The speakers in my 2001 RX-300 sound like they are on their last leg. The dealer says he does not think he can get replacements. Questions: 1. Does Lexus have replacement speakers available?, 2. has anyone found aftermarket speakers that fit?, and 3. How hard is it to replace the speakers myself?

 

quick reply here:
I have come across couple of threads on doing speaker replacement/upgrade. Please use search feature. If and when I have more time, I can do the search for you and will update this post. If you are not comfortable with search, start reading the DIY sticky thread.

The physical size and ohm rating is important and try to match the wattage. You can also visit Cruthfield or even go to a local car audio shop and they should be able to tell you what would fit or not.

Speaker cones can rot (age and exposure). Other than the speakers there can be a problem with other audio components.

The subwoofer goes through maximum motion (physical movement) and if rotten would give way first.

Reason I explain this is there are many speakers and you should make an attempt to narrow down what is actually messed up.

Salim

PS: The speakers are not Lexus. They may Pioneer or from other audio manufacturers.

 

Thanks, I'll check with my local audio shop. You are correct in that the bass is the worst. Also, I live in Florida so the heat and humidity do no favors to any and all materials.

 

i have all 4 stockers I will sell at market cost .....send me a PM

 

I am taking my car to a local sound shop next week. I will let you know what they say.

 

The Pioneer speaker is a custom speaker for the RX300 with a molded-in bracket to fit the door profile. Be careful what the "local sound shop" want to put in. Sure, they can put any 6.5/6.75" speaker in there but without a sealing bracket it won't sound good. Moreover, most aftermarket speaker have a totally difference impedance, efficiency and frequency response than the OEM speaker. You can get the Pioneer on e-bay and they are generally in pretty good condition (if you can hear yours buzzing, the foam surround has rotted away).

 

Do you know the Pioneer model numbers (ie for new speakers)? Or are you suggesting that I find a set of used speakers?

 

You won't find these speakers new. They were OEM for Lexus only, not retail, and Pioneer will have stopped making them years ago. Yes, get a used pair off ebay, here's an example:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/26497426087...YAAOSw7q9hW4CS

Note the front and rear speakers have slightly different mounting frames.

 

I put in the Polk Audio DB 6502's and DB 652's from Crutchfield last year. Went in easily, no modifications of speaker holes were needed. Did not use the tweeters that came with them, or the crossovers. Sound great, I kept the original tweeters on my RX. I did this at the same time I replaced ALL the door lock actuators. I took a leisurely 2-3 weeks to do all this, luckily I have a heated and cooled shop. Not a Nakamichi unit, plain vanilla.

 

Thanks, I will check the link out.

 

Thanks for your input. I'll look for used OEM Pioneers as Keith suggested but it is also nice to know there is a comparative new speaker option.

 

Even if you can find the factory speakers, you probably should not buy 20 year old speakers, as even sitting in a box, the rubber ages with time.

I purchased brand new 6.5" Pioneer component speakers and they mounted up relatively easily with modification, but keep in mind they do not mount as nicely as the factory custom units, so they don't line up with the door panel as well, and therefore sound travels mostly through the speaker grille, but also somewhat into the door panel, so they don't sound as "loud" as the factory ones did, but at least they work well.

You could do something like that, which I am happy with, because the alternative is to spend a small fortune asking some custom shop to spend effort in fabrication etc, probably. Perhaps there's a kit that would allow you to mount them closer to the door panel, but I haven't run into anything like that. (There's probably a two inch gap, roughly)

 

To add, if I'm buying used speakers on ebay, I'm specifically looking for ones from the midwest or somewhere nice and HUMID... maybe not so inclined to order out of Arizona, just my two cents (the speaker listed above is in Chandler, AZ)....

Maybe used speakers from a humid part of the world might still be in good shape. That would be nice, and easy to swap!

Best of luck.

 

Thanks, you make some good points. I will now look at new pioneers or polk audio speakers and I will let you know how the install goes.

 

It seems some brands fit better than others. I have even seen someone on YouTube re-use the existing pioneer plastic surround that is custom made to fit the doors, and mount new speakers inside of them.

Check this out:
So, you may opt to try to find the same kind of speakers that guy used, or something else that will fit in the same way, that way you can use that plastic bracket. That might be nice. Unfortunately my Pioneers did not fit, so I could not use those.