High praise for the Pioneer speaker replacement behind stock grille!

[TrickyT]

My '97 had the same issue Keith described. I think the OEM speaker grill must be smaller because the Pioneer TS-G1641R would not clear the the plastic mounting tabs on the factory grills. But the cutout in the door panel is 5", and this is the exact size needed for the 6.5" Pioneer's. So like Ted described in Skillet's original thread on the Pioneer's, I too removed the factory grills and mounted the front speakers directly to the door panel. The existing mounting holes in the panel like up perfectly with the mounting holes in the speakers and new grills, so no drilling is required. I also mounted a square of Dynamat Extreme on the rear side of the door panel to help acoustically seal the speaker in the door. And as suggested in other speaker threads, I disconnected the two front dash tweeter speakers since they contribute little to the sound and just draw power from the amp.

When I removed the driver's side speaker I discovered two large sections of the cloth surround were completely missing. Water must have gotten in there when the PO had the vehicle and over time the material just rotted away. No wonder the old set up sounded so bad!

The Pioneer TS-G1041R install in the rear doors of my '97 just like others have described, so no changes there.

Even with the stock head unit, these new speakers sound great to my old ears. I added an Anaba FM modulator at the same time so I can connect in my iPod. Not as nice as a direct connection, but that option isn't available with the Toyota head unit and this was the next best thing. (Definitely better than a FM transmitter, and I found it to also be better than a cassette adapter.) Update: I've now gone back to the cassette adapter for my iPod/iPhone; the FM modulator had subtle sound quality issues. Also, the Pro.Fit miGrip (Pro Fit miGrip and miniGrip Universal Holders) combined with the LoBoy (Pro Fit LoBoy Mount for hand held electronics) makes for a nice mounting system for the iPod/iPhone.

So for $100 or so and a couple of hours of work, this upgrade yields a high-value return.

Here's a picture of what the grill looks like on the front door:

 

[jmvar]

I ended up installing these because I plan to add an amp later on.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/NEW-...008QQitemZ180128005663QQrdZ1QQsspagenameZWD1V

Install was a little tricky as they sit a little bit higher than the pioneers do. I had to use weather striping because the speaker does not sit on the sheet metal due to the window track.

Sound is above average but I am hoping they wake up with my Rockford Fosgate amp that will be installed soon.

 

[Sc0-]

Installed some 3-way Pioneer Premier TS-A1672R 6.5 speakers in the front, Coaxial and $44 a pair.. 220w max, impp composite cone and butyl surround.

IF you plan in having these things screwed to the metal door frame without needing anything between, then find something shallower than 1.75" in depth because these aren't going to cut it. Basically I removed the door panels, OEM speakers, then cut out the speakers from the mounting flange/basket and reinstalled it, put the doorpanel back on, then drilled through everything and sandwiched it with 4 8x1.25" long stainless phillips screws. (longer than what came with the speakers) Had an intermittent connection at first due to the OEM speaker plug connector but was fixed. Sounds INCREDIBLE, I can actually hear the radio doing 70mph+. I have another pair to go in the rear and will probly install them the same way. BTW: my OEM grills for the front speaker are toast, driverside was drilled through for woodscrews and the passenger side was superglued to the doorpanel from the DPO's? I forgot to add, YOU WILL WANT A SUB with better speakers... I DO as it still sounds cheap!
Will install the headunit whenever I pull apart the dash, I have wiring adapters for ALL three plugs in back of the headunit, now to figure out how to install the single din Pioneer and the Din pocket.... (hopefully a CDL switch at the same time too)

Installed the rear speakers, removed the OEM speakers and grills. Cut the old wires off of the speakers to use the OEM speaker connector with the new ones. Removed one nylon nut insert that is used for the OEM speaker mount so I can run the wires through it for the new ones. Reinstalled door panel then held the speakers up and marked then drilled through the doorpanel and backing metal then mounted the speakers using the mentioned 8x1.25 stainless phillips screws. Speakers are mounted SOLID though all four have the aftermarket grills... also no gap between the speakers and the doorpanel.

My front speakers were trashed so I replaced them, 100% improved. Then I replaced the rear speakers, the improvement was not noticeable.... next step is the headunit sometime then if needed I can install a basslink...

 

[dcFJ]

I put the Pioneers in my rig tonight, and it was a HUGE improvement...even with everything still running off the factory deck. I'm much happier now, and the install was very easy. I cut off the old harness from each factory speaker and just spliced the supplied speaker wires that came with the Pioneers into them. Couldn't have asked for an easier install, and everything is right with the world now. I had been running with no front right speaker as it was completely dead...now I have good, clean sounding tunes again.

Thanks for all the info guys!

Dave.

 

[HeavyD]

FWIW, I just finished the install of the Pioneer's last night on my 96 and everything went together great. Easily the best interior upgrade I have made. I installed both the fronts & rears and was pleasantly surprised with the fit and especially the sound.

Thanks for all of the info, made the job easy.

 

[Cruisin'Carolina]

I just got finished with mine. If you will recall, I put in 4 Eclipses a couple of years back hooked to an Alpine deck (factory one started acting weird right after speaker install) and have a 12" Alpine Sub in a box strapped to the floor powered by an Alpine amp hidden in the cubby. (I tried the stealth sub approach, but wasn't happy with the sound). I've also Dynamatted all four doors.

Two weeks after the first Eclipse install, the front DS started to sound shabby. I figured I had pushed it to hard (not enough power from the deck) or the stock head unit had done something....So I put in another pair.

I don't know when that DS one went bad as well, because I didn't DD the 80 at the time. All year long since I took it over it has been crackling.

