I chatted with someone at Parts-Express this morning to see if they had something like the Dayton with 90db sensitivity. I also gave him the eBay links that Jabberwok posted. He said those were Gold Wood brand. He sent me to this link https://www.parts-express.com/goldwo...oofer--290-357. They are actually so cheap in price (< $19) that I'm concerned about the quality. I asked about that and he said the quality is obviously not as good as Dayton but would be fine for our cars and matches the specs we are looking for. Not sure I would use that cheap of a sub but on the flip side if I cut the hole to make it easy to pull the sub then those are cheap enough that it might be worth giving it a try. Just passing along the info I found.

 

They're currently "Out-of-Stock" till 3/15; but the Specs are better than both of the options above... https://www.parts-express.com/goldwo...oofer--290-357

 

Yes, they are out of stock right now but I did confirm with them that they plan to have some arrive next month.

Also, I believe he said they would be a better fit physically as well.

 

Its a Kicker 10C88 Model sub that i used.
Just googling it you will see the high reviews about this sub... I have blown enough Polk audio junk in the past to stay away from them now. Just my personal preferences...

 

Looks like that particular one is not available any more but there is probably a replacement for it. Personally, I'm going to be looking of a 8 ohm DVC speaker to make it into a 16 ohm.

 

^^Look for it on ebay. It should be available there. Take my word for it...

The 8 ohm svc kicker hasnt done any bit of harm to my amp thus far. The sub channel rms output is a mere like 40 watts iirc...why do i mention this??
Reason being is the ML sub when working 100% is adequately accepted is due to it neodymium magnet in the factory sub (I laugh all the time when people make "fun" of the tiny ML subs magnet.)- What they may not know is....a bit of basics about what role the magnets play in a subwoofer and the fact that a neodymium magnet is about 10x more powerful than a Ferrite magnet (that is in Kicker/polk, most aftermarket subs) So if you get a 16 ohm sub with a Ferrite magnet it really wont sound all to well because of the lack of watts available to drive it. Basically our stock sub does not need or have loads of power to run it.
Im no genius on ohm/voltage laws but i do know the ferrite\neo argument is relative.

 

Still no luck finding that Kicker sub even on eBay. They had 10" subs but not 8" subs.

 

I got around to taking out my rear sub in my 04 LS430 UL. And it wasn't quite like the description in the video. A UL has a divided bench seat in the back and additional pluming for the rear AC as well the seats have tracks to undo, and more plugs due to the radio. Whew. Took about 20 mins to get out.

And my sub was indeed a victim of it looked fine until you pulled the surround from the frame and yup, speaker rot all the way around.

A new foam surround and its good as new. I did have to play with the centering a bit to get it so I didn't have any speaker rub, but all is well.

2001-2004 Lexus LS430 Subwoofer Speaker Foam Su...

Item ID: 131185828237Quantity: 1Estimated delivery: Fri. Feb. 16Paid: $20.70Seller: simplyspeakers.com.Oh, and a answer to the question in which this all started. do it the video way. Take out everything, and as noted above for the UL.

I was going to cut out the back board so I didn't have to do this again and decided not to. hmmmmm
And now I've done both front and the rear sub woofer. Wonder what the rear door speakers look like?

Good luck.

And one more thing, the Polk audio sub woofer being lauded as a "good" replacement is not a free air standing sub woofer. I would think finding a specific free air standing woofer would be better replacement. My 2 cents.

 

Why are you suggesting to remove the back seat? I'm just trying to determine the pros and cons of cutting the speaker hole vs rear seat removal. I haven't done either yet so I can't really comment but it sure seems that there is a lot more time consumption and possibility of breaking clips or not getting things back the way they should be. I'm not seeing the downside to just making the speaker hole bigger.

 

And I agree, I'm just to scared to cut the hole.

BUT, it would be the way to go because taking out the seat, side panels and all the rest was a pain in the rear.

Let us know how cutting that hole works out for you.

 

The neodymium magnet on the OEM ML sub would have to be 20x as large to match the ferrite mag on most of the mid level replacement subs. What counts most matching a sub to an amp is rated sensitivity and frequency range. A subwoofer spec'd around 20-300hz max (and 12-16 ohms impedence) should work fine in the LS as long its rated sensitivity (loudness in db measured at 1 meter at 1 watt amp output) is 90db or above. At a given sensitivity rating, the type of magnet material is irrelevant.

 

I have 3 years with the Polk Audio replacement sub, and have had 0 issues. I do listen to music that has a lot of heavy bass (trance, Ambient, some House, among other genres of music), and occasionally will turn it up.. To the point my wife looks over and says those 3 magic words... "Turn it down".

I just couldn't justify spending the money on a ML replacement..

 

My argument was the ML sub sounds as good as it does with a tiny magnet is because neo mags are 8-10x more efficient.
With that said if any sub had a 100 oz neo magnet.....that would be far more powerful than a 100oz ferrite magnet sub.

...but enough about magnets.

 

The weather is going to start getting better this next week so it's about time for me to work on my sub. I'm torn on getting the refoaming kit and fixing the stock sub or waiting a couple more weeks for the Gold Wood aftermarket sub. Either way I think I'm going to widen the sub hole to do the replacement. What's your opinion on the refoaming vs the aftermarket sub?

 

I'd refoam. Nothing like keeping what Lexus thought was pretty dog gone good and you don't have to worry about impedance matching, sensitivity as mentioned above AND- Its only $22 to do and easy.