Speaker + Amp Upgrade
 

Hello yall, first time posting in this section. Pretty new to this stuff.

I was interested in doing a amplifier + speaker (front door speakers) upgrade.

So I was planning on replacing with the factory amplifier and front 6 1/2" door speakers. I was going to run a 2CH amp, I was curious if you could purchase a 4CH amp to power the rear speakers as well. As far as I know the factory amp only powers the front door speakers. does that mean the rear, dash and tweeters are powered off the factory HU?

I don't really care about a subwoofer upgrade I just want to improve the sound quality a bit I did this in my old car by just replacing the door speakers and the difference was pretty awesome. So no I'm not going to consider the OEM+ option as its a bit too expensive for my taste.

Strictly just looking for an amp + speakers upgrade for now.

You could do get by with a 2ch amp and speakers. If it was me I'll go for a 4 channel just incase for the long run. That way you can add a low power sub and keep the fronts amped up. Or not. But you'll have the option any time you want and not have to buy another amp.

I would add some sound damping to the doors. That would make it sound a notch better.

Do you think its worth it to power any of the other speakers besdies the front door speakers (exception being a subwoofer >_>)

No. The rear speakers are little 3". Not worth it unless you do a bit of custom work and put in 6" speakers in there.

Gotcha...

I'm talking to a guy on crutchfield, he's claiming that...

"The front doors only receive bass from the factory amp. To get full range sound you would also have to replace the factory stereo".

I'm. Not too sure on that but your just taking the audio signal from the head unit to a better amp. So it's kind of pointless in a way.

He's just doing his job to get you to buy more stuff.
In the end he's kind of right. But your plan is still going to sound way better than the OEM stuff.

I just put my car back to stock, so I'm selling some stuff. I'll get you some pictures when I get home, but I used a 2 channel, Kicker amp and some factory harnesses to make a plug-and-play solution that replaces the factory amplifier.

It sends highs to the door speakers through each channel and then I bridged in a crossover that you can use to hook up a sub (if you want, I used a polk 10"). I've had the OEM Audio plus system and this sounds almost as good (believe it or not).

PM me if you want and I'll make you a great deal on it. Like I said, it's plug and play, won't blow a fuse and it fits in the same space where the OEM amp sits. :)

If you want to do a simple upgrade, adding a sub+amp is a better choice. Guarantee you if you replace the door speakers and leave the dash 3" and tweeter in place it's going to sound worse. Why? Because the sound levels will be different between the door and dash, the crossover points will be changed, and the speaker tonal qualities will be different.

Buy a sub+amp and put some bass blocking capacitors on the stock door speakers.

That's my opinion if you want an easy upgrade that is actually going to sound noticeably better.

If your not an audiophoile ( I'm not!!!) and you want to vastly improve the sound of audio system without mixing and matching a bunch of different parts and pieces....just something thats more plug and play and works great.....be sure to check out OEMAudio+. They aint cheap, and you wont go out and win sound competitions, but the stuff fits, it plugs right in, and sounds great. I was sold on it by the system being plug and play and the sub fits so well in the back I can still break down my road bike and fit it in back there. Its a great option ;)

I want to do this to but I am an engine guy not an audio guy haha. I don't want a sub because racecar and they are heavy. Do you guys think Door speakers, tweeters (mine seem to be on the way out as they crackle a lot) and an amp will make that much of a difference? I already have an aftermarket headunit.

I would def do Sub first, since its lacking the most.

After upgrading your sub and you still find the front audio and stuff lacking then I would upgrade all of them at the same time so it balance out or else it would sound all weird.

OEM Audio+ is a bit ridiculously priced to me, so I'm not gonna go that route.I don't really care too much for a subwoofer, I just want a little more umph from my speakers.

I'm not an audiophile either, when I had my integra alls I did was get a new HU and new door speakers and it sounded miles better over stock. I guess I need to do more research but I'm surprised many people havent really done any minimalistic upgrades.

I agreed, unless you had the funs.

If not, buying it separate is what I usually do, like building a computer lol.

I'm not a hardcore audio guy, but I do enjoy my music when I drive, so sub and amp is always the first upgrade, and if I feel like the speakers are not great, I would upgrade, but they're not bad at the moment, so its just sub and amp.

If you need help picking parts and such, let me know. But Sub+amp is better for the money vs speaker, unless you don't want extra bass. But you don't want to put too much stress on the speaker when adding those bass through the header.

Much appreciated.

The problem with the sub for me is that I dont want this large 12" sub enclosure in my trunk, I'm sure some may know it but the FRS can hold alot of stuff with the seats down. I don't want to lose that utility!

I know they make low profile subs and enclosures but those seem to be on the high side of the market for the most part. So keeping budget and space in mind amp + speakers seems to be the best upgrade in my eyes.

I had purchased this (Alpine Sbr-s8-4 8" Type-r Ported Sub Woofer Subwoofer Enclosure Preloaded Box) a while back, but blew the sub eventually after two years of ownership.

So I just purchased a used sub (alpine type r 82d2 $79.99) + sub amp (alpine Mrv-m500 $81.05) from Amazon. Replaced the blown sub with the new(used) one, and wired it all up. It's sooooo much better now in my opinion, you will instantly hear a difference

Really doesn't add too much weight, and I have it hidden underneath the mat where the spare tire is, if I opened my trunk you would not be able to see anything until you lift up the cover.

You don't need a 12 inch sub in this car, been there, done that. If anything maybe a 10, but you'll be adding more and more weight the bigger you decide to go.

I don't have any pics to show you my set up, but I'll be more than happy to take some later tonight or tomorrow in the afternoon.

I'm was in the same boat. I changed out the stock amp and really uncorked the oem door speakers. It gives you just enough omp to make the sound feel full. This is the amp i went with.

[ame="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005EBQCLQ?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_search_ detailpage"]Amazon.com : Kicker 11DX1252 125W RMS 2-Channel DX Series Amplifier (DX1252) : Vehicle Stereo Amplifiers : Car Electronics[/ame]

You left the speakers OEM?

Is the amp swap simple, plug n play.

Yup everything is stock. Simple plug and play. no splicing of factory wires. You will need this wiring kit:

[ame="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0002BEQJ8?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_search_ detailpage"]Amazon.com: Metra 70-1761 Radio Wiring Harness For Toyota 87-Up Power 4 Speaker: Car Electronics[/ame]

follow the instructions here on how to repin the wires.

http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=42239

Unplug the oem amp, plug in the new one and THATS IT! You're not going to win any audio competitions but the sound will be much fuller.

Btw - the signal coming to the door speakers is full range. This kicker amp has crossover settings that will give you the ability to do low or high pass filter. I tried the low pass filter to make the doors become a sub and it just sounds muddy. I left the crossover off and it's just perfect for me.