MEPEH

Good Day forum members...
This is my first thread on this forum and my task here is to show everyone how to upgrade the speakers on their LS 430.
My build will include pictures and a step by step guide on removing and installing speakers/tweeters/woofer and amplifier in our beloved Lexus.

Before i start the the actual thread there's a couple of things that i need to mention.

Car: 2003 Lexus LS with Mark Levinson system and Navigation

1. I wouldn't be replacing this components unless they were defective. I'm not looking for getto bass or huge performance improvements. Just a Lexus Style music.
I listen to all kinds of music including Hip Hop and would like the "natural" sound of bass, which lacks in Mark Levinson

2. I'm not a professional installer, i have a daily job that doesn't involve fixing cars, however all the maintenance on my cars, i do it myself. I have a certification from Bosch for working on their products. (car electronics), however, that was back in the early 2000 and haven't put too much attention into it. I have also changed about 45 cars and I'm 29 years old. So i have a pretty good idea of what's involved in having a good sound in the car (not loud, just clear)

3. I will avoid scientific terms here. I know how annoying is to make a simple DIY guide and start pretending like you are the smartest person on earth and simple users like us, just loose the idea. For everyone that wants to go professional and scientific, please visit dedicated audio forums. English is not my first Language, I came from Russia 4 years ago so some of my terms may sound lame but pictures will help the words


Thread will be divided in a few posts:

1: Description of the stock Mark Levinson System
2. Wiring and routing the new cables (except speaker cables.. not worth it for my application)
2. Installing the front Kicker speakers/tweeters
3. Installing the rear Kicker speakers
4. Installing the Kicker amplifier
5. Installing the Kicker subwoofer

I chose Kicker only due to financial reasons. I have a very good connection with that company and want to keep the budget low.

Please note that i'm a cheap person and my goal is to keep the overall cost of the system below what it would cost me to buy factory ML speakers.
If it was cheaper to just replace ML with ML, i would do that (but this is not the case)

to be continued.....

PS. The links I'm providing to sonicelectronix.com is only because they offer good infor regarding specifications.
Please use your own research tools to find cheaper prices. It's very easy

MEPEH

Mark Levinson System

I have to make some remarks regarding my "beloved" Mark Levinson system.

1. It pretty much sucks if you have a car over 5-6 years old (my case)
2. The position of the speakers in the car is well designed and offers good acoustic capabilities, however the speakers used are of very poor quality. Both the sound they produce and the quality of materials used (paper)
3. Price for replacing the speakers is outrageous.
117$ for ONE front speaker alone
About 600$ for a REFURBISHED amplifier
About 120 for rear speakers.
About 300$ if you are able to find a original ML subwoofer or cheaper to use silicone/re-cone it

Our cars are not "sealed" however there's little escape for the pressure when someone will close the door (and moonroof/other doors are closed). So the first thing that usually fails is the drivers door speaker.
Subwoofer is another weak component and usually fails.

Speaker Specifications
Front speakers - 6.5in Component Speakers (mid range) @ about 8ohm (FRONT DOORS)
Tweeters (DASHBOARD)
Rear speakers - 6.5in Coaxial Speakers @ about 8ohm (REAR DOORS)
Subwoofer - 8in about 20 Watts RMS @ 12 Ohm (REAR DECK
Amplifier - don't know too much about it except that it meant for very little Watt output due to the high resistance in the speakers. (RIGHT SIDE OF THE TRUNK UNDER THE SIDE CARPET)

MEPEH

Wiring and routing the new cables (except speaker cables.. not worth it for my application)

Will see how everything goes, but i estimate that this is the hardest part of the setup (will edit when i finish the project if i'm wrong)

I know there's lots of different ideas and i welcome all the input. I must mention that I will only be replacing the power cables to the amplifiers and will also have to add some wires for my new tweeters in the front (tweeter-crossover-speaker), but that's it.
Speaker wires will remain stock.

The kicker system is designed for 1000 Watts and i'm pretty sure i will never use it to it's full capabilities so the gauge of the stock speakers can handle my requirements.
(especially since Mark Levinson designed these for 8 or 12 ohm resistance and i'll be using 2ohm speakers)
Power is a different issue. I'm using 4 AWG gauge Power Cable routed from the front of the car (battery) to the rear (trunk) with an External Fuse

MEPEH

Installing the front Kicker speakers/tweeters

I just purchased the car about 2 weeks ago and noticed that my driver door speaker was blown. However, after I opened the passenger door speaker, i saw that the unit was ripped too.
So replacing both front door speakers was necessary, not just me being spoiled

This is what I'm using for the front
http://www.sonicelectronix.com/item_...er-RS65.2.html

6.5in Kicker RS65.2 @ 2ohm - 100 Watts RMS / 200 Peak Power

They are component speakers, meaning you have
2x Mid Range Speakers for the doors
2 Tweeters for the dashboard
Crossover to filter the frequencies

Mid Range pretty much reproduce the voice of the song
Low range is the BASS (remember Barry White)
High Range are the tweeters ( the pitch of your song or the "tss tsss tssss)

MEPEH

Installing the Rear Kicker speakers

This is what I'm using for the rear
http://www.sonicelectronix.com/item_...cker-KS65.html

6.5in Kicker KS65 @ 2ohm - 65 Watts RMS / 130W Peak Power

They are coaxial speakers, meaning you have
2x Mid Range Speakers for the doors
Tweeters are built in the speakers

MEPEH

Installing the Kicker amplifier

This is my amplifier
http://www.sonicelectronix.com/item_...1IX1000.5.html

4 x Channels @ 2 ohms: 125 watts
Subwoofer Channel RMS Power Rating: 2 ohms: 500 watts x 1 chan.
Total RMS power output: 1000 watts

