'08 TL - speaker upgrade only; a waste or worth it?

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Old 01-12-2009, 10:17 AM
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'08 TL - speaker upgrade only; a waste or worth it?

Hi all,
New to the forum, having traded "up" from a '97 BMW 740i to an '08 TL (no Nav, by choice). Had a fabulous system in the Beemer - factory head unit and amp with upgraded speakers and a separate sub. The TL's touted ELS is good for a factory system but could be better, I think.

Have scoured the forum (here and others) for speaker upgrade recommendations. Can't draw a conclusion as to whether it's worth it or a waste to stick with the stock electronics (save for the sub) and just upgrade the speakers. For the sub, would also toss in an LOC + separate amp (e.g., Rockford Fosgate Punch 200). That type of upgrade worked wonders in my Beemer and was clean and simple to do. Audiophile result? No. But, lots better than stock.

Sorry to ask such a newbie question. Love the car otherwise and plan to keep it longer than the Beemer (121,000 superb miles but wicked pricey parts).

Cheers,
GaryIF
Old 01-12-2009, 10:36 AM
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CONGRATS and welcome! As for your stereo question, i find the TL system to be plenty for myself. I was into the upgraded systems before the TL but now that im in the 'luxury' class, id like to keep it that way and not add alot of un called for equipment. Of course, the choice is ultimately up to you. my .02 cents id say, NAY.
Old 01-12-2009, 12:09 PM
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Originally Posted by GaryIF
Hi all,
New to the forum, having traded "up" from a '97 BMW 740i to an '08 TL (no Nav, by choice). Had a fabulous system in the Beemer - factory head unit and amp with upgraded speakers and a separate sub. The TL's touted ELS is good for a factory system but could be better, I think.

Have scoured the forum (here and others) for speaker upgrade recommendations. Can't draw a conclusion as to whether it's worth it or a waste to stick with the stock electronics (save for the sub) and just upgrade the speakers. For the sub, would also toss in an LOC + separate amp (e.g., Rockford Fosgate Punch 200). That type of upgrade worked wonders in my Beemer and was clean and simple to do. Audiophile result? No. But, lots better than stock.

Sorry to ask such a newbie question. Love the car otherwise and plan to keep it longer than the Beemer (121,000 superb miles but wicked pricey parts).

Cheers,
GaryIF
Stock system is pretty nice I must say, but they thing that has always bothered me was the fact that no matter how good the stock system was in a car, I always tended to blow atleast one speaker in it. My TL has had its front passenger door speaker and sub replaced, before I went ahead and just upgraded everything.

I'd say upgrade the speakers and I would recommend Polk Audio speakers. They will give you much clearer sound, can handle more volume, and should be much more durable than the stock speakers.

As for the sub, if you just want a just a little more rich bass you can replace your factory sub as I did:
https://acurazine.com/forums/3g-tl-audio-bluetooth-electronics-navigation-94/so-i-decided-swap-my-stock-sub-704257/

or if you want heavy bass I would go with some type of custom enclosure.

Welcome and happy modding!
Old 01-12-2009, 08:08 PM
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Gary, I like the sound system, but I'm easy to please. Because this is the nicest car I've ever owned, but sound system is a HUGE upgrade for me. Many guys upgrade though-I'm sure it's worth it. I'm glad I haven't heard an upgraded system--I'd want to upgrade mine then. I will never switch out the head unit because I love the DVD Audio discs. Heck, this head unit even makes 2 channel CD's sound like surround sound.
Old 01-12-2009, 08:33 PM
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You won't be disappointed if you upgrade.

I know I say it too much on here but I love the ID CTX65cs as a "budget" upgrade for the mids/highs.
Old 01-12-2009, 10:49 PM
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Thanks for the info thus far. Very helpful.

GaryIF
Old 02-24-2009, 02:38 PM
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Hey...I have some infinity mids from my last car. I'm going to try and t-wire them in to see how it sounds. Maybe less muffled. Wondering if I can connect the tweeter to the tweeter and mid to mid without worrying about the crossover that came with the infinity. I'm guessing there's a crossover built into the car already?
Old 02-24-2009, 05:12 PM
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one word of caution if your gonna power the aftermarket speakers with a aftermarket amp. You will get a lot of feedback when driving. It's very annoying and maybe something to consider. If you wanna push your speakers harder play the music from a laptop, then you'll be impressed.
Old 02-26-2009, 02:29 PM
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I quickly admired the ELS system especially hearing the DVD-A demo disc at first, but after some time I definitely needed an upgrade with the subwoofer. Its really subtle but very distant especially when driving with the windows down. So I decided to fiberglass the back corner trunk with a Kicker S8L5 and Amp the difference is enormously better. I'm actually quite pleased with the rest of the stock setup, imo it's not worth the costly upgrade unless your searching for that near perfect musicality.
Old 02-26-2009, 02:51 PM
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It's like making an already good system even better !!!!
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