nice, but i use my trunk. that setup doesn't exactly lend itself to stuffing all kinds of things in there.

 

installed the JBL's yesterday. Relatively quick and easy, not very expensive and sound much better.

 

Yeah, I use my 02 pretty much for car shows only but I also have a 99 C5 that is supercharged for daily driving. It too though has a decent stereo, has a 13.5" JL Audio sub in it.




A grill has since been added so I too can stuff things back there,

 

GCG:
I find your posts on this subject to be extremely helpful and knowledge-based. So I have some questions.
Next week I'll have a Pio 2500NEX double-DIN unit installed by a local shop. He'll install the adapter of course to run the Bose woofers.
I'd like to replace the twiddlers myself. I know you recommend replacing all 4 but I only drive my '03 vert in good weather so 90% of the time the top is down, effectively blocking the rears. So I'm thinking about replacing just the fronts with the JBL GX302 you recommend. Am I missing something?
A question about fitment: I know from experience that not all 3.5" drivers are the same. The frame may be a different diameter. depth/clearance (both front and rear) may differ, even the mounting hole pattern may differ.
The JBL looks like the perfect choice: correct impedance, very reasonable cost, reputable manufacturer. But just to be extremely cautious, are you sure these will fit the '03 C5 vert with no modifications?
Sorry if you've already answered these questions and thanks again for sharing your expertise.

 

Just out of curiosity, which adapter are you going to use to keep the OEM infrastructure, the AXXESS or the PAC?


You can upgrade all 4 twiddlers for less than $100. I always say that this is one of those upgrades with the best ROI, or bang-for-your-buck , you can ever do. If you only do the front channels now, you ARE going to regret it afterwards and then the rear ones might no longer be available.

In an audio system all speakers should be at the same quality level and have the same timbre, otherwise they will sound different and basically the audio soundstage/imaging will go down the drain. The simplest way to achieve this is not only to purchase them from the same manufacturer, but from the same line/series.

Let me put it this way to help you visualize what I mean. Imagine a sound panning side to side, front to back, or going around the listener. You don't want it to seem like it is coming from a different instrument each time the sound moves from one speaker to the other.

Check these couple of independent reviews, so you can have a better idea. Click here and here.


As far as I know, no difficulties have been reported regarding fitment (in fact Post 59 and Post 62 above report installation as quick and easy with no issues). Just make sure you keep the correct polarities to avoid ending up with speakers in opposite phase. It's important to minimize sound cancellation.

Use adapters for the rear and crimp new spade connectors for the front. Click here and scroll down for more details.

 

Thanks GCG! Very helpful.
The installer specified the Metra 2004XSV, which is the AXXESS.
Will let you know how I make out with this.
-Kent

 

Glad to be of service!

Let me know how it goes

 

Good info in here. Keeping an eye on this thread for future cheap/simple upgrades.

 

The professional installation of the Pio 2500 and backup camera went well. Glad I didn’t have to take a Sawzall to the dash myself!

The Metra bezel is meh. No texture and the color is slightly off. Think I can live with it but if not maybe I’ll get one of those leather skins off ebay. I kind of like having no ashtray or door there but miss the cup holder cover because I was using one of those Corvette Clips rings.

I’m trying to get used to the idiosyncracies of the Pio unit and I do miss the “Speed Compensated Volume”. If Delco could do that in 2002 why can’t Pioneer do it today?

So today I installed the JBL GX speakers in the doors. Quite simple. The push-on connectors have to be changed because JBL uses the wider lug for +. And I used some gasket stuff from Parts Express so there’s no vibration noise. Not sure whether the enclosure was meant to be sealed but it doesn’t seem so.

I’m undecided about the rear speakers. The folded convertible top always blocks them but maybe...

edit: Oh what the heck. I ordered the rears. But I'm concerned about the impedance. 2.3 Ohms is very low. The Pio receiver seems to be rated for 4 Ohms. This could lead to disaster. Now that I've bought 4 drivers I may have to search for four 4 Ohm drivers instead

 

Well, I feel dumb. I KNEW that 2.3 Ohm speakers won't work. Maybe they are OK with the original Delco radio but not with the Pioneer. Kicking myself because I knew that from all my work with home stereos and speakers but I emailed Pio tech support anyway and of course here's what they said:

"You will need an amplifier for the speakers that is 2 ohm stable as that impedance is going to cause issues with the internal power chip and will not be covered by warranty."

And... just to make things more complicated, I spent quite a long time on the phone with Crutchfield and they say the JBL Club series is too high on top to clear the C5's grill. They don't have any coaxials that will fit. Argh!

 

There is another thread where I said most aftermarket head units will not like 2 ohm speakers. Another member said I was wrong. Hmmmnnn

 

I used the jls and they are ok..i dont like the bose woofers and might ditch them and go with a 6.5 component..i have an alpine hu with an inline amp so i doubled the power ..the bose hu had to go..totaly useless..and i dont like the axxess gain module either..but you have to bypass the whole system to get rid of that..

 

If the hu is rated for 4 ohm..2 could hurt it.
Might as well get an amp at this point rated for 2 ohms

 

I have been running my Kenwood HU for quite a while with the stock Bose subs and JBL twiddlers and rear speakers. No problems with any of the components to date.

 

As long as you don't turn it up too much an amp will handle more than its rated for..but go too far and send it into clipping and thats when things go wrong,

 

That's why I didn't say all.

 

I think there's some confusion and misinformation here, and I hope I don't make it worse. So here are a few things I've discovered:

• 2 ohm speakers are only "better" if your amp is rated for that load. Amps rated for 4 ohm can overheat and become damaged if the speakers are of too low an impedance. In my case, my new Pio receiver is only rated for 4 ohm speakers.
• As has been pointed out, the Bose twiddlers use the opposite of the usual convention, so the positive terminals are the wide spades (even though the door twiddler is marked with a + on the narrow spade). The connectors on the wires have to be changed if the speakers are changed.
• I don't think this has been mentioned but that Metra 72-4568 harness for the rears (included free from Crutchfield) is confusing. For those speakers, ignore the instructions on the bag and just plug them in. On the driver's side the original speaker wires are yellow and brown (maybe they were white and black at one time?). Yellow is +. When you use the Metra harness, the yellow will go to black and the brown will go to white. On the bag it says black is negative BUT it has the small disconnect, which corresponds to the narrow lug on most aftermarket speakers. So the black wire on the Metra harness goes to + on the speaker and the white goes to -, which "seems" wrong but is actually correct.
• Many here have said the original Bose front and rear twiddlers are 2 ohm. I don't think so. I measured the DCR on mine and got resistance readings of 3.2 to 3.3 ohms. This is not consistent with a 2 ohm nominal impedance. DCR is typically lower than the rated impedance. I believe the Bose speakers are 4 ohm. For comparison I also measured some new Rockford Fosgate R1525X2 4 ohm speakers and got a DCR of about 2.9.

 

Pretty sure this in incorrect.

 

Thank you Budwise. I'll edit my previous post. Here's what I should have written:
For the rear side speakers, ignore the instructions on the Metra 72-4568 bag and just plug them in.
On the driver's side the original speaker wires are yellow and brown (maybe they were white and black at one time?). Yellow is +. When you use the Metra harness, the yellow will go to black and the brown will go to white. On the bag it says black is negative BUT it has the small disconnect, which corresponds to the narrow lug on most aftermarket speakers. So the black wire on the Metra harness goes to + on the speaker and the white goes to -, which "seems" wrong but is actually correct.

 

And no matter what I do the rears are useless. Wasted 179.00 on them
oh well. I’ll leave them in but they don’t do much