webbysdad

Hi Y'all,

Newbie to the forums here. Been an S2K owner for exactly six days (2007 AP2 Silverstone, all stock).

The original owner of my S2K upgraded the head unit to an Alpine CDA-9885 plus a Boston G2 sub woofer in the trunk, but no other changes. Even with these mods, this is the most pathetically crappy sounding stereo I've heard in a long time. My wife & I had the bad fortune to get a Chevy Avio as a rental car recently, and the audio in that pile sounded 10x better than this setup. I've read dozens of threads in the S2KI forums about stereo upgrades, but noticed most of them are over ten years old & I'm looking for some more current wisdom. i don't want to do any cutting/modifying of my interior, so here are my questions:

1. Specs for the cars original sound system says it has 8 speakers; One each lower door panel, upper door panel, and two each roll bar header. Does anybody know the size of the (I think) three different speaker styles? Are the lower door speakers 6.5 inch models? Are the upper door speakers 2 inchers? What about the ones in the roll bars - they look tiny.
2. Based on the sizes above, what are the best replacement choices? My tastes tend to run toward Infinity, Polk, or Fosgate, but are there other, better choices?
3. There's noting wrong with the Alpine head unit, except that it's dated (no iPod doc, no bluetooth). I'd much prefer a unit with all that, plus hands free phone support. Any recommendations?

Thanks for any advice - been going data blind ready all the threads on this topic from years past.

windhund116

I went with the Alpine CDE-SXM145BT. You may like the HD-148BT better.

http://www.amazon.com/Alpine-CDE-HD1...ne+CDE-HD148BT

I replaced the stock speakers. You need to add sound deadening, to keep the parts of the door and rear view mirrors from rattling. I used Alpine component speakers that replaced and fit OEM positions, except the ones in the head rests. I also put in a Focal IBUS 2.0 subwoofer vertical, behind the seats.

http://focal-america.com/wp-content/...nIBUS20_GB.pdf

Sound is ok. Really, much better with top down, stopped. Never going to sound like a full sized coupe, at road speeds. SW really helps.

MikeekiM

I went with the Kenwood KDC-X998 headunit...has all the basic things you would want from a modern headunit... And I replaced my stock speakers with the Polk DB-6501 component speakers...

For a simple swap, I couldn't be happier... At some point, I may upgrade to an amped set up, add a subwoofer and replace the Polks for Focal speakers...but for now, I am happy with the swap upgrade...

windhund116

Did you line the doors and floor with sound dampening material? This really helps prevent crazy-@ss vibrations --- that sound like IM distortion galore. Makes the separation cleaner. To my ears, at least. FWIW...

MikeekiM

I didn't...but it is another thing that is on my list of "might do" items if I decide to make further improvements to my sound system... As it stands, I don't really notice any vibrations...so I am not in any hurry to do anything...

But sound deadening material would be a welcome add...Not only would it improve things sonically...it would also give the doors a more solid feel to them when closing them (but obviously will also add some weight)...

I'm always waffling on how to install the sound deadening... Did you just adhere the sound deadening material to the metal surfaces of the doors (interior and inside the exterior skin), or did you also use the deadening material to cover the holes in the door frame? Was the carpeting difficult to remove and re-install?

MikeekiM

Wow... I really like the sub-woofer you installed... Well...I haven't heard it, so I guess what I am saying is that I like the form factor and the idea of a small portable amplified sub-woofer that can be installed behind the seat(s). Are you happy with the sound? Did you install them behind both seats, or just one? Does the sub-woofer create any vibration in the seat (and does that vibration add to the audio experience, or detracts?).

Was the install easy? Looks like it would be very easy...

windhund116

Focal SW is a very nice unit. Well made. Good amplifier. Easy to install. Kinda $$$. You can hook it to the high output lines or the low level RCA lines. Has it's own volume control, which I mounted using double-sided sticky tape, next to radio.

IMHO, the IBUS 2.0 with its built-in 8-inch speaker sounds as good as a 10-inch --- up to really loud volumes. Then, the separate 10-inch, in the trunk, sounds better.

webbysdad

Thanks very much for the recommendations! I already have a Boston G2 sub in the trunk, and honestly that & the roll hoop speakers don't sound that bad. It's the fronts/door speakers that sound like complete crap. My plan is to replace those only at this time, plus update the head unit so it'll support bluetooth and iPhone connectivity.

Are there any landmines waiting for me in removing the door panels? Or is that pretty straightforward?

Again, thanks for the input so far...

MikeekiM

Very straight forward... If you've removed door panels on other cars, there will be no surprises... I think there are two wire connectors you need to disconnect before separating the panel from the door (one wire to the window controls, and one wire for the OEM tweeter)...

windhund116

Removing door panels are pretty straight forward. Take you time & use proper tools. I like to use small piece of wood to pivot the tools, esp when you are pivoting against the panel. Keeps dimples from forming.

I highly recommend good sound deadening. With efficient speakers you can actually get the rear view mirrors to vibrate fairly easily without deadening. Sounds awful. Like world's worse distortion. Buzzing.

Good luck!