[mustanghusker]

So I decided to dive into my speaker replacing project today. I was able to get my hands on two original Nokia 5 1/4 speakers and just wanted to swap out my old ones. Simple enough I thought. Having never worked on car (or home) audio, I figured I should be able to figure this out. Of course, it is never that easy.



I got into the door and found out that my speakers are not OEM. My 3" mid has been disabled and the original 5 1/4 was replaced with an Alpine component 2 way speaker. My problem now is that I have four prongs with wires on the Alpine and only two prongs on the Nokia. I was hoping to do the switch as a temporary replacement until I could figure out what I wanted to do for the whole system. Now I am thinking I may need to go ahead and get some aftermarket stuff.



Otherwise, how easy is it to convert those four wires back to the original 2?



Again, I am literally a beginner, so at worst case it will be a trip to Tweeter or Best Buy. Thanks in advance for any help.

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[968 Cab]

You might find that the Alpine components provide better sound than the OEM speakers. So test or read up on the Alpine set up before going back to the OEM parts.



Since you have the door panel off already (you will need to get into the door shell) there is a "crossover" for the speakers to split the high and low frequencies and drive the tweeter and mid/bass driver. 2 wires into the crossover, and 4 out. One pair of the wires is for the high frequency for the Alpine tweeter, and the other pair will power the mid/bass Alpiine driver. Label one pair with some masking tape or something to make sure you dont get them mixed up.



Does your car still have the OEM tweeter above the window swtiches by the door mirrors? The pair of wires connected to the Alpine tweeter should be routed back up to the OEM tweeter. Otherwise, you will lose the high frequencies in all your music! You need to reconnect that pair to the OEM tweeter.



The other pair that connect to the Alpine driver will connect to the Nokia 5.25" drivers below the arm rest.



Pretty simple to re & re unless the person who installed the Alpine components chopped up the factory harness and installed aftermarket crossovers, etc.



But I would check up on those Alpine components - you might be pleasantly surprised that they provide superior sound. That's why people usually swap out the OEM pieces in the first place.



Good luck!

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[Darryl]

Agree with 968cab...double check to see if you still have the OEM crossovers (should also be Nokia) installed or if someone has hacked them. I took mine out. If they are still there, your project will be fairly easy to convert back to OEM. I sent a PM with my office phone, so call if you need/want to. I still have the speaker wiring diagram printed and pasted together from my install.



- Darryl

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[flash]

make sure you check polarity of the wiring - on the car, stripe is negative

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[SuicideHz]

[quote name='flash' date='Jul 30 2006, 10:11 AM']make sure you check polarity of the wiring - on the car, stripe is negative

[right][post="24786"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post][/right][/quote]



I've got the 5.25" Nokias under the armrests with crossovers and tweeters up on the doors in front of the window switches, but not the other speaker under the armrests. What gives?



I do have the option code for "Hi-Fi Stereo"

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[mustanghusker]

My Alpines are completely shot. The foam is rotting out. I went to Tweeter though and they tell me the only thing they have that will fit in that front 5 1/4" spot is a pair of Focals that cost $450. Evidently they say it is expensive b/c the speakers need to be slim fit. Is this true? If so, I will probably just go back to the Nokia's and find a decent replacement for the 4x6s in the back, which sound like they have problems too.



I have an old Eclipse deck unit with a 12 disk changer in the cubby behind the passenger seat. All audio mods were done by the first owner, so i am not sure if he put in a new amp or not. I can't see under the passenger seat, but there definitely is not one anywhere else. I am going to try to dig through the service records and see if he has this info.



My driver door speaker also cuts out a little when I roll the window down, so I think the wire is getting hit. I am hoping to have that fixed, plus install the 5 1/4"s and new 4x6s (no idea what those will be). Ideally this won't cost me a fortune.



Any thougts or advice is always welcome and appreciated.

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[flash]

lots of stuff fits there - i have infinity 5012i up front and pioneer tsa 3 way 4x6s in the rear - no fitment problems - i even added enclosures to the rears

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[Ryan]

Try Crutchfield.com You can get anything there.

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[mustanghusker]

So I don't need slim fit? That will make this project much more doable. I am hoping to walk out for around $200-$300. I am by no means an audiophile so I just want something decent.



Flash, with the infinitis up front, do you still use your factory location tweeters? Would having a tweeter in the 5 1/4" cause conflict? As said before, I am a complete rookie.



Thanks for all the help guys.

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[flash]

yes i still use the factory tweeters - no it does not cause conflict - since i have a good eq, i can make any adjustments i need very easily - i fnid that with the extra tweeter, the harsh sound of the the cabin is diminshed



you should get out for under 200



definitely try crutchfield - everything i have mentioned is there, including the enclosures (you will need the slim ones of those)



if you run into problems, email me at flash@design1racing.com

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[Bob Kovacs]

I had the 5.25-inch Infinitys but pulled them out in a search for a bit more bass. They worked fine with the Nokia tweeters installed up high. I replaced the Infinitys with a pair of 5.25-inch Pioneer speakers that I bought at Wal-Mart for $39 (for the pair). I actually like the sound of the Pioneers a bit better than the Infinitys, as they have a little stronger mid-range and a bit more treble. They fit with no problem. I reviewed these speakers on Epinions at http://www99.epinions.com/content_226247741060.



Unfortunately, these 5.25-inch speakers have no bass to speak of (both the Pioneers and the Infinitys), so one of my future projects is to install something to get more bass. It should happen soon.



--Bob

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[flash]

lol - that is exactly why i chose to stick with the infinities - since i have the new sub, i am currently cutting them off down at 200hz with a 6db/octave slope - they only go down to 60hz, and not well



the key to getting good sound out of speakers is to power them correctly, and not expect them to do what they cannot - choose a speaker with the low frequency response you like for the position, and then cut them off below that



you're pretty screwed on low end in the factory locations - no way to relaly get much, because we cannot get a large enough cone in there that would be enclosed, and free air speakers don't have the low end response



as soon as my car is back on the ground, i can get back to producing the kit for the sub - way more bottom end than anybody could use from this thing

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