JBL System tweeter upgrade - Better than Subaru tweeters

Alternative to Subaru dash speaker mods.

This is a 3 1/2" speaker.

First mod I did was upgrade the factory dash speakers. Yikes they were not what I was used to. I have the Premium with JBL and sub so I went with JBL.

Slightly larger magnet than stock! Weight of the factory one is 4.9 oz. the GX302 weighs 15.9 oz.

So I ran across this in Saab threads (I have a Saab 9-5 and a 9-3) and there was always a problem connecting aftermarket speakers to stock. So all I did was unsolder the factory connection from the old speaker add some longer wires to the connector then resolder to the new speaker. Seems like rocket science but have not seen that suggestion on TW either. Not that I am that smart, just didn't want to buy and adaptor when there was one sitting in front of me.

So it is not a direct fit. There are directions for taking apart the A-pillar and dash elsewhere so I won't include that. I had to cut the opening larger and then reattach the new speaker with just one of the screws. It's quite solid with one and has held up to off roading in Wyoming and breaking bumps on the ski hill coming down.

Get a brand new utility knife blade to do this. Use a leather glove on your other hand from the utility knife hand. Cut carefully and slowing make the opening larger. I cut the opening larger toward the middle of the truck.










You have to cut off the plastic 'welds' to get rid of this cone from the speaker grill. I used a sharp utility knife. Take your time. Or you could Dremel them off. they have to come off to get the grill to fit. utility knife is pointing at one.


Fits back on perfectly.







On the passenger side the light sensor is on the grill. Poke in the hole shown below with a pick to get the connector out. Pain in the butt figuring that out.



You have to drill out/Dremel out the holes for the bolts to remount the speakers. Some cool magnetism/physics going on here with the metal shards being drilled away. Just wipe them off with a paper towel.


Tools I used. Made it much easier.




This is what I used.



So they sound AMAZING compared to stock. I have not have heard the Subaru option. My comparison standard is my wife's Saab with Audisson speakers and JL amp and Subwoofer. not as good as that but very nice upgrade. I paid $99.00 for the pair.
Just upgraded the door speakers with JBL 6x9's -

$86 GX963 300W 6" X 9" 3-Way GX Series Coaxial Car Loudspeakers (Pair of 2, 600W Total),black

GX963.

After installing those, I used a pink noise generator and adjusted the treble, mids, and bass to an almost flat frequency response. Which really surprised me that it was that close. Less than $250 for both speakers and install materials. Got the

$60 GX302 3-1/2" 75W 2-Way GX Series Coaxial Car Audio Loudspeakers

GX302's at Sonix electronics, and the GX963 at Crutchfield.

Love the difference. If anyone in the Spokane/Coeur d'Alene area wants to hear them, just send me a PM.

No clue on how to cross post in Audio section.​

Another side view after install before speaker grill reinstall.

 

you my good sir deserve a case of mooshead

 

Moosehead is some good stuff!

 

Didn't happen to take pictures before you cut out the plastic material did you? and also in the picture where you've got the whole cut open is that the defroster vent running underneath of it and if so did everything just plop right down in the place or was there any moving of a foam material or something? Also, could i get a picture of your current radio settings trb mid bass and did you run an amp or just stock amp?

 

Didn't find any pre-cut pictures. That is the defroster vent underneath it. Just plopped in from what I remember. May have had to push some wires aside but no major work beyond cutting it. From what I remember, the passenger side did not require cutting.

I could probably have rigged something up to get both screws back in or buy a longer one, but when I was wrenching it down, it was very tight and I didn't see the need.
Will get a photo of the settings and the frequency response curve.

 

Great. To hear just ordered kicker dsc 6.75, 6x9 and 3.5 with 3.5 baffles. Gonna Start hear and eventually get a ground shaker 2-10" sub box. Torn between jl 10tw3's or kicker 43cwt shallows. It'll be powered by a pioneer gmd 9605 amp. Lc7i loc to keep the stock head. Any recommendations or ideas?

 

JL stuff is hard to beat.

 

This is fantastic! Nice job!

 

Thanks. When I first pulled the grill off and tried to put the new ones in and saw that it was going to be a custom install, my heart sank. Thinking crap...what now. So I hooked them up temporarily and they were an amazing difference. That provided the motivation. And it ended up being easier than I originally anticipated.

 

I think there are a few folks on her that have done the same thing. I'd actually like to see(hear) the difference between the Morel tweeters I have in now (on crossovers) and a set of 3-1/2" coaxials in that spot.....

 

And now my brain is mulling this over wondering how effective this would be on a passive crossover. Those aren't exactly bank breaking coaxials.....

 

Its one of those "if you are really going to do it" questions. If I had a huge amount of spare cash around and time to do it...
I would tear out the interior, sound proof and insulate, upgrade everything, active crossover multi amp setup, tune it with analyzer, etc.

But I already spent my money on mountain bikes road bikes and fat bikes, SUP, skis etc. LOL

Plus driving around with the sunroof and windows open in the warm weather pretty much destroys the listening environment so it would sort of be a waste.

 

Yeah, I think if I was going to do it, I would have to run the system active, and I don't want to, LOL. I like the set up amp/speaker set up I have right now......

 

You should rename the thread to say: JBL System Tweeter Upgrade or something like that. I know there are a lot of people looking for a "Subaru Tweeter Upgrade" equivalent for the JBL system, because the subie speakers aren't compatible with the JBL system (different plug harness).....

 

Just did. Forgot about renaming it. Thanks for the reminder.

 

Unless you unsolder the connections from both and resolder the one you want on the speaker you are putting in.

 

The subie speaker (if I'm not mistaken, it's been a while since I took mine out and sold them) is a contained unit



I'm sure it can be done, but I think the allure of them is the plug and play nature, ie: the harness is a direct fit and they have the exact mounting pattern. I think of it as a convenience, where cutting up and soldering on a $89-$119 tweeter kit (depending on what the market is charging on a given day) is not palatable to some people. Now doing that to a $49 set of tweeters, different story. In fact, someone could go overboard and just get plug adapters, and be done with it for the JBLs, and still pay less than the subie speakers, and get better sound....

Which brings me to another point, mob think....... LOL

 

nice work man! I did the subie swap out long ago when I replaced everything
except the H/U and and added an amp and Full Length ported sub box. They subie
change was "meh" but they did sound a little better than stock.

 

Just so I'm clear, this is for a system that is already JBL? I have a non JBL system and am interested in doing a tweeter upgrade. Is this an alternative to the Subaru kicker tweeters or an upgrade for the OEM JBL tweeters?
Thanks!

 

He did this on a JBL system.