DIY stereo upgrade for under $500.00

[dhmcfadin]

I was originally thinking it would make sense to replace both the front and rear door speakers, but do you think it would make more sense to keep the rear speakers stock and spend a little more on better quality components for the front door speakers / tweeters only?

Yes absolutely. Don’t invest in the rears with just a speaker swap. Spend that money on the front components.

 

[titanjc]

Yes absolutely. Don’t invest in the rears with just a speaker swap. Spend that money on the front components.

Thanks for the input, that changes how I was going to approach any speaker upgrades.

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

 

[sean1968]

Any recommendations for front door Focal separates for a 19 with B&O? Not planning to change amps due to the Canbus system. Hoping to clean up mid-bass but boost output with 6x9s. Center speaker recommendation?

 

[dhmcfadin]

Any recommendations for front door Focal separates for a 19 with B&O? Not planning to change amps due to the Canbus system. Hoping to clean up mid-bass but boost output with 6x9s. Center speaker recommendation?

Forget the center channel. It’s a left right blend, not a true center. It is only there to make up for the poor output of the oem system. It creates the illusion that there is a dash wide sound stage but it does a poor job at it. Save your money on the center and leave it alone.

For the door and tweeter, don’t buy separates. Buy components. The Morel Tempo ultras are going to have better mid bass and warmer vocals compared to the comparable focal line.

 

[lawdog]

Thanks for the input, that changes how I was going to approach any speaker upgrades.

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With the B&O, it is definitely a waste to do the rears, if you're doing speakers only. I replaced mine early on before Dom and some others were here to be as helpful, and the B&O just doesn't send enough signal back there to make it worthwhile. Put good components in the front, leave the center alone or disconnect it (I left mine alone), maybe look at the add-a-sub threads on here. Beyond that, you'll have to address the whole system with a NAV-TV type upgrade.

 

[titanjc]

With the B&O, it is definitely a waste to do the rears, if you're doing speakers only. I replaced mine early on before Dom and some others were here to be as helpful, and the B&O just doesn't send enough signal back there to make it worthwhile. Put good components in the front, leave the center alone or disconnect it (I left mine alone), maybe look at the add-a-sub threads on here. Beyond that, you'll have to address the whole system with a NAV-TV type upgrade.

My truck is a 2017 so I have the Sony system. I'm guessing it's the same situation as the B&O though, in that it's not worthwhile to change them out, right? Thanks for the advice.

 

[dhmcfadin]

My truck is a 2017 so I have the Sony system. I'm guessing it's the same situation as the B&O though, in that it's not worthwhile to change them out, right? Thanks for the advice.

Yes not worthwhile. Music is record in stereo left and right not front and rear.

 

[lawdog]

My truck is a 2017 so I have the Sony system. I'm guessing it's the same situation as the B&O though, in that it's not worthwhile to change them out, right? Thanks for the advice.

Yes, and with the Sony, you may want to consider the center...the Sony system actually has a Sony speaker up there, and it's an 8ohm speaker. I think it pushes even more "false center" sound than the B&O does, and many folks made it worse by replacing it with a standard 4ohm speaker. I would definitely try to get it in a position to listen to your new speakers with it on and with it disconnected to see which you need/prefer. A lot of early 2017/Sony installers were disconnecting it.

 

[titanjc]

Yes, and with the Sony, you may want to consider the center...the Sony system actually has a Sony speaker up there, and it's an 8ohm speaker. I think it pushes even more "false center" sound than the B&O does, and many folks made it worse by replacing it with a standard 4ohm speaker. I would definitely try to get it in a position to listen to your new speakers with it on and with it disconnected to see which you need/prefer. A lot of early 2017/Sony installers were disconnecting it.

I never would have considered the center speaker, interesting tip.

 

[BigRedd]

This is a great thread which I can’t believe I’ve actually read all of. Lots of great advice here that has enabled me to craft the following plan (for a 2018 B&O) which I’d like to battle-test with you fine folks.

As a primer, I’m not a true audiophile…just want the music to be “loud and clear” (or at least “clearer when louder”). Budget isn’t my main constraint…time and complexity is. I want to do the upgrades with the most bang for the time/complexity. To that end, I’ve decided that I’m not going to mess with the main amp and signal processor…now or ever. Finally, I want everything to look stock, meaning no sub box beneath the back seats.

Here is the plan:

1) Replace just the front door speakers and A pillar tweeters. I’m leaning toward Morel Tempo Ultras. I understand that that is more speaker than the stock amp will know what to do with but the extra ~$200 is worth it to me compared to say the JBLs/Infinitis that multiple folks have said clip at higher volume. The existing system gets plenty loud for me so I don’t feel the need for lower ohm/increased efficiency. On this point, is it worth the extra ~$130 to go from the Morel 692s to the 602s?

2) MTI sub enclosure behind the back seat. I’m leaning toward the single 10” JL Audio because I believe it will be the easiest to install, especially with smurfslayers awesome install post (and also because I’m not planning to remove the stock amp). I’d happily go to the 13” or dual 10” if folks are convinced it’s worth the extra install effort in the context of this plan.

3) Since I will be accessing the front doors and the back wall to install the front speakers and sub box, I figure I’ll Dynamat (or similar) those areas. I wouldn’t plan to open up the back doors just to Dynamat them (as I don’t plan to replace those speakers) but am willing to be convinced otherwise

Does this plan make sense as a cohesive whole? In other words, is there an element missing that would have more "bang for the time/complexity" or does anything in the plan not make sense if I’m not going to upgrade the main amp/processor?

Thanks.