2nd Gen. Non-Subaru Tweeter up-grade

Hello, Yes i have searched must of the other threads ,but most deal with the easier plug n play Subaru replacement. What are most of you 2nd gen'ers doing for replacements? Are most off yall replacing the the bottom woofer also and using a ********* or similar adapter for the tweeter? ....and can you use the factory wiring/crossover ? Thanks and sorry if this has been covered before!!

 

Do you have the JBL system?

 

it’s just the stock cd head unit. Not marked jbl anywhere

 

If it’s not JBL (the sub behind the rear seat is the dead giveaway) then its a pretty easy swap. Grab a set of 6x9 component speakers (separate woofer and tweeter) and the 6x9 speaker adapters and Toyota speaker wire adapters. In my shop, heavy duty hot glue works really well to hold the tweeter in the door panel and keeps it from rattling.

The kicker CS components are a popular choice. The highs are a bit bright to me, but they play loud with the limited power from the radio

 

Thanks.... do you have a link to wire adapters?

 

.....and should I stick with a 4 Ohm setup?

 

Yes, stick with 4ohm

Wire adapters are

$17 Metra 72-8104 Speaker Wire Adapters for Select Toyota Vehicles - 4 Total Adapters

Metra 72-8104
Speaker adapters are

$18 82-8146 6" x 9" Front Speaker Adapter for Select Lexus and Toyota Vehicles, Black, Apple

82-8146 for the fronts

 

Thanks Destin!

 

Relocate them to the sail panels! Made a world of difference for my kicker CS components.

 

Got my Kickers and Metra adpts and harness over the weekend, swapping speakers right now. Is the

$17 Metra 72-8104 Speaker Wire Adapters for Select Toyota Vehicles - 4 Total Adapters

Metra 72-8104 supposed to be plug and play on a 2nd gen? It should plug into the connector with the 4 wires right before the tweeter ??

 

Which kickers did you get? This will determine how we need to use the adapters

 

css69

 

I'm going to preface all of this by saying you probably actually don't need the wire adapters with the CS components. They have all the wires already built in to the crossovers unlike most other speakers. Better to have the adapters just in case, but as I walk through this process in my head, I don't think the harnesses will be needed. However, there WILL be some cutting and splicing. If you don't have a soldering iron or a pair of crimpers and some butt connectors, head to home depot or wherever and pick up one or there other, or both. If you go the crimp route, grab a bag of red butt connectors as well (at least 20 because it's nice to have extras)

Start by removing the door panel. Lots of videos on this
Then, find a good place to mount the crossover. Strong double sided tape works fine.

At the tweeter connector, you will need to cut two of the wires. If you're looking at the connector with the clip facing up, it will be pins 3 and 4. Here is a very blurry picture of the wires you'll need. Note that the outer-most wire is our positive, and the inner wire is our negative



These two wires will be spliced onto the input wires of the crossover

That was the hard part.
The two sets of output wires from the crossover already have connectors on them so you can simply plug in the tweeter and the woofer.
Another tricky part can be mounting the tweeter. I have had good luck a few ways. You can make a bracket out of ABS plastic to attach it to the metal mount. You can use a piece of backstrap to attach it. You can hot glue it to the actual door panel (just be sure to not let glue get in the speaker grill.) I have done all of these things and they all work well. Just do whatever works best for the tools and materials you have available. Doesn't have to be fancy, just has to hold it secure.

Also, another tip. If you're OCD and want the woofer facing up, put the bracket on the door panel to make sure you know which direction it will be facing. It IS directional so it has to be mounted a certain way. Once you know which way it goes, then you can attach the speaker

 

Oh, and I would definitely leave the little switch on the crossover to 0. the +3db and +6db make the highs absurdly loud

 

Dude, Thanks for the quick reply !! I will jump back into it tomorrow morning. Thanks again. Kurt

 

No problem! Here is a video from ********* that gives a good idea of the process. They use some of their expensive harnesses and their crossover mount, but you get a grasp of what you'll be doing. It's not a hard process by any means. Much easier with the right tools. Klein crimper and a bag of red butt connectors and things speed right along. Have a bag of 4" zip ties as well just to keep things tidy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=6&v=2kBCWAZY2Ig

 

Just got around to finishing the component swap.All went smooth and took about 90 minutes. What a huge difference in sound quality !! Thanks for all your help Destin !

 

Kicker CS speakers in the doors and Subaru Tweeter in the dash work for me. Good luck

 

I got excited about a plug and play option after seeing the Subaru tweeter option for gen 3’s.

OP, did you swap out just tweeters, or did you swap speakers as well? I’m hoping to clean up that muddy stock sound but don’t want to undertake a significant project.

 

swapped out both speakers with the Kicker CS components....read the earlier posts in this thread on how to do it. I got great instructions from Dustin. EZ mod that you def enjoy !!!