My Mark Levinson Replacements - Woofer and Front Door Speakers
11-16-12, 04:40 AM
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The audio systems have been the "Achilles Heel" for the LS430. However, I've seen issues with sound systems on many other premium luxury cars as well. I too wanted to go the plug and play route looking for a replacement for my rattling subwoofer. The main reason I stepped back from going in that direction was the fear of hurting my amp and potentially having to reach deep into my pocket for a fix. I refoamed instead. If you've done your homework, you should be ok. Good luck, and let us know how it works out.
The speakers on the other hand were sort of a shot in the dark. Both of my door speakers were blown and I did not feel like refoaming them to just to have the break again. To me, taking the door panel off and putting it back on is a big deal, so I wanted a more permanent solution than what I had gotten with the glue solution on the sub. As much reading as I did about the front door speakers, no one really seemed to know what the correct size diameter, mount depth, impedance, wattage, etc. Rather a number of people had made conflicting posts about it. They generally also fail to give a specific part number. In an effort to make sure the amp was safe, I went with the higher impedance speakers. The fact that the vast majority of car speakers are not 6-8 ohms but rather 2-4 ohms made looking that way rather difficult and limited. When I finally ran across the Eminence speakers, I did a fairly substantial amount of research looking for reviews, but there simply was not a ton of information. I decided to go for it, since my front speakers were blown anyways and popped them in and they sound great. I'm very happy with my decision.
Lexus offered to fix the front door speakers for around 1000 dollars, same for the subwoofer. Assuming that the subwoofer works out when the guy rewires it correctly today, I'll have spent 300 and avoided a 1,700 dollar lexus surcharge for replacing the speakers with the same flimsy ones that I started with.
I get that some people want a completely stock OEM car, that doesn't bother me, I just want something that works and sounds good. I figured I'd post here to share what I've found with others.
11-16-12, 06:10 AM
#17
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Boca, I completely understand and agree. As much homework as I've done, and there was a fair amount, no one really seems to have documented a successful switch for anything besides the subwoofer. I did my best to look all through these forums and many many many people had either glued or refoamed their stock subwoofer, but a few had managed to replace the stock woofer with something from JL. I went the Polk route because there were a number of people on here who had used it successfully and the Amazon reviews actually included a number of people who had gone that route successfully.
The speakers on the other hand were sort of a shot in the dark. Both of my door speakers were blown and I did not feel like refoaming them to just to have the break again. To me, taking the door panel off and putting it back on is a big deal, so I wanted a more permanent solution than what I had gotten with the glue solution on the sub. As much reading as I did about the front door speakers, no one really seemed to know what the correct size diameter, mount depth, impedance, wattage, etc. Rather a number of people had made conflicting posts about it. They generally also fail to give a specific part number. In an effort to make sure the amp was safe, I went with the higher impedance speakers. The fact that the vast majority of car speakers are not 6-8 ohms but rather 2-4 ohms made looking that way rather difficult and limited. When I finally ran across the Eminence speakers, I did a fairly substantial amount of research looking for reviews, but there simply was not a ton of information. I decided to go for it, since my front speakers were blown anyways and popped them in and they sound great. I'm very happy with my decision.
Lexus offered to fix the front door speakers for around 1000 dollars, same for the subwoofer. Assuming that the subwoofer works out when the guy rewires it correctly today, I'll have spent 300 and avoided a 1,700 dollar lexus surcharge for replacing the speakers with the same flimsy ones that I started with.
I get that some people want a completely stock OEM car, that doesn't bother me, I just want something that works and sounds good. I figured I'd post here to share what I've found with others.
The speakers on the other hand were sort of a shot in the dark. Both of my door speakers were blown and I did not feel like refoaming them to just to have the break again. To me, taking the door panel off and putting it back on is a big deal, so I wanted a more permanent solution than what I had gotten with the glue solution on the sub. As much reading as I did about the front door speakers, no one really seemed to know what the correct size diameter, mount depth, impedance, wattage, etc. Rather a number of people had made conflicting posts about it. They generally also fail to give a specific part number. In an effort to make sure the amp was safe, I went with the higher impedance speakers. The fact that the vast majority of car speakers are not 6-8 ohms but rather 2-4 ohms made looking that way rather difficult and limited. When I finally ran across the Eminence speakers, I did a fairly substantial amount of research looking for reviews, but there simply was not a ton of information. I decided to go for it, since my front speakers were blown anyways and popped them in and they sound great. I'm very happy with my decision.
Lexus offered to fix the front door speakers for around 1000 dollars, same for the subwoofer. Assuming that the subwoofer works out when the guy rewires it correctly today, I'll have spent 300 and avoided a 1,700 dollar lexus surcharge for replacing the speakers with the same flimsy ones that I started with.
I get that some people want a completely stock OEM car, that doesn't bother me, I just want something that works and sounds good. I figured I'd post here to share what I've found with others.
You also will end up with much higher quality, way more robust speakers in the car using the replacement Polk and Eminence drivers instead of the cheap crap that Lexus installs as OEM speakers. .
