Hi Everyone!

Well, here's my stereo system story. I have been dissapointed with the sound quality since day one (dont get me wrong, I LOVE my TSX more than any other car that I've ever had!)... but I think we can all agree that the sound system is less than perfect. My problem with it was/is the muddy sound and poor bass, so I ventured to replace the speakers and see what kind of difference it would make.

So far, I have replaced the stock 6x9's with a pair of JBL 6x9's which have an amazing sound! They have a low frequency range down to 25Hz which is quite good for a 6x9 and a sensitivity rating of 92dB which is also quite good. So now, the bass is awesome, and unless you are wanting to wake up the neighbourhood, there is no need for a subwoofer with this type of upgrade. The bass is tight and clean, and thankfully it reaches the lower frequencies that the stock speakers could not.

The next thing I wanted to try was getting rid of the muddy sound from the rest of the stock speakers (namely the door speakers). I installed a pair of JBL GTO635's (6.5 in 3-ways) and they are IMPRESSIVE! Very clear and clean sound. I have done the back two doors so far, and the front two I hope to finish this weekend.

So.... If anyone is interested in knowing the results, please let me know and I will be happy to post my results. So far there is a 1000% difference and I am very happy with the clarity of the speaker upgrade. I would recommend it to anyone with a TSX who is thinking about doing it!

dave2music

 

I'd be interested in seeing some pictures too, how did you get the door panels off to put in new speakers?
Honestly though I have to say that while the TSX's sound isn't perfect I can't say that I am dissapointed, my PC system is 575RMS (the Megaworks 650s) and aside from hard hitting bass the TSX measures up quite nicely. I think it'd be easier just to get a nice woofer and amp to fix the bass "problem" though.
I do have two JBLs for my DJ setup and those babies (1000Watts combined) are rediculously nice.

 

I didn't take any pics so far, although I should... so what I'll do is take pics of the front door speaker installs, and I'll pop off the covers on the 6x9's and get a couple of good shots there too.

As far as how did I get the door pannels off the door? With a heck of a lot of grief and swearing! Until I found this amazing tool which I SHOULD have known about... if you go to canadian tire you can get a "Door Pannel Removal tool" which EASILY pops off the snap connectors which hold the door in place... there are also 4 screws which are easy to get at, and you need to just pop out and unplug the window switch control which was not difficult. Honestly, I am not a "handyman" when it comes to fixing or modifying things, and I just followed one of the threads here in this forum on how to pop the door pannels off...it was not difficult at all, and if you do decide to go for it, it is REALLY worth the upgrade...the sound is less "cloudy" and more "live" sounding... it only takes about 30 min per door to do, and I would recommend anyone to do it, even if you are not an expert at installing stuff.

Hope that helps, I'll do the front door speakers with pics and post them after the weekend! Let me know if you had any other questions!

dave2music

 

JBL = "J"unk "B"ut "L"oud!


Just teasing

 

The stock system is great indeed, but nothing can beat the application of high end after market system.

As for the bass, why not add a subwoofer? It is definitely better than 6x9.

I got a Rockford HE2 12" Sub installed, changed the front speakers with Focal 165 K2P and it sounds sweet, stock system can't compare. I leave the 6x9 stock since I fade it anyway.

Not to mention that you need to add an amplifier (or 2) if you really want some sound quality. Don't forget some sound deadening for the doors. It makes a lot of difference!

Some piccies of my install can be found here:

 

Nice clean install!

How many sq-ft is that box?

 

Thanks man!
the box volume is approx. 1.2 cubic feet.

 

do you have a better shot of the trunk? i just want to see about how much trunk space you have left. Thanks

 

Is it a sealed box? I'm thinking of doing something similar but perhaps a free-air application instead.

 

Very clean install... How much did the whole thing run you? Do you use the stock HU?

Best regards

 

Yes, it is a sealed box. Personally, I think free air sub cannot sound as good as sub in sealed box (or in ported box for SPL). Unless you are really worried about your boot space, get a sealed enclosure. Other option is to have a removable box so you can have your boot space back when you need it.

Yeah, I used the stock HU. The installation alone costs me AU$650 including cables, custom box & labour.

The box took as much as from the back of the rear seat to where you see the line on the boot floor which is the joint (or hinge) of the spare wheel cover (I hope you understand what I meant, can't put it in a better word)

 

So were you able to add the amp to drive the interior speaker without changing the stock headunit? see I really want to add some speakers; i dont need anything spectacular; but just better than stock... but i didn't think it was possible to add an amp and still keep the stock head unit; I just dont want to add another head unit cuz i'm installing a screen where the other headunit would have to be....

anyone have any suggestions?

edit: after reading one of the posts i see that u still used the stock head unit... anyway you could give us a breif idea of how you did this?

see with the sub i know u can use some kinda line converter or osmething to power that off the lines going to the 6x9s; (they did that with my CL and i'm about to get that done to the TSX for the sub i'm gonna install) but can they do that for interior speakers too? how did u do it?

 

i plan on just using the stock amp with new speakers to see what improvement that gives. i am sure it is possible to add a different amp to power the 4 door speakers...but i dont know how.

 

Yes, it is possible to add an amp using the stock system.
I believe the stock system doesn't have any RCA out, so your best bet is to buy an amp with speaker line in (not just RCA input) such as the Audison amp I used. Or if your amp doesn't have any speaker line in, you have to use a converter to convert your speaker line into RCA. It costs a few bucks up to a 10 or 20 bucks for the best one.