The Pioneers sound much better, not knocking the Eclipses, but the new ones are bigger so you'd expect better. The sound difference between the two (I isolated using fader/balance) is not as extreme between stock and Eclipses, but it is very noticeable. They also fit better! I did find evidence of minor water penetration into the door.

Kudos to whoever figured this out. The Eclipses were hard to find so it was refreshing to walk into Best Buy and be back in the truck in 10 minutes!!

 

[Riley]

I too just finished my install this weekend. This went so smoothly that I just had to post up some thanks. First off, here's how I installed the Pioneer speakers:

- I bought longer self tapping screws so that I could reuse the stock holes and plastic inserts. Just seemed easier.

- I bent up the outer tabs before getting started as they are a bit too wide.

- I used black 1/2" closed cell weather stripping around the hole in the door. The main goal being to build up the surface just a bit because the rear of the speaker does hit the window arm/track.

Went swimmingly. The old speakers had started to buzz on deep bass tracks. Once removed, it was no wonder. The outer rim was decomposed and it's surprising that the speakers worked as well as they did.

Now for the thanks. This board is awesome. Imagine how much screwing around a guy would have to do to find a speaker that would fit into the narrow opening of the 80. Leveraging the previous experience of other board members (even for a simple task like this) makes for a much improved task and finished product. Little things like the weather stripping and longer screws saved a ton of effort and pissing around. Having the totally stock look is awesome in my books.

Also thanks for a PM back and forth with Nakman when I questioned a couple of specifics about later model 80s.

In short, this board is the greatest, I'm still shaking my head...

 

[IdahoDoug]

Agree this is an amazing place. As noted, it's terrific to do a mod like this simply by buying the speakers without spending even one second deciding which ones. No messing with fits, returning things, etc. All thanks to the guys who did this before me and took the time to post. For the exact same reason, I have a used Scion head unit sitting on the bench that I simply purchased without a thought having to be devoted to whether it will fit and snap in place with the factory wire connections and all. Great place.

Regards,

DougM

 

[hatfieldcb]

So what's the consensus on the Pioneer fronts in a '97? I have a set and want to put them in, but want to keep the stock grill covers.

 

[keithf]

So what's the consensus on the Pioneer fronts in a '97? I have a set and want to put them in, but want to keep the stock grill covers.

I could not get them to fit behind the stock covers on my 97 LC without budging . I ended up doing the same as TrickY T - replacing the stock speaker cover with the Pioneer one (see Tricky T's pic a few posts above). It looks ok.

 

[hatfieldcb]

Mine worked. I'm having a problem with the DS speaker, though. It sounds real scratchy. I hope I didn't tear the cone or anything.

 

[Cruisin'Carolina]

Mine worked. I'm having a problem with the DS speaker, though. It sounds real scratchy. I hope I didn't tear the cone or anything.

Has it gotten wet?

The screws into the door metal that I removed yesterday (originally put in for my 2 year old Eclipses install) had the slightest tinge of rust on the ends.

I'm thinking they got a little wet (no sign of this on the PS) or something....I dunno, it is like I'm waiting for the DS to take a dump within a month, something might be going on.

When I built my first system back in the 80s, I seem to recall a semi-circle plastic guard, specifically to shield speakers from door water.

I may have to go in and fab something like that up, not to mention hit Cdan up for some weatherstripping or rubber

 

[hatfieldcb]

Has it gotten wet?

No. It's a new install. I tested it before I put the PS in and it sounded fine.

 

[whodat]

I just did my fronts with these Pioneers.

It fit, but man is that tight! The magnet on the back is pressing up against the window track. I hope this does not lead to a window issue in the future. For now I am good.

As for the sound quality...one of my old was blown. So this is a significant improvement.

edit '96 lx450

 

[whodat]

Oh yeah, my bill at breast buy was $65. Guess the sale is over.

 

[Cruisin'Carolina]

Oh yeah, my bill at breast buy was $65. Guess the sale is over.

join da club...

Still beats searching the internet and such as I had to do when trying to find the Eclipses...

It was worth it to walk in and be out in less than 10 minutes

 

[Jerome3]

I just bought these speakers, front and rear, yesterday. im now waiting for it to stop raining so i can do the install. Great Thread!

Im wondering if i have to solder and then shrink wrap these speaker wires or if i can simply splice them twist them and then wrap with electrical tape?

Any one have any luck or problems with the latter??

<---college student weighing cost/benefits of buying neccessary tools

 

[Jerome3]

fronts are in and sound great!
instead of using a washer ring or anything as some mentioned. i pryed the plastic cover off the stock speaker and cut out the mesh-like part and used the outer ring as my spacer. i placed that on top of 1/8 inch foam weatherstripping and then screwed in the speakers into the stock holes at a slight angles due to the larger diameter new spkr. im waiting untill i go home to drill holes and clean it up a bit but for now fits snug and fully functional.

Heading out to do the rears. had to go buy some shorter screws...

 

[Fly Rod]

I just ordered the 6.5" Pioneer TS-G1641Rs delivered for $39 from Amazon. I can't wait to replace the blown factory speakers.

 

[snowcruiser]

Wow.....Thank you thank you thank you. This is the best $100 I have spent on my cruiser in five years! I got 5.25 inch Eclipses for the front only two years ago but had very bad luck with them...the first pair I bought from another mud member were blown, second pair never sounded right either. When I took them out I realized that one is all crackly because it was shot. I'll sell the good one shipped for $15.00 if any one wants it but honestly these 6.5 inch Pioneers are the best bang for the buck. The 4 inch speakers in the back ain't bad either. I can now enjoy my tunes again through my Eclipse AVN30D Nav unit the way it is supposed to sound...two years of playing this expensive head unit through s***ty speakers drove me nuts....don't know what I was thinking but....THANK YOU!