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73-87 Chevy _ GMC Trucks => Interior & Equipment => Topic started by: Joe-NC on May 13, 2011, 02:04:37 pm
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I bought my truck with no radio at all. Its killing me, so I'm going to fix the cracked dash and install a stereo at the same time. I want 4 speakers. What is the best location for them? What sounds the best?
I've never liked speakers in the dash. I'm not sure if its the vinyl covering too much of the speaker, or the sound reflecting off the windshield, but I just don't like the sound. I've seen the headliners with 4 speakers, but that looks too close to your ears. I've heard about putting them in the door, but wonder how hard that would be. I've seen the kick plate speakers near the floor too, and I think I like that the best. There aren't many options for the rear speakers other than the original location behind the seat. What do you think?
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IMO - Speakers in the aftermarket kick-panels down low to keep from cutting the doors up and 6x9s in the stock 4x10 rear speaker location. Putting the speakers down low on the kick-panel helps to equalize the distance between left and right for your listening position. If you want more sound then you are looking at some sub-boxes behind the seat with an amp under the seat.
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There are brackets that fit in the back corners and are built for Chevy, I think they hold 10 X 4 speakers, and I use to have some mids in my doors. Pretty easy to put in. There are alot of 6X9 at teh bottom of doors but the brackets for the rear speakers are a good starting point.
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I've pretty much tried it all with the exception of the highliner and a center console like others have made. Here's what I think sounds good - dash speakers, either kick panel or door speakers. I like speaker boxes behind the seat powered by a seperate amp.
The kick panel speakers are nice. I've got 3 versions, one set from Chris here, one set from you know who and one set from Q-logic. Honestly, I can't tell a difference in sound with any of them but my least favorites are the Q-logics. I like the 3.5" speakers in the dash though. The stock ones are junk but you can easily upgrade them and I would still use them. As far as cutting the speakers into the door just do a nice job but most importantly protect the speaker from the elements and use a sound deadener. That stuff I used is excellent and I highly recommend it.
http://www.secondskinaudio.com/sound-deadener/spectrum.php
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I've got some little 3" speakers tucked up above the kick panels, they were there when I got the truck, and then 6x9's in a box behind the seat. All this is going to change to some 6x9's in the cab corners, some 6" rounds in the doors and a couple of tens behind the seat. Maybe a couple tweets under the dash, not 100% yet
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I have two 6" upfiring speakers behind the seat, two 6x9s in the front bottom of the doors, and two 3.5" in the center dash hole. Best sound I've had in any of these trucks, and it makes more than enough bass without a sub at all.
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I have two 6x9's in 6x9 boxes in each cab corner behind the seat and a kicker 4x10 in the dash center all powered by an amp under the seat. i will add another amp and sub box behind the seat in the future and maybe some mids in the kick panel location at some point but for now it is fine as i am limited by budget.
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What are the factory sizes of the speakers in the dash. I'm probably going to do mine soon and I'd like to keep fabrication to a minimum and I like to keep everything looking stock..
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Factory side speakers in the dash are 3.5
The center is 4X10 AFAIK.
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You could get these http://forum.73-87chevytrucks.com/smforum/index.php?topic=18171.0 :)
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I was thinking of one of those 1" thick, 13.5" subs from JBL. I think they're called the "thinline" or something like that. Should easily fit in our cabs. They're about $350 each though.
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I have some sony subs in truck sub boxes behind my seat and the seat can be pushed all the way back without hitting. definitely cheaper than JBLs
I also have some 6x9 in each rear corner with 6x9 boxes. Planning on getting some 6" and speaker kick panels too.
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I recall that a buddy of mine bought a set of component speakers; the ones with the tweeter and mid-range speakers as separate units. He mounted the tweets and the mids in the plastic door panels on his Blazer. He had to hack up the door panels, but those are easier to replace than holes hacked into the steel doors. And having the mids and tweeters up high and closer to the passenger's ears made them clearly noticeable over the thumping bass of whatever huge, twin, mega-jigga-watt sub-woofers he always had to have in his rigs. (Pretend I inserted "facepalm.jpg" right about here.)
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I was thinking of one of those 1" thick, 13.5" subs from JBL. I think they're called the "thinline" or something like that. Should easily fit in our cabs. They're about $350 each though.
These apparently fit and they're cheaper.
http://www.amazon.com/PowerBass-PS-WB112T-Single-12-inch-Enclosure/dp/B003YL3IZQ
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i went to the flea market and bought boxes that fit, and then the audio store for subs that fit the box.
