Stock paper vs new speakers? - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

ps2cho · #1 05-18-2009, 01:08 PM

Would replacing the stock paper cone speakers make a large difference?

I plan to put a sub in the deck lid very soon, so should I leave the stock cones and put all the lows to the sub? Or should I replace all the stock speakers too?

What do ya guys think?

BodhiBenz1987 · #2 05-18-2009, 01:36 PM

You're very limited in size when replacing the speakers, so you may not be able to find much for cheap, but there are some guys here who could advise. I replaced all four speakers with Focal Polyglass and amped them with an Alpine PDX5. It sounds unbelievable ... absolutely blows the quality of the factory speakers out of the water. It also blows the quality of most other speakers I hear out of the water. Everything is just so sharp. The Polyglass were not cheap, though, if that's of concern at all (although Focal actually has two higher levels of speakers even more expensive ... glad I'm not that much of an audiophile).

My advice would be go for new speakers. There are several brands that offer decent speakers in 4-inch (fronts) and 5 1/4 (rears) that won't break your bank but will sound much sharper than the originals. Sub will really enhance the sound either way, though.

E150GT · #3 05-18-2009, 01:37 PM

I suppose if you are putting a sub then I would replace the speakers. I replaced all the speakers in the 420, but there is not much difference. I dont have a high powered system with subs and whatnot though.

ps2cho · #4 05-18-2009, 02:46 PM

Well I got two 4" Pioneer speakers at bestbuy yesterday for $47 inc tax. Thought that was a good deal overall.
IIRC I will need to fabricate a template to mount the speakers as the fronts are just a little larger than 4". Did that in my wagon.

http://www.crutchfield.com/S-ihRcLgG8TN7/p_130TSG1042/Pioneer-TS-G1042R.html

5.25 in the rear? Need to find a set of those.
Will the rears need a template to fit correctly too?

BodhiBenz1987 · #5 05-18-2009, 04:05 PM

Depending on the design of your speakers they may not even need a template in the front. One thing you might run into: There isn't a lot of depth, especially on the passenger side ... hopefully the tweeters don't need a lot of clearance. I think I've heard others say they used Pioneers successfully so hopefully you'll get them to fit just fine. Rears should accommodate 5.25 without any alterations.

ps2cho · #6 05-18-2009, 10:23 PM

Awesome. I went to pepboys today and somehow found a pair of JVC 5.25's for $30! They should work perfectly for me. Gonna try and make the rears fit tonight and get a template made for the fronts in the next few days.

ps2cho · #7 05-19-2009, 12:23 AM

I'm having trouble removing the speaker cover on the rear deck. I looked at the PDF and it says it clips in place...I tried putting a screwdriver under and it doesn't seem to wanna budge and I don't wanna break it. Any tips?

BodhiBenz1987 · #8 05-19-2009, 12:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ps2cho

I'm having trouble removing the speaker cover on the rear deck. I looked at the PDF and it says it clips in place...I tried putting a screwdriver under and it doesn't seem to wanna budge and I don't wanna break it. Any tips?

Well, I can offer advice, but know this: I broke mine a little bit.

It's really, really hard not to because the plastic along the side is very brittle after 12 years. I used a large flat head screwdriver, stuck it between the deck and the speaker at the front, right where the seam is, and pried up. That should get it started. Then I pried up along the side at the bottom of the recession for the headrest. You want to pry on the side toward the center of the car ... the wall side has plastic clips that only slide out once the bottom inside clips are off. The clips on the inside are little metal teeth that hold onto a felt-covered edge, and they really don't want to budge. I did it progressively along the bottom (i.e., don't just pry at one end of it; try to loosen it at the front, back, middle bit by bit). The mesh part is stronger than the plastic part, so if you can pry it up there, do so. Once the inside clips come off, you can pull it sideways toward the headrest with no struggle. I ended up replacing the covers with new ones, which the dealer couldn't get in palomino ... I got black, and it ended up looking really cool actually. You might find that inside the covers the foamy stuff is starting to disintegrate. Mine were. Make sure you dust off what you can so the foam/dust doesn't fall into your new speakers when you put the covers back on.

BodhiBenz1987 · #9 05-19-2009, 02:27 AM

Here is a pic of the speaker cover once it's off, so you can see where the clips are:

Dee8go · #10 05-19-2009, 10:48 AM

My experience has been that almost ANYthing will sound better than the stock speakers. Most of the ones I've replaced were disintegrating anyhow. Newer after market speakers are made out of what seems to be much more durable materials.

