Any JBL woofer replacements that improve things?

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Audio and Electronics' started by FredWB, Dec 12, 2003.

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  1. FredWB

    FredWB New Member

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    Has anyone attempted to substitute another speaker for any of the JBL's? Is there any advantage to this? The JBL is system is not that bad but not that great either. I know that one person has added a bazooka subwoofer and amp. But I'm looking for something a little less radical, like changing out the 6" woofers in from for something of higher quality. My wife's std 6 speaker RSX system sounds as good as the JBL if not better. Thanks.
     
    #1 FredWB, Dec 12, 2003
  2. Danny

    Danny Admin/Founder
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    Usually the main problem with a factory system is a lack of wattage coming out of the head unit itself. A good cheap amp can do a world of good and I think that that might be your first move to improve sound quality.
     
    #2 Danny, Dec 12, 2003
  3. FredWB

    FredWB New Member

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    I'm sure you're probably right there. We put Sony 52 watt cd stereos into my '90 crxsi and my wife's old 94 Acura. She insists that the 94 has a better sound to her than my JBL. I think she might be right. I had an old 25watt in the honda with Boston Aoustics plates in the back. They didn't sound all that great because they were always distorting with the 25 watt, but the 52 watt system made them come alive. I doubt anyone has changed the head unit on the 2004 JBL yet. The guy that added the sub woofer and amp over on Yahoo said it made a big difference.

    I'll probably just live with it until a few others investigate this. It's OK for now. Seat covers and a car cover come first.
     
    #3 FredWB, Dec 12, 2003
  4. fmadams

    fmadams New Member

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    How does one find the specifications for the JBL in the '04 Prius? OK, I know how many speakers it has, but almost nothing else about the system. Freq. responce, per channel RMS, stuff like that? Thanks!
     
    #4 fmadams, Dec 14, 2003
  5. petteri

    petteri New Member

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    Any info on what type of outputs this head unit has? Will an amp need to be connected to the speaker outputs or is there an RCA type there?
     
    #5 petteri, Dec 14, 2003
  6. FredWB

    FredWB New Member

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    Someone on the yahoo site put a bazooka subwoofer in the back and swears it made a huge difference. They have bazooka subwoofers that have built in amps. I think he added an amp and used the output going to the front door woofers. I'm going to have to look into this some more. I almost think the center speaker is what makes it sound kinda tinny and flat.
     
    #6 FredWB, Dec 19, 2003
  7. HTMLSpinnr

    HTMLSpinnr Super Moderator
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    I posted this ages ago to the YG - sizes and power. Someone else did a freq response graph based on measurements in the car itself.

    The premium system uses an outboard amp rated at 45w x 4 (peak?). The base system uses the head unit for 40w x 4 (peak?).

    Those who have the New Car Features guide, the specs are listed as:

    Base Head Unit Specifications
    • AM/FM Tuner
    • CD Player
    • DSP (never made it)
    • Amplifier Power: 40 W × 4-Ch.
    • 6-speaker System
    • RDS function
    • Manufacturer: Panasonic

    Premium Head Unit Specs
    • AM/FM Tuner
    • Cassette Player
    • In-dash- 6-CD Changer
    • ASL (never made it :-/)
    • RDS function
    • Amplifier Power: 45 W × 4-Ch.
    • 9-speaker System
    • Manufacturer:
    JBL (Amplifier, Speaker)
    Panasonic (Head Unit)

    Speaker Specifications (base - 6 speakers total):
    Front Door
    Tweeter: 3.8 cm (1.5 in.) 4ohm
    Full Range: 16 cm (6.3 in.) 4ohm
    Rear Door
    Full Range: 16 cm (6.3 in.) 4ohm

    Speaker Specs (JBL premium - 9 speakers total):
    Instrument Panel Center Speaker: 6.5 cm (2.6 in.) 2ohm
    Front Door:
    Tweeter 2.0 cm (0.8 in.) 6ohm
    Full Range 16 cm (6.3 in.) 2ohm
    Rear Door
    Tweeter: 2.0 cm (0.8 in.) 6ohm
    Full Range: 16 cm (6.3 in.) 3ohm

    Enjoy,
    -Rick
     
    #7 HTMLSpinnr, Dec 30, 2003
  8. Danny

    Danny Admin/Founder
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    That's some great information - that's a lot of power being put out by the OEM Headunit...That would lead me to think that you replace speakers first to get an improved sound, then move onto adding an amp, etc.
     
    #8 Danny, Dec 30, 2003
  9. FredWB

    FredWB New Member

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    So the 6.3" speakers are full range. Does that mean 2 ways maybe? Can anyone recommend some good replacements? That seems the most non-invasive way to go for starters. I have not looked but does anyone know where the snap fits are to get at those speakers?

    I also think the instrument panel speakers sounds so thin and tinny. And it's so small too....almost better if you could turn it down but I have not found a way to do that.
     
