DrVlikhell

Greetings everyone! I have a 2002 LS430 "sport" model without the ML system and without nav. The previous owner installed a Kenwood head unit which sounds ok-ish (more about that in a different post), but the front woofers are making rattling noises, especially the passenger front. It seems my two options are to re-foam the woofers or replace them entirely. I've had mixed results with re-foaming so I'm not too keen on that option and would prefer to replace them.

I read here on the forum that the non-ML systems use a Pioneer amp and the front tweeters and woofers are 2 ohm while the rear door speakers are 4 ohm. Finding decent 2 ohm woofers that don't cost a ton is tough and the overall selection is extremely slim so I've been wondering about using 4 ohm replacements instead. As I understand it, going from a 2 ohm load to a 4 ohm load is decreasing the load and also decreasing the wattage drawn from the amp, so it shouldn't hurt the amp, but it may result in the woofer playing quieter? So then perhaps I should look for a 4 ohm woofer with a high sensitivity so that it can make the most of the decreased wattage? My concern is ending up with front woofers that are quieter or louder than all the other speakers and having no way to adjust them to the proper level. I read about one forum member who used Polk DB speakers with good results. Do you guys have any other experiences or suggestions for replacement woofers?

science

I would search parts-express.
I have 4 of these otw:
https://www.parts-express.com/6-1-2-...4-ohm--299-609

or you can get

https://www.parts-express.com/dayton...4-ohm--295-348

The dayton costs more but has really high sensitivity. Since the first option was soo cheap I want to try it out first before spending more on the second option.

I also have non ml but have upgraded to Kenwood DDX8906s HU. I also bypassed factory amp and have the rear 8'' on a mono Rockford amp. I also have a 4 ch amp that I may add subsequently.

my goal is SQ at moderate volume.

Romanova

Running these Infinity speakers in my LS non-ML car and they sound pretty good. The Kicker sub also was a decent improvement for the money...

DrVlikhell

Thanks for the quick replies!

How did you wire the stock tweeters to the aftermarket head unit? I never thought about using the head unit to power the door speakers. I wonder how the power output compares. Did you ever have those Parts Express woofers driven by the stock amp? Those are cheap enough to experiment with, but I don't want to tear apart the car or rewire things more times than I have to.

I was looking at some Infinity 2.7 ohm coaxial speakers. Are you running them off the stock amp and head unit? Also, does that Kicker sub give you that deep gut rumbling bass? I find the stock sub severely lacking in the ultra low end.

science

All speaker connections are in the trunk. I had to run RCA, Camera, and Speaker wires to my trunk to bypass the factory amp. You pretty much have to go all in but once everything is ran it makes it really easy to add amps or use the new headunit to power the speakers.

In my situation, I needed to add a backup camera, which lead to a new headunit, which I needed to run camera wire....I had 4 ch high amp and also mono sub amp as well as all the wiring and subwoofer. Like I said my goal is SQ. I have the excelon version headunit so its rated at 22watts. I did wire the factory 8" sub to my rockford 300 watt rms mono amp and it sounds fine. I'll try different configs once the cheap woofers arrive.

Romanova

Kicker gives enough bass to make the music sound good but not annoy the people next to you at the stop light.



Running this head unit.

Squirrel1

science I like your thinking. I'm about to do a double din with backup camera and while I'm in there I better run wires for future amps

Romanova

Camera is nice as is Android Auto. Really modernizes the LS430... love having Google maps for navigation and Amazon Music for the tunes. The Pioneer will even display the cover art from Amazon...

Romanova

Just make sure you use the Beat Sonic install kit... OEM fit and finish. Don't get the kit from Crutchfield, it's trash. The Beat Sonic kit is spendy, but worth it if you care about the details.

Only order it straight from Beat Sonic too... it's just easier that way.

Squirrel1

by crutchfield you mean metra?

Squirrel1

how do you like the angle of the screen? is it too low? I have a kenwood that you can choose the angle on, thought that might be nice

Romanova

Bingo. A few members here have used it and it looks terrible. The wiring adapter they supply you with is also pretty bad, if you can even get it to work.

Sometimes, the sun hits it and makes it difficult to see, but that is rare and I can usually just close the sunroof shade and it's fine. For the price I paid for the Pioneer unit and really, for the whole setup (head unit, Beat Sonic kit, camera, and speakers), it was perfect (just under $1k).
Plan a whole day for the install... so many things have to be removed. You'll appreciate how well the LS430 is put together when you have to take it apart.
Oh, and if you go to add a backup camera, hitting the power junction block in the trunk for the reverse lights is the easiest way to get power to the camera. And if you want to run Android Auto or Car Play, a good quality cable is the key to success. Bad cable and it won't work... certainly not with AA anyways.







GL.