The stock Shaker 500 is average at best IMO. I have noticed some distortion and a lack of clarity in the speakers. The headunit is fine for my needs, plus I like the built in features it has. I want to upgrade the 2 front door speakers and 2 rear deck speakers. I was looking at Alpine 5X7's all around from Circuit city. I don't know too much about Car Audio, so help me out here. What are some good speakers that don't cost an arm and a leg? I want something that doesn't distort and has improved clarity over the Shaker. Also, how hard is it to install these things? The rears look real simple, but the fronts might be a little harder since it looks like the door panel needs to be removed.

 

i dont think its the speakers that sound bad its the head unit, remember the speakers are only reproducing the sound they are recieving from the head unit, the reason i say this is before i changed my highs out to all db drive (which sound amazing but thats another thread lol) i had a 80x4 channel amp on the factory highs and i also have a panasonic indash screen and the factory highs held there own compaired to alot of after market speakers i have heard, anyway do what you like but dont be surprised if you change the front and rear speakers and still get distortion at high volume because of the head unit

one more thing as if i havnt said enought lol

for anyone changing the head unit or speakers or adding amps keep this in mind

the speakers are only as good as the sound you are sending them from the head unit so if you have a bad sound from the head unit it doesnt matter if you have 2000 doller speakers there still going to sound bad

also

if your going to run an amp, its function is to amplify the signal coming from the head unit so again if your amps are getting a bad signal from your head unit then even if its a 2000 doller amp its going to sound bad

IMO any system starts with a quality head unit with a high voltage output for running amps. by high i mean atleast 4 volts but the higher the better

ok im done lol

 

Actually, just replacing the speakers in the front and rear DO make a very nice difference. Much better imaging than the incredibly cheap factory setup. Plus, it is the least expensive upgrade you can make.

Many have used Pioneer, Fosgate, Infinity and Alpine. I ended up with the Fosgates in the front and some Infinity drivers in the rear. The Infinty's seemed to be a little more efficeint than the Fosgates. On sale I only spent a total of $160.00 for both pairs. Next will be a good head unit.

The rear speakers are a real pain in the booty to get out since the screws (Hex / Star) are so close to the window on the rear deck. Once I removed the screws, wired the speakers and set them into place. I used some 1x10 bolts, nuts, washers and lock rings to secure them. he first go round I used screws but had quite a bit of rattling form the rear deck. It seems that with the factory screw and mounts (Little plastic red things that they screw into) it leaves a very small gap between the speaker and the deck that allows it to touch and vibrate. Once I removed these (again) and replaced with the bolts and nuts, I was able to torque them down and take up the slack. No more rattle!. Plus, the installation of the bolts was so much easier. Just drop them in from the top with the lock ring and washer, then use another set of rings and washers with the nuts from the botom. Total cost of less than $2.00. By the way, the size I used were 6x8 (Some will be listed as 5x7 / 6x8). They fit very well with no mods required.

As for the front. Well, the mirror cover pulls straight out, the cover in the door handle recess is gently pryed off. The window control housing is removed by pulling straight out as with the mirror part. I think there are 8 screws holding the door panel in around the edges, and you will find two more screws holding the panel in as well. One behind the door handle cover and another behind the window control cover on the armrest. Maybe another behind the arm rest as well. Can't remember.

Take your time and it is a lot easier than you may think. Here is a link to some things to help you out.

05 Mustang Door Panel Removal

 

What speakers would you guys recommend? I looked at some Polks today a circuit city and they sounded awesome. The problem I saw was that they had a tweeter mounted in the middle that didn't sit flush. I think it would come in contact with the oem grille.

 

I have Pioneer 6x8's in my doors and rear deck, they definitely made a nice difference in sound quality. I already had a pair of 3-ways that I used in my Ranger, so I bought another pair of them from Wal-Mart for less than most sites online.

 

I replaced mine with Scosche EFX 5x7s, I also kept the 500, I hooked the 5x7s to a EFX 4 channel amp, then hooked the 8inch woofers to an EFX 2 channel amp. and I hooked the Scosche EFX 12inch sub box in the trunk to an EFX mono amp. Just changing out speakers will help the sound of your system.

 

at low volume the new speakers will sound better but if your wanting to get new speakers cause your getting distortion at high volume then its the head unit distorting not the speakers

 

I disagree, the factory speakers arn't that good. Also the factory amps are very small around 5x8 and their located behind the drivers side kick panel, Just look for the cooling fins, Can't miss it. I replaced my speakers and hooked them to new amps and no distorion at all. It's very loud and clear, I would'nt change a thing. except later I will replace the radio, Not that it does'nt sound good.It's just that this is going to be in a lot of shows and I want a little more. Maybe a pop up touch screen , Have'nt desided yet.To make the shaker sound better! I would replace your speakers and use some different amps. Good luck on what ever you deside.

 

These are the speakers I looked at: Polk DB570s

http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/Polk-5-x-7-...roductDetail.do

The stock system is good enough for me, with the exception of the 4 speakers I am going to replace. You can definetly hear the rears distorting.

 

The distortion actually comes from the amps being pushed into "clipping" distortion which not only sounds bad, but will fry even the best speakers! The factory speakers' magnets and cones are so light that they're loud with very little power, such as the stock amps' output. You end up overdriving the amps to reach even close to the same volume with aftermarket speakers, thus creating clipping distortion and power spikes. Either Alpine or Polk speakers are pretty good for the buck (personally, I prefer McIntosh, but you're talking some serious dough), but you may be disappointed without replacing the amps with something decent. IMO

 

First off...stay away from Circuit City.

I made the mistake of letting them do my install, and pick out everything...and it resulted in a fire in my trunk. And most everyone I talk to agrees, don't buy or have them install stuff from circuit city.

check out onlinecarstereo.com

Better selection, much better prices. Look at round speakers too, as they produce better sound than oval speakers. Polk, High end Alpine, MB Quart are all good brands for speakers.

I have researched quite a bit on the subject, so feel free to ask more.

good luck!

 

First off...stay away from Circuit City.

I made the mistake of letting them do my install, and pick out everything...and it resulted in a fire in my trunk. And most everyone I talk to agrees, don't buy or have them install stuff from circuit city.

check out onlinecarstereo.com

Better selection, much better prices. Look at round speakers too, as they produce better sound than oval speakers. Polk, High end Alpine, MB Quart are all good brands for speakers.

I have researched quite a bit on the subject, so feel free to ask more.

good luck!
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Mind recommending some decent speakers for me? I was used to the Bose in my Maxima and this Shaker honestly doesn't match it