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This is a hot topic for me as I'm getting my newest '85 Silverado going. I cut the 6x9's in the door in my older 85 but the newer one has power windows so that's not an option. I am thinking about replacing the 3.5" in the dash panel and 10x4's in the stock location. I'm also thinking about building separate boxes for 6x9's in the location of the 10x4's. I built a box for a JL Audio10W5 that sat in the middle of the truck dash and bench seat which made sitting in the middle impossible but made a great place to put a drink holder. Unfortunately the sub is so deep that a box will be hard to fit behind the seat. I like rear firing subs for best sound but I love the punch from a JL sub. I need a new radio too ;D
Blessings,
Jay
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I seen a bracket somewhere to put two 4 inch speakers in where your 4x10 used to go. It looks like something one could make at their house. You could do just four dash speakers if you want it to be low key.
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When I purchased my truck I only had 6x9's in the doors. One was blown already and found out after another set that its not the best place for 'em. Since then I've put a cheap boss set up in to see how I like it.
I have two 3" tweeters in each of the back cab pillars. 30 bucks for two sets. I have four 6x9's in a box behind the seat. 40 bucks for all four. I have a custom box in my bed with two 12's and a 15. The 12's were 80 bucks for the two and the 15 I already had. 3 amps I already owned under the seat. 12's on one, 6x9's on one, 15 on one. IMO it sounds great. I hear it all, feel it all, and use it for all my parties no DJ needed! Need to get around to more sound proofing though.
Room for improvement? Heck yes. The 6x9's will more than likely end up in the bed as well. In an ongoing bed project. One more set with the brackets in the cab corners. One kick panel set and get the proper amps. I'll be satisfied. If I wasn't bogus on speakers it would be a kick panel set, 6x9's in the corners and probly just a bazooka tube behind the seat.
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I did some research over the weekend and I think I'm going to make spacers out of MDF with fleece and resin for some 6 3/4" for the door. Tweeter in the door panels up high near the door lock and window switches. Still thinking 3.5's in the upper dash although that was ill-advised. I wanted a (1) JL audio 13" shallow but the price made me consider (2) Rockford Fosgate shallow 12's in a custom box behind the seat. Still not sure on the amp. I have been talked out of a Pioneer deck for a Kenwood... there nice with great features :)
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I did some research over the weekend and I think I'm going to make spacers out of MDF with fleece and resin for some 6 3/4" for the door. Tweeter in the door panels up high near the door lock and window switches. Still thinking 3.5's in the upper dash although that was ill-advised. I wanted a (1) JL audio 13" shallow but the price made me consider (2) Rockford Fosgate shallow 12's in a custom box behind the seat. Still not sure on the amp. I have been talked out of a Pioneer deck for a Kenwood... there nice with great features :)
I thought about placing them in the door panels too, but after them being in the vent with issues decided not to. I was advised some weather proofing for protection in the doors helps alot.
If I didn't already cover my dash, I would have placed one set of tweeters in there. I have all the music behind me but the tweeters help out the balance.
I myself have had kenwoods and pioneers. I like either as long as they aren't complicated with feature menus. I'm looking at getting a pyle 4.5 touchscreen. Pretty cheap brand but I like to get cheap and see if its a feature/setup I like. I won't have to cut my dash anymore for it to fit either. Anybody have some input/reviews on touchscreens?
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Hi guys,
When I got my truck it had two speakers "stuffed" down the side of the rear seat and only the magnet against the rear panel was the only thing securing it.
The front had what looks like a homemade box on the floor with 2x 6" in and the dash speaker disconnected.
It also had two huge holes hacked in the front doors that I have since deleted 'cos I'm looking for the "clean" look.
The thought at the moment and when time permits is to "slim-jim" the speakers in boxes to the side of the rear seats, 2 or 4 into the dash frame and two in the kick panel.
And I've remembered to run new wires before fitting new carpets etc!
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For those that want to put door speakers in, be aware if you have power windows. The power mechanism is RIGHT where you would want to put the speaker, which is frustrating! Otherwise you are stuck with putting them at the rear of the door. I would have actually been fine if my truck DIDN'T have power windows because then I would have room to fit door speakers without having to build a huge build-out and they would be more reliable!
I put 7" midbass in custom kick panels that I made out of the factory ones and am currently running tweeters in the dash spot but am going to move them back down to the kick, with custom pods I'm making right now.
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I was thinking of one of those 1" thick, 13.5" subs from JBL. I think they're called the "thinline" or something like that. Should easily fit in our cabs. They're about $350 each though.
These apparently fit and they're cheaper.
http://www.amazon.com/PowerBass-PS-WB112T-Single-12-inch-Enclosure/dp/B003YL3IZQ
Yeah but the JBL's probly hit like a freakin truck. I've found that trying to cheap out usually ends up getting me nowhere. Unless I know exactly what I'm doing, and I'm not really much of a sound system guy.
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One thing I have heard about thin or shallow speakers is that they require a lot of power ot make them sound good because they are so " tight". Just and FYI from my 2 cents.
