My ML speakers ended up degrading again, even after I re-foamed them. Which is crazy to me. Florida heat and humidity is no joke.

So, instead of re-foaming again, i replaced all of my ML door speakers with these 8 ohm PRV 6.5s. Yes they are compatible, and yes they sound just as good if not better than the factory speakers. So I don't wanna hear "YoU WilL dEsTroY tHe aMp" 8 ohms is 8 ohms.

They definitely hit harder and are sonically very similar as far as I can tell. I do have a Dayton subwoofer 8 ohm wired in series to 16 ohms in the stock sub location as well just fyi..

My preferred listening settings: I lower my factory EQ all the way down to reduce distortion and clipping and are able to listen at moderately high volumes. I basically eliminated the chance of overloading anything from over voltage. from what I understand, EQ just boosts voltage. So in theory, no boosted EQ means no artificial boost = less distortion. Thy system is so well balanced you really don't need to adjust eq. The stock speakers in the ML system really shined at these settings for me and they sound just as good with these PRV as well. minimums for bass mid and treble and I listen mainly at volume 55 running the GROM Vlite 2 on android auto and it will go all day no issues.

The only modification I had to do was clip and bend out the mounting holes on the speakers so the screws can clamp them into the factory baskets. The rears go in perfect and I can reuse the factory plastic ring that covers them.

The front doors baskets were ever so slightly different so the speakers wouldn't seat all the way down. I got around this by making a ring out of some butyl rubber that I had laying around to seal the speaker down. Works perfect. I cut and stripped the stock connectors and they connect to the speakers with push posts. Took Around 30 mins each door.

PRV AUDIO 6MB250-NDY 6.5 Inch Speakers Midbass Woofer, 8 Ohm, Neodymium Magnet, 125 Watts RMS Power, 250 Watts Program Power Loudspeaker (Single) https://a.co/d/a5bsXcF



Butyl rubber ring for sealing fronts as seen here


Rear speakers sit flush in bracket. Stock retaining ring can be used

Butyl rubber ring on stock plastic bracket

Easy day

 

if the factory ones were 4 ohm, replacing with 8 ohm shouldn't cause any more work for the Amplifier, as that is less resistance. Thats the theory at least.

 

Factory ML door speakers were 8 ohm. Panasonic base system were 4ohm I think. Historically it was almost impossible to find direct replacements because not many speakers are 8 ohms unless you start diving into the world of home theater components. These popped up somewhat recently.

 

But yes you are correct nonetheless about the amp load vs resistance

 

Good to know. Between my LS and LX, I've refoamed 5-6 speakers. They sound great.

I'm a bit skeptical about your EQ theorizing; basically I'm not sure that the three levels cleanly divide up the frequency spectrum, and therefore the sound you get at 0 db is not the same sound you get with everything set to -6 db (or whatever the actual decrease in db is). Besides, there shouldn't BE any clipping at 0 db, no?

My settings are -1 for bass, -1 for mid, -2 for treble. I'm just not a treble fan, been turning it down since I got my first stereo.

 

Maybe that's what works for you. Like I mentioned. I like higher volumes, and a pro audio shop told me when setting up the system in my other vehicle to set the volume up to almost max or and EQ/gain down until there's no clipping. Their reasoning is that no matter how high the volume might end up it will never damage the components. So at volume 55 where I like it, I eq all the way down and no matter what song I throw at it, its clear and powerful. And for less taxing songs I still have some wiggle room up to max volume.

 

The EQ is a pre-amp that can adjust different frequency ranges separately. For accurate sound reproduction it should be set to 0 (middle).
They are normally added to systems so that people can either compensate for damaged hearing or for people who prefer more bass/mid/treble.
If your system is clipping at any setting of the EQ/volume then something in the system is damaged.
That said, what most people describe as "clipping" is in fact either a poor quality recording with spikes or high-amplitude transients, or you have damaged speakers/amplifier, or something else is rattling in sympathy with the music (common with rap and drum&bass music).

Real clipping is where the amplifier is over-driven which means too much input, so the amp is trying to exceed it's power supply limits resulting in the squaring off of the peaks of the waveform.
Since the ML system is a complete system, it should never exhibit clipping.

 

I planning on installing a pair of Skars in the front based on a YouTube video by @beardedreviews

Skar Audio FSX65-8 300-Watt 6.5-Inch 8 Ohm MID-Range Loudspeakers

 

I'm looking at the same speakers for our car. I've so far had 3 different Skar speakers/subs/amps and I've been pretty happy with their stuff. Hate to fall into that "groupie" category, but I admit that I'm kinda feeling that way. Looking at the specs, I will probably get a non-Skar sub for the Lexus.

Got a IX10 to go in my Mustang. Still working on the box.
Had a IX8 in a Audi A4. Sounded good, but it wasn't a good choice for IB.... but we made do.
Couple of different Coax I've played with, but the 6x8s I put in the Mustang sound amazing.

 

Here is a detailed thread by LeX2K on components along with updates
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/es-...ponents-2.html

 

Not a big fan of their amps and I’ve never tried their mid-range speakers but 4 of the 5 cars in our household have Skar subs. Couldn’t be happier.