Aftermarket speakers?

[sTeeve]

---X--- CORRECTION- SPARK USES 4 OHM DRIVERS. (the Leaf uses 2 ohm)
>> Recommendation change :Fronts- Infinity X Ref-4002cfp, 3 ohms. Rears- infinity X Ref 6402cfp, also 3 ohm. According to Crutchfield write-up, these 3 ohm speakers should work fine for stereo's rated for 4 ohms. I agree with that from my past experience. (I might try 2 ohms in 4 ohm application, but I'd be taking a fair risk of overloading the factory system. I cannot recommend this to others)
This is just my personal opinion considering MY price/performance level. I still don't know if these 4" speakers will fit the Spark EV. You can spend a lot less and still get decent sound. Small note: Matching the same brand and series throughout the car will give a ..."nicer" sound because each speaker will have the same tonal qualities. Crutchfield doesn't show any 4" Polk speakers to match with their very nice looking (visual and specifications) 4x6's. I would have recommended those too if they did.

David

Unable to find Infinity X Ref-4002cfp using Google. Closest is Infinity X Ref-4002cfx. Crutchfield doesn't list any Infinity speakers for Spark.

Any ideas?

-Bob K.

 

[dangerHV]

You are correct on all points. The Infinity I was looking at ends in cfx. I looked at Spark ICE and this was not on their list (they don't show a 4x6 for the ICE either)..........All things considered, .......(thinking here).....Ok, got an idea. Since the ICE and EV probably don't match, what I'll end up doing is remove one of each - front and rear - and take them to a car stereo shop to see how the mounting dimensions compare to "standard" aftermarket brands. (I personally hate returning things) Again, since I don't have the car yet, I'm stuck. I've always been able to fit "any" 6x9, 4x6 or whatever into what I ASSumed were all standard sized cutouts.
I will have to do more research before pinning myself to a wall like this next time.
I will share my findings as soon as I have concrete proof, not 20 year old (or more) memories.
Sorry for the confusion, folks.

David

 

[IllinoisSpark15]

Is there some easier way to get bass from 4inch and 4x6inch speaker? Don't really want to add amp/subwoofer to this EV as they need to tap extra power from the battery. I don't need a lot of bass, but something better than stock then I am happy.

I'm wondering how much extra electricity would actually be used in this case.

 

[nikwax]

Is there some easier way to get bass from 4inch and 4x6inch speaker? Don't really want to add amp/subwoofer to this EV as they need to tap extra power from the battery. I don't need a lot of bass, but something better than stock then I am happy.

I'm wondering how much extra electricity would actually be used in this case.

may be a reference to the extra wiring involved

 

[NORTON]

I was breaking in my sub driver on the bench. I was using a signal generator phone app.
At ~35 watts of power, 14V @ 2.5 A, it was LOUD. It's a 300 watt rated amp. Plus music takes less power because it's not a constant sine wave.
I would never run it close to full power.

If you start to pinch watts, thinking 35 - 100 watts, etc, is going to be measurable in your range, you will never be able to measure it.

Why not turn your DRL lights off and save 110 watts?
This would make your car less safe, statistically.
Good luck quantifying any range increase, while pinching those watts...

 

[Kaitsuni]

Guys, I'm new to this, so be gentle.

I know from this thread that to replace the front two-way speakers I can use, for example the JBL GT7-4 speakers and the Metra 72-9300 harness.

But I am not clear about the rear 4x6'' speakers. My understanding is that the rear speakers are NOT two-way, unlike the front ones, but several people mentioned using Kicker speakers for rears, and the Kickers look like they are two-way speakers (?). Can someone tell me what speakers I can use and how to wire them: do I need the same/different harness for the rear speakers?

Thank you in advance.

 

[nikwax]

Guys, I'm new to this, so be gentle.

I know from this thread that to replace the front two-way speakers I can use, for example the JBL GT7-4 speakers and the Metra 72-9300 harness.

But I am not clear about the rear 4x6'' speakers. My understanding is that the rear speakers are NOT two-way, unlike the front ones, but several people mentioned using Kicker speakers for rears, and the Kickers look like they are two-way speakers (?). Can someone tell me what speakers I can use and how to wire them: do I need the same/different harness for the rear speakers?

Thank you in advance.

You use the same Metra adapter in the back with the Kickers.


I used Kickers because I was sure that they would fit based on other's experiences. You can line up three of the four screw holes, and you need to snap off a plastic alignment post that is part of the bottom of the grille.


My wife did all of the work, took her about ten minutes to do the rears, about 20 to do the fronts, most of that was figuring out how to pry the speaker cover off without gouging it.


For me, replacing the front and rear speakers was a good upgrade, but not a cure-all. It really needed the subwoofer to make the system sound very good.

 

[Kaitsuni]

Thank you, nikwax!

A follow up question. I see two different Kicker models on the Crutchfield site: 40CS464 and 41DSC464. Which ones should I use? Any idea which ones sound better?