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I am currently redoing the interior on my 83 GMC SWB. I was thinking of a nice set of 3.5s (in dash), two 6x9s (replace 4x10 corners), and an Infinity Basslink 200W powerd sub. I think the setup should sound pretty decent. I am not sure on the powered sub. The good part is it's compact and has the amp built in. Probably add a smallish 4 channel amp for the other speakers.
Here is a thought:
How do you go about having the 3.5s and 4x10 in dash and 6x9s in rear corners, without an amp. My CD player only has front R&L and rear R&L speaker wires. Where does the fifth speaker get it's power? Would you run the 3.5s off the front right and the 4x10 off the front left?
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My neighbor says that either your radio has to have that extra output wire, or you have to run an amp. My radio supports sub out so I always assumed they all do. Maybe they just sell radios for a little bit cheaper for people who aren't interested in having a subwoofer.
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I just put a stereo and speakers in my 87. I built some mdf wood boxes for the rear corners and installed Pioneer 3way 6X9s in them and hooked them up normal to the R and L rear radio channels. I put Pioneer 3.5"s in the stock dash location and wired them in series to the front L channel only of the radio. I put a 4X10 in the stock center dash location and wired it normal to the front R channel. The radio is a Pioneer 4X50watt with a USB hook up in the front for my IPOD. It sounds pretty good. Obviously it's not a super loud competition stereo system but it's a start for a truck that had no radio. I plan to add a sub and amp in a box behind the seat and maybe another amp and speakers in the doors. That'll get the volume up!
If you get your high range speakers in the dash the highs will bounce off the windshield and hit you right in the ears at all volumes. It'll be especially clear at low volumes.
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I was thinking about running the front speakers that way. I also thought if you use two 4" speakers to replace the 4x10 you could wire the right side 4" with the right side 3.5" and the left side 4" with the left side 3.5". As long as there is not a problem hooking two speakers to the same wire.
Also, on the sub output. My CD player also has a sub output, but it is an RCA type hookup and not a regular speaker wire hookup. I think almost all CD players are this way.
I got 3.5" kickers for the dash, mainly for highs. I was suprised at how much mid and bass come from them. obviously not much compared to bigger speakers, but they have a good mix for such a small speaker. these work great.
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Also what is the best modern speaker size to cram into those old 4x6 mounting places in the back of the cab? They can quite easily be made bigger with the proper tools. No need to buy anything you can just make the hole bigger in the ones you've already got. I think...
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i really kinda went the cheap route in mine. they guy i got the truck from left the little boxes behind the seat...i believe they're 6's or something. went to autozone and bought a tape deck. it's cool cause i didn't have to cut the dash...fit right into the opening. it also has aux input for my cell (i use it for radio since i don't have the antenna and also for more music) or you can hook up an ipod. plus i've got a million tapes that i haven't heard in years. the deck surprisingly had 1 set of cables on the back to allow me to hook up an amp. hooked up the speakers behind the seat straight to the deck and it was too low...put an amp to them and it was too much. i ended up going to pep boys and buying some cheap 4 way 6x9's for like $30 and some boxes for $25. hooked the amp up to the 6x9's and they surprisingly sounded good. they wouldn't fit behind the seat so what i ended up doing was putting them on the hump in the front between driver and passenger. went to lowes to get some brackets so that i can screw them down into the floor board...but they don't move when i'm driving. i've got to get some y-connectors so that i can run all channels on my amp...and i'll rehook up the speakers behind the door. i'm not going for all out power...just something strong enough for me to ride around to...and this set up serves that purpose and it was relatively cheap. along with the above prices mentioned...i believe the deck was less than $40 and the amp wiring kit was $20 from walmart.
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I think what I'm going to do is components in the door and something that hasn't been mentioned yet.... 4" speakers right under where the seatbelt mounts to the b-pillar. I checked my old cab by hacking in that area and there is plenty of room for the speaker to fit. I got the idea from the newer Chevy trucks since that's where they are in those and they sound really good. I just need to figure out what components to get....
As far as water proofing the speakers goes... isn't there some sort of baffle you can install behind them inside the door? I'm going to have a set of doors to practice on at least, but I'd like to find out firsthand.
For a sub... I haven't decided if I want to make a custom center console with sub/amp integration, or if I want to put a 10" sub behind each seat.... I have bucket seats from a K5, but I want to keep it on the DL since the trucks are kinda easy to break into and I don't want flashy stuff around!
