do you need an adapter for the SPS690A when installing it. Or do they work with the factory speaker wire connectors?

 

As I mentioned earlier in this thread, you need this wiring harness...

http://www.circuitcity.com/detail.js...&catoid=-11701

 

so George, how do the speakers sound?

 

If i replace the door speakers with Type S's and use the stock amp. do you think that they will be loud enough? i'm concerned that i will really need an aftermarket amp to power them properly.

 

Jigga,

I replaced the front and rear doors, and rear 6 x 9's with Alpine Type S speakers, and they sound great! This is definitely an improvement from stock.

As for an amp, I am planning on getting the six channel Alpine (don't remember the model number at the moment) in the next few months. The stock amp does me fine for now, but I want the speakers to have more head room.

In another thread I see you already have some subs, so I would either get the new Alpine component set for the front doors and seperates for the rear doors and be done.

 

how much for the alpine 6 channel?

 

Well it appears that the Alpine 6/5/4/3 Channel Power Amplifier Model #3566 that I saw, is no longer produced.

And www.Alpine.com seems to only list 5 channel (max) amps now. I will check the HiFi Buys that I saw it at and see if I can buy it before it disappears.

I think it was listed for $299 or $399, but I was not really paying attention to it at the time the salesman was trying to sell it to me.

 

Actually they are still sitting in their boxes waiting to be installed. :-)

I need to set aside time to do it as taking apart the doors will probably take a while.

 

Pershingrifle -

Did you install the Type S component tweeters as well? How difficult is it to get them in? Do they sit in the well allowing the cover to go back on?

Also, did you just use existing wiring or did you use the crossovers that come with the alpines?

Thanks - I just want to make sure I know what to expect before I go ripping my doors off.

 

No I have not gotten the component set, could not find them locally.
I still have the oem tweeters. I was thinking about getting Type S tweeters if they existed seperately, which I don't think they do.

I used the existing wiring for now.

 

I got the Type S components, speakers and rear 6x9s.
My friends helped me install the Type S speakers in the doors and the rear deck. We didn't install the tweeters because 1) it seems too small and will fall through, 2) the cross overs was going to be a bitch to install so we just left it.

Now I'm reading that I can just plug in the Type S tweeters with the oem wires if I'm running off the stock amp? Btw, the upgrade sounds nice but I wish the bass was a bit deeper. Thanks for the info everyone.

Oh yea, for the back 6x5s, it didn't seem like a perfect fit so we used some ghetto electric tape and one screw for the bottom to keep it on. Did anyone else have this problem? Also broke some plastic pieces haha so be careful when you take off the panels.

 

So far I have just installed the rear 6x9's (the Alpine SPS-690A's). Those were pretty easy and an exact fit. I hope to do the doors soon.

 

I replaced the front and rear doors and the 6x9's with the Type-S this weekend. I took these pictures for those who haven't done theirs yet, or who want to see how these speakers fit.

For the Type-S, you can use the mounting bracket that comes with the speakers. The bracket is 1/4 inch. I drilled holes in the doors to attach the bracket. The third pic below is from inside the door. The screw is 1 1/2 inch, so the screw protrudes a little over 1 inch into the door. - so the Type-S fit with no problem.

And BTW, the sound is much, much better than stock

 

Thanks for sharing meteorman. Nice pics. Did you use the stock grill and if so, did you have to modify or did it fit w/o problems?

 

I used the stock grill and had no problems with fitment at all.

IIRC, the stock speaker has a height from the door of 1". The Alpines should only be a little over 1/2 inch height, not counting the tweeter.

 

Based in part on many helpful postings in this forum and in part on my own research, I recently changed out all 8 speakers in my new TSX. I used Alpine type S 6.5" in the rear doors and Alpine type S 6 x 9s in the rear shelf.

But I picked up a pair of Boston Acoustics FS60 two-way component speakers on sale at Tweeter (these sounded MUCH better than the Alpines, especially in the highs). I used the main drivers in the front doors and the tweeters in the dash.

