LX470 Speaker Replacement (1 Viewer)

[coinball]

I know there are about 1000x threads on how to fix the ML speakers, but I rolled the dice and replace the front 6.5" speakers with some Alpine SPS-610C from eBay. The sound is significantly better that the totally destroyed stock ML speakers. I am aware they are 4ohm speakers, vs the ML 8ohm, so we'll see what the long term effect is on the factory amp, but it didn't fail immediately...

I'll keep the thread updated as i replace the 4" rear door speakers and factory sub, for anyone that is interested.

PS - props to dnp for his door removal thread...made it so much easier.

https://forum.ih8mud.com/100-series-cruisers/327860-door-panel-removal-process.html

 

[coinball]

Did the 4" rear door speakers today:







As you can see I left the ML tweeter in place, but disconnected since the Alpine SPS-410's already had tweeters on them.

Working on the sub now, should have that done later today.

 

[coinball]

All done and it sounds at least 100x better!

I used the same Audiopipe TS-VR6 6" subwoofer (http://www.audiopipe.com/car-audio/subwoofers/ts-vr/ts-vr6) outlined in the thread here:

https://forum.ih8mud.com/100-series-cruisers/282462-how-replacing-oem-subwoofer-3rd-row-4.html

You need to wire the dual voice voils in series and then add two 8ohm 20w non-inductive resistors in parallel to get to 12ohm to match the factory sub at ~13ohm.

You can get the resistors at RadioShack, part #: 271-0120 ($3 each when I bought them earlier today).

http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2062288

Total cost was about ~$120-130 for all the speakers (eBay FTW!) and a few extra bucks for some heat shrink tubing and other odds and ends.

Hope this helps someone in the future.

 

[SkiLyft]

Im curious would the install be the same for a 2000 LC?
Or are the speakers wired differently?

thanks

 

[coinball]

I believe all the LC's had JBL speakers vs the Mark Levinson, so I would assume there are some differences that you'd need clarity on before following in my footsteps.

 

[Paul MP]

All done and it sounds at least 100x better!

I used the same Audiopipe TS-VR6 6" subwoofer (6" 150 Watt 2x4-Ohm EXT Subwoofer) outlined in the thread here:

How to: Replacing OEM Subwoofer in 3rd Row

You need to wire the dual voice voils in series and then add two 8ohm 20w non-inductive resistors in parallel to get to 12ohm to match the factory sub at ~13ohm.

You can get the resistors at RadioShack, part #: 271-0120 ($3 each when I bought them earlier today).

http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2062288

Total cost was about ~$120-130 for all the speakers (eBay FTW!) and a few extra bucks for some heat shrink tubing and other odds and ends.

Hope this helps someone in the future.

Can you provide more instructions on how specifically to wire the dual voice coils in series and adding the two 8ohm resisters in parallel?

 

[PabloCruise]

Can you provide more instructions on how specifically to wire the dual voice coils in series and adding the two 8ohm resisters in parallel?

x2.

Coinball, you have a 2001 or newer 470? I have Nakamichi in my '99, but my understanding is that I still have the 6" sub that has been my only uncertainty about upgrading speakers...

 

[PabloCruise]

I know there are about 1000x threads on how to fix the ML speakers, but I rolled the dice and replace the front 6.5" speakers with some Alpine SPS-610C from eBay. The sound is significantly better that the totally destroyed stock ML speakers. I am aware they are 4ohm speakers, vs the ML 8ohm, so we'll see what the long term effect is on the factory amp, but it didn't fail immediately...

I'll keep the thread updated as i replace the 4" rear door speakers and factory sub, for anyone that is interested.

PS - props to dnp for his door removal thread...made it so much easier.

Door panel removal process

Now I see you probably have a '04 470. Still factory head unit?

 

[LonghornLX]

I have a 2003 LX with the Levinson System but ordered Infinity 6.5" speaker for the rears by listening to crutchfield.com.

I thought no big deal. Find a LC speaker pod and replace the ML pod. Nope. Shape of the speaker pod is different.

CARP!

To not let a stupid plan go to waste, I constructed these:

prep

• LonghornLX
• Apr 23, 2016

Side by side

• LonghornLX
• Apr 23, 2016

money shot

• LonghornLX
• Apr 23, 2016

They sound great but I believe they are held back by the high crossover points the ML amp is sending to the rear.

