Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums Modifications Audio suggestion on speaker replacement?

I would like to replace the stock speakers in the door panels, front and rear. Has anyone any recomendation to what brand and size to install. Are the door panels difficult to remove,do I need special tools? I would like to do the job myself to save shop labour. 98.5 se contour. Your comments are appreciated.
Thank you.

No special tools needed to take the panels off. It's pretty easy.

What is your budget? Do you plan on buying subs? What kind of amp? It's hard to recommend anything without a little more info.

Dave

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99 SVT
Sony ES CDX-C910
Sony Digital EQ/X-over
Sony Changer
McIntosh MC440M
Adire Audio Shiva
MB Quart/Vifa seperates

if you want to replace with the same size, pioneer has 4 opions, and alpine has 2 (atleast while supplies last, they are not being made after this year)
6X8 is the size, but with a little modifications you can fit larger speakers
keep in mind 2 6X8s can also be put in the back dash
let me know how it goes

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2000 se
kkm intake
pioneer on the way
green interior lights
(alot more to come)
1999 se (no mods yet)intake on the way
email-jessneric@peoplepc.com
yahoo instant messanger-eric_j_linders
icq-94866821

The unit I have in my car is all Ford factory
am/fm cass.CD stacker in trunk,CD works off fm band.I don't know what the power rating(rms)is, probably not much.It's no power house unit like your probably use-too, sorry Dave.I'm not planning to use subs or install a pre-amp.I have been told that the stock speakers in the door panels are low quality,
is this true.The 6x8 speakers after market
are much better, right? Will bigger speakers
such as 6x9 fit without allot of metal cutting,grinding drilling etc.Will this project be worth the time and cost to accomplish a noticeable gain in sound quality
I am a family man and live in Canada,our dollar is not worth a whole lot compared to your US dollar.Whatever you pay, I pay 1.5 times more.It's not your fault,I just want to give you an idea of a budget I like to work in.One last question,the door panels don't have allot of screws? Are the panels held on with clips on the back side.
Thank you for all your suggestions.

No problem Fuji,

You don't need to spend a lot of money to get good sound. There is a debate which upgrade should be done first, the Head Unit or the speakers. The differences will be very evident with either choice. Since you will probably want as much sound as possible, try to fit some 6x9s. There was a post not long ago about the installation of 6x9s. If I recall, almost no modifications are necessary in the front and some very minor work needed in the rear. When looking for the 6x9s, try to find out specs on the effeciency, which will be written as 90 dB 1w/1m or 90 dB 2.83v/1m. The higher the effeciency, the louder the speaker will be able to play with a given input power.

I would also seriously consider a new HU if at all possible. It'll be worth your while to save up for a little longer. There are a number of good values in the 200-250 dollar range including Blaupunkt, Pioneer, Sony, JVC, etc..

Regarding the doors, they are held on by a combination of securing methods, including screws, plastic clips. They aren't too difficult to remove.

I'll do a little searching on the net to see what I can find for you on some 6x8's or 6x9s.
Good Luck.

Dave

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99 SVT
Sony ES CDX-C910
Sony Digital EQ/X-over
Sony Changer
McIntosh MC440M
Adire Audio Shiva
MB Quart/Vifa seperates

Ok, I did a little bit of checking around. I think that I would recommend the following 6x9s.

1. Polk EX693A (185.00 canadian at http://www.audioexpress.sk.ca/caraudio_speakers.html )
2. Kenwood KFC6909
3. JBL DS695
4. Infiniti 6953i
5. Pioneer 69xx

Now, the list above are all three way designs that have cheaper 2-way siblings. I think the Polk's would be your best bet as they seem to have the highest sensitivity and also seem to have pretty much the best SQ.

I left off Sony because I don't have a lot of info on their new series. I can safely recommend pioneer's but they have a huge variety to choose from. The only knoch is that they won't play at the same level as the first 4 speakers I listed. SQ should be close to most and possibly alittle better for some models.

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99 SVT
Sony ES CDX-C910
Sony Digital EQ/X-over
Sony Changer
McIntosh MC440M
Adire Audio Shiva
MB Quart/Vifa seperates

[QUOTE]Originally posted by dnewma04:
[B]Ok, I did a little bit of checking around. I think that I would recommend the following 6x9s.

Thank you Dave for all your help.You're a great guy.Very much appreciate all the searching you've done for me.
sincerely;
fuji.

I have Infinity Kappa 6 X 9 in all four doors. I've had them for 3+ years and love em. Very durable speaker with crisp clear highs. I also have Infinity tweeters in the door vent panels. John

Pioneer Premier DEX-P1R
Infinity Kappa 6x9
Infinity 3/4" tweeters
Orion Cobalt/Extreme 12" DVC

Detailed instructions on removing the door panels can be found on my ancient and crusty pages. Haven't been updated in ages, but the instructions still work.
http://msnhomepages.talkcity.com:/ProtectionFault/modemjunki/C-doors/index.html

Thanks jc-aimhigher for the 6x9 acid test review.
Thankyou 2 redtours for the detail drawings from your website,your pictures are worth a thousands words.Good stuff!!
Many thanks guys;
fuji.