Otterlex

Hey guys,

First, I am no audiophile, so I need as much help as possible. I have a 2005 LS430 with the ML original unit, but have replaced the speakers and sub with JL as well as have a JL Audio Clean Sweep and another amp pushing the sub.

It has sounded awesome.....until I blew one of the tweeters on the top of the dash. Can anyone provide suggestions including size and impedance?

Thank you!

Lynzoid

First off to get to tweeters you have to remove the whole dash. The Whole Dash.
Next, it's not tweeters in a common sense. There's 2 coils per each (search and you'll find some pictures), mid and high and some kind of crossover inbuilt.
I abandoned the idea of replacing these (with ML original ones, expensive ones) after i checked how hard it is to remove the dash and put it back on correctly...
Sorry

Bonsai

Your best bet is to find a reasonably priced audio shop to do it for you. Door speakers are tricky and the sub is a pain, the tweeters are the worst.

Otterlex

Thanks guys, I think I am going to a well respected shop in J-ville (they do competition stuff) and get them done. However, I am not sure that you have to pull the dash, as the speakers are easily accessed by simply removing the covers (there is a tab at 5:00 on the L, and 7:00 on the R), but I do not have a meter to guage the impedance, so I am not comfortable in replacing myself.

Lynzoid

Are you reading impaired? It's not tweeters. It's dual coil tube-shaped emitters with inbuilt crossover... Anyway, good luck.

pic of a unit: http://i.ebayimg.com/t/01-02-03-04-05-06-Lexus-LS430-Front-Dash-Tweeter-Mark-Levinson-86160-0W230-/00/s/OTYwWDEyODA=/$%28KGrHqN,!jkE9WFzI%29v3BPo+J5yd%29g~~60_35.JPG

Otterlex

HA! Indeed, I am impaired in many ways! However, I thank you for the pic as that is very helpful and certainly causes me to beleive it is a more difficult job than anticipated as I have no desire to pull the whole dash. Given that you are obviously knowledgable in this area, what do you suggest? I cannot leave it be as it sounds pretty lousy.

Thanks for your help!

Lynzoid

No probs... I've worked with LS dash, and i am scared of it. So, i decided for myself, leave it as it is.... Yes, it's loser attitude, but it's better than ruined car....

LS4LIFE206

If you're going mess with the dash. Budget 3hours to take it apart and 2 to put it back. Because they are not standard tweeters replacing them with something that is similar is tough, basically if you're going to go this route replace it will the ML speaker.

I say do a custom install with tweeters mounted in the top of the door panel like they are on the LS 400's. It will be much cheaper and you can match the aftermarket mids with a tweeter set up that will compliment it better than the mid/high dash horn/tweeter hybrid ML speakers in the dash ( which i think are way too bright from 6-10K, but are tolerable).

Lynzoid

Reasonable advice! Any info on a dynamic range, that ML amp feeds to doors? Is it full range or mid/bass only??
Can you take highs from door feeds and crossover it to extra tweeters?

Btw, are you really saying, that ML highs are too bright?!
Mine are working (with minor cracks from time to time), BUT i'd say that my high frequencies is almost non existent and flat as f. Even with eq highs set to max.... Or are they just gone?

LS4LIFE206

Yeah mine have peak around 8k and are super sibilant on some music. I have test drove other LS430's that sounded much different than the system i have, not sure why....

I would bypass all the stock crossovers with your clean sweep and run a set of speaker wires to the front doors from your amp. You have to come off the ML amp for controls, but if you run the hi level lines into your clean sweep you can get an audio control or other EQ to adjust the each set of outputs to your ear.

I recommend a good set of Focal components or Dyna Audio if the door depth can fit them, they have great mid bass drivers.

What sub and sub amp are you using?

Lynzoid

Me? Stock only Ruining car with 'tuning'? Noooo...

Jabberwock

Instead of adding a component tweeter into doors that would require cutting and modding the cars trim you could go with a 2 way door speaker. To do this you swap out the front door 1 way driver speakers for full range (or two way) speakers. Polk makes a nice 2 way speaker that has mid driver and tweeter built in. Then disconnect existing OEM tweets at the amp and wire tweeter and mid connection together into the front door speakers. Tweeter location is fairly directional but in a car it is just not that critical. Certainly not worth taking dash apart for.

LS4LIFE206

There have been a few threads of some people taking apart the dash on here to get to the tweeters and one guy dremelled out the housing and glued a tweeter onto the mount which made it possible to not take apart the dash but thats a whole different ballgame. My best friend is a Toyota Master Tech and said its almost impossible to put those back together 100% perfect.

As for coxial speakers, I've never been a huge fan of coxials. Its all preference to whether or not you want to mod your door a little. I have done it a few times in a past in my younger car stereo days. I consider it a minor mod and its not too difficult.

Oh and I would say the range of the ML mid is 50hz-4-5K. The High component is about 2K-20Hz. As to roll off's on the LP and HP filters on them I bet its about 12-18db per octave, maybe a little sharper on the LP on the high component. If you disconnect your nav unit it will disable the front drivers side mid and you can fade to the front left and hear the high component solo to judge for yourself.

Otterlex

I'd be interested in knowing if your friend was a CL member as I pulled the cover off and there is silicone around the speaker (I bot this LS from a CL member), so it makes me wonder if the same was done here. Anyway, I've got a highly regarded audio shop pulling the full schematics and I will end up doing something to fix the problem and post results.

LS4LIFE206

The guy wasn't a friend of mine, it was post on here. Here is the thread maybe you did buy this particular car.

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/ls4...riginal-2.html

My friend is a master tech, he works on Toyota's and Lexus's all day everyday and says the LS430 dash is a bearcat. No matter who is taking it apart its going to take a few hrs.