TLPLEXUS

I have searched this topic here and the concensus that our stock non-ML system is very bad (underpowered HU and low quality speakers). So i would like to get some ideas from members here as to what to upgrade. I know at least one member has upgrade his speakers to Polk 571/651 and liked it.

My budget is around $500 so i think i can only upgrade speakers for now. Knowing that the stock head unit is underpowered, a 4-channel amp would also be nice to get IF it is do-able with our stock head unit (but i am not sure if that's possible). Please let me know if you have successfully installed a 4-channel amp into your stock head-unit. I will expand my budget a bit to accommodate if it is do-able.

The speaker specs are listed below (in inches).

Location Size Depth
Front Speaker 6.5 3
Front Tweeter 1 1
Rear Speaker 6.5 3
Subwoofer 8 4

I am think about getting the following:

Front (2 dash/2 doors): Alpine SPS-600C or Polk MM6501
or
Front (2 doors only): Infinity REF6022I

Back (2 doors): Alpine SPS-600 ; Alpine SPR-17C ; Polk MM651

Let me know what other choices that you like/recommend. I think both Alpine and Polk speakers are quality brands but i am not sure if my stock head unit is strong enough to drive them. They sounded pretty good in the stores but they were all hooked up to an amp.

bone215

I am actually surprised that there would be a consensus regarding the sound system being bad.
My experience in my 07 non ML is that it is actually a very nice audio system.
What specifically about the sound are you trying to change?

SickES350

iTrader: (-1)

i've found the ES350 speakers (i think they're made by pioneer?)to be pretty good with the exception of bass, switched out the stock sub with an aftermarket sub/amp. sounds pretty well balanced afterwards.

my advice to you. is to leave the stock head unit alone, otherwise you'll end up making the audio section of your console useless, might also mess with your AC also.... since its in the same area.

you can just swap out speakers and wire an amp to them while still using the stock head unit.

tromly

Stay away from the ML speakers, SC 430 owners have to constantly replace them !

TLPLEXUS

A few of the shops recommend that i go with the following for the full package upgrade if i have the budget (while keeping the factory stereo intact):

1) 4 channel amp
2) Audio control sound processor (balances the sound)
3) Components speakers for front and Coaxial for rear

I am not sure if i need a 5 channel amp in order to power the sub at the back deck or piggy back the 5th channel from the 4 channel amp.

SickES350, are you using a mono channel amp to power your upgraded sub?

I find that the base Non-ML system lacking severely in bass. Most times i don't get to "feel" my music (though i don't need a dedicated subwoofer). Bear in mind my base Toyota factory setup sounds better than this base Lexus one. The ES rear speakers are a joke (just Fad the sound to R6 or R8 and you will know what i mean).

jagtoes

I find the system to be above average with sufficent sound quality. I also find that the younger you are today the more you have hearing problems because of the volume settings. It may be to late for some but try listening at the 14-18 volume level. Hearing aids are pretty expensive now days.

tvlenthe

I have JUST completed replacing the front door speakers in my new/used non-ML '07 ES350. I was dissappointed with at the stock sound compared to the stock sound in my departed '99 ES. I used Boston Acoustics SL95 which are their previous top of the line single piece speaker which have recently been replaced by a new series. These are a 6x9 shallow speaker which I got from Crutchfield at half the original list price (since they are being phased out). Regardless of the speakers you get, you will need the Toyota Camry/Tacoma/Lexus ES "adapter" baffle, since the door cutout is an irregular shape.

I found a baffle for a 6x9 speaker from a supplier on ebay (they were labeled as for Toyota Tacoma, but fit perfectly). Note that Crutchfield says 6x9 speakers don't fit and they don't carry the appropriate baffle (although they will supply the proper baffle for round speakers).

I also applied sound deadening to the inner and outer metal portions of the door. This is tricky, since a large foam block from the trim panel goes through an opening and contacts to a reinforcing tube next to the outer skin. I used aluminum roof flashing to cover the opening and then cut back the foam block with a hack saw blade. (Take a look at DIYmobile.com for more than you will ever want to read about sound deadening). This is a slow and tedious process (and required several band-aids!), but seemed well worth it.

I also recommend adding sound damping to the door trim panel itself, which vibrates significantly with bass notes. This reduced but did not eliminate the panel vibration.

