Help with 2nd gen tweeters

I have read several threads and just got more confused than I was before. I currently have a Kenwood 9903, a kenwood underseat woofer, and Kenwood 6.5 speakers in the front doors, factory in the rear doors. I want to replace my tweeters but really don’t have any idea how to do it. I have no soldering skills. Is there an easy, simple drop in replacement for the factory tweeters and if not, what’s the next best, NON soldering option?

 

They are still connected?

Did you just install Kenwood woofers in the front door or did you do the thing people do, where a full range speaker gets installed in the lower door with no thought to what happens with the factory mid/high, and the resulting load in that circuit?

If you replace the front door speakers, you should install a two way component system as the replacement.

Now, regarding soldering, installing speakers doesn’t usually require soldering, people that do that are just going a little extra. You can use crimp on connectors and/or a speaker adapter harness.

 

When I replaced my fronts with kenwoods that had tweeters on them, I removed my factory tweeters and closed the circuits. The way the 2nd gen is wired, you have to close the circuit either with a tweeter or joining the wires. I opened up a t-splice so both wires could go all the way through. To do it right, I suppose I should've cut the connector and soldered/crimped the wires instead, but I havent had any issues at all.

 

So already you’re both way ahead of my understanding. I installed the head unit and underseat woofer, I was going to buy new door speakers and when I took the panels off saw that there were already Kenwood speakers in there. I do t know exactly what they are, I haven’t taken them out to see but they measure 6.5 inches across and are round, not the oval 6x9 size.

So I’ll rephrase my question - what’s the best, easiest to install speaker solution. I’m just looking for a nice, clear sound, I’m not trying to win any competition or anything. I also am not looking to spend a ton of money, just looking for a decent upgrade to sound quality.

 

Most speakers will install very similarly. 99% of the time, you push on the connectors from a wiring harness to the speaker, then plug the other end into the factory harness. Then bolt the speaker to an adapter, then that to the door. You said theres already aftermarket speakers, so it should already have the mount adapter and wiring harness. When it comes to what speaker to get, you'll get 1000 different answers. Two main choices are getting a component speaker or just a mid range woofer. If you get a component speaker with a tweeter mounted in the middle you'll want to delete your factory tweeter, but if you get a woofer then you'll want to upgrade your tweeter separately.

I'm not an audio expert, but I've heard people talk about different setups and what the best ones are. I don't have an opinion other than I think a component 6x9 does the job just fine. Your supposed to get a better surround or sound quality from using a circular woofer and keeping the tweeter in the stock location, especially since you have a subwoofer. This dedicates each speaker to it's own set of frequencies. In reality unless you want super high quality, the 6x9 components have served me well.

 

Thanks, that makes a bit more sense. Could you explain a little more exactly what you did to disconnect your tweeter? Looking at mine, as far as I can tell the previous owner just connected the lower speakers. I don’t see anything to show that the tweeters are disconnected and they definitely look like the factory ones. The rear speakers are also definitely factory. Would it just make sense for me to get a full front and rear replacement, with the front having their own tweeters?

Would a kit like this be a good option?
https://www.hifisoundconnection.com...MI0cHD18KE6wIVr9SzCh1_dgCREAQYBSABEgIsZ_D_BwE

I ask because my wife’s cross trek has a kicker speaker set made specifically for it, it was just plug and play for me to replace all her speakers and it sounds great.

 

If you've had good experience with kicker and like the way they sound then I'd get that kit. If they are direct fit, they'll bolt right in and it comes with all the adapters. Cant get much easier than that. Here's a link to crutchfield assuming you have a non JBL 4 door: https://www.crutchfield.com/car/outfitmycar/mycar.aspx. It's worth a look at other options but that kicker set will be super easy to install.
As for what I did with my tweeters, my main 6x9s had tweeters and super tweeters mounted on them so I didn't want noise pollution from my stock crappy tweeters. If you just unplug the tweeters you'll cut power to your main speaker, so you have to close the circuit. If you look at my pics I connected 2 sets of wires to complete the circuit without a tweeter there. If you get that kicker set though, you dont have to worry about that because it comes with replacement tweeters.

 

Well it may not be the cheapest option but it didn't seem unreasonable so I went ahead and bought that kicker kit. I'll post back here with pictures when I get it and install it. It's got to be better than the stock speakers, I took one of the reasons out and it was literally paper...I've read about how poor they are but hadn't seen it first hand.

 

Almost anything is better than stock in these trucks, but I have to admit for being paper thin and weightless they do a decent job. Enjoy your new clean sound.

 

Well, I got the speakers today but haven’t opened them. I was looking at crutch field and they claim that the specific speakers in my “plug and play” kit don’t fit my truck at all, so I don’t know who to believe. I don’t want to even open them until I verify things because I don’t want to get charged a restocking fee.
Anybody have any experience with HiFisound Connection? I trust crutchfield more because I’ve bought from them several times.

 

It's possible you may just need the adapter brackets. On your link to hifi, the speakers are the right size, so it may just be the mounting pattern. I copied and pasted the speaker model number into crutchfield and it says it doesnt fit, but for whatever reason it defaults to your upper door (where the tweeters go). Just about any 6x9 should fit the lower front door with an adapter bracket. Additionally 6.5" should fit just fine in the rear door with an adapter. However, most tweeters you get will require a little custom work to mount up.

 

So I’m starting from scratch. That “kit” I ordered isn’t even close to drop in, and 2 of the 3 speakers will not fit.

I thought the PO told me the front speakers were Kenwoods but I pulled them out and they are pioneer 2 way 6.5s.

So now I’m wondering what would make the most sense as far as “bang for buck”...
1. Buy a set of 6x9 for the front and disconnect the oem tweeters, put the 6.5 pioneer in back.

OR

2. Leave the pioneers in front, buy a set of the Subaru kicker tweeters and put them in place of the factory tweeters (tacomaholic YouTube video shows how to modify the plug and I don’t have to cut any wires.

 

I decided to go with components in the front and I’ll put whatever the 6.5s are in the back.

im still cloudy on how it all gets put together. The tweeter will connect to the crossover, and the crossover also connects to the woofer. Do I then just use the Metra adapter and plug the woofer into the trucks existing wiring?

Do I then also cut the oem tweeter and connect the 2 cut ends (positives together and negs together)?

 

I’ve got the kicker Subaru tweeters in my 15. No soldering just flip two pins and shave down the connector to fit the tweeters. They sound pretty good with my non jbl. Kicker cs in the doors.

 

Next question, is there a way to improve the metra speaker mounts to make them more solid?

 

What do you mean by more solid? I suppose you could make a metal backing plate, but you shouldn't have any issues. Or maybe replace the stock plastic threads in the door with nuts if your worried about them. If it makes you feel better, my 6x9s have been shaking the doors for about a year now, and my metra brackets haven't loosened at all.

 

Use them as templates.

 

Aside from spending big money on raw sheets of acrylic this is a decent method to make a stronger speaker adapter. Might not look pretty but it works...

 

Until it gets wet. Gotta seal MDF or it will fall apart when moisture get to it.

HDPE cutting boards work great, are easy to work with and easy to source. They're impervious to water & most other chemicals likely to be encountered there.

 

Yeah I did forget to mention to seal it. Fiberglass resin works... I've always had good luck with acrylic but the hdpe is cheaper. If you can use a tap on the hdpe and thread a bolt in like you can with acrylic then I'll give it a try. Test fitting with mdf is a must though. Had to use 3/4". Even then barely clears the glass when the window is all the way down