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This was done on my 2007 Enthusiast (non Bose) model.
With that said being I'm somewhat of a newbie so I did months of research on this forum before I started my project to get & gather the most info I could to make informed decisions on which route I wanted to take as well as how to remove panels, etc. & I must say doing my homework has paid off in spades.
I wanted to do this write up for other guys who want to swap out their stock system but may feel intimidated or feel overwhelmed by the scope of the project. Fear not, it's easier than it appears & if you take a systematic approach you'll knock it out in no time at all.
Also just wanted to share things I've learned, & things to avoid to make your build even smoother & as pain free as possible.
Ok so first things first. Do change all four speakers. The difference is so stark I cannot even begin to describe it in words. Even if your not an audiophile removing those stock speakers is an absolute must. You'll be amazed at the transformation.
After hours of research I chose Infinity 6022SI shallow mount speakers for the front & back for a number of reasons. 1. Frugality. $57.00 a pair. Bought at Pro Audio Electronic which is an Ebay store. Price included shipping. Their $99 at Best Buy. 2. Sound quality. They sound awesome. 3. Fit the "Z" like they were made just for her. Are there better sounding speakers besides these? I'm sure there are but bang for the buck these will not disappoint you.
So far I've only spent $114.00 for the four speakers & $20 for Dynamat sound deadening material which you can buy at any Circuit city, Best Buy, etc. (used for the rear speakers)
There are a number of great write ups for the front door panel removal for the driver & Passenger side but the ones for the rear speakers are somewhat vague so here are some tips. You have to be real careful while removing those back corner panels. You can crack them quite easily as that piece is pretty thin & you have to use some force so just take your time. Another fragile piece is the door sills. The integrated fasteners break real easy so be very ginger when you pry it up & off.
Also when replacing the front speakers use the existing speaker as your spacer. Works perfectly with the Infinities. Just cut out the stock speaker & mount your new speaker inside the shell.
Also here is the wiring color codes which you need to know. The two front speakers are the same. Red wire= Negative. Blue wire= Positive. For the right rear Gray wire=Positive. Gray/Red stripe is Negative. For the Left rear Orange/Black stripe= Positive. White/Red stripe= Negative.
Next I'll be replacing the head unit with a Kenwood DPX503 for $234.50 on Ebay. I'll also need a PAC SWI-Jack (steering wheel control) $49 also on Ebay. A Metra dash kit $29.99 at Car Toys. You can get these at any Audio place. A Wiring Harness. Schoshe at Walmart for $7.49. I may also need an antenna adapter. If I do add $10.
Total cost of build not including incidentals is $464.98. Not too shabby for a nice system that allows you to use your steering wheel controls & eliminates the need to carry around a bunch of CD's. This H/U has a USB jack allowing you to just load up a thumb wheel or connect an mp3 player.
So if any of you guys are still on the fence I think it's time to finally pull the trigger. This should be the first mod that you do & as you can see you can do it with out breaking the bank & you get the satisfaction of doing the job yourself & becoming more intimate with how your "Z" is put together.
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2007 Solar Orange Enthusiast Infinity Reference Speakers, Kenwood H/U, K&N drop In's, Acura RDX Antenna, Front LED Reflectors, Nismo Rear Spoiler "better Zed than dead"
Also a thing to think about is this: A lot of guys like to paint those rear panels. While you have those panels off now would be a good time to send them off to the paint shop. You really don't want to be removing & installing those panels multiple times if you can avoid it.
Also regarding those panels to get to the rear speakers. All you need is a screwdriver to remove the door sills & after that it's all done by hand. No tools required to remove all those panels. Just wear a pair of gloves while removing the panels.
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2007 Solar Orange Enthusiast Infinity Reference Speakers, Kenwood H/U, K&N drop In's, Acura RDX Antenna, Front LED Reflectors, Nismo Rear Spoiler "better Zed than dead"
So just to clairify your saying tock tweeters still work with the installed door speakers?... I am thinking about getting these infinities. Just got a alpine x300 baseline ipod mechless player. There releasing a power pack which boost's the RMS up to 45x4 and it plugs into the back of alpine head units thus the reason i bought this ($100 new).
Hey i just looked at these and have seen some mixed reviews of using a 2ohm speaker with a 4ohm head units internal amp. Apparently it can cause heat issues with your amp by using a different impedance. Any thoughts?
The speakers are designed to be driven with a 2 ohm amplifier or head unit; this will give you improved bass response than a conventional 4 ohm speaker system ; the speakers can also operate at 4 ohms -via infinity specs
Yea i saw the infinity specs and there more like 3ohms from what i have read.. seems to be a huge controversy over running 2ohm speakers on 4ohm head units. I have burned 4ohm amps running 2ohm subs in the past.. from heat issues.
They also state this "True Four Ohms— All Reference speakers feature two ohm voice coils. Original factory-installed speaker wiring in many cars is 18-22 gauge. This wire, and heating in the voice coil when power is applied, increase the impedance “seen” by the amplifier or head unit. The impedance of Reference Speakers has been adjusted to compensate for this increase and can be safely driven by any head unit. "
So if you keep the stock speaker wire it will protect your head unit... wierd they state them as 2ohm then say there a true 4ohm... i dunno sounds like a wierd sales gimmick I learned about impedence matching along time ago when i blew up some amps and subs... But given the cost its a worth trying i suppose.
very very helpful!!is your 07enthusiast stick or AT?ive been looking for an automatic dash panel removal instruction for quite a while, but nth was found..mine's the 08enthusiastAT..
My Audio build. Tips, Tricks & info.