    #9 FredWB, Dec 30, 2003
  10. Danny

    Danny Admin/Founder
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    #10 Danny, Dec 30, 2003
  11. HTMLSpinnr

    HTMLSpinnr Super Moderator
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    Not two way, the tweeters are separate in front on both, and in the rear as well for the premium. That would make these components. I think they're just "implemented" to handle the full range. I'd be interested to know if they're dual-cone in the rear on the base system.

    Some say that simply sealing up the space behind the "full range" speakers, we could probably improve low-end response.

    Otherwise, start shopping for some different components.

    Anyone have speculation on whether the tweeter or woofer is adding to the tinnyness, or if it's the center speaker?

    -Rick
     
    #11 HTMLSpinnr, Dec 30, 2003
  12. FredWB

    FredWB New Member

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    The MB Quart speaker is a 4 ohm speaker and I think an earlier post said that the stock front speaker is a 2 ohm. I wonder how common the 2 ohm is? And if the std speaker is a 2-way like the Quart? I think I recall someone calling the std speakers were woofers implying they were not a 2-way but then I think an earlier post said they were full range, whatever that might mean. Sort of sounds like a 2 or 3 way that covers the entire range of frequencies.

    Oh and the Quart speaker is 6.5" diam and the std speakers are 6.3". I wonder if they even fit? I need to find a good installer locally. Someone that won't tweak the plastic grills and can install them without breaking or scratching my car. I've had bad luck with every installer I've used on new cars. They're just not very careful and I even went to one that did a lot of high end cars....he put the new guy on mine and that was his first and last day of work!!! I'll have to take a look at the grills and see how easy they are to remove. The Quart speaker has adjustable tweeters that they recommend being aligned by someone with training.
     
    #12 FredWB, Dec 30, 2003
  13. HTMLSpinnr

    HTMLSpinnr Super Moderator
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    Good luck - I'd personally keep the tweeters in the sail panels, and just put the woofers in the doors as in the stock setup. Moving the tweeters to the doors might yield less desirable results since the highs are easily blocked by passengers legs, grilles, etc.

    Two or three-way implies multiple speakers in the same unit. None of the Prius speakers are setup this way. Full range simply means that the speakers are fed the full range of sounds (though I highly suspect that there's a low-pass (?) crossover for those with tweeters in the front to separate the highs).
     
    #13 HTMLSpinnr, Dec 30, 2003
  14. FredWB

    FredWB New Member

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    Well I did take another look at the Quart speakers and you can disable the tweeter, but it's still a 4 ohm speaker not a 2 ohm. I had this same issue with some Magna Planar speakers I bought in 1980 for the house. It's a 4 ohm. I finally bought a receiver that can be configured for 4 ohm and 8 ohm speakers. I wonder what other choices I have for 2 ohm, non-tweeter, 6 1/4" speakers?
     
    #14 FredWB, Dec 30, 2003
  15. Danny

    Danny Admin/Founder
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    I think my Spyder had 6.3's in them before I swapped them out with some 6.5's - they fit in the same spot without any modification to the bracket.

    But, different car could yield different results.
     
    #15 Danny, Dec 30, 2003
  16. tmorrowus

    tmorrowus Member

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    I think it might be the case that a lot of gain could come from reinforcing the area near the speakers. On my Honda Civic I applied adhesive backed dampening sheets on the inside of the door and door panels, and that improved my bass tremendously. Sealing up and reinforcing the area around the speaker would be a lighter weight way to go.

    And replacing the woofers is certainly key.

    The real dilemna though is what to do about that middle speaker. If anyone has figured out a way to redirect sound away from it to R&L that would be key.
     
    #16 tmorrowus, Dec 30, 2003
  17. Danny

    Danny Admin/Founder
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    #17 Danny, Dec 30, 2003
  18. Jeff

    Jeff New Member

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    Upgraded Speakers

    I took these notes down from a post on yahoo groups from someone who *really* sounded like they knew what they were doing. It included explanations of where the frequency response holes were in the stock speakers and everything.

    This person replaced the stock front speakers with Boston Acoustics Rally RC620 Separates http://www.bostonacoustics.com/ca_product....0&CategoryID=14

    ...and the rear speakers with Boston Acoustics Rally 6M (couldn't find a link) in the rear.

    Hope this helps someone... if I ever get my car I will probably upgrade the speakers. BA speakers generally have high sensitivity, which yields more volume/watt so I expect that I will be OK with the stock amp. I'm not big into blasting my eardrums anyway, just want crisp clean sound.

    Jeff
     
    #18 Jeff, Jan 13, 2004
  19. HTMLSpinnr

    HTMLSpinnr Super Moderator
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    I don't recall this post on what was replaced. Was this the base or premium system he upgraded?
     
    #19 HTMLSpinnr, Jan 13, 2004
  20. PriusDreamer

    PriusDreamer Member

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    I haven't check this out yet, but generally Crutchfield has a really good fitment section for cars. They will tell you what fits and if any modifications are needed to accomplish speaker changes to OEM speakers
     
    #20 PriusDreamer, Jan 14, 2004
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