Bare with me here for i know jack squat about car audio. I've read through a bunch of threads but still have a few questions.
I'm looking to spend less than 70 on door speakers for a 2007 convertible enthusiast. The system is a completely stock non bose system. Will i even notice a difference between the stock speakers and newer ones costing about 70 dollars?
And considering that it is worth it for new speakers, can i simply replace the existing speakers, splice hte wires and just connect it or will i haev to run new wiring to the HU?
Also, is it possible to connect an amp to the oem HU? I was thinking about eventually fabricating a box for empty space behind the driver seat for a sub. Apparently my friend has an 1200watt Rockford fosgate two channel amp and a 10 inch 1100 watt sony xplod woofer i can use. What would i need to hook up these things to my z?

 

$70 isn't much of a budget for speakers.

I'll assume that you don't really listen to music and are looking for something to make the AM radio better. $70 barely fills the gas tank and you'll likely spend two or three hours or labor to toss those speakers in so you better do it right, the market for old $70 speakers is near nil. What I'm trying to say is that I'd recommend throwing a bit more scratch at the speakers than $70 and that you only buy quality once.

If you double your budget you'll find that the quality has doubled. If you quadruple your budget to $240 you'll note another improvement but less so - there is a point of diminishing returns and it's not at the $70 or $100 level.

You can splice the connectors for the new speakers into the old wiring. Use quality 3M slicers or break out a soldering pencil and heat shrink to do it right. Shorting out a speaker wire is a bad thing for the head end. The Bose speakers are very low impedance (ohms) and don't match any industry standard. Oddly enough the front Bose speakers are pretty much garbage. The rears are a bit better ... odd that they got them in the wrong positions.



To connect speaker level outputs from a head end into the line level inputs of your friend's amplifier you'll need a converter. The bigger problem is that if your head end is the Bose one they tweak the response to correct for their cheap speaker drivers and the cabin geometry (supposedly).

Better to just blow out the stock system stem to stern - save the radio antenna and be done with it.

The Zenclosures on ebay are really nice - likely better and cheaper than anything you could cobble together yourself.



The area behind the driver's seat makes a nice place to stash the amplifiers.

 

Thanks for the great reply.

I looked into getting a new HU and found one that i kind of like without breaking the bank.
http://www.crutchfield.com/App/Produ...8000BT&tp=5684

At first i was planning on saving up for a pretty LCD screen one but realized that i'd be paying for a lot of junk that i wouldn't be using and i didn't want to go with anything but a double. Of course thats just an idea for a HU at the moment.

As for the speakers, i should look to spend 150-200 for a pair? they sell them as pairs right? As for replacing the HU and front speakers, useage of exisiting wire is okay? I"m trying to figure out if the OEM wiring in the car is decent and will sustain a few aftermarket parts or if it'd be best to run new wiring.

My main concern is dropping money into a sound system where i dont notice any returns. I will be listening to music a lot which is a reason that i even contemplated replacing the system in the car. I just want ot make sure the money i put into it wouldnt' be better spent elsewhere. (That is if putting a $350 HU and $150 front speakers into the car wont provide a noticable difference in sound quality, then i rather not bother putting in the money or labor)

Also, its a roadster so putting a sub in the trunk is not an option. I need to retain some storage. I rather not drop 300-400 on a wickedcas for behind the seat. I've seen the diagram floating aroudn this site for a box, is there any more information on the contruction of a box itself?

Also, with teh fatmat/dynamat stuff, how does it work exactly? I apply it to pieces i think will rattle and it absorbs the energy from the soundwave and keep it from rattling the part? So that would mean i'd stick it to the inside plastic of the door as well as the metal on the door?

Thanks againf or the great response.