blackludebosh

Hello,

I have a 2003 base 350z and recently the speakers have been sounding like ****.

I already have an Avic D3 installed, rest is stock.

I don't really listen to my music too loud, moderate level and just want a crisp clean sound.

How much should I be looking to spend and what would be needed to achieve this?

I plan on going to a local car stereo shop but would like some advice beforehand so I know what I need and don't want.

Change just the front speakers, or tweeters or both?

Thanks!

MicVelo

That's a pretty open ended question but yes, speakers will make a big difference. All four - at least (see below re: sub). But key for any car and especially for our windows down Zs, a good source of clean power. Never mind all of the claims of 5,000w and all that. A simple 4 channel amp to drive the new mains will improve your sound by 100x.

There will be others that recommend only the fronts - and I respect that but - the imaging isn't right, IMO and the front doors do not reproduce bass very well.

Neither do the rears but if you do it right and insulate the rear speaker cavities, you'll pick up a bit of much needed bass.

But.... a sub - even a small one placed strategically will make even more dramatic difference in bass response. Not talking about a super hard hitting pair of footers.... just a simple one to fill in the low freqs where the 6 inchers cannot possibly move enough air. That of course will require more power - either a separate or opt for a 5-channel (4+sub out).

This all depends on budget of course. First step, speakers to go with your existing deck. You can get a "decent" set of 6.5/6.75s to fit factory locations from as little as a couple hundred bucks and more quality for, well, get what you pay for prices under a grand.

I have Focals in all four locations driven by an Alpine 5-ch (in my '03) and it also drives a 10" sub in the Bose box. Not a high end system by any stretch but more than adequate for a leisurely roll down the coast.

Have fun!

Mic

JMII

Good advice. Since budgets vary widely you should figure out how much your willing to spend and work from there.

I run Infinity Reference 6030CS components up front (no rears). The tweeter fits the factory location so the install is straight forward. I've got a 4 channel amp and a sub (plus a DSP unit) but the standard deck + 4 is fine for most people. If more volume is need later you can always add an amp.

Spike100

Your budget is everything. It determines what you install in your car.

You definitely want to replace your speakers. Even the cheapest speaker provides a huge gain over the cheap stock speakers (Clarion or Bose). You don’t need a SubW unless it’s important for you to “feel” bass.

If you go with better speakers, get an external amplifier. And, you don’t need an external amp if you go with lower cost and more efficient speakers, but the sound is compromised with cheaper speakers and no external amplifier.

I like Focal speakers, and have Focal components up front. I kept the rears because I didn’t add a SubW. My rears are Infinity coaxials (internal two-ways). I have an external amplifier, mainly to drive the Focals (which deliver very good bass).

blackludebosh

I'm trying to determine what my overall build should be.

Seems like I should definitely change out the speakers, add an amp to properly power them and a small sub. Tweeters as well.

My plan is to buy front speakers first, then add on additional components every few weeks or so when my budge allows it.

I figured if I had a small budget and bought cheap speakers, amp and sub then I'll probably want to upgrade them again in the near future.

Instead I'd like to figure out what is the best bang for the buck first, seems likely front speakers, get good quality ones and go from there.

Front Speakers -> Rear Speakers -> Amp -> Sub -> Tweeters -> ???

Does that plan sound okay or am I missing something?

Thanks!

MicVelo

Plan makes sense. I think that was the essence of what most have been saying.

The only thing I'd add is "save up for all four speakers and do them all at the same time." While they're physically two different jobs, the resulting sound change is dramatic. But if all you can do first go'round is fronts, definitely do that and put as much speaker as you can into it.

JMII

Good plan. I'm a card carrying member of the "no back speakers" camp so I only run fronts along with a sub. The nice thing about the Z being a small vehicle is you don't a ton of speakers all over the place to get good sound. The bad thing about the Z is its interior isn't very quiet so you have to overcome that with either sound proofing or a big amp (or both!). This is why going with decent speakers powered off the radio is a good first step. If you happy at that volume level you can stay there, but if your not satisfied you can add an amp to get the volume up. The stock system is such junk that pretty much any upgrade you do will be an improvement.

blackludebosh

Yea I've been seeing quite a few posts about only getting the fronts.

Have you ever sat in a car that had the rears done as well to compare?

