So the factory stereo in my MY2000 S is horendous. I need better sound now. I will go the HU and speaker route but I need to decide what kind of speakers I am going to get. First thing is my S has 20k miles on it and is all original. I dont want to hack it up. I know a good set of component speakers is going to be better than coaxials, but are they worth getting a newer door panel?

Or is there a easy way to surface mount a tweeter without cutting or damaging anything?

 

I'm kind of lost. If there has been any reading or research you have done so far, you would know you don't have to hack anything up or damage anything. It is actually pretty simple and easy to do. For one, I would go with a component set. The tweeters that come with the set will just replace the factory ones you have, with little to no modification done. Most speakers will just drop in the hole, while others require a spacer that normally comes with the speaker. The ONLY thing I had to cut off was one of the brackets that the tweeters mounts to on the original speaker. By soft dome tweeter was ginormous, so I had to think up a way to get it to fit. However, you cannot tell anything has been cut or removed when you have the panel back on the door. So I was okay with that.

I have a Pioneer HU model DEH-P8400. As long as you have one that is over $120 will be sufficient enough imo.
I also just bought the Alpine KTP-445U. It is a miniature amplifier that puts on 90 watt rms per channel (2 channel) You don't have to run any wires or connect it to the battery, only the head unit! Great way to get more that 18 watts rms from your head unit.
Then speakers, this one will most likely have to be on your own. No matter what people told me to get I strayed and went with what I read and thought about. There are a lot of speakers out there, my opinion, just go to an audio shop that in an authorized dealer and listen to them yourself. I listened to the Alpine type R component set, and my god they sound amazing, so clear and pristine. The only problem I have is the don't reproduce frequencies under 70 hz. But that clarity is THERE. I went with the Kicker QS65.2 I know I will love them and they are exactly what I am looking for. Goodluck on your build though, once you have it finished you will never stop listening to your music, I use to love my exhaust sound, now I just play the music lol.

 

He has a model year 2000 S, which does not come from the factory with tweeters.



Apex1.0, if you have your heart set on installing component speakers, you will either need to cut your door panels or build some custom pods for your tweeters. A lot of owners on the forum have come up with very clever solutions.

- Modified door pull trim pieces (NoFriegue)
- Modified A pillar trim pieces (darkknight1999)
- Custom built sail panel enclosures (L-X)

There are plenty more great installs on this forum. Just keep looking and find one that you'd like to have in your S. If all else fails, you can always look for a pair of used AP2 door panels.

 

Right, I have no factory seperates.

I am not set on component speakers, what I want to know is the difference worth it. I can just bolt in coaxials or I can customize a tweeter location, or buy new door panels. To those that have experienced both, is the sound difference worth it?

 

That's going to be a question only you can answer, since this is such a subjective matter. Perhaps you can reach out to your local S2000 community and ask fellow owners for a listen to their systems?

 

I'm happy with coaxial speakers on my 01. It's up to you. I think they sound just fine the way the are even with stock HU and speakers.

You can also source out a pair of 02+ door panels which comes with the tweeter.

 

Having heard a very expensive setup using coaxials beinb bettered by a much cheaper one using components, I'd highly recommend installing components. The best way, if you don't want to hack things up, being to replace the door cards with some from an MY02+ as you hypothesise.

You could mount some in the A-Pillars easily enough too (although you would have to cut them to do so - but, they are very cheap to replace if you so wish).

 

I think you mean coaxial vs. component. Not all components require you to mount the tweeter and woofer separately(or "separates" as you say). Component refers to the way you split the signal, not the way the speaker is packaged. You can purchase components that mount the tweeter concentrically in front of the woofer. For these you would just need to find a place to stick the crossovers.

 

I have a set of nice coaxial speakers that come with crossovers. Let me know if interested.

https://www.s2ki.com/s2000/topic/108...xial-speakers/

 

That's a good point. I mean both. I want to split the signal, and install them in a separate location. Similar to the OEM 02+.

The question is, will the sound difference be worth the trouble of buying new door panels or cutting mine?

To be honest, I think I have decided to cut holes in my factory door panels.