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I seen this in a truck at a car show not sure if the location works well or not but they had 6x9s under the seat aimed towards the front of the truck the dash speakers doors and a sub behind the seat and the factory location in the corner the system sounded good as far as the practicality of the speaker aimed at your feet idk. My truck has 2 6x9's behind the seat and possibly the factory dash speaker no amp but a deck with 200 watt output it sounds decent and can roll windows down at 70mph with mud terrains and still hear the music good so it works for me. My 84 was owned by a kid before me that was all into stereo equipment it had 2 10" kickers behind the seat 4x10s in the corners I believe and 2 6" rounds in the door and it sounded good but the 10s where blown when I bought it so rap hip hop and that type of music sound better but country or rock sounds Droney it also had 2 amps a 600 for the 4x10's and 6x9s then a 1300 I believe for the subs.
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I just put in 3.5 inch polk audio speakers in the dash. I used 6 inch round polk audio speakers where the 4x10 speakers were. I used MDF board and cut it to fit the round speakers. Then painted the MDF black. The speakers are powered by the deck. I also put in two 10 inch jk audio w3 subs in a box behind the seat. The subs are powred by a 500 watt bazooka mono sub amp.
The system sounds incredible! When you put speakers in the kick panel or head liner they are limited in moving air. If they dont move enough air you will not get the full benefit. The stock locations allow air movement that is needed.
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I have 3.5 infinities in the factory locations under the dash, then I built 6x9 wooden boxes for the cab corners with infinities, and then two 12 inch subs, capacitor, and amp behind the seat. It is also wired with a graphic equalizer under the dash going to each door and under the seat, in high school I had two extra 6x9s under the seat, but very little sound came from them compared to everything else so I removed them. Was going to put them in my doors, but realized my power window stuff was in the way. Overall, it's the best sounding thing I have. The infinities were a little bit of money (I think I paid $250 when I bought them quite a few years ago) but have held up amazing and are super clear. The subs were 50 dollars from a friend, new in the box, I think they are Jensens or something. The stock location, with the right speakers, can sound just right in my opinion, and if you want more base, a truck sub box fits behind the seat with the seat all the way back. To each thier own though.
(http://i574.photobucket.com/albums/ss181/mtjd252009/speakers.jpg)
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I have 2 pioneer 6x9's behind my seat in the cab corners, not in boxes, and 2 10" Punch HE2's 800w each in a custom built box I made behind my seat with a 200w kenwood amp. I love having the speakers behind the seat because all of the sound comes up right next to my head. And when you have it tuned right, everthing is crystal clear.
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I wish someone knew the best possible setup for a component system. As in, where exactly everything should go for the best sound quality.
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I'm not looking for a contest rig, and I want to keep the area behind the seat clear, so a couple corner boxes, a couple kickers, and something up on the dash, all within the deck (whatever I get) wattage will do fine for me.
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Me either really. But if there is a best way to do the setup, why not do it, is the way I look at it.
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Need to match your speakers to environment. Some speakers are designed to go in box's some are free air. If installing in the doors etc. without a sealed enclosure you need free air speakers. If you have speakers designed to be in a sealed enclosure the box needs to be built according to speaker enclosure spec.s to sound right. Cars and trucks are terrible environments for stereo's, a cheap home set up will sound better than the same money spend on a car stereo. Same set up in one truck can sound different in the another truck if one has leather seats, headliner ect. and the other has cloth seats,headliner,etc. Hard surfaces leather reflect sound cloth seats ect absorb sound.
One person may like the sound of one speaker another may not. Best to go go to shops and listen to alot of different speakers in your price range and let your ears decide. Remember to check if they are free air or enclosure speakers. If you like the sound of a sealed enclosure speaked make sure you the skill and room in your truck area placement for the enclosure.
You can get extreme and built your own kick boxs for the the door or front panel area. You can also buy box's for the front panel area designed for your truck. Not sure if they sell pre fab for the doors. If you have buckets you can put a sub box in between the seats for front, down or up firing a sub/s. See how much space you have so you can design the sub box correct. Bench seats usually just put subs behind the seat.
Horns can go under the dashboard but usually require a good mid bass speaker since horns do not play freq.s below 1000hz very good. They do play the higher freq.s good so you may not need tweets with horns.
Simple set up a nice componet set up with the mid speaker in the door or the kick panel. The tweets up high in the a pillar or door. The tweets up high should help to bring the sound field up to face or ear level so it does not sound like music is coming from the floor. If you get a good componet/amp set up you should not have to add rears speakers except for a sub. Three way speakers in the rear tend to make the sound more like it is coming from the back of the truck. Some people like this some don't. 6 by 9's in the rear can work as mid bass or some sub bass if don't add a larger sub.
If using amp/s make sure you have the correct power to match the speakers you buy. Usually better to go with a little more than less power that your speakers can handle. There are extreme measures you can do, speakers in the floor, subs in the dash or a cut thur to the back bed but the requires a certain amount of skill. Search utube and check out the net for car stereo forums for alot of good info