A few more installation thoughts... Use rope putty to seal any air gaps around the speaker/baffle (the 6x9 baffle has a number of gaps in it) to prevent air "leaks" from the back side of the speaker to the front side (assuming that you "seal" the inner door frame with sound damping material) Also, use some foam gasket material to close the gap between the front edge of the speaker itself and the door panel. I used 1/2" square adhesive foam from McMaster-Carr (an on-line industrial supply house - if they don't have it, it probably doesn't exist!) which worked nicely. The idea is that you don't want the sound waves from the back of the speaker cone to "wrap around" and cancel out the sound waves from the front (this is particularly an issue at mid to lower frequencies).

Lastly, the sound... I noticed significant improvement in bass response and definition and a noticeable improvement in mid-range clarity. For instance, there is now a notable improvement in quality/clarity between CD and FM (I'm mostly a classical/jazz listener). The stock head unit drives these speakers to about the same volume levels as stock with no problem. Despite the fact that they presently run in parallel with the dash tweeters, it sounds fine to my ears. Note that you won't be able to vibrate the car next to you with the stock head unit, but you will be able to drown out all but the loudest trucks with the windows closed. However, it's only been since this past weekend and I'm still refining my opinions.

If you head over to e-bay, I also highly recommend purchasing a DVD copy of the detailed repair manual. They are about $20 and ship in from Latvia (!), but mine came in about 10 days. These are invaluable to know about the door clips, removal instructions, assorted pieces, etc.

I have some photos I can post tonight of my install, if anyone is interested. I have plans to upgrade the rear door speakers, although I doubt I'll take the extra effort for sound damping in those doors (comments anyone?). Finally, I'm pondering whether there are worthwhile options for upgrading the dash speaker components while maintaining the stock install appearance. Despite some web information to the contrary, the dash tweeters are simply run in parallel with the front door speakers, so full range speakers installed in the front door will receive a full range signal.

- Ted

smody121

I bought my 07' ES 350 with the most basic of sound systems (non-ML). I had a really nice aftermarket system I put together in my previous car and it makes this stock system sound like an alarm clock radio. So I decided to put a little time and effort into putting in a new system. Here is what I have done so far.

First, I want to say that you need to never buy anything car audio related in retail stores or even specialty car audio garages. Always buy online, I have gotten more information and way better prices there than any store could possibly give you.

So the rear door speakers I replaced with Alpine Type S SPS-600 Coaxial speakers:



I bought these at buy.com for $74.46 grand total with tax and shipping which was about $35+ less than Best Buy is selling them for.

I got the front door speakers with tweeters included from Alpine as well; the Alpine SPS-600C Component speakers:


I got these at ikesound.com for $84.00 grand total with tax and shipping, which was about $50+ less than Best Buy is selling them for.

The subwoofer was really important to me since I love my bass. I didn't want to short myself, but I don't really need two 15" subs to blow my windows out either. I decided to go with one 12" sub and I went with Rockford Fosgate's new P3D412 Punch sub which really pounds:







This subwoofer was on clearance at Best Buy for $249.99 and I passed since savingslots.com was selling the same sub for $135.90 so I got it there and saved $115+.

I decided to go with a 5-channel amp (or 6 if you're looking to do a dual subwoofer setup) so I could connect the whole system together through just one amp. I decided to get the Polk Audio PA1100.5 5-channel amp with 80W RMS x 4 @ 4 Ohms + 600W RMS x 1 @ 1 Ohms. I'm looking to hook up to the sub at 2 or maaybe 1 Ohm while connecting the speakers at 2 ohms:



I got this at ecrater.com through Audiomax for $378.99 with tax and shipping for this beast of an amplifier saving $50+ from Crutchfield.com.

Now you need the correct wires for this amp or really any amp you decide on, so I wanted to get the best possible kit to ensure minimum noise and maximum efficiency. I went with the Streetwires PSK40BI 4AWG wiring kit for the amp (I think blue would go better than red but you have that choice):



I got these from hookedontronics.com for a grand total of $58.40 with tax and shipping which saved me $50 from Crutchfield.com.

