Prius Speaker Replacement Guide by ~sparky~

OK now this is really funny. I spent hours yesterday reading through all the speaker upgrade threads and looking at options like the Alpines mentioned above.
I bought my 2007 Pkg#2 used in April. It had tinted glass, PIAA fogs, weathertech visors, and custom wheels - the original owner liked to tinker. But we've never been impressed with the sound so I figured it must be the original speakers. But after all the shopping around I decided it would be a good idea to pull the door panels and see what I have before ordering anything.
Turns out the previous owner had upgraded the speakers too! Infinity Kappa 62.9i both front and rear. Yep, these are 2 ways. Left the stock tweeters in place up front and just used the original signal wires to feed the Kappas. The button on the Kappa tweet set to "0db".
So now I'm wondering just how much I can hope to gain by changing anything. What I don't like is the popping or cracking sound I get from anything slightly bassy, and not even very loud. Overall sound quality isn't impressive but I don't know how to quantify that as to what's wrong with it.
Should I sell the front Kappas and swap in a component set or just put better tweets in place of the stocks? Look into an amp? I'll probably do some damping in the doors regardless.
I'll keep reading through the various threads and maybe drop by the local car audio place for an opinion, but if anyone has any thoughts please feel free to share!

- D

 

Hey Don.

Just curious what you ended up with - I too am looking through the threads and getting ready for a stereo upgrade. LOTS of info to sort through...let us know what you ended up doing.

 

Hey, nothing yet. Still checking into the options and balancing cost decisions. I may get into a store over the weekend to listen to some and compare. Just reading all the info on the web is info overload, time to do some listening I think.

- D

 

Amazon has a good deal on Polk 6.5" found here athttp://www.amazon.com/dp/product/B000P0PF9G?tag=priuschatcom-20 know absolutely NOTHING about installing speakers. I have the JBL system and would like to replace some of the speakers. Would I need 4 of the Polk speakers listed above or just 2? Should I buy an amp or will the JBL amp under the passenger seat be good enough for these (I imagine the JBL amp wouldn't be good enough for an aftermarket sub which i don't plan on getting anytime soon). Should I replace the center and two small speakers in the dash or just disconnect those? Also, I am missing two other speakers (so far that I listed) as the JBL system has 9, correct? Sorry for the obnoxious post with lots of questions, I just don't know how soon the sale will end. Any help would be appreciated. Thank you!

 

Hi speaker improvers:
**My 2006 has the JBL audio. Yes, the JBL tweeters are fuzzy. (Beware of the built-in cross-overs of the JBL amp.) I tried improving the tweeters, but I think I need a new set with a lower 'starting' frequency. I've tried some Infinity tweets but the JBL amp's audio feed to the sail panel speakers expects the tweets to start at about 2500Hz - and the Infinity's spec is from 3500Hz. This leaves a dip in the freq. response from 2500-3500, right where I want to hear the overtones of voices.
**Does anyone know of tweeters starting at 2500Hz that can be adapted (1" diameter) into the JBl sail panels? I'm holding my driver's side Infinity tweeter in with tie-wraps snaked through holes I drilled in the plastic 'webs' of the sail panel.
**Also, a sail panel removal note. There are two "clips." The upper-rear metal clip tends to break during (even) gentle removal of the sail panel. But it's only about $1-2 at a dealer. The plastic peg it slides onto seems to survive. Start easing the top of the panel out and the panel will come loose. Don't pull it straight out. It must pivot it's U-slot around the lower white clip's round 2-level "race-track." This lower forward "clip" is like the door panel clips.
**Another BEWARE. I found that the Infinity 6-1/2 two-ways that I put in the door panel did not put out much lower treble unless I adjusted the JBL mid-range to almost max on the MFD.
**Repeat. I still need a wider range tweeter. Suggestions please.
**Ah, Prius. I have to hold my tongue when others say their non-Prii get 35MPG - HIGHWAY. I believe my lowest was 38MPG heading to mom-in-laws for Xmas with a full load of luggage and presents. Avg summer= 52-56. Avg winter= 42-48. Mobil 1 of course.

 

:rockon: Outstanding guide.
Thanks a lot!

 

Does anyone have a link to the original pdf? The link is not working and a web search does not yield the original. I'm planning on doing some audio system upgrades this weekend and this file sounds useful. Thanks.

 

There seems to be a copy on docstoc.com:

http://docs.docstoc.com/pdf/5879625/96374151-072a-49c3-9d87-7d5d271dd125.pdf

 

good write up! did anyone actually measure the holes in the doors for diameter and max depth? i'm about to get my old '04 (!!!) back from my brother who bought a nissan leaf, and i'm gonna pimp it way out. that means i want to stuff the biggest woofers i can fit into the doors, cause i really need to keep the cargo area clear.

