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As for the mount, I went to great lengths to create a pattern and cut out an adapter. Just to test my idea, on the other speaker, I just mounted it with the factory clips. There was little difference between the two, and in hindsight clearly not worth the extra effort. I have built many speaker systems, and the box size, port, sealed or transmission line are more critical in low frequencies. Since these little 3-1/2" drivers can't make the low bass anyway, I would not bother.
Don't forget the Metra 72-8109 wire adapters for simple plug and play.
Good stuff you've provided. THANKS.
Just to clarify, you're saying not to worry about the Adapters to mont these? That was my fear and why I decided not to do it. But if the Mount Adapters aren't necessary then I may do this.
I was going to go through Crutchfield to get the speakers. Do they have this Metra 72-8109 wire adapters or something similar or do you know? Where did you get your wire adapter from?
Good stuff you've provided. THANKS.
Just to clarify, you're saying not to worry about the Adapters to mont these? That was my fear and why I decided not to do it. But if the Mount Adapters aren't necessary then I may do this.
I was going to go through Crutchfield to get the speakers. Do they have this Metra 72-8109 wire adapters or something similar or do you know? Where did you get your wire adapter from?
They will fit (just barely) without any adapter. Make sure that Crutchfield gives you the Metra 72-8109 connector and not a different number (they include it for FREE with speakers). If you do get it from them, post the instruction sheet for others to benefit.
Hi, all. What I and a few others have done with no tearing apart of the car, is to install a Kicker HS10 powered sub in the trunk (in one of the spots under the deck back there. You can use the wiring going to the useless sub back there as hi level inputs, and use the posts on the top of the battery that Lexus conveniently provided as your power source. You'll need:
Then just a little splicing to the harness that comes with the sub, but no damage will be done to the car and it can be reversed in a few minutes. Maybe I'm not supposed to post a link to another website, but here's my post with details:
and needed another set of the adapters listed above. As others have pointed out, you have to jury rig something to bridge the 3/4" gap between the mounting holes on these speakers and the abnormally-spaced holes on the Lexus. You don't want to know how I did it because you'll crucify me! LOL
These made a world of difference. I don't have any fancy spectrometer or hard data, but I've been a musician my whole life and with a little tweaking of the sub settings I think I have it in a very nice spot, at least for my ears.
Thanks for going through this. I had planned to put a JL Audio powered 10 or 12 under the cargo floor, if it would fit, but have delayed this. I changed the front stage in spring 2022 and have been listening to good front end but unfortunately the bass is lacking.
You're welcome. I did find that I did not need a lot from that particular sub (the gain is only up ~33% of the way). I set the dash bass to the middle setting as I was tweaking the sub. If I ever want a little more or less from the sub, I can make the edit on the dash sound settings.
One worry I had was about putting the powered sub under the trunk deck - heat - but after a two hour drive I lifted the deck and nothing was more than very mildly warm back there.
Hello, can someone tell me what tool should be used to get the dash speakers in and out? My ratchet can't fit well to remove the screw near the windshield.
Hello, can someone tell me what tool should be used to get the dash speakers in and out? My ratchet can't fit well to remove the screw near the windshield.
Use the circular side of a 10mm combination wrench. Once I did just a partial turn, I could turn it with my fingers. Don't drop it into the dash!!!
I decided to try the Infinity Reference REF-3032cfx Atomic suggested in one of his posts. Happy with the improvement, now to figure out if I want to tackle one of the sub options also mentioned in this thread.
The install was very easy, probably 5 minutes if you know what to do (took me about 20 minutes being super careful removing the grills and the existing wire connectors. At first, comparing the bolt hole positions from the OEM vs the new speaker I thought, no way is this going to fit. The Crutchfield site says these speakers DO NOT FIT an NX350, but actually, they fit very well. The existing screws do have to be started at 45d angle to catch the hole underneath. Now that may sound bad, but the screws have extremely coarse threads so lots of forgiveness. Once I got them started and gently tightening them they both just stood up straight and tightened up cleanly with no fuss and no cross threading on both sides.
I decided on these for a couple reasons, i) the Kickers AL mentioned he used were not readily available around here and the Infinity was ii) the Infinity website made a lot of mention about these particular speakers being very well suited for use with factory systems because they have a fairly high sensitivity rating. Now I don't know a huge amount about speaker specs, but I love a good marketing story!
The new ones are substantially heavier, 353g vs 162g for the OEM.
I used a set of Kicker 46CSC354 speakers I had in my old Prius. They are a little bright but have a nice quality tone. Similar (and perhaps a little better) would be the Infinity Reference REF-3032cfx or the very similar JBL Club 322F. A step up in sound smoothness without the exaggerated highs of the others is the JL Audio C2-350x at almost 3x the price. All of these are excellent speakers and should make a major improvement in clarity and higher frequencies over the garbage that Lexus puts in. When you fix the highs and clarity, it does make the missing low bass more noticeable. Improving sound is a rabbit hole of sorts. I was after the most bang for the buck. I explored other speakers, but few can live up to the quality and clarity of the ones I list.
