ThumperPup

if i wanted to add the Mid to each of the tweeters where the cut outs are are those what you are talking about or when you say Mid do you mean the center speaker in the center of the dash

what would i do
would i run wires to the amp or would i splice into the wires running to the tweeters ?
also what size can i get and what about adding a ML Mid so i can stay factory size without altering or cutting anything

would adding a ML mid sound good with the non ml tweeters ?

Robert_J

mid = midrange speaker. Standard shorthand in the audio world.

It would probably suck. You can't just add it either. You would have to add a complete crossover network or at least a high pass filter on the mid.

You splice into the wires running to your tweeters. That's what I did. The wire comes from the amp to the speaker locations in the dash. From there it goes to the tweeters and down to the door speakers. I connected the wires from the amp to my crossover inputs. I connected the wires that go to the doors to the low output of my crossover. I connected the tweeters to the high output of my crossover.

If you look through the front window into the speaker grill, you will see the tweeter as well as a blank circular location. That blank is where the midrange speaker would go in an ML system. Here's a PPI 3-way setup http://www.sonicelectronix.com/item_...I-PC3.65C.html that has a bass, mid and tweeter. Will it fit? I'm not sure. You could remove the speaker grill in the car and measure the blank to see if the 2.5" mid will fit. This is DIY so you might have to pull out the Dremel and do some cutting to both the mounting location and the speaker. Here's the information from the PPI site - http://www.precisionpower.com/html-v...s/PC3-65C.html

There is more than enough room for just about any crossover under the speaker. I wrapped mine in bubble wrap and packing tape so they don't make a sound.

iceblast

I did notice the odd bracket used from the forums.
I feel if I upgrade the fronts and rears, I will get a decent balanced full sound, as I will not be adding an aftermarket sub.

What were the depth of the PG speakers you had?

ThumperPup

cool awesome thank you very much so i don't need to add another amp to be able to power 2 mid ranges ill just splice into the tweeter wires and run like that

is the speaker in the center of the dash considred a tweeter also even thought i call it a center speaker ?

also are the only other speakers that the ML would have would be in the rear deck ?
i thought i read somewhere that the ML systems had 2 speakers in each door

Robert_J

You have to have a passive crossover network or you will run into impedance issues. That's why I linked to 3 way component sets that included crossovers.

It's a full range, center speaker. I did not touch mine. The other speakers are more sensitive so they overwhelm the center. About 1/2 of the time, there is either a radar detector, nav screen or both covering it. If you want to replace it, then use a full range or a coaxial speaker.

I checked the Lexus tech manual and there is also a tweeter in the back doors of the ML system. It looks to be very close to the main door speaker so if you go with a 2 way coaxial, you should get similar output. In fact, almost any coaxial you buy for $10 will be better quality than the ML speakers in the ES-350.

The ML systems also include a rear center channel in the headliner of the car. I have no idea why they would include center channels since they impact the stereo separate in a negative way.

Robert_J

When you listen to live music, are there speakers behind you or are all of the speakers in front, near the stage? That's why I paid no attention to the rear speakers during my upgrade.

2 7/8" - http://www.sonicelectronix.com/item_...s-RSd65cs.html

lexussoul

Hi all, brand new used Lexus ES350 (non-ML/non-navigation) owner and I too am disappointed with the sound system, coming from a car that had an awesome Rockford Fosgate sound system. I am a BIG music listener and I do like my bass.

I'm seeing lots of mixed results when I look for options to replace the front door speakers AND add a subwoofer. (https://www.clublexus.com/forums/lex...ase-radio.html)

This is my first time thinking about replacing a cars sound system, and I'm not sure where to start - I want to ideally keep the stock amp so I can keep the bluetooth and other functionality.

The problem is, I don't know if there is anything like "power requirements" for the speakers to work with the stock amp. I would get a powered sub like an Infinity Basslink so I think that doesn't have any specific requirements... and would I just feed that into the stock car amplifier?

I plan on having it installed by a guy who knows what he's doing but I just want to make sure I know at least some of what he might do so I can know if he's doing it wrong.

Eventually I want to do what Robert_J did and place an entirely new headunit in there and possibly add a separate amplifier so is replacing front speakers and adding a powered sub going to kill that idea?

Thank you all for your help!

lexussoul

Sorry, what I meant to say was that are there certain speakers that won't work well because the amplifier can't power them... I wanted these:

http://www.crutchfield.com/p_108R650...F-6500cfx.html

The sub shouldn't be a problem if I get a powered one.

I'm going to be ordering the parts myself, and I don't want the guy to tell me that it won't work because the amp can't deliver or something.

Thank you!

mlacomb

Fyi, a basslink will work. However, you will find the bass output to be severely lacking. Firstly, tapping the speaker wires from the stock amp - somehow you get a pretty low output. I put an audio control lc2i on it. Next, the isolation of the basslink in the trunk really limits the sound.