These are not hard to construct with a modern jigsaw. They would be trivial to construct if you have a table router and router bit talked about here :

 

[Paul MP]

x2.

Coinball, you have a 2001 or newer 470? I have Nakamichi in my '99, but my understanding is that I still have the 6" sub that has been my only uncertainty about upgrading speakers...

Still looking for specific instructions on how to wire the dual voice coils in series and add the two 8ohm resisters in parallel. I have a 04 lx470 and am replacing the sub.

 

[Paul MP]

All done and it sounds at least 100x better!

I used the same Audiopipe TS-VR6 6" subwoofer (6" 150 Watt 2x4-Ohm EXT Subwoofer) outlined in the thread here:

How to: Replacing OEM Subwoofer in 3rd Row

You need to wire the dual voice voils in series and then add two 8ohm 20w non-inductive resistors in parallel to get to 12ohm to match the factory sub at ~13ohm.

You can get the resistors at RadioShack, part #: 271-0120 ($3 each when I bought them earlier today).

http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2062288

Total cost was about ~$120-130 for all the speakers (eBay FTW!) and a few extra bucks for some heat shrink tubing and other odds and ends.

Hope this helps someone in the future.

Great post. I'm looking for specific instructions on how to wire the dual voice coils in series and add the two 8ohm resisters in parallel. I have a 04 lx470 and am replacing the sub. Don't have much experience with car audio systems or speakers.

 

[ihadmail]

@Paul MP Here is a rudimentary diagram of how to wire the voice coils in series, then the paralleled resistors in series with that.

Doing the simple math it works out to be: 4+4+(1/.25)=12 ohms

Since this impedance is RMS the math is a little different but it's close enough for our simple audio system. Hope this helps.

 

[LBridges]

Thought maybe I'd add a note to address the older LX system (Nakamichi) speakers for those who search for such terms.

My efforts to date have not resulted in a lot of progress. Keep getting surprises along the way.

One was the subwoofer part of amp is wired for dual voice coils - 4 wires going off to the sub - but when the four wires make it to the actual woofer box, only two are used - they must be bridging the amp (haven't tried to verify yet). This means the Electrical Wiring Diagram is accurate only to the extent that 4 wires make it back to the woofer enclosure. Offered for those considering amp and or woofer upgrades. BTW, the stock Nak woofer in my 2000 is a 6" unit that is labeled with a 6-Ohm rating - this (the 6-Ohm rating) makes load sense if they are using two channels in a bridged mode.

Also the front door speakers are 5-1/4 inch 4-Ohm speakers. Without surgery or deleting the door speaker pod any replacement speaker would have to have a cut out of 4-1/2" or less and a depth of 2" or less.

Haven't gotten around to looking at the rear door speakers yet.

 

[Paul MP]

@Paul MP Here is a rudimentary diagram of how to wire the voice coils in series, then the paralleled resistors in series with that.

View attachment 1248748

Doing the simple math it works out to be: 4+4+(1/.25)=12 ohms

Since this impedance is RMS the math is a little different but it's close enough for our simple audio system. Hope this helps.

THANKS

 

[PabloCruise]

Thought maybe I'd add a note to address the older LX system (Nakamichi) speakers for those who search for such terms.

My efforts to date have not resulted in a lot of progress. Keep getting surprises along the way.

One was the subwoofer part of amp is wired for dual voice coils - 4 wires going off to the sub - but when the four wires make it to the actual woofer box, only two are used - they must be bridging the amp (haven't tried to verify yet). This means the Electrical Wiring Diagram is accurate only to the extent that 4 wires make it back to the woofer enclosure. Offered for those considering amp and or woofer upgrades. BTW, the stock Nak woofer in my 2000 is a 6" unit that is labeled with a 6-Ohm rating - this (the 6-Ohm rating) makes load sense if they are using two channels in a bridged mode.

Also the front door speakers are 5-1/4 inch 4-Ohm speakers. Without surgery or deleting the door speaker pod any replacement speaker would have to have a cut out of 4-1/2" or less and a depth of 2" or less.

Haven't gotten around to looking at the rear door speakers yet.

That's me, '99 LX w/ Nakamichi.
Is it possible that they ran 4 wires off the sub for the LCs that had dual subs? I have not tried to figure out the math - how the 6 ohm rating makes it look like they bridged the amp. This article says 1998-2000 LCs had 2 x 4" subs: Replacing Your Audio System: Overview

 

[DirtDawg]

Thought maybe I'd add a note to address the older LX system (Nakamichi) speakers for those who search for such terms.

