[W126 Coupe] speakers

[Paul Samarin]

I have an 86 560 SEC and have replaced the entire stereo system for 
just under $1,000.  You are not going to get audiophile quality sound 
in any car and you aren't even going to approach great sound in our 
cars without severe customization, but you will get a bazillion times 
better than stock for this kind of money.  I first installed 4 Kenwood 
4675's (or, perhaps, they are the 4625.) These are the same speakers 
with different mounting plates--one is designated a "euro" version, and 
that's the one you want b/c the mounting plate fits our cars; I got the 
wrong one and had to cut the mounting plates away to get the fronts to 
go in.  They are 4x6s with a little tweeter.

Good sound, but not nearly enough bass.  I then "installed" a subwoofer 
in the trunk.  It's just a sub in a box.  Much improvement, but now the 
lack of midrange was more notable.  Then I swapped the rears for a 6.5" 
round speaker by Kenwood with the same little tweeter.  I had to remove 
the little storage shelf and replace with a piece of wood to install 
the speakers, plus a Ieft a cut-out for the bass sound to come from the 
trunk.  Covered the whole mess with speaker cloth; never finished into 
a complete custom fit, but it sounds good and isn't really noticeable 
to the casual observer.

Head unit is an Alpine; my iPod is connected by a cable inserted into 
the Aux Input of the Alpine, which was designed to accept input from a 
CD changer. Works perfectly.  I've also got a separate amp to run that 
sub.  If you shop around, you can get the whole thing for less than I 
spent.  Those Kenwoods go on sale often.

I have photos.  Anyone interested can send me a direct note and I'll 
Respond with photos.

Paul
pauls at sbcglobal.net

On Mar 28, 2005, at 9:13 AM, Shayegan, Richard wrote:

> I hear you Dave, but I'm not exactly looking for a super awesome sound 
> system, just figured that if I'm changing out my head unit, and if 
> I'll be able to get much better sound for not much more money by 
> changing out the speakers, I might as well do it (the guy at 
> crutchfield claims I'll see a huge improvement over factory just 
> buying the best stuff that they have listed as fitting an SE, which 
> would only cost $160). Is this not the case? I really don't have much 
> against the stock speakers, though they could use some more oomph in 
> the mid range, plus as they near 20 years old they are starting to 
> distort with bass (granted I have the bass all the way up and the 
> treble up 4 clicks, but it's not exactly bassy music that makes it 
> distort, Jim Croce will do it).
>
> The best cruthfield lists as fitting this car are alpine sps-080A in 
> the front and Kenwood kfc-4675. Those come in a good $40 under $200 
> (not to mention that Crutchfield isn't exactly the best place for good 
> prices, but I just like their "what fits my car" thingy), and the 
> Crutchfield guy said I'd see a huge improvement. Is this not the case? 
> Are there better speakers that will fit a pre-86 car that still are 
> under $200 for all 4?
> Thanks,
> Richard