tallguys

Does anybody know the sensitivity (dB 1W/1m) of the stock ML door speakers?

I don't really want to spend the time to refoam the stockers. I know I'm looking for something 6.5", 3" deep, 8 ohms. I would love to know the sensitivity of the stock speakers. Alternatively, if there is an updated consensus on the best aftermarket replacement, I'm all ears!

I was considering these speakers, but I am worried they are too low sensitivity and so sound won't be balanced:
https://www.parts-express.com/grs-6p...oofer--292-426

Thanks all, loving my LS!

rkw77080

The best solution is still to re-cone or re-foam the OEM speakers. The problem with replacing component speakers with aftermarket products is that Lexus does not publish the frequency coverage of its audio components (tweeters, mid ranges, mid bass, sub-woofer, etc.) and their rated dB output curves (what you called "Sensitivity"). Without this knowledge, you select your speakers randomly and their frequency range will likely to have some overlaps (which can cause interference), some gaps (holes within the frequency range where maybe for example some portion of the vocal cannot be heard), and some discrepancies in relative loudness (for example, some portion of the frequency range dominates and drowns out the others, or vise versa) to other components.

tallguys

Thanks RKW. I guess I'll have to refoam. Is it a reasonable option to glue the foam while the speakers are still installed?

rkw77080

You can certainly re-foam the speaker in place, but it would be much easier to remove the speaker from the door and work on it on the bench. The most time-consuming part of the job is to clean off the old foam material. Here is a Youtube video showing how it's done. I have restored my speakers with foam kit from Simply Speakers, and I've had good experience with their products.

Mobius1

The first thing I did when I got my LS 430 was to re-foam both front woofers. I used the Simply Speaker kit off of Amazon and was super simple to do. Had to take apart the door but this is coming from someone who's never done anything remotely close to car repair. Got it all done in two days, mostly from needing the glue to settle/dry.

I do not know of sensitivity of the speakers, but a PDF file on this thread can give you the measured Impedance of both Pioneer and Mark Levinson equipped models:

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/ls-...r-speaker.html

tallguys

Thanks guys. Do I need the 6 inch or 5 inch repair kit?

rkw77080

It depends... What year model is your LS430 and which audio system (Mark Levinson or Pioneer) do you have?

tallguys

2001 with the ML

rkw77080

Do a search on ebay for: "Simply Speakers 86160-0W240" for the front speakers and "Simply Speakers 86160-0W250" for the rear.

Scootymad

I went to the scrapyard and found a totaled IS250, and took the speakers out of that, redrilled a couple of holes and stuck them in. Cost me $24 all up for a decent set of speakers

ldmf

I just replaced my front speakers on a 04 with ML. I checked the impedance and the fronts are definitely 4 ohm. I measured the stock speaker and the Morel Maximo speaker. Both had a ~2 ohm value. I am thinking that the ML stereo system is 8 ohm up front but that is just because the dash speaker and door speaker are run in parallel(or is it series, idk) which adds up to the 8 ohms. The replacement is fairly straight forward with some dremmeling needed to seat the aftermarket speaker in the stock mounting bracket. The stock plug in the mounting bracket needed to be remove to make way for the included plug from Crutchfield. And finally the speaker itself needed it to have the holes enlarged and the edge around holes flattened. The first side took me an hour,a nd the drivers side afterwards was 30 minutes. Al in all not a bad job. The sound is most certainly better, but to be fair my loud music days are behind me.