Mounting the FS-60 main drivers in the front doors required 1" spacers, which I made from 2 layers of 1/2" MDF (from Home Depot). The stock TSX door panels with integral speaker grills fit just fine over these.

Installing the Boston Acoustics tweeters in the dash required courage. First I had to pry the stock tweeters out. The wires to them are short and provide very little slack. To make sure I wouldn't lose them into the black hole under the dash, I clamped the wires with a hemostat, then cut them and stripped the ends. Not easy to do.

I used crimp connectors to connect the Boston Acoustics tweeters to the old wires, and I built up the diameter of the new tweeters by winding around them with sticky stretchy black rubber electrical tape until they were a force fit in the holes in the top of the dash. Once I replaced the stock tweeter grills I couldn't tell by looking that anything had changed.

The Boston Acoustics component speakers come with crossover units, which I did not use since the TSX amp includes its own built-in crossovers.

As others have noted, the Alpine 6 x 9s are a plug-and-play fit in the back shelf. The fit right in with the original TSX screws. And as others have suggested, I used the plastic spacer that came with the Alpine 6.5s in the rear doors, but I think the spacer is not really thick enough. I built it up with DynaMat on both sides, but if I had it to do over I'd make a half-inch spacer from MDF or see if I could purchase a prefab half inch spacer. I used the speaker harness adapters others have mentioned (I got them at Circuit City) for all speakers except the tweeters.

I applied Dynamat to the underside of the back shelf and wherever I could reach through the speaker hole inside all four doors.

Results. I can't believe how much the sound has improved from just changing the speakers - the change is like night and day. The sound is awesome now, and plenty loud enough for me (I consider it loud around half of full volume).

I changed the 6x9s first, and listened. The weak, muddy bass from before was replaced with strong, clean bass. Then I changed the front door speakers, and the midrange got clean and clear. When I changed the tweeters, musical instruments like banjos and percussion started to sound like they're in the car. I'm really pleased (but still annoyed with Acura for cheaping out on the speakers).

cheers,
Richard

 

daaamn, my type r's didnt come wth any mounting braket, and ive looked all over for ones, but with no luck. anyone know where i can get some so i dont have to cut the doors???? anyone have any i could buy/??

 

you can make your own. make some out of wood or mdf, its alot better than those plastic spacers and such. wood and mdf are much more dense, therefore your speakers will have less resonance when mounted on them.

 

You'll still have to cut. I have a 1" spacer on my type R install.

 

would i still be able to use the stock grilles??

 

Yes. There is at least 1/4" space behind the stock grill. You'll just have to cut the plastic structure behind it, so it won't touch the speaker.

 

OK...this might have already been answered in another thread, but I read 7 pages of this one and will ask the quetion here since it seems you guys know.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but component speakers are basically 4 speakers per SET...two tweeters, and two mid range speakers, one each for left and right?

Ok. I wanna run a set of components in front, replacements in the rear deck and doors, however I want more power to be fed to them.

So, If I get an amp..roughly 4-600 watts w/ 4 channels, I should be able to run my front components off two channels w/ crossover, and two rear speakers, probably the deck with the other two channels at 100 + watts each channel. Then I can use the stock amp to run the rear door speakers.

So, besides wiring for power and speakers, do I need anymore connectors, wires, connections, converters, whatever???
Will that set-up basically work?
Thanks!

 

I was reading this old thread, and was trying a search to see what the crossovers in the stock amp are. Didn't find it, but maybe I just didn't look hard enough...anyway...


Anybody know the slope and cutoff frequency of each channel's crossover point in the stock amp?


I'd be curious because the stock stereo gets loud enough, just isn't very clear, very muddy. I'd want to use aftermarket components in the front and just wire them in the stock locations without the crossover from the component set...or maybe just get raw drivers. But to pick, you need to know what the stock amp is doing.

any specs?

 

Nice, another nati thug on the forums. Where are you from in cincinnati? I live up in Montgomery over by Trihealth Fitness, but I'm in college now. If you're planning on upgrading your components sometime let me know. I'm down with doing it, but I'm not really sure on how secure I feel like doing all the work by myself.

