers ran full range in parallel with the tweeter. The pulled the sound stage down. The 2nd order crossover in the new speaker set filters the highs from the door speakers and really locks the sound stage up on the dash.
Each part of the upgrade makes a difference. You need to pick the one that works for you.
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