Just today i got XM radio installed at the circuit city that i work at. it works great and i love having it. right now my audio setup is a sony xav-7w 6.5" widescreen with a jvc kv-dv7 dvd/cd receiver on the bottom in the dash, plus the xm. however, i have the stock sound system, and the stock subwoofer is not working with this new setup. i am looking at replacing the stock speakers and putting in a new sub. two questions:

1) what size speakers should i use in the front and rear?

2) can i put a different subwoofer in the same location as the stock? i don't want to sacrifice any trunk space if possible. what other options do i have?

 

you could get custom sub enclosures installed on either side of your trunk... I know one guy has done it. I just sacrificed the trunk space,

 

i thought about that, but i figured a lot of the sound would be lost coming through the trunk and it wouldn't sound that great.

 

I have the same subwoofers that ive had through 3 different cars. They were sounding pretty good in both my new yorker and my cadillac eldorado. I put them into my sc and they sound like crap The local stereo place told me to get rid of the bandpass box and go with some normal sealed enclosures. I tried that and although it did put out a bit more bass, it still isn't even 75% of what they used to sound like.
I guess I need to have some sort of custom enclosure done to get a good sound.

/rant

 

1) Use 6.5 inch component speakers in the front and rear if possible. And when I say if possible, that's due to budget constraints because 6.5-inch midranges will fit in the door and rear deck with some custom fabrication.

2) If you want to save space, you can replace the stock free-air with a JL Audio 10IB4 free-air. Again, since the baffle is a one piece bracket for the stock woofer, you're going to have to do some custom work, which could be something as simple and cheap as an MDF baffle with four screw holes.


In regards to the sealed enclosures sounding muddy and sloppy, one word: Dynamat. I pasted this stuff all over my gas tank, spare wheel well, and sides, and the improvement in clarity is dramatic. There is a metal plate behind the rear seat cushions that you can remove to further improve bass clarity. I have yet to mat the rear deck, so I anticipate even better sound quality soon. I have two JL 12W3s in a Prowedge box, btw.

 

Dpakman,

Do you have any pictures of your current setup?

Peace,
Mark Mac