The way I always learned it is that components are supposed to be upgraded to put out a lot of highs and mids and little bass. The bass is supposed to come from your subwoofer in the back. It'll make the sound muddy if your bass is mixed in with your mids and highs. Even if you pump up the bass on your system, you'll hear your door rattle. I plan on swapping my components with Infinity Kappa Perfects or MB Quartz once I get the money. Then depending on how much money I have left I'll be connecting and Alpine system in the trunk, Indo Audio (ebay) has already worked out a nice discount for me. Good luck.

 

How did they charge you? If you don't mind me asking.

 

sorry, how MUCH did they charge you?

 

Alpine SPS-170A
Alpine SPS-690A


Why does Crutchfield say that neither of these fits the TSX? I have a 2005 TSX w/ Nav and would love to get some high quality speakers put in.

Thanks,
Rich

 

Hey, guy it was very interesting story about Alpine SPS and SPR speakers, I am considering to buy one for my Tsx someday. You know what, I am deaf guy and can hear the music pretty good and feel bass. I am thinking about buying SPS170A for front and rear door, SPS690A for rear deck or new 2006 Alpine SPS 17C2 and 69C3. What about the tweeter at front? Some component speakers a like SPR176A, I wonder if it is worth to purchase SPR at front door and SPS at rear door or not? Or buying all SPS in front and rear door? Any suggestion, thanks George.

 

Is there a reason people are so partial to Alpine speakers? I was reading over all of the speaker upgrade threads and am surprised to see so many people use Alpines. Normally I would have expected to see a larger variety in manufacturers. I can maybe see this for the doors, when the sizes are tighter such that Alpine may have a very good speaker that exactly fits the space. I would think for the rears though, where there should be more space, other brands would have shown up.

I'm a bit partial to Infinity's, and most of their Kappa speakers have low impedance (2 ohms) and high sensitivity (2way 6x9 are 95db). One of the common comments has been that Alpines aren't as sensitive (around 88-89db), I'm wondering if something like the Infinity's might overcome one of the major complaints.

Jeff

 

Anyone used the 2006 version of these speakers? (SPS-69C3 and SPS-17C2 )? If so, how do they fit? Do they fit as well as the SPS-170A and SPS-690A? I figure that's the only advantage of using the Alpines vs anything else.

Also, did you use the Metra speaker harness for all doors and rear deck speakers? (the Metra DW-7800SH) Just wondering how many I would need to get for an install. Since I'd be trekking it all the way down to the US from Canada, I want to make sure I get enough the first time. The other option would be just to cut the wires and solder, but if it's anything like my 2000 Civic, the wires would be VERY short and barely make it to the speakers.

 

I have the alpine type s in the rear deck and it is a great improvement over stock.

 

I assume just plug n play, not cutting/rewiring involved?

Jeff

 

Can someone shed some light on this? Is the fit as good as the 2004 alpine type s speakers?

Thanks

 

I just finished doing my own speaker install based on the info found in this thread. There were a couple things I learned the hard way, mostly becaues this was by far the most aggressive thing I've ever done to my car (by myself), so for those of you who have never taken a wrench to your own car, here's a supplement to this based on my experience. My goal was just to swap out the 4 door speakers - I left the tweeters and 6x9's. I may do the 6x9's later. So this is just for the door speakers. I have an 06 AT non-Navi.

Parts:
Deciding on a speaker is your call based on your taste. I listened to these Alpines (SPS-170A) and I did not like them at all. Cup your hands around your mouth and talk - that's how they sounded to me. I opted for the Infinity 6012i's. I have Infinity in my home and have been a life long fan. They had nice, rich sound.

OK, here were the four "gotchas".

1) You need wire adapters to get from the Acura wire harness to your new speakers. These are the ones, however I also found them at Circuit City for a LOT cheaper (but, I had already ordered from here).

http://www.crutchfield.com/S-4FhYgtU...ter&i=12071012

2) You'll need a spacer. I made the mistake of assuming the speakers came with adequate spacers, and they do NOT. These did the trick nicely.

http://www.millionbuy.com/aihsb518.html

3) Get 1/4" foam adhesive weather stripping.

