Affordable speaker upgrade (1 Viewer)

[Spike555]

As typical it seems of these trucks, I had a few blown speakers.
So I searched and it seems most go with component speakers which are a higher cost and require more work to install as you also need a crossover and wiring schematics and etc.
I'm not into any of that.
So I went to Crutchfield: Car Stereo, Speakers, Home Theater, Pro Audio, 4k TV and outfitted my car. I went with six matching speakers that fit my budget.
I bought Rockford Fosgate, $150 shipped with all of the wire adapters I would need.
I installed the door speakers yesterday, I still need to do the rears.
The music is so crisp and clean and clear that you cannot turn it up loud enough.
The only modification I had to do was the plastic speaker mounts in the doors had a "ear" on them that would not allow my new speakers to lay flush. So I took a aggressive file to them and had that ear gone in about 10sec.
Then it was only a matter of attaching the wire harness and clocking all of the speakers.
The amp only sends the singal that is needed to each speaker already, so even if you buy a 3-way speaker it'll still only reproduce whatever that speaker is supposed to.
So this is truly a "plug-n-play" upgrade.

 

[Juanblzer]

What year is your 100 series?

 

[Simplespirit]

Curious about year too. The LC100 only has 4 speakers (six if you count the separate tweeters up front and seven or eight if you count the sub depending on year). The LX has a couple more more up front with the Levinson system but you would never need 6 of the same size unless you're adding a couple more somewhere.

 

[labcab]

Crutchfield has their "What fits my vehicle?" tool, and I'm guessing they recommended a 6" speaker for the subwoofer area. You'll only need one, not a pair. Regardless of the bass quality of your new Rockfords, I'm guessing they'll be better than the factory sub, and Crutchfield is awesome about returns, if you did want to send a set back.

 

[Emcd]

I used the Polk DB series either crossovers. The fit fine and sound 1k better after completing the amp bypass.

 

[PabloCruise]

What year is your 100 series?

Curious about year too. The LC100 only has 4 speakers (six if you count the separate tweeters up front and seven or eight if you count the sub depending on year). The LX has a couple more more up front with the Levinson system but you would never need 6 of the same size unless you're adding a couple more somewhere.

His sig says 2004, so I am guessing it is an '04.

I am curious what model Rockford Fosgate speakers he got?

 

[oakback]

What does "clocking the speakers" mean?

 

[pawwright]

What does "clocking the speakers" mean?

ahhh... i was going to ask this, also thanks.

 

[Simplespirit]

Lining up the screw holes?

 

[PabloCruise]

What does "clocking the speakers" mean?

You have to re-set the time on the stereo.

Otherwise it will just flash "12:00" over and over...

 

[loeky]

Waiting on parts list - but think I can almost read it from the box....

 

[Spike555]

Sorry for the late reply guys...my truck is a '04. Not counting the tweeters there are six speakers, front doors, rear doors and one on each side in the cargo area.
"Clocking" the speakers means making sure they are all facing the same direction. Since the door speakers are 3-way's I made sure they were all at the same angle so that the sound timing was the same from each speaker as the sound traveled past the extra bits on the front of the speakers.
Front doors, Crutchfield even tells you what speakers go where.
Rockford Fosgate Prime R165X3
Rear doors.
Rockford Fosgate Prime R165X3
Cargo area.
Rockford Fosgate Prime R1675X2

I still need to figure out how to remove the trim panels in the cargo area, I was able to peel back the drivers side one and unbolt the sub box but I didn't have enough room to pull it out, so I put it all back and will try again after more research.

 

[Simplespirit]

The only speaker(s) in the cargo area is the sub(s) on the driver's side. Rear a/c equipment is on the passenger's side (if you have it).

Crutchfield says

• The factory system sends only bass frequencies to the dual voice coil subwoofer in this location, so a replacement aftermarket speaker will also only play bass.
• You'll find a speaker on the driver's side of the vehicle in this location, but there's no corresponding speaker on the passenger's side.

IIRC 2003+ only have 1 speaker. I'd send those RFs back and get a small DVC sub.

 

[Live to Ski]

$33.93 on amazon now.....Amazon.com: Rockford Fosgate R165X3 Prime 6.5-Inch Full-Range 3-Way Coaxial Speaker - Set of 2: RO-Rockford Fosgate: Car Electronics

 

[Spike555]

$33.93 on amazon now.....Amazon.com: Rockford Fosgate R165X3 Prime 6.5-Inch Full-Range 3-Way Coaxial Speaker - Set of 2: RO-Rockford Fosgate: Car Electronics

Yes, BUT the ones on Amazon do NOT come with the wire harness that you need. And once you buy the wire harness you're the same price if not more than buying them from Crutchfield. I looked before I bought.

 

[Live to Ski]

oops.....don't know enough about this upgrade yet. Devil's in the details.

 

[Spike555]

I'm big on research and overthinking things. I had those speakers in my cart at Cruchtfield for two weeks.
I searched Amazon, went to Best Buy, searched for the wire harness seperate, looked at reviews on less expensive speakers...
For the money, ease of installing and requiring the least amount of brain power, sweat and head scratching from me meant Crutchfield was the best option.
Shipping is free on orders over $50, so if budget is a huge concern then you could order one pair of speakers, then next week another and so on until you had everything you needed.
I even considered OEM replacement speakers, but once you consider what the speakers are made out of the Rockford Fosgate's were the best deal, quality and sound for my money.*

*your results may vary, check local listings

 

[labcab]

...the wire harness that you need...

Just to clarify, you don't "need" the wiring harnesses. Sure, they simplify the install so you don't have to extend the factory wires or solder, but they aren't necessary. That being said, I used them and would recommend them to anyone reusing the factory wiring. Crutchfield is awesome, they'll talk you through the whole install over the phone if you need them to.

Did you ever figure out if you had one or two speakers in the back?

 

[Spike555]

Just to clarify, you don't "need" the wiring harnesses. Sure, they simplify the install so you don't have to extend the factory wires or solder, but they aren't necessary. That being said, I used them and would recommend them to anyone reusing the factory wiring. Crutchfield is awesome, they'll talk you through the whole install over the phone if you need them to.

Did you ever figure out if you had one or two speakers in the back?

True, you don't "need" the wire harness, but it makes life easier.

No I have not, I have to wait until the weekend to do any kind of work on the truck. It's been really hot here and I don't get home from work until well after 7 so I'm pretty worn out by then.

 

[benjawi4]

Do you still love the sound quality of the new speakers? If so, your comments have convinced me to go the same route...