w124 front dash Speakers - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

patkinson · #1 06-10-2002, 01:12 PM

I have read quite a lot about the restriction in size of the front dash speaker replacement. I purchased a set of MB Quarts recently, DKD113, and decided to attempt to fit them yesterday. I was amazed to find that they fitted perfectly without any mods. I fitted them in a 260E 1990 model RHD and was wondering was this the reason.

Ashman · #2 06-10-2002, 05:14 PM

what size are the speakers?

5.25"???

The speaker cutouts int he dasha re 5" I believe, maybe a little less, but that doesn't mean you can't fit a 5.25" in there, its probably just a tight fit.

Alon

#3 06-11-2002, 01:30 PM

you fitted this speaker in your 124's dash?? I am absolutely amazed that you didn't cut your opening or heat up your vent duct to get the depth to fit. Are we talking about the same speaker, cause the factory is a little bigger than a 4 1/2"?

MB Quart Autobahn 5.25" Car Speaker - DKD113/ 2 Way Coaxial/ 90 Watts Maximum Power/ Black Finish

#4 06-11-2002, 01:35 PM

by the way, here is the spec page for this speaker. the reason I also questioned it earlier is the mounting depth seems to big

http://www.mbquart.com/component.asp?pn=95-6975

patkinson · #5 06-12-2002, 04:54 AM

Yes is the answer. I spent months trying to fiddle about with DKD 110 and the same in JBL to squeeze as much mid range out as possible. I already have a sub in the rear so I bought the DKD 113 to fit on the rear shelf as a last resort. It was only by accident I decided to attempt to fit them in the dash location. You can imagine my suprise when they popped in at the first attempt with no cutting as mentioned in previous posts. Grills popped on with a little effort and I am amazed at the difference. Just thought I would mention this as most of the attempted fittings relate to LHD models. Anybody else experience this.

#6 06-12-2002, 02:14 PM

what's an LHD model?

#7 06-19-2002, 02:33 AM

So I just got done making some measurements.
1. The dash opening is 4 1/4"
2. The depth of the factory speaker is 1 7/8"
3. The overall width of the speaker is 4 3/4"

So based on this data, I need to find some dash speakers. 1st off, the quarts you bought could no way fit based on these numbers and the data provided by the link. Not that I doubt you fit them, but maybe your euro model is different? I'd LOVE to see pictures of the installed speakers.

at least these are good numbers to have for when you go shopping. The other things is that the depth is limited by the vent, and the 1 7/8" is real close to the limit.

let me know what you guys think, and if you have pix of your dash speaker installs

deuce · #8 06-19-2002, 08:39 AM

I had the fronts replaced a few months ago. My local shop (who sold me the head unit) put in some Sony X-Plod XS-F1021. They are discontinued now and as far as I'm concerned, that's OK. They are decent speakers, but are pretty bright and can be painfull at high volumes. They are an easy fit, though, so you could do it yourself. They don't have a successor so you'll have to find a pair on eBay.

For what it's worth, I just had some Infinity Kappa 52.5i's put in the rear and am very pleased. My shop had to do some cutting and they are not an easy install, but worth it. Infinity's web site says to use the 52.3i for both the front and rear so you may be able to put them in the dash, but I don't know. I used the 5i since it is the newer model. I think Ashman put the 5i's in his rear deck and could probably tell you whether they'd fit in the front. How 'bout it Alon? My $.02.

Munsey

JCE · #9 06-19-2002, 10:41 AM

Scott on this forum at La Jolla audio has German-made Rainbow brand speakers that are a perfect snap in fit. Also, Diamond Audio makes a 4 1/2" speaker that fits well and can be bi-amped if so inclined. Crutchfield sells a 5" Polk which is also a reasonable fit according to others. A number of people have installed 5 1/4" speakers of various brands (seems to be some variation in what some manufacturers call 5 1/4"), but with varying degrees of cutting needed.

Ashman · #10 06-20-2002, 02:58 AM

the infinity 5.25" speakers don't fit the dash at least not mine, unless I mounted them from below or did minimal cutting. Which I did not want to do, especially since at the time I found a crack in my windshield, and I was pissed so I figured best not to try to make them fit if they wont, becaus eI didn't want my anger about the windshield transferring into a destructive mode of breaking stuff. Luckily I found a cardboard box to vent on.