11-16-12, 09:55 AM
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Replacement Nav should be delivered today as well.
11-16-12, 02:59 PM
#19
That is my hope. Assuming the Polk sub works as well as advertised by many people, my car should sound great this afternoon. I'm a little annoyed that her wired it wrong the first go round, but I didn't specifically point out that it was a dual voice coil. I assumed that the speaker shop guy would have realized it, but oh well. Regardless, it should be done by the time I get off of work and I'm pumped.
Replacement Nav should be delivered today as well.
Replacement Nav should be delivered today as well.
11-17-12, 03:31 PM
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I walked in to pick my car up and the guy said, "You're not going to believe this man. I wired it up for 8 ohm and it cuts out even more now."
I was crushed. He waited about 10 seconds and then said, "I'm just kidding man. I put it through it's paces and it sounds great." After I got the keys and got out to my car, I cranked up the system a bit and it sounds AWESOME. I can't believe how good it sounds given the low cost of everything.
So, for parts, I spent about 120 total, 30 per speaker and 60 for the polk audio sub.
For install I spent 200 dollars (both speakers and the sub) at my local audio shop, http://www.audioconnection.com/ Jim Grapes was the guy who did the whole install. They would have had it done the same day that I brought it in, but he missed that the sub was a Dual Voice Coil because the terminals are on opposite sides of the woofer.
Total it all up and I spend 320 to replace both front door speakers and the woofer with more durable equipment. I'm completely satisfied with the sound and am really happy that it turned out so well. Both the speakers and the woofer ended up fitting in the stock location without the need to do any fabrication. Overall, I can totally recommend this set up if you're looking to replace the original Mark Levinsons in the Front Doors and Sub locations. I think they would likely work for the rear doors as well, but I didn't try, so I can't guarantee it. Also, I kept the stock head unit and tweeters. I don't think that I'll ever need to replace either of them.
I was crushed. He waited about 10 seconds and then said, "I'm just kidding man. I put it through it's paces and it sounds great." After I got the keys and got out to my car, I cranked up the system a bit and it sounds AWESOME. I can't believe how good it sounds given the low cost of everything.
So, for parts, I spent about 120 total, 30 per speaker and 60 for the polk audio sub.
For install I spent 200 dollars (both speakers and the sub) at my local audio shop, http://www.audioconnection.com/ Jim Grapes was the guy who did the whole install. They would have had it done the same day that I brought it in, but he missed that the sub was a Dual Voice Coil because the terminals are on opposite sides of the woofer.
Total it all up and I spend 320 to replace both front door speakers and the woofer with more durable equipment. I'm completely satisfied with the sound and am really happy that it turned out so well. Both the speakers and the woofer ended up fitting in the stock location without the need to do any fabrication. Overall, I can totally recommend this set up if you're looking to replace the original Mark Levinsons in the Front Doors and Sub locations. I think they would likely work for the rear doors as well, but I didn't try, so I can't guarantee it. Also, I kept the stock head unit and tweeters. I don't think that I'll ever need to replace either of them.
11-18-12, 05:50 AM
#21
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Bonsai....
So glad to hear that you setup worked out.!! I am planning to replace all 4 of my door speakers with these to see how much better these will sound. My MLs exhibit some slight pops when listening to some of my ambient mixes and that is not gonna fly...
I have used Eminence speakers in one of my bass combo amps before when I was playing gigs and the quality was amazing for the price.
So glad to hear that you setup worked out.!! I am planning to replace all 4 of my door speakers with these to see how much better these will sound. My MLs exhibit some slight pops when listening to some of my ambient mixes and that is not gonna fly...
I have used Eminence speakers in one of my bass combo amps before when I was playing gigs and the quality was amazing for the price.
11-18-12, 06:54 AM
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Good luck to you, let me know how it turns out.
11-18-12, 08:45 AM
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Do you notice any sound quality difference when you fade from front to rear?
Is the volume the same or higher/lower comparing the front fade to the rear fade?
Interested in seeing how they "mix" together...
Is the volume the same or higher/lower comparing the front fade to the rear fade?
Interested in seeing how they "mix" together...
11-18-12, 09:50 AM
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Overall the mix well. They don't overwhelm the tweeters or bass, but can give loud clear sound.
11-21-12, 04:30 PM
#25
How did you know the door ones were going out? Was it obvious by the sound or did you find out after inspecting?
Great job with all the pics and explanation, I'll probably be doing the same thing soon.
Great job with all the pics and explanation, I'll probably be doing the same thing soon.
11-26-12, 04:34 AM
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Coulter, it was obvious that they had blown or degraded to the point that the foam was no good (whichever, based on the sound. I faded everything to a given speaker and then listened to it at a slightly elevated volume. From there, it was easy to tell that each of the front door speakers was blown and the sub rattled badly if the bass was even at a normal level.
