Bocatrip

Although there is definitely an improvement, under a deep base, there is still the rattle. Considering there is not much I can do after loading the speaker with silicone, I will just have to wait until there is actually either a replacement available, or an outfit that will recone this speaker.

waijai

iTrader: (9)

Although pricey, there are replacement subs available on eBay.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/LEXUS...fAudioQ5fVideo

Jabberwock

That speaker should cost about 90 bucks based on build quality - what a rip.

Bocatrip

I was told that refoaming or changing the foam ring was another option. I've already siliconed the crap out of my speaker (still buzzes somewhat) so I don't know if I have an option here. Anyone try changing the foam? Also, are there reconing outfits out there to recone our speakers? What are all the owners doing with their ML systems if the rear speaker is usually junk?

Bocatrip

As mentioned on an earlier post, if the voice coil support is blown, it will also cause the rattles we hear which cannot be repaired without changing the cone. I probably have that very issue as after the silicone fix, I get much better base but still have the rattles with higher volume. At least I can use the system if I don't go crazy with the volume. Before the silicone fix it was totally useless.

lenfrog

Hi SuperJoe,
I am replacing a blown ML subwoofer in my 01 LS430 ultra package. I believe you have the same vehicle. In your instructions you said to pull down the armrest and take off the bolt located there. In my LS there is a beverage cooler there. I do not see the bolt you mentioned. Do you not have the cooler or am I not looking in the correct place? Thanks a lot for your posts and pictures. It makes this project seem much more doable and affordable.

Thanks,
Len

JLaValley

I picked up a 2003 LS430UL Black / Ivory a week ago with 48900 miles out of Florida and on the drive home (Ohio) discovered the blown speakers (major bummer!) I could tell there wasnt much bass coming from the back and the passenger front was rattling pretty bad. I knew I could't take that crap for long so immediately after we got home I started to look for a solution. All the posts here were great!

I did lots of research here and a little elsewhere and finally came up with this.

Here are my choices:
Polk MM840DVC sub
Polk MM651 6.5's for the front.
Stock amp and rears (for now!)

I searched through many posts and assumed that the ML sub was a 2ohm speaker, thats why i bought the 840DVC. This is a dual 4ohm sub that can be wired either in parallel or in series. Wired in parallel, you get 2 ohm! I thought it was perfect, until I installed it and the amp shut down. The Polk also had a few more install "modifications" than the JL sub others had mentioned here. After the amp shut down (it did come back on after a few moments), I realized something was wrong. I got back on and read even deeper in the posts only to discover that ML subs are 12 ohm!!!!! I pulled the back deck out again (only about 15 minutes total this time) rewired the sub in series for a 8 ohm load, put it back together and voila, amp does not shut down (not yet anyway... although i did put it though its paces for a bit!). So the moral of this story is read through ALL the posts before you jump in!

The front speakers went in with a little modification too. Although not near as much as the rear sub. I did have to drill new mounting holes in the stock speaker brackets (offset from the original ones in about a sixteenth). The MM651's also come with a crossover that i mounted fairly easily directly below the speaker with some double sticky tape on the back of it.

Hope this helps!

RomanTPA

So if 8ohm will work... here is good cheap replacement, and its $40 right now

Kicker 10C88
Comp 8" 8-ohm subwoofer




power requirements look like this will be good to work with factory amp without putting much more stress on it

Size 8 -inch
Impedance 8 ohms
Cone Material Injected Polypropylene
Surround Material Ribbed foam
Free-Air Yes
Dual Voice Coil No
Sensitivity 85.6 dB at 1 volt
Frequency Response 30 - 500 Hz
RMS Power Range (Watts) 50-100
Peak Power Handling (Watts) 200
Top Mount Depth (inches) 4 1/16


<<<YOU CAN GET IT HERE>>>

I hope this helps for all of you that complain about either:
a.) cant find good price
b.) cant find 8ohm sub
c.) cant find free air/infinite baffle
d.) cant find a cheap free air 8" sub

Bocatrip

I've got my rear woofer up and running with the silicone fix although still not perfect. I will wait until a ML rear woofer becomes available at a reasonable price or just live with it as is.

RomanTPA

OPTION 2:

you can professionally have it repaired or order a repair kit (~$10) from Speaker Exchange ( http://speakerex.com/ ) and here is how to do it ( http://www.reconingspeakers.com/faq/...oam-a-speaker/ )


SOMETHING COOL THAT I FOUND:

How To Understand Impedance?

Speaker Impedance varies with frequency. You will often see Impedance measured in ohms using Ω (the Greek letter Omega). Speaker impedance is different at different frequencies. You can see this by using a multimeter and moving the speaker cone. Most speaker impedance discussions concern nominal impedance which is the approximate DC resistance of the voice coil.

Impedance tells you how much current will pass through a speaker at a specific voltage. Impedance is a way of telling you how much of the voltage introduced at one end will really make it to the other end. A speaker’s impedance influences the ratio of voltage and current. Impedance also depends on other qualities of electricity, such as resistance, reactance, inductance, and capacitance.

Impedance restricts the flow of power from your receiver or amplifier. A lower impedance speaker will accept more power. For example, a 4 ohm speaker will use more power from your amplifier than an 8 ohm speaker. Is this good? Yes and no. A 4 ohm speaker will be louder than an 8 ohm speaker at the same setting, but it will also run hotter. Does that mean a higher impedance is better? No. Impedance that is too high restricts the flow of current, vital current that a speaker needs in order to play loudly.

Impedance is determined by resistance and another value, reactance. Reactance takes into account opposing forces and frequency. Reactance describes the electrical effect of the inductors and capacitors typically found in a speaker’s crossover network. Two elements of reactance, inductance and capacitance, correspond to frequency. Inductance is in proportion to frequency while capacitance is inversely proportional to frequency.

For most average speaker owners, a speaker impedance specification in the 6-8 Ohm range (the most common kind) represents a good compromise between current and voltage. Most amplifiers and receivers can safely drive speakers with 6-8 Ohm spec.

RomanTPA

BTW, just to let you know, the ML sub, is really a bottom of the line JBL sub with a really expensive 16ohm Diaphragm

if you don't believe me, just start googling stuff and after visiting few dozens pages you will put all the bits and pieces together

convoy

i purchased the Polk Audio db840dvc 8" dual voice coil subwoofer. works awesome for now, until i wire it up in series, when i'm not lazy. of course, anything sounds better than a torn up ML subwoofer. the cost was well below 100 as well

User 82021

help shed some light on what people think the ohms of the speakers are. then again it may make it worse.

Muti007

Can someone please explain how you would "wire in series" to get these dual 4 ohm subs to run at 8 ohms?

Muti007

I just ordered the Polk Audio db840dvc 8" dual voice coil subwoofer. Can someone please tell me how I would wire it in series? Also, if I just wire it up the way the old one was wired, will it work ok or will it shut down the amp from time to time?