nis14

iTrader: (1)

I know nothing about audio what so ever, I've been looking over the old posts trying to figure out what is what.

This is what I know I have an S5 GLX that had all the speakers gutted out by the previous owner (16 year old kid), I really would like to have something to listen to while I am driving once the car is running (which is another story). I'm not looking for anything crazy just something that is simple and decent.

Here is what I know:

1, I should replace the door and strut tower speakers (ignore the dash speakers because they don't really do much anyway) with 6" speakers according to the posts I've read.

Q: So if I buy 6" they should mount up to the sheet metal directly or do I have to buy some kind of adaptor is there is such a thing?

2, The factory amps suck, most of the headunits these days put out more. The stock wiring sucks because they are too thin.

Q: So if I buy an aftermarket headunit can I just bypass the amps for the rear speakers? Could I just run 16-gauge wires from the head unit directly to all 4 speakers?

Let me know what you think, as you can see I'm a complete newb when it comes to audio stuff

misterstyx69

iTrader: (142)

I just wired everything from the Head unit and ran new wires under the carpet.
I hated the way that the factory **** goes through amps and so forth just to put out Minimal Output.
I figured that me wiring direct.lets me know what wire goes to what and I can rearrange it to suit another Setup if I decide to change it.
Take the amps out of the buckets and toss them(rear).No sense if they are there and you are not using them,right??
the front amps are a pain too..just remove those and install the wiring directly to the Speakers.

satch

iTrader: (1)

Treat yourself and get the powered subwoofer by Kenwood and place it behind either of the seats and it will give you a home stereo feel as opposed to the thin sound you will get w/o it. You sure can bypass the factory amps and rewiring your new setup will be very easy to do.

nis14

iTrader: (1)

Cool Thanks for the Advice.

One thing tho I have no clue where the rear speaker amp is in my car. I know where the front one is and my dash is out so that should be easy. Any chance you could let me know where it is?

Also any comments to what size speakers and wire gauge to get? as well as spec wise? 2- way 3 -way? I have no idea what that means... thanks guys

Brodie121

iTrader: (8)

the rears are in the speaker bucket things, when you take of the covers you should see.

satch

iTrader: (1)

The rear speaker amps are right under the rear speakers are and are all housed together in a plastic tub.

I think you'll be better off with 2 way speakers. 6.5's will fit easily in the rear. You'll need mounting adapters for the rear towers but they're usually made out of flimsy plastic. I made my own out of one inch thick oak which is as solid a wood as you can find. As far the particular guage wire just peruse Crutchfield and see what they offer. You'll also need a relay to connect between your head unit and electric antenna if you want to continue to use your antenna. The wiring diagrams are in the FAQ thread towards the top of the page. Lastly, you'll need a wiring harness which is sold by Cruthfield or perhaps Best Buy and so on. You could get the relay, wiring, harness at Crutchfield.

nis14

iTrader: (1)

thanks guys.

where would I buy these adapters, are they univeral or specific for the RX7?

any suggestions to the door speakers or should I go with the 2- way 6"

is there a inexpensive alternative to the antenna? like a windshield antenna or something? I was thinking about getting rid of the ugly thing.

thanks again for the suggestions!!

satch

iTrader: (1)

There is a windshield antenna built into the car and I think it is in the rear hatch glass but it is very inferior to the mast type antenna. Some have replaced the electric antenna with a fixed mast type. The speaker adapters can be had at most car audio suppliers either local or internet such as the name I used above. Also, if you really want to enhance the sound of the door speakers you can remove the door panels and add sound deadening materials. If you really want to broaden the sound you can go with component speakers.

http://www.crutchfield.com/m_760/Spe...n.html?tp=1102

http://www.crutchfield.com/m_750/Car...n.html?tp=1385

http://www.crutchfield.com/p_1207050...s.html?tp=2977

misterstyx69

iTrader: (142)

There are two antennas in the FC..one on the front windshield and one on the Rear driver's side(hatch location).That is why you have 2 connectors in the Center console when you remove the stock radio.
The windshield antenna doesn't need to be hooked(some guys have to replace the windshield and then have no Windshield antenna anyways,and the radio still works fine.
I put a rubber type antenna purchased from WALMART on..it works good.You can always unscrew it if you are in an area where Kids like to rip the damn things off.

nis14

iTrader: (1)

Thanks for the input guys !!!!

PKock

iTrader: (1)

Do the rubber antennas just screw into the hoel where the powered one was?