Robert_J

There are no "mixed results". Every step was an improvement over stock.

The factory amp is rated for a 4 ohm load. Pick a set of component speakers that are 4 ohm (most are) and install them.

If he knows what he is doing, you shouldn't have to follow up to make sure. Either you trust him to work on your car or you don't. There are people more capable than me in audio but I like to know what is going on and I am very particular in the parts I choose. That and I'm cheap. I like to do this stuff so my labor is free. More money for equipment.

Go for it. I did mine over 3 weekends. You could do yours over 3 months. Adding a separate amp for the door speakers would only make them louder. When you filter out the bass from the factory amp, it does a very good job for a sound quality system. If you want SPL then this isn't the car to choose. A Tahoe with 10 18's and 40,000w is better -

Robert_J

"wanted"? Why the past tense? Those will work just fine except maybe the size. You may have to make the opening in the aftermarket bracket larger.

As mlacomb said, the bass from the stock head unit is the weak link. Also, any sub you get will be powered. Whether it is a box and an external amp or one of those all-in-one bass link things (please don't get one).

As I said earlier, the factory amp is very good. It's about 20 or so watts per channel when you remove the bass frequencies. It does a great job keeping up with my PSI 12" and a 1,000w amp.

lexussoul

Hey Robert_J, I wanted them, and now I got them. =) I just needed to know if I should be looking at the wattage or the ohms, and you answered that for me. So basically, because these are 4 ohms's they should be good to go ("The speaker's 3-ohm impedance combined with the impedance of your speaker wire provides a true 4-ohm load to your connected head unit or amplifier.")? I can just use the factory wiring? Looking at your pictures it seems like there is enough space underneath the tweeters to place the cross overs.

Thanks for the help man. =)

Yeah I'll think about a sub/mono amp combo instead of a powered sub, I was just thinking about a cheapo the cheapo option that didn't take too much space up in the trunk.

Robert_J

Impedance is the spec to look at. Wattage is irrelevant 99% of the time.

If you measure a "4 ohm speaker" with a multi-meter it will read between 2.8 to 5 ohms because you are feeding it a DC signal. This is resistance. Music is an AC (alternating current) signal. The impedance (measured in ohms also) will vary by frequency. At the resonant frequency (Fs spec in the Thiele/Small parameters) it will be 20 or 30 ohms. Basically, impedance is the average across the working spectrum of the driver.

I did when using the factory amp. If I ever switch to an aftermarket amp, I will still use the factory wiring because I'm too lazy to run new wire especially from the cabin into the doors.

Yes. I first used 2 sided 3M tape and it lasted for about a week. I ended up pulling them out and wrapped them in bubble wrap. They are not anchored in the dash but I can't hear a single rattle.

I really enjoy passing along what I learned during my install.


Neither of my boxes takes up much room. In fact, my wife and I were able to take a 4 day trip with the larger of the enclosures in the trunk. I can take a current picture of the 12" box.

I do have a 3.5 cubic foot 15" box that needs to be re-covered and I think it will fit. If it will, this sub is going in.

lexussoul

"Neither of my boxes takes up much room. In fact, my wife and I were able to take a 4 day trip with the larger of the enclosures in the trunk. I can take a current picture of the 12" box."

That's good to know. I may just get a drop-in and a box then. I'll look around for prices. Thanks Robert.

Should I get something like this to protect the speakers or does the car already have something like this? http://www.crutchfield.com/p_696B050...e-3-depth.html

Crutchfield is including these: http://www.crutchfield.com/p_142SAT6...s.html?tp=2824

I love the mods that I see on these threads. I wanna add the Illuminated door sills too https://www.clublexus.com/forums/es3...-09-es350.html.

Robert_J

This is my 12" box - http://www.walmart.com/ip/14667133?w...l5=pla&veh=sem

This is my 10" box - http://pacificstereo.com/scosche-se1...FSZgMgod2H8Atg

The 12" model is 1.2 cubic feet of air space and the 10" model is .75 cubic feet of air space. The 12" driver is wired for 1 ohm and my amp delivers the full 1,000w into it. The 10" driver I use is 4 ohm which means my amp only puts out about 250w. I use the 12" sub as much as possible.

I don't have anything behind my speakers. In fact, there was nothing behind the factory speakers and they looked perfect when I removed them.

The only reason I bought my head unit from Crutchfield was the guarantee that all of the parts would work together even though the instructions did not indicate that. The Lexus ES-350 was not mentioned in the amp adapter manual. Now that I have confirmed these items as working together, I would buy for other vendors. My receiver was $100 cheaper on a lot of sites. I bought my speaker adapters and speaker wire adapters from Amazon. The tweeters don't require an adapter. You will remove the plug before wring in the crossover.