I replaced the ones in my wagon with $25 Blaupunkts and they sound fine. I replaced the ones in my SEC with Infiity Reference speakers and they sound terrific.

ps2cho · #11 05-19-2009, 12:19 PM

Awesome thanks I managed to get it by prying. I found the best place was the rear side with thanks to your pic because it doesn't mess up the carpet.
The foam has disintegrated completely, can I buy this stuff anywhere local? What would be the best thing to stick it on with?

Sounds a hell of a lot better back there now!!

Just got the fronts and the sub to put in. It seems 8" will fit perfectly on the flat portion of the decklid. Gonna order today

Any suggestions on amps? I need 200W RMS, no higher as I'll never upgrade the system. 200W RMS will be more than I need. I only run 120W RMS in the wagon and it sounds perfect for what I need.

BodhiBenz1987 · #12 05-19-2009, 06:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ps2cho

Awesome thanks I managed to get it by prying. I found the best place was the rear side with thanks to your pic because it doesn't mess up the carpet.
The foam has disintegrated completely, can I buy this stuff anywhere local? What would be the best thing to stick it on with?

Sounds a hell of a lot better back there now!!

Just got the fronts and the sub to put in. It seems 8" will fit perfectly on the flat portion of the decklid. Gonna order today

Any suggestions on amps? I need 200W RMS, no higher as I'll never upgrade the system. 200W RMS will be more than I need. I only run 120W RMS in the wagon and it sounds perfect for what I need.

I'd try a fabric store for the foam. They usually have thin foam used for padding quilts and the like, and I would think that would work fine. As for glue, your guess is as good as mine. Little dabs of crazy glue around the edges would probably do the trick.
When it comes to amps, I'm partial to Alpine, but they aren't that cheap. My amp is a digital 75X4 + 300X1 and MSRP is $650 (I paid less but don't remember what). The advantage of digital is it doesn't get hot at all, at least mine doesn't, even when I'm cranking it throughout a 3-hour drive. So you don't have to put it in an area with airflow. However, if you're going to put the amp in the trunk, it probably won't get that hot anyway, as it isn't a cramped area. You're biggest factors are dependent on your sub and how you intend to wire it. Is your sub DVC? 2ohm or 4ohm? I think most common is 4ohm DVC. In which case you have options. You can get a 4-channel amp and bridge it, giving you more power than the sum of two channels (e.g. a 4X50 amp might bridge to 2X150). Or get a 2 channel amp and run it directly. You can also get a mono amp and wire it in parallel, which will result in a 2ohm load, giving you more power (make sure your amp is rated to drive 2ohms). I'd just look at the selection at your favorite hifi store, and pick the option that allows optimal power for the best price. What kind of sub do you have?

ps2cho · #13 05-19-2009, 06:33 PM

I have an 8" Infinity REF850W

MSRP U.S. $ $99.95
Power Handling, RMS 200 Watts
Power Handling, Peak 800 Watts
Sensitivity 91dB
Frequency Response 30Hz - 400Hz
Mounting Depth 4-5/16"
Impedance 4 Ohms

Got it for $40. I don't need a crazy system so it will be more than adequate.

BodhiBenz1987 · #14 05-20-2009, 02:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ps2cho

I have an 8" Infinity REF850W

MSRP U.S. $ $99.95
Power Handling, RMS 200 Watts
Power Handling, Peak 800 Watts
Sensitivity 91dB
Frequency Response 30Hz - 400Hz
Mounting Depth 4-5/16"
Impedance 4 Ohms

Got it for $40. I don't need a crazy system so it will be more than adequate.

Yep, that should definitely add some punch to your system. Since its a single voice coil you can either go with a mono amp or a 2-channel amp. If it's a 2-channel, make sure it's bridgable ... although I'm pretty sure most amps are. The rule of thumb, according to my car stereo book, is that you want your sub amp to have 1.5 times the power of your front speakers. I'm assuming your HU is 50wX4, so your fronts would have 100w, so your sub should have 150w. So you could get a 150w mono amp or get a 50wX2-channel amp (of course you could go more power if you wanted to). I'd just go browse at BB or wherever and see what's on sale that produces about that power. Class D generally don't run as hot and consume less power (more efficient). I'd just take a little notepad to the store, do some math and see what gives you the most bang for your buck. I'm going by RMS, by the way. From looking at BB's web site, a lot of the amps are listed by peak power. You want something that produces at least 150W RMS into 4ohm.

I hope I don't sound too much like I know what I'm talking about. I am not really qualified to give good advice ... but I'm always willing to try. You'd probably be best to also get the opinion of a salesperson who (hopefully) knows what he/she is talking about.

samiam44 · #15 05-20-2009, 12:25 PM

I remember Rainbow out of german was suppose to have some really nice speakers for mercedes drop-in replacements.

Anyone have any experience with them?

M