Replacing front 9x12 speakers in 2012

I just did mine, front only. I put in Polk, 6-1/2 rounds. I have another set for the read doors. Much better sound. I have to use a bit more volume but its fine. The wood is a bit crude for now, I will correct it next week when I do the rears.

 

Could one of you guys give a quick tutorial on how you actually made the speaker adapters?

Will I need a jigsaw or something else? Only have basic tools right now, and a weak power driver.

 

I took out the speaker from the door, traced out the pattern on the plywood, then the mounting holes, then trial and error on the patteren till it fit right, 10-32 screws and nuts to hold the wood to door. Traced out the speaker pattern on wood, cut it out, I used a sabre/scroll saw, handheld, all done freehand.

 

Here is how I did the speaker wiring.

 

Oh, well when you say it like, it sounds very easy! I feel like a dork now.

Are you worried at all about that plywood getting wet?

 

This is why you should never use wood in a door. Stick to ABS or another type of composite plastic to avoid warping and swelling if it does get wet. Mount the ABS to the door using nutserts and stick some t-nuts into the ABS and mount the speaker using a machine screw - your speaker mounts will last forever.

 

Go to Crutchfield, they sell speaker adapters for any vehicle, I got mine for my 2011 Prius there.

 

As far as water and the speaker bracket, I do plan to change out the plywood to a hard plastic, the plywood is for cutting patterns for better refinements. I also want the frame 1" thick and not 3/4". I most likely will be using UHMW for the frame. I will make a 1/4" templates that are more exact to size.

 

While you were "in" the door, did you add any sound deadening material?

I am a woodworker so scrollsawing the brackets is a No-brainer. Likewise coating with wipe-on poly.

BUT how much of a task is opening the speaker cavity?

 

I feel a 6.5 inch round speaker, will give better harmonics than a oval 6x9 speaker. Thats why most bass speakers are round and not ovals. In audio enviorments, its what you do with the componets and using them correctly for the enviorment, than the size and wattage.

 

The largest speaker doesn't always produce the most efficent bass response in a vehicle. Car audio is much different than home/pro audio due to loading. A proper enclosure in a vehicle is more important than placement, power and speaker size combined. When customers complain about poor bass response 9 out of 10 times the woofer is incorrectly loaded in the enclosure.

I've built T-line boxes with four 5" subwoofers that would make your kidneys hurt. I've also heard 12" subs that sound like factory 6"x9" when put in a crap enclosure and loaded in the car incorrectly.

 

Could you go into detail on what would be the proper way to load it into the Prius?

 

Since the Prius platform has not traditionally been a huge demographic for audio I can't say I have ever done any large systems in a Prius. Therefore my answer is based on some limited research and some first hand playing around with my own car (2012 Prius).

From a conserving space stand-point and a "give and take" or "best of both worlds" scenario a 10" driver that performs well in .6 ft3 net sealed would be ideal for mounting above the battery in the right rear corner of the trunk. I do not know the resonant frequency of the Prius so I can't comment on final box tuning.

From an output perspective, and taking into account that the car is a hatchback, I'd look to load something off the trunk floor directly behind the rear seats. Three 8" down-firing in a sealed enclosure ~or~ two 8" down-firing in a slot ported box ~or~ a single 8" in a T-line box would, tuned correctly, theoretically, know your socks off.

I'm waiting for my company to release a new woofer and I plan on doing a down-firing T-line box that should do low 140s with music.

To answer your question a little more, cars are so variable it's very hard to design something without a lot of trial and error unless you have done it before, multiple times, with similar results. You can have amazing bass output, then, roll down the window and BOOM - it all changes. You can have increased output or you can loose up to 6db (I've witnessed both!).

If it's SPL you are after then the Prius isn't the right car for the job. If it's more than average output it's totally do-able and the design of the car (hatchback) lends itself to doing so with minimal equipment. If it's SQ you are looking for, then buy a new car! While the Prius is a nice car, it's not designed for high-quality SQ (I'm talking HIGH QUALITY - not $200 drop in speakers). The dash and doors are so oddly shaped and designed that proper imaging is a nightmare in the car without A LOT of customization.

With all that said 98% of users will be perfectly happy with whatever route they go as long as they choose quality equipment and have it installed properly/professionally (or DIY'ed in a professional manner).

If you REALLY want to know more about speakers, read this book: http://www.amazon.com/Loudspeaker-Design-Cookbook-Vance-Dickason/dp/1882580109

If you want to learn more about car audio start here:http://www.amazon.com/dp/product/1588870405?tag=priuschatcom-20

 

Dave, I think your goal matches mine. Just a bit better sound, and some sound deadening. I will probably look for a place in Richmond area to do it. I am pretty sure I could, but a knowledgeable person/shop can probably do it better/faster.

 

If you're looking for someone local to you I recommend Howe Audio in Midlothian. Contact Chris there; he will take very good care of you. Feel free to tell him Anthony from Sony referred you.

www.howeaudio.com