In the rear I took the factory speakers out of their plastic housings, and ground out the plastic with a grinder to make the holes large enough for the infinity's to drop in. I also had to cut a notch in 4 corners for the speaker mounting places, and then drilled holes and affixed them with screws. I then lined it with foam weatherstripping. I also had to remove the connectors from the speakers and wire directly to the wires coming off the speaker. I did this carefully, and in a way that it wont put any strain on the wires as the speaker wire is attached to the basket and the wires coming from the speakers reside in a way they will not touch, and will not pull out or anything. If I pull off the speaker grills int he rear, you will see the install looks 100% factory apart from the gasket stuff I used inbetween the speaker and the plastic to seal it around before screwing it down.

By doing it this way I did not have to cut the rear at all, otherwise metal trimming would have been necessary to get it to fit.

I will be putting 6.5" in the doors, and will be leaving the factory dash speakers disconnected, because I already have tweeters mounted on the underside of the grills, so no need for the dash speakers to be hooked up too. For now they are, but I will disconnect them later when I do the next speaker upgrade. If I were to find some brand name 3 way seperates that would work and not cost too much, I'd put those in.

But the 5.25" infinity seperates in the rear sound great and clean. I am very happy with them. Not that I wasn't happy with the way the stock speakers sounded hooked up the way I had them. I came across the infinity speakers at a ridiculously low price, and well I had to buy them.

I tested them with just the rears on, and they do sound very good, especially using just the radio's power. With an actual amp, feeding them a better power flow, I can only imagine they would sound even better.

I will snap some pics for you all of the rear speaker install just so you can see how factory my install really looks. I am one to always use factory locations if possible, I prefer the stealth install.

I did mount the tweeter son the rear deck, I wanted them positioned a certain way, bouncing off the rear window, and I tested them in various places (simple to add long speaker wire and move them around until you find a spot you like then cut and drill for them if needed) Until I found the place that sounded best for me in the drivers seat... I could care less about how it sounds to passengers, if it sounds good from my seat, thats all that matters.

Alon

gsxr · #11 08-28-2002, 07:49 PM

Ummm.... guys, the only speakers that will fit in a W124 dash up front without significant mods are 4-inch models. And then only certain brands and models of 4-inchers. I have heard people could install the high-end Quart 4 coaxials with almost zero tweaking. I bought a set used but haven't installed them yet. I wouldn't even TRY to put anything bigger up front in the dash!

SoundCity has a good clearance sale on the Kappa 42.1 for almost half off, I'm going to snag a set of those for my other car... and maybe a Perfect 12 or two to stick in a sub box! That will give me an excuse to finally hook up the SS Reference 705 amp that's been collecting dust in my closet for years.

The simplest setup is to get a set of GOOD front coaxial 4's in the dash, with external (passive) crossovers like the Kappa or Quart. Forget door speakers unless you have a 1990+ model with the factory door speakers, then you could try to put a 5 or 6 in there for some front midbass fill. Add a pair of 4's or 5's (coaxial again) in the rear deck for rear fill, add a decent sub, and you're done. Dinking around with lots of drivers (adding tweeters on door or pillar, more drivers in rear, separates, etc) mostly adds cost and complexity, and often doesn't end up sounding ANY better than a simple system. And they are MUCH harder to "tune" properly. Simple is better unless you have wads of cash to blow on a full-blown custom competition system, installed by a pro shop. Take it from someone who learned the hard way over the years...

Regards,

esmith · #12 08-29-2002, 04:25 AM

Depends on what you call "significant mods" gsxr. I've a pair of focal HC-130's (5 1/4 inch I think... definately 130 mm metric) almost installed in my front dash, although they did require some modifications, namely being the removal of one of the metal mounting bits (where the screws go). In my RHD car there are no problems with depth at all. But at the moment the're only held in by the force of the speaker grill. I didn't want a bulging grill so for one speaker I've stategically clipped off a few struts from the plastic support for the metal grill. (Also soldered away some plastic). It looks indistinguishable now and all I have to do is decide whether to bother using the holes I pre drilled in the dash. Still have to meddle with the right hand grill though. It can be a little time consuming but if you're into DIY.. it's worth it.

Gebhard · #13 08-31-2002, 01:55 AM

I put MB Quart 5 1/4" coaxs in the dash of my W124 and there is no doubt it takes A LOT of cutting. It is also necessary to make a large hole in the AC duct on the drivers side. Not even close to being a drop in fit. Not worth the work either, the tweeters bounce off the windshield and sound way too bright. I would NOT recommend doing this. After going for the stealth install, I gave up and made custom door panels for MB Quart 6.5, 4, tweet 3-ways. Sounds MUCH better. I'm also not a big fan of putting a sub in the trunk, it results in a muffled, muddy sound.