My efforts to date have not resulted in a lot of progress. Keep getting surprises along the way.

One was the subwoofer part of amp is wired for dual voice coils - 4 wires going off to the sub - but when the four wires make it to the actual woofer box, only two are used - they must be bridging the amp (haven't tried to verify yet). This means the Electrical Wiring Diagram is accurate only to the extent that 4 wires make it back to the woofer enclosure. Offered for those considering amp and or woofer upgrades. BTW, the stock Nak woofer in my 2000 is a 6" unit that is labeled with a 6-Ohm rating - this (the 6-Ohm rating) makes load sense if they are using two channels in a bridged mode.

Also the front door speakers are 5-1/4 inch 4-Ohm speakers. Without surgery or deleting the door speaker pod any replacement speaker would have to have a cut out of 4-1/2" or less and a depth of 2" or less.

Haven't gotten around to looking at the rear door speakers yet.

Im in the same boat as you. Cant find good speaker replacements to fit they nak system. May just have to resort to custom building a mount. Let me know if you come up with something.

 

[ihadmail]

Also the front door speakers are 5-1/4 inch 4-Ohm speakers. Without surgery or deleting the door speaker pod any replacement speaker would have to have a cut out of 4-1/2" or less and a depth of 2" or less.

Haven't gotten around to looking at the rear door speakers yet.

I have 6.5" components for the front and 6.5" coaxial for the rear I had planned to slap into my 2000 LX pretty easily.

Im in the same boat as you. Cant find good speaker replacements to fit they nak system. May just have to resort to custom building a mount. Let me know if you come up with something.

Looks like when I get the time to start this project, sometime before HIH6, I will be making custom mounts. I'll look into the viability of producing a few sets. I have a router table which should speed up the process.

 

[LBridges]

That's me, '99 LX w/ Nakamichi.
Is it possible that they ran 4 wires off the sub for the LCs that had dual subs? I have not tried to figure out the math - how the 6 ohm rating makes it look like they bridged the amp. This article says 1998-2000 LCs had 2 x 4" subs: Replacing Your Audio System: Overview

I just assumed (and we all know about that) that with 4 wires out of the amp but only two to the woofer that they bridged. But like you suggested a common wiring loom makes more sense - and I now vote your idea as most likely.

Im in the same boat as you. Cant find good speaker replacements to fit they nak system. May just have to resort to custom building a mount. Let me know if you come up with something.

I ended up using Alpine SPS-510 speakers (5.25" S class co-axials). Really a shame as I have in the closet a set of Pioneer Premier Reference series speakers I had planned to use. They are, IMHO, excellent car audio speakers. However, they would need custom pod work or the windows could never come all the way down. The Alpines need only to trim three of the mounting prongs, and drill three 1/8" holes for attachment. I was concerned that the Naks made use of a port, but I played some music both quiet and pretty loud (for an old guy anyway) and all seems well. Alpine Type S speakers do not equal great sound, but I believe they sound better than the 16 year old Naks they replaced.

Outside the pod view

Inside the pod view

 

[DirtDawg]

I ended up using Alpine SPS-510 speakers (5.25" S class co-axials). Really a shame as I have in the closet a set of Pioneer Premier Reference series speakers I had planned to use. They are, IMHO, excellent car audio speakers. However, they would need custom pod work or the windows could never come all the way down. The Alpines need only to trim three of the mounting prongs, and drill three 1/8" holes for attachment. I was concerned that the Naks made use of a port, but I played some music both quiet and pretty loud (for an old guy anyway) and all seems well. Alpine Type S speakers do not equal great sound, but I believe they sound better than the 16 year old Naks they replaced.

That will probably be my next option if what @ihadmail comes up with doesn't work. My main goal is to run 6.5s in the doors off of an aftermarket 5 channel, while retrofitting an 8" in the stock sub location. I'd rather run 6.5s over 5.25s any day.

 

[Str8Razor]

@Paul MP Here is a rudimentary diagram of how to wire the voice coils in series, then the paralleled resistors in series with that.

View attachment 1248748

Doing the simple math it works out to be: 4+4+(1/.25)=12 ohms

Since this impedance is RMS the math is a little different but it's close enough for our simple audio system. Hope this helps.

@tmxmotorsports