As for the mount, I went to great lengths to create a pattern and cut out an adapter. Just to test my idea, on the other speaker, I just mounted it with the factory clips. There was little difference between the two, and in hindsight clearly not worth the extra effort. I have built many speaker systems, and the box size, port, sealed or transmission line are more critical in low frequencies. Since these little 3-1/2" drivers can't make the low bass anyway, I would not bother.
Don't forget the Metra 72-8109 wire adapters for simple plug and play.
@AtomicLexus I'm on the phone with Crutchfield. They are telling me the JL Audio C2-350x speakers will NOT fit. They are too tall. So I'm getting Kicker 47KSC3504's. The only difference is theCones are silk and they have rubber and not foam.
They also say the Metra 72-8109 adapters will NOT fit my car. She even put me on hold and asked Technical. They say they can ONLY provide the Metra 72-7902 as that is what fits my make and model. So I'm not sure if the 450H+ is different from a 350H but this is what they are saying. I think I'll let them give me the 72-7902's and order the 72-8109's. The last thing I want to do is get it apart and can't finish because I can't connect them.
They also say the Metra 72-8109 adapters will NOT fit my car.
I saw the same thing when I bought the 72-8109 for my NX350, but they were indeed the perfect match. For anyone else's reference, these are what my speaker connectors look like, and the 72-8109 adaptor fit perfectly on the OEM connector.
I saw the same thing when I bought the 72-8109 for my NX350, but they were indeed the perfect match. For anyone else's reference, these are what my speaker connectors look like, and the 72-8109 adaptor fit perfectly on the OEM connector.
NX350 non-ML dash speaker OEM connectors
@Droid13 THANKS for the pictures of the adapter. I notice everyone says the 72-8109 has a 350/350H. I'm wondering if the 450H+ has something different? But then you mentioned they tried to sell you the 72-7902 as well. I guess I'll get the gear and pop the grille off. Hopefully I can see the connector without too much trouble to see if it will match-up. Is there anything that is easy with this vehicle??? I'm beginning to wonder.
Some very good info here, thank you to everyone who has contributed. Is there any solution for the subwoofer for a 350 gas model? I noticed everything seemed to be dependent on using the battery in the trunk that only the hybrids have. I also have a spare tire in my storage compartment, so room is another factor to consider.
I would like to splurge for the JL Audio C2-350x speakers but I'm worried about them being too tall.
They will fit (just barely) without any adapter. Make sure that Crutchfield gives you the Metra 72-8109 connector and not a different number (they include it for FREE with speakers). If you do get it from them, post the instruction sheet for others to benefit.
@AtomicLexus Okay, I just received the Crutchfield Instruction Sheet for my order. The Order itself just shipped and won't arrive until 8/22. I ended up buying the Kicker 47KSC3504. They insist the Metra 72-7902 are the correct adapters and they provided them free. But to make sure I ordered the Metra 72-8109 also. If the 7902's work, I'll let you know.
Just curious, the first step in the guide is to disconnect the negative side of the battery. Is this necessary?
As requested, I've attached the Crutchfield Instructions. Below I listed the contents since it is for more than the Corner Dash Speakers.
Receiver: NOT DDRESSED
Center Dash speaker: Included
Corner Dash speakers: Included
Front Door woofers: Included
Rear Door speakers: Included
Cargo Floor subwoofer: NOT ADDRESSED
Also included is a really good Wiring Guide that may come in handy (not me though, I'm color blind)
), and my wife and I are thrilled with the sound now. The subwoofer was purchased from Crutchfield. This all-in-one unit really filled in what was lacking in our opinion, which was bass. The factory 8-inch is still connected as well as recommended by the installer.
For under $500 including installation, my wife and I are good for now. Everything else is factory. Being a compact SUV, another benefit is wife hasn't lost any trunk space or too much-added weight from a separate AMP & Box combination. Hope this post helps others in the search for better overall sound.
If you're wondering how I mounted the sub to the back of the rear seat, I sandwiched a 1/4 in. x 12 in. x 18 in. Medium Density Fiberboard from Home Depot found here https://www.homedepot.com/p/Handprin...0510/313763530 between 4 sheets cut to the size of 12 x 12 in silicon rubber found here
. It's holding up well and is a snug fit behind the seat fabric. The silicon sheets are doing a good job of reducing (eliminating?) vibration against the frame of the rear seat. Folding down the seat give easy access to the settings.
The gain settings in the picture above have been adjusted since. For example, I turned the cross-over all the way to the right since I've learned the factory system already crosses over the frequencies to the sub wires. Tapped into the factory sub wires under the trunk floor. Tapped the cigarette lighter on the left side of the trunk for turn on. You can see the opening to the wires in the top left of this picture.
@tbartman67 , based on the dates of the posts and the date of my installation 7/8/2023, I might have to take credit for the Kicker 46HS10 idea. Haha, I'm just messing around, I'm glad others have found this solution as well!
Quick question, do you recommend the corner dash upgrade you did, or is it negligible?
Also, do you enable the surround sound option? With it on or off, how is that Kicker doing compared to the factory Pioneer corner dash?
08-10-23, 09:35 AM