You need a channel for each of the 4 speakers + 1 Channel to power the Subwoofer

MEPEH

Installing the Kicker Subwoofer

The first time i sat in my car, about 2 weeks ago i heard that there was something wrong with the way the Subwoofer was sounding
I read a few posts and realized that i may have a blown sub, or ripped paper, However, after i removed the Sub Grill i noticed a cheap 4ohm sub made by BOSS
The reason it was cutting out so bad was the difference between the resistance of the amplifier and subwoofer
I could barely hear any music at all once i turned it to a reasonable level.
Reasonable Level = probably a quarter of the total volume, i could barely hear what was playing. VERY Annoying

Please remember that if you are using the stock position without any modifications, you need to find a free air subwoofer, meaning a subwoofer that can work without an enclosure.
If you choose not to go with my options below, you can install this:
http://www.sonicelectronix.com/item_...TS-SW841D.html

It's an 8in Shallow mount, free air speaker. That was my first choice, before i realized i could spend a little more time to get much more quality.

This is were it gets a little more confusing.
I have 2 options. I purchased both options so it's not a matter which is cheaper.

1. 10in L7 Kicker Solo Baric to be mounted in the back of the arm rest and to be hidden easily if the arm rest is closed
http://www.sonicelectronix.com/item_...-08S10L74.html

Peak: 1200 watts
RMS: 600 watts

2. 8in L7 Kicker Solo Baric to be mounted in the stock position on the rear deck with very minimal modifications
http://www.sonicelectronix.com/item_...4-08S8L74.html

Peak: 900 watts
RMS: 450 watts

Muti007

Very much looking forward to watching this progress and wish you good luck!

Only thing Id like to add for now is in your last post, you suggest folks can replace the ML sub with a 4 ohm Pany sub. No 4 ohm sub will ever make the amp happy in our cars, it will eventually begin to cut in and out. Trust me, it was a costly lesson for me too Fortunately, Kicker makes a great 8 ohm solution which happens to be dirt cheap as well. I recently also moved to this, after having first installing a JBL 4 ohm. So far so good, but its not been in for very long so I cant speak to longevity.

http://www.crutchfield.com/p_20610C88/Kicker-10C88.html

Good luck man, looking forward to this thread!

MEPEH

I agree with you. The only way you can install a 4 ohm subwoofer is if you change the amplifier. I was just implying if someone wants to follow my steps (replacing the amp) than he will have to match the resistance of the subwoofer to the amplifier.

Replacing just the sub with one that has lower resistance will result in cutting our at higher volume levels

Frankg2

I think I've 'screwed up'. I got a deal on a Polk db840DVC. I was aware of free air vs use of enclosures, but I must have misread somewhere that the Polk would work in a free air environment. Now that I have the speaker (still in the box) I realize it's listed as not working in a free air environment. Soo.. are my only options returning it and getting a different speaker or installing an enclosure? And is it even possible to install an enclosure in a 430 UL? Thanks.

Muti007

I just realized that is the sub I just had removed from my car, not a JBL. Your main problem here is that that is a 4 ohm sub. Though dual coil, you can only wire it to run at 4 ohms, so it is going to cut in and out on you occasionally. Return it while you still can, its no good for your use.

Frankg2

Thanks Muti. Actually the instruction sheet does show the ability to wire in series (jumper the + from one side to - on the other) and get 8 ohms out of it, but if it didn't work out for you, then I'll take your advice and do a return/replace.

davvv

iTrader: (1)

I did the same thing as you op. For the 4 gauge power wire there is a rubber gromet under the battery on the firewall all you gotta go is get it through there but becarefull there is other wires in there. on the inside itll come out behind the glovebox so you gotta take the plastic cover off the bottom and just reach your hand in there and pull it through. you need small hands for that. wen i changed my speakers and bypassed the factory amp and put a headunit in instead of the mark levinson i used the stock speaker wire and tapped it before the amp in the trunk. i regret doing that it worked perfectly then one day i got cutt off and i had to slam on my brakes after that the left side stopped worked i kno its not the speaker and its not the amp and its not my rcas ive done a lot of trouble shooting and figured out the speaker wire is the problem. if you have a extra couple hours on your hand its worth running new wire. the tweeters is where i gave up putting them in stock location so i just got coaxials for the front. from what i heard to get to the tweeters you have to take half the dash out. so im looking forward to see wat you do about dat ill see if i can find any of the wire diagrams dat i used for mine . goodluck

JT2MA71

iTrader: (7)

My stock sub in my '01 LS started making a scratching/rattling sound. I was told by a local audio shot that it is an infinite baffle design so it is designed for open air space? Called the dealer and it costs over 400 bucks! I just want a good comparable replacement and keep it in the factory location without the need for an additional enclosure. Will that 8" kicker listed above work for me?

Edit: OK never mind, I just read the rest of the OP's post. Thanks. I guess Pioneer makes a replacement for about 80 bucks. How do you access/remove the rear sub?

Muti007

Yes it will. You need an 8 inch sub at least 8 ohms. This is what I ended up with after first buying a 4 ohm one that many here recommended but didnt realize was a bad recommendation. This one will work perfectly, not cut out or burn your amp out, fit perfectly as well, and happens to be on sale dirt cheap as well. Its also far superior to the ML sub.

http://www.crutchfield.com/p_20610C8...88.html?tp=111

And yes, you need a free air sub, and yes, this is one. Dont waste all that $$ on another ML sub, youll thank me after installing this one.