I did also want to go with patch cables to improve the sound quality since I was getting all this equipment, I didn't want to short myself on quality cables as well. These keep your wiring really uncluttered as well:



I got these for $87.79 from sonicelectronix.com saved me $25 from Crutchfield.com

Finally, I wanted to replace the stock head unit in the dash. This is proving to be the most difficult task since the stock dash is really non-standard and I think I need a new kit to get my new head unit in. I'm still looking in to my options, but if anyone has any suggestions, it'd be greatly appreciated. I think I'm going to go to the dealership to see if they have any of those consoles they can maybe switch in and I'll provide the electronics. I really don't want to sacrifice the current dash's beauty for the ugliness of a standard kit either. Anyway, the head unit I want to install is the Pioneer AVIC-X910BT GPS Nav and DVD player:



Which I purchased at ibuydigital.com for $834.94 with tax and shipping and a 3 year warranty which saved me $265 from Crutchfield.com and Crutchfield didn't include a warranty.

I also bought the iPod adapter cord which is needed with this head unit. I wanted to get the one that charges your iPod as you use it so I went with the CD-IU230V model from Pioneer:



Which cost me $11.40 at extremecoolgadgets.com and saved $40 from buying at Crutchfield.com.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

All the equipment has cost me a total of $1,645.88. I have saved approximately $630 buying from online websites instead of going to retail stores.

I'll try and update you on when I am able to install all of this stuff (with pictures hopefuly ) and when I figure out the head unit business. Again, if you have any suggestions/experience in that department, I'm all ears.

LexFather

Great posts!!

tvlenthe

Just a heads-up that if you have the bluetooth option (hands free cell phone), that replacing either the head unit - OR - the amplifier will kill the factory installed blue-tooth. If you go this route, a full blown head unit with nav and bluetooth is probably the best option.

In my case, with factory NAV and bluetooth, just the speaker upgrade and sound damping upgrade made a big difference, retaining the factory HU and amplifier.

Today's the day I tackle the rear door speakers!

tvlenthe

Just a heads-up that if you have the bluetooth option (hands free cell phone), that replacing either the head unit - OR - the amplifier will kill the factory installed blue-tooth. If you go this route, a full blown replacement of the amplifier AND head unit with its own nav and bluetooth is probably the best option.

In my case, with factory NAV and bluetooth, just the speaker upgrade and sound damping upgrade made a big difference, retaining the factory HU and amplifier.

Today's the day I tackle the rear door speakers!

TLPLEXUS

Great post with these components upgrades to the car. Look forward to hear from you once you are done with the project.

smody121

So here's an update on where I'm at with my system:

I went to a custom installer for all the components above and they basically told me it's going to be near impossible to install any aftermarket in-dash GPS systems in this model car. The dash for the non-ML system is too customized out of the factory for a GPS so I'm going to have to go a different route if I want to upgrade. So I chose a Kenwood product:

I spoke to the installer who was very helpful and he pointed out this new product which would allow me to upgrade my standard in-dash radio to allow for all the aftermarket stuff like ipod, satellite radio, etc.





We're also going to probably do a ported box for my sub in the trunk along with a stealth installation for the amp in the trunk with a plexiglass cover to make it look clean. I'll post pictures in a couple weeks when I get it all installed and how it all ends up tied together.

TLPLEXUS

After seeing some of the helpful posts here, i have finally selected and received all of my gears. I will have the installer handle the work next week.

Front speakers :
Polk MM6501 components
$172.00 (Ebay)

Back speakers:
Polk DB651
$55 (Frys electronics)

Audio processor:
Old AudioControl LS6
$100 (Ebay)

Amp:
Polk 500.4 Amp
$220.00 (Sonix-electronics)

Total: $550

The only regret for me was not getting a 6x9 components speaker for the front (MM6501 is 6.5"). I will take pictures of my car and post them here once i have these gears installed.

SumDumGuy

I know this is an old post, but I am looking to upgrade my sound system and had a few questions. What is the difference between regular speakers and a component set? Is it just an added tweeter? I have the Mark Levinson system in my 08 ES350 and cant stand the way it sounds. Would component 6x9s allow for me to change the door speakers and install the tweeters in the dash? or would they have to be right next to each other? I am thinking about "infinity 693.9i 6x9s in the front doors, but their mounting depth is 3 1/4 inches. Will I have the clearance for that. Any advice anyone has regarding this would be appreciated.

Thanks.