I've been watching a few videos on youtube for the install and it seems pretty straightforward.

Are there any things I should keep in mind before buying things and during install?

Few concerns:

1. Depth of front speakers (I'm assuming so that the door panel can be closed?) What should be the maximum mounting depth.
2. Tweeters (What size would be ideal to use stock mount)
3. Crossover? (The youtube install video I watched used one. Is it necessary? I plan on getting an amp so are both needed?)
4. Brands. Same brand = better?? Such as pioneer speakers, pioneer tweeters & pioneer amp.
5. Sub. 8 or 10''? How many watts?

So far my estimate complete build:

Speakers:
Tweeters:
Amp:
Subs: ???

Thanks.

dlkaye04Z

remove

crskillz

I have an Avic D3 as well. I went with Alpine components up front, 10" type R subwoofer in custom enclosure box (in stock location behind driver's seat) and a 4 channel amp. Deleted the rear speakers. Sounds great! did the install myself (except for the fabrication of the sub-box). Bought the amp and speakers off of crunchfield, they even included vehicle specific directions on the install!
Good luck.

JMII

Q: Have you ever sat in a car that had the rears done as well to compare?
A: Not in a Z, but my Dodge truck and the wife's Volvo have rear speakers and the fader (volume) on them is turned down so low they might as well not be there.

In the ideal system you should not be able to tell where the speakers are at all. The sound should seem like its coming from instruments sitting on the hood of the car playing thru the windshield. Thus the sound stage should be front, high and center. However almost all car speakers sit down low and off to the sides, which ain't great. And putting speakers in the back is not going to improve that for sure. However some people like rear fill or that surround effect... I don't.

Q: Depth of front speakers (I'm assuming so that the door panel can be closed?) What should be the maximum mounting depth.
A: I'm pretty sure the specs are floating around here somewhere, if not hit up Crutchfield. If you go too deep the windows will not close. If you need more room spacers as well as door pods can be added. I'm running spacers but can't remember if they were actually required (for purely depth), they just made the install easier because the stock speakers use a built-in bracket for alignment and you kind of need that.

Q: Tweeters (What size would be ideal to use stock mount)
A: I forget the exact size but the Infinity Reference 6030CS I have fit perfectly behind the stock grills. If you surface mount you'll have more room but then your tweeters are exposed and not hidden.

Q: Crossover? (The youtube install video I watched used one. Is it necessary? I plan on getting an amp so are both needed?)
A: If you use component speakers they should come with a passive crossover. Once you add an amp you'll need an active crossover, but most multichannel amps have one built in.

Q: Brands. Same brand = better?? Such as pioneer speakers, pioneer tweeters & pioneer amp.
A: Matching brands is not necessary and will not improve the sound.

Q: Sub. 8 or 10''? How many watts?
A: Depends... How much bass do you want? How loud? How much you willing to spend? How much hatch space can you give up? I run an Infinity 8" (in the stock location) off a 250 watt Kicker amp but might put my Polk MM 12" back in (remove spare tire since BBK doesn't allow it to fit anyway) along with a 500 Kicker watt amp.

Brands? Gear from all the major players is good enough. Just stay away from the cheap crap that seems to good to be true (1,000 watts only $100!) like Boss. Pioneer makes decent stuff. My current system uses Alpine, Infinity and Kicker. In the past I've run Sony, Pioneer, HiFonics, MTX, Polk... and so many others I've lost track.

blackludebosh

Sounds good. Very useful info.

Seems like I'm going to buy the front speakers and install them myself.

Later will add on other components.

Looking forward to this project now that I have a clear plan.

Thanks!

350z82

This is my set up and I love it. The custom sub enclosure is great as it only takes up the space directly under the rear strut bar. I would recommend saving up and installing everything at once, it's just less times you have to take your interior apart.

JVC KW-V100 DVD Receiver
Kicker 40CS674 6-3/4" 2-way Speakers (Rears)
Kicker 40CS654 6-1/2" 2-way Speakers (Doors)
Kicker CompRT 40CWRT102 10" Dual 2 Ohm Subwoofer
Kicker 12CX3001 300W x 1 Subwoofer Amplifier
2003-08 350Z 1-10" Subwoofer Enclosure

Any brand is good, it's just personal preference, I like kicker brand.