 

I too need advice on front and rear speaker fit. I'm leaning toward (component) Polk Audio DB6501's for the front doors and (coaxial) DB651S's for the rear doors. I'm not sure if the rear doors require the shallow mount version of the DB651's but thought "better safe than sorry".

Lastly, I would also greatly appreciate the group's suggestions on if all the mounting hardware is included with these speakers (for a 2004 Prius) and, if not, should I also purchase some speaker adapters.

TIA... Relevant links are below:

Amazon.com: Polk Audio DB6501 6.5-Inch 2-Way Component System (Pair, Silver): Car Electronics
Amazon.com: Polk Audio DB651 6.5-Inch Coaxial Speakers: Car Electronics
6½" Speaker Adapters Brackets Spacers Toyota Prius 01-11 Front or Rear | eBay

 

I'm going to be trying to put some Alpine SPR-60C components in the front doors of my 2005, as early as this weekend if I find the time. Sparky's guide is nice but it's only for the rear doors so the tweeters in the front are still a mystery to the community. I might try to rectify that and put together some photos of the install and take some measurements and post them sometime soon. Stay tuned.

I already did a test-fit of the tweeters and they actually snap right into the factory tweeter mounts, which was a pleasant surprise. Hopefully the woofers will be as painless...

 

I used alpine sps speakers, they are the step below yours. They took me maybe an our to install. Didn't replace the tweeters though I put those in another car

Nexus 7 ? 2

 

I put together a step-by-step guide for the front speakers and posted it here:

Guide to Replacing Front Component Speakers | PriusChat

 

Installed (component) Polk Audio DB6501's for the front doors and (coaxial) DB651's for the rear doors of my 2004 Prius this weekend. They sound great. Thanks for to kidcharles and sparkey for the step-by-step guides; they were very helpful.

For anyone attempting this or a similar upgrade, here are some lessons learned.

1. The mounting brackets included with both of these speakers worked fine. No need for additional brackets/spacers. I had purchased Scosch2 SAT6 adapters, but they did not fit the speakers. If anyone wants them, please let me know.
2. Mounting the DB6501 tweeters in the stock location required used of my dremel tool to make room. Stock tweeters were 1", new ones were 1.5". They fit after removing some plastic, but required gluing in place.
3. Used the stock wiring for the DB6501 mid/woofer and DB651 speakers. I highly recommend Metra 72-8104 speaker connectors. They attach the car's wiring harness and to the speakers without any need to twist, crimp, solder, etc. They even match up speaker polarity.
4. I mounted the DB6501 crossovers in the position indicated by kidcharles.

Thanks again and I'm thinking my next project will be installing a Grom aux-in/Ipod adapter.​

 

found this for rear...
Infinity 62.7i (Rear Doors)
but the Front & Rear Door PDF is MIA...
Link doesn't work: http://members.cox.net/scott.sumners/Prius%20Speaker%20Replacement%20by%20~sparky~.pdf

 

The link provided by kidcharles works. For Sparky's Guide for rear doors, try:

http://docs.docstoc.com/pdf/5879625/96374151-072a-49c3-9d87-7d5d271dd125.pdf

 

Odd.. didn't launch in Chrome but did in IE9 - either way thanks! Too bad this won't help me with my JBL swap issue that no one has tried to answer yet....

 

ok. for those curious about how much room there is in the rear door, the hole is 6 3/16" diameter, depth to the reinforcing bar is 3.5". the door panel has about 1.5" clearance; more if you trim the rim off. i'm gonna check parts-express.com to see what they have that will fit. i may enlarge the hole if i need to. alas, my JL 8"ers won't fit w/out major surgery. dammit.

 

Really? 'Tom Morrow' (interesting name.. lol) got his JL Audio 8IB4 8" subs to fit..with mounting depth of 3.875". Looks like just a lil 'custom plywood mounting rings epoxied onto the rear doors' -- simple enough.

 

i stuck mine in the door just to see what it looked like. i'd need a 1" thick ring, and likely still need to enlarge the hole a bit, then trim the inside of the door panel. i decided to buy some 7" woofers from parts-express.com. also got some spray on deadener coming. since i am a cheapskate, i will be using duct insulation instead of dynamat. still looking into head units; possibly kenwood ddx419. is there a thread about tom's jl install? i'd like to see it. maybe i'll put the 7"ers in the front doors...