 

[nikwax]

I have:

Fronts: Kicker 41KSC44

Rears: Kicker 41KSC464

ordered from Crutchfield.

Kicker has several levels (series) of product:

http://www.kicker.com/car-tweeters-mid-range-speakers


I believe KS is their more upper level, DS is their lower level, and CS in between.

 

[NORTON]

Hot diggity dog! Who knew they offered such a product?
http://smile.amazon.com/050350-Boom-Oval-Speaker-Baffle/dp/B0039Z3SUM/ref=pd_sim_263_8?ie=UTF8&dpID=41a5tdC46HL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR133%2C160_&refRID=0FVGX3BM4TNW673YS7CS

A pre-form 4x6" speaker enclosure. Will need to be trimmed and fitted but ANYTHING is better than an 'open air' speaker installation.
It might not be the ideal enclosure volume but a little dampening material and this should easily be much better audio when upgrading speakers.
I just ordered a set.

 

[nikwax]

ah, just keep the back seats up, then you have a large speaker enclosure :lol:

 

[NORTON]

a joke right?
Speakers ideally have a certain range of enclosure volume to operate correctly.
Think of it as back pressure.
Sure having the back seat up will cancel some of the backside sound but it is not the same as a proper enclosure.

I almost never have my back seats up. It's a 2 seat runabout with a huge carpeted trunk.

 

[nikwax]

sure, you can drill a hole in the back seats for tuned ports

:lol:

 

[Kaitsuni]

I have:

Fronts: Kicker 41KSC44

Rears: Kicker 41KSC464

ordered from Crutchfield.

Kicker has several levels (series) of product:

http://www.kicker.com/car-tweeters-mid-range-speakers


I believe KS is their more upper level, DS is their lower level, and CS in between.

One minor point: the stock fronts are 8Ohm speakers, but the rears are 4Ohm. Since I replaced both fronts and rears with 4Ohm speakers, more power need to be redirected to the rears (even more, since my front JBL's are more efficient than rear Kickers) - this can be easily done through the Spark EV touchscreen settings, just go through the menu on the "radio" screen and move the soundstage point a little back from the default middle location in the cross hairs.

The quality of the sound did improve alot after the upgrade. But one annoyance remains: the front grills are producing an annoying vibration sound. Can anyone suggest how to get rid of it? - I was thinking of putting a thin layer of silicone sealant right under the grill covers. Any other proven ideas?

 

[StevesWeb]

Any other proven ideas?

How about making a thin, soft gasket to go between the dash and the covers?

 

[Kaitsuni]

A short update: problem solved. I bought a 1/16'' thick self-adhesive rubber neoprene sheet on eBay. Cut strips of 5-6mm width and variable length and put them on the horizontal dashboard surface, also cut narrower (3mm) pieces and put them on the vertical surfaces of the dashboard, where the grill clips go in. Now the grilles sit very tight with no play whatsoever, and there is no nagging vibration even at high volumes with a lot of bass.

 

[Anonymous]

I have:

Fronts: Kicker 41KSC44

Rears: Kicker 41KSC464

ordered from Crutchfield.

Kicker has several levels (series) of product:

http://www.kicker.com/car-tweeters-mid-range-speakers


I believe KS is their more upper level, DS is their lower level, and CS in between.

How did you fit the rears in? Can you show a picture?

 

[nikwax]

I have:

Fronts: Kicker 41KSC44

Rears: Kicker 41KSC464

ordered from Crutchfield.

Kicker has several levels (series) of product:

http://www.kicker.com/car-tweeters-mid-range-speakers


I believe KS is their more upper level, DS is their lower level, and CS in between.

How did you fit the rears in? Can you show a picture?

The speakers I installed have a lot of mounting holes, we got three of them to line up. There is a plastic tab that sticks down that needs to be snapped off. Dead simple to install, took about ten minutes total.



Take a look at what you have in the back: four screws holding the stock speaker in place, plus the two speaker wires. All easily seen and removed. Hold the replacement speaker in place, you will encounter the plastic alignment tab; snap it off. Install the new speaker with as many screws as you can get to line up, three will certainly work if you can't get four to line up. Connect the speaker wire via the Metra adapter (72-9300), which Crutchfield included with the order. Repeat on the other side. Total time about ten minutes.



These speakers are midrange and higher sounds. If you're looking for more bass, then you'll want a subwoofer.

 

[sTeeve]

Just completed 2/3 of this upgrade. Installed Fronts: Kicker 41KSC44/Rears: Kicker 41KSC464.

Ridiculously easy install. Superior sound.

I noticed that the bass from the rears is much better with the rear seat backs folded up.

I also have the Hideaway sub. Will be installing that soon.

*Edit 03/20/16: Noticed this morning that the right rear 4x6 speaker is blown. I hate it when this happens. Didn't even last a bloody fortnight. Grrrr.

 

[nikwax]

Once you get your sub running, you won't describe what the rear speakers produce as "bass" :lol: