Guest

Hi, I will be a future owner of Type-S. I have tested drive the car lately and I love it. Except one minor problem...the stereo system absolutely sucks. It was just plain awful. However, that won't be the reason to give up this great car!

Any suggestion to make the stereo system sound "good"? I'm not a "boom boom" type of person so I don't need big subs. I just want the sounds produced to be "clean" and "precise". Similar to those in IS300 systems. I don't want to change the deck because it is already good enough (6 disk in-dash...) So I'm hoping to change just the speaker or (any others?)...

Any suggestion to upgrade the audio system will be greatly appreciated

Thanks

merlyn

Put in at least 1 amp to drive new speakers all around. I'd suggest diamond audio s600s for fronts, and some m35i diamonds in the rear. Then, in the trunk you could put a single 10" sub...bandpass...and it would sound PERFECT.

Guest

Thx merlyn

I've looked through this forum and seems like the best ways to keep the car its "stock" look is to change 2 front & 2 rear w/ 5.25 speakers. + Amps to power up those speakers.

I'm also thinking about changing the stock subwoofer. Which one should I get to get the "stock" look. Meaning no boxes in the trunk.

Sorry, I'm a big newbie in car audio. If you guys can give me an exact plan, it will be very helpful. I want my car to have the "stock" look (deck, speakers placement, good place to hide amps, etc).

Thanks a lot

NSXNEXT

iTrader: (2)

You won't be able to replace the stock sub. It's a 9" sub and there is no room for a normal sized sub. If you look underneath at it you'll see that it's only a few inches high, and below it are the trunk torsion bars. Best bet is a small box, Alumapro makes a good one. They can come in 8, 10, and 12 inch sub deoending on how much boom you want.

There are great door speakers out there, you really need to come up with a budget first. If money is no object, Focal Utopias, ADS' high-end line, Diamond Audio Hex, Dynaudio.....

Get a price range first.

Guest

Thx NSXNEXT

I'm pretty flexible with the budget. My thoughts are...if I'm modifying the system, why not go for the top? Obviously, in a cost-efficient way.

Been looking through Cruthfield catalogue. Infinity Kappa 52.1i and Kenwood eXcelon KFC-Xr500 looks good to me (most $$$ too)

I have some questions

1) Should I get 4 "same" speakers for 2 fronts and 2 rears? Or 2 pairs of speakers? What will yeild the best sound quality?

2) Suggestions for 5.25 speakers for front and rear (if different). Budget is not really an issue. However, cheaper the better

3) Amps. All I know about these things is it gives more powers to speakers. I have totally no idea on this. Suggestions for an Amp?

4) Subs. Reading Crutchfield catalogue I have fond out some Subs have "Free-air use OK" They explained these kind of Sub can be used with no box and can be mounted to a rear deck (which means to me replacing the factory SUB to get factory look) Any ideas on this?

I apologize for the newbish questions again. I'm a really big newbie on car audio.

Thanks

NSXNEXT

iTrader: (2)

1) As most people will tell you, the rears are mainly for fil. Replace the fronts first and see how they sound.

2) Gotta go and listen to them. I like the sound of ADS, Diamond Audio, and Focal but they can be pricey. Focal Utopias in 6.5 components will run around $650 a pair

3) Depends on what your adding. If you get a 4 channel amp with some balls you'll be ok. JL Audio Phoenix Gold are very good.

4) Trust me, you won't be able to get a sub up in where the factory one is. Nothing will fit up there. Alumapro makes a really nice ported box. You can get a 10" sub and get some nice bass.

Ask away, that's what the board is for.

Neil

Inf4life

i think that MB Quart makes some great sounding speakers. i got my 6 1/2" components for $400. my 6x9's cost me $230. i have them just running off of my deck. they sound great though. but if money is no object then i would go with the top of the line MB Quarts which can run into the upwards of $1300! it's all personal choice though. what sounds good to you. its your ears that are going to be listening.

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96 2.5 TL
Piaa Super Plasma Headlights, Piaa 1700X Fog's, Eibach Prokit's , Momo Woodgrain Shift Knob, Clear Bumper Lenses, Kenwood XC-917, MB Quart 6 1/2" Components, MB Quart 6x9's,2 12" Infinity Kappa Perfect's, Rockford Fosgate 600.a4, Lightning Audio .5 Farad Capacitor,Mobile Video Coming Soon!!!!

Guest

Thanks for all the response

Anybody know the power output of stock 02 TLS decks?

Thanks

SimTypeS

Hey, we all like to give advice, and ask questions about our cars, including audio. So don't worry about the questions.

Crutchfield is good. Feel free to call them and talk to someone, too. You can also try: www.onlinecarstereo.com/caraudio/ or surf for more. You can find great info and suggestions, and wonderful prices.

NSXNEXT gave great advice. I am a little partial to Polk Audio, though. Better than most without getting into too much money. I would also suggest replacing the fronts, first (I still need to upgrade my TLS. It still has under 600 miles). Add components. That is when you get a 5.25 (will a 6.5 fit in the front?) and a tweeter. Hopefully we can fit them in the door. If not, you can have someone put the tweeters in the dash vents close to the door. Tweeters come in many forms. Myself, I don't like silk tweeters. But, if you listen to R&B, you might. A 6.5 will give a little more mid-bass than a 5.25, but depends on the speakers. When you buy components, they come with a crossover, too, which is nice.

Keeps the rear speakers unless you really feel a need for them. Honestly, they do just 'fill' in to make the sound more complete. No need to go crazy here, but if you do, see if some 6X9s would fit. The deck may be enough to power the fronts and rears (I am not sure of the specs for it), or some name brand amp rated at 50X4 (50 watts going to 4 different channels, or speakers) should be fine.

As for a sub, like NSXNEXT said, I doubt you can replace the factory sub. For one, it's hard to find 9" subs, and for another, it isn't very deep. Even if you went to an 8", the speaker wouldn't fit because of the torsion bars under it. Either keep the factory sub, and get another. Or, get another sub and disable the factory. Once again, your taste in music will dictate the sub you need. A sealed box reproduces more accurately, but a ported box can boom more. I would suggest a single 10" or 12". Either one will take up less than a cubic foot of space. You could mount the amp on the box, and even a crossover (I recommend Audio Control) to really give you control of your system.

Go to an Audio Store, and check out everything. Listen to different brands and size. Then, compare the prices on here. You could probably do all the work yourself, and have more pride in it. Whatever you do, tell us about it and show us pictures of the install. Have fun...

Guest

Thx SimTypeS

My current plan.

Stock deck + 6 1/2 component speakers @ front + 6 1/2 2 way (or 3 way) speakers at rear + stock subwoofer. Maybe add an amp if the system need more power.

How does this plan sound?

Thanks

TL Daddy

CK - I installed Infinity Kappa 63.1i in the front doors and Kappa 52.1i in the rears - pushed by a PG ZX475 amp - kicks.

One more thing - Don't buy from Crutchfield!!! They are way over-priced. I found my Infinity spkrs much cheaper at Online Car Stereo and bought my amps and sub from StreetEffectz at a significant discount from retail.

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<A HREF="http://www.acura-tl.com/_borders/TL_in_Pacific_Grove.jpg" TARGET=_blank>1999 ACURA 3.2TL
</A>
Creating a true
Touring Legend...

Mods & stuff....

Guest

Thx meryln, NSXNEXT etc. Really been great help to me these days. I really learned a lot. Thx.

I found out stock system is 180W. 100W for Sub and 80W for speakers. My plans is to keep the Sub the way it is. And add speakers + amp.

My plan for now is basically the same.

6 1/2 component @ front + 6 1/2 2-way or 3-way @ rear + amp.

I've read around and I know Diamond really makes great speakers. However I find them to be pretty pricy.

My amp I will probably go with Phoenix Gold XS4300 (35W x 4 4ohms) because I'm not going for high powered audio system.

Any brand of speakers to recommend? I'm looking at Infinity, Kenwood, and Pioneer. My friends have great sucess with those.

Thanks for any suggestions

Guest

Thx

Do you have chance to listen to your speakers + amp + stock sub without installing your aftermarket sub? I'm just wondering how it sounds like because I'm not going for aftermarket sub.

About Crutchfield, I never thought of buying there. Just their website give pretty good infos about car audio for newbies like me.

I like Infinity speakers too, I do hope they sound good. BTW 63.1i is a 3 way speaker right? Which means they just go right into the factory speakers up front. No need to cut holes for tweeters?