4) The screws that came with the speaker were actually too long. When mounting the speaker to the spacer, the screws were longer than the spacer and will prevent you from mounting. I had some #8 x 1/2" metal screws that did the trick nicely.

Mounting the Speakers:
The spacers and speakers were not an exact fit. The speakers were just a hair larger than the spacers, so the holes did not line up. I wound up drilling extra holes in the spacers as close to the outer edge as I could without cracking the side. Some of the screws I had to angle in, but in the end I got a tight fit. Also, run a strip of the foam adhesive between the speaker and spacer. I assembled all four before starting on the car. Here's how they looked:



Getting the Door Panels Off:
These instructions are very good.

http://www.chrishorne.com/gallery/TSXspeakers

I would add a few suggestions.

- I did not use a door panel remover - my hands did just fine. Just start pulling out from where the corner where the speaker is.
- GO SLOW removing everyting. The faster you go or the more agressive you are with tools, the more likely you'll damage something.
- Start with the rear doors. They are easier, and you'll get a feel for the process before working the fronts.
- I left the windows up without incident.
- OK, write yourself a note in big red letters and tape it to the window to remind you to retrieve all the white clips from the door and attach them to the panel after you remove it. If you don't, the panel will not go back on flush. I had two doors where I forgot that step and had to pull the panel back off. It's a pain worth avoiding.
- Front Doors: there are many more wire harnesses to worry about, so beware. The black triangle piece at the top of the door needs to come off too. I never detached the wires to the door lights, but the panel can be set far enough out of the way to install just fine.

Getting the spakers on the door:
Put more weatherstrip on the spacer to go between it and the door.



I also put as much Dynamat inside the door as I could reach. Last thing I did was to pry the top notch out a bit with a screwdriver (the top edge of the top notch). This seemed to help the spacer to snap in better.



After all was said and done, it was about a 3 hour job (assembly and insllation). I managed to not break anything, and most of all, it sounds fantastic! The OEM speakers are such junk - when you remove them, you'll see. I was stunned that Acrua would use something so cheap. But, it was all 100% worth it.

Hope this helps!

 

I happened to see a pair of SPS-690A in a shop the other day. Remembering this thread, I bought and mounted them without further hesitation. Truly accurate "mod" IMO, there is a vast improvement in precision and frequency response. Exactly what is needed to exploit the possibilities of the factory HU and Amp. So, thanks a lot for this thread :-)

BTW, in case somebody needs it: a guy at our Spanish website posted a description of how to remove the connectors and expose the standard terminals: http://clubhondaspirit.com/foro/inde...dpost&p=954266 (clic on thumbnails to enlarge pics)

Cheers
AL

 

I just put SPS-69C3's and SPS-17C2's in my 2007 CGP TSX...the speakers fit without problems as described in previous posts.

The sound quality improvement is dramatic, and I didn't believe how cheap the factory door speakers were until I took them out..all four combined I think weigh less than one Alpine! Cheap plastic chassis is the worst part.

Next upgrade is sub/encl and amp in the trunk.

Anyone try an Alpine SWR-1242 sub/MRP-650 (or perhaps PDX 1.600) amp combination? Any opinions?

 

I'm thinking about upgrading all my speakers to the new Alpine S. However I'm concern about the speakers wattage since they're all so high. Does our stock head unit have enough power to drive six 50 watts speakers (4) Alpine SPS-17Cs and (2)SPS-69C3s? Or I'll need an Amp?
I know the older model Alpine SPS-170A speakers are only 35 watts. The stock one are probably even less. Anyone know?

 

^^ They're rated 2-50W and relatively high efficiency (92db) so I don't think it would be a problem.

 

I have 2007 TSX Navi by the way

 

anyone tried dropping in alpine tweeters w/out changing the crossover or amp?