12-03-12, 04:24 AM
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[QUOTE=Total it all up and I spend 320 to replace both front door speakers and the woofer with more durable equipment. I'm completely satisfied with the sound and am really happy that it turned out so well. Both the speakers and the woofer ended up fitting in the stock location without the need to do any fabrication. Overall, I can totally recommend this set up if you're looking to replace the original Mark Levinsons in the Front Doors and Sub locations. I think they would likely work for the rear doors as well, but I didn't try, so I can't guarantee it. Also, I kept the stock head unit and tweeters. I don't think that I'll ever need to replace either of them.[/QUOTE]
Thanks for posting that great information. I replaced my sub last year with an aftermarket kicker sub and it has worked flawlessly. Now it is time to replace the front two door speakers and I was hesitant about spending the money on ML crap. I think I am going to use your recommendation and go with the aftermarket front speakers as well.
Thanks for posting that great information. I replaced my sub last year with an aftermarket kicker sub and it has worked flawlessly. Now it is time to replace the front two door speakers and I was hesitant about spending the money on ML crap. I think I am going to use your recommendation and go with the aftermarket front speakers as well.
12-04-12, 05:49 AM
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Thanks for posting that great information. I replaced my sub last year with an aftermarket kicker sub and it has worked flawlessly. Now it is time to replace the front two door speakers and I was hesitant about spending the money on ML crap. I think I am going to use your recommendation and go with the aftermarket front speakers as well.
04-21-14, 10:45 AM
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Based on this thread I went ahead and installed the Eminence Eminators in the front doors. Both of my front ML speakers had blown foam surrounds. I was faced with the options of temporary repair (I hear foam surrounds can go out every 3 or so years in some cases) or a more permanent solution. Went with the more permanent solution and order the Eminators. I was able to install them myself. Lots of posts out there on how to remove door skins, etc. You will need to lightly modify the plastic brackets holding the speakers on the doors. Nothing some wire clippers can't handle.
Anyway, just wanted to add my thoughts on sound quality of these speakers. Admittedly, I have an otherwise bone stock ML setup. Under these conditions the Eminators are not as well balanced as the stock ML speakers. I lost almost all low end bass (if you can call what the stock ML speakers put out as "low end") and in its place gained too much mid bass - approximately in the 250 - 400 hz area. So the deeper tones of Eddie Vedder's voice for example over power the rest of his voice - unnaturally so. The upper bass guitar frequencies and lower guitar frequencies come across as overpowering the rest of their ranges. It's not a natural/balanced sound under stock conditions. The stock ML EQ is unable to dial down these frequency in any significant capacity unfortunately.
I can imagine these speakers doing just fine with an aftermarket EQ allowing you to dial in more bands. I have an Eclipse head unit in another car that allows you to dial in the 180, 240, 400, 600hz ranges. If you had the means to adjust these frequencies in a stock ML setup, I've no doubt these speakers would sound just fine with a sub backing them up. As my sub is dead I have the somewhat unique opportunity to really hear the fronts alone. More wattage would help these guys. A moot point with a sub backing them up to fill out the low bass frequencies.
A side note, the Eminators are surprisingly louder than the MLs. Wouldn't have guessed that. It's not overpoweringly louder, but definitely louder. If all you want is your speakers to be louder, these will probably serve you better than a repaired ML speaker.
But if you're looking for the best balance at the most reasonable price on a stock ML setup, it seems repairing the front ML speakers is a better option than installing Eminence speakers. Pulling the door skins off every 3 years is pretty easily done.
Anyway, just wanted to add my thoughts on sound quality of these speakers. Admittedly, I have an otherwise bone stock ML setup. Under these conditions the Eminators are not as well balanced as the stock ML speakers. I lost almost all low end bass (if you can call what the stock ML speakers put out as "low end") and in its place gained too much mid bass - approximately in the 250 - 400 hz area. So the deeper tones of Eddie Vedder's voice for example over power the rest of his voice - unnaturally so. The upper bass guitar frequencies and lower guitar frequencies come across as overpowering the rest of their ranges. It's not a natural/balanced sound under stock conditions. The stock ML EQ is unable to dial down these frequency in any significant capacity unfortunately.
I can imagine these speakers doing just fine with an aftermarket EQ allowing you to dial in more bands. I have an Eclipse head unit in another car that allows you to dial in the 180, 240, 400, 600hz ranges. If you had the means to adjust these frequencies in a stock ML setup, I've no doubt these speakers would sound just fine with a sub backing them up. As my sub is dead I have the somewhat unique opportunity to really hear the fronts alone. More wattage would help these guys. A moot point with a sub backing them up to fill out the low bass frequencies.
A side note, the Eminators are surprisingly louder than the MLs. Wouldn't have guessed that. It's not overpoweringly louder, but definitely louder. If all you want is your speakers to be louder, these will probably serve you better than a repaired ML speaker.
But if you're looking for the best balance at the most reasonable price on a stock ML setup, it seems repairing the front ML speakers is a better option than installing Eminence speakers. Pulling the door skins off every 3 years is pretty easily done.