Thanks



<FONT COLOR="#800080" SIZE="1" FACE="Verdana, Arial">[This message has been edited by CK on June 08, 2001 @ ]</font>

merlyn

only keep your acura HU...strip everything else out. (That is if you want to keep that HU) Second...put in 6 1/2" speakers fronts...like the focal, A/D/S, diamond Hex s600s's as sugested above. You'll be needing to run about a 100X amp for each side...so that in itself is 2X100 amp at 4ohms. Next come your rears. If you just want acoustic rear fill, you can get any coaxial speaker...cheap or expensive. I would suggest diamond audio because on their Xovers they have a "rear fill" mode...meaning that they are crossed specificly to be rear fill speakers. Now w/ the rears, you could either run a 4X100 amp at 4 ohms, and run both front and rears off the same amp, OR, run the 2X100 amp on the front speakers and a 2X50 or 2X75 Watt amp at 4ohms for the rears. PLUS the amp for the sub. Depending on your hearing, and what music you listen to...choose your speakers. Personally, I stay away from MBquart, they bug the hell out of me. They have titanium dome tweeters, and the highs are way too high for me. They just annoy me. When it comes to subs...i think "silver sled" (from this board) has a 8" or 10" bandpass sub in his trunk being run by a pheonix gold amp...and it sounds INCREDIBLE. You won't be able to put a sub into the factory location w/o some major moding. I'd use it like a port if you have any subs in the rear.
anymore questions, feel free to ask. that's what we're here for.

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Naples gold 00' TL

• Mugen exhaust
• comptech drop-in

99' TEG GSR

• AEM CAI
• Painted Electron blue

<FONT COLOR="#800080" SIZE="1" FACE="Verdana, Arial">[This message has been edited by merlyn on June 08, 2001 @ ]</font>

TL Daddy

Originally posted by CK:

Do you have chance to listen to your speakers + amp + stock sub without installing your aftermarket sub?

No I didn't - removing the sub & Bose amp is the fist thing I did.

About Crutchfield, I never thought of buying there. Just their website give pretty good infos about car audio for newbies like me.

I hear ya - I learned a few things there myself.

I like Infinity speakers too, I do hope they sound good. BTW 63.1i is a 3 way speaker right? Which means they just go right into the factory speakers up front. No need to cut holes for tweeters?

I've always had good experiences with Infinity. Yep, 6.5" 3-way. (The stock Bose spkrs are 6" dia.) Well they won't fit in the plastic baskets where the stock Bose spkrs sit. I made 1" thick rings from MDF to mount the Infinitys. But they do fit perfectly behind the door panel spkr grill.

kman156

CK, read my sig , check audio. that's what i did, and it kicks ass! like you i like crisp and clean, less bass! kman156

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1999, 3.2 TL, Taffeta White,Parch int, black front lower grill and black fog light spaces painted white,(auto all whited out!, 25% tint, Gold kit, 4 piece Wings West Body Kit, OEM Spoiler, Mugen Grill,Moonroof Wind Visor,Comptech Springs & Sways, Comptech Air Filter, Burlwood trim w/ Momo Cobra Briarwood shifter knob (looks just like the burlwood), Pilot PL-940 remote series fogs w/ remote wireless transmitter and 15 second delay/auto shut off (no wires)or firewall breakthrough. Valentine 1, hardwired w/ concealed display. Sprint PCS 8500 hands free kit, AUDIO: upgraded existing bose head unit with MB Quart sd216 in front, MB kd116 in rear, J&L 12 " sub in box, Alpine MRVF357 5 channel 300w amp , OEM 6 cd changer already installed. New High performance rubber soon(don't know what to get? any ideas for stock wheels?, as well as comptech header and exhaust. only 5,000 miles on her! OOOOFAA! I'll post some pics soon! kman156

merlyn

CK ValueTL (member on board) can get the diamond speakers for $350...that is an incredible deal...just letting you know. By getting new speakers front and rear, w/ and amp, your system will sound 200times better...you will notice a huge improvment in clarity, strength, and punch. BEST OF LUCK!

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Naples gold 00' TL

• Mugen exhaust
• comptech drop-in

99' TEG GSR

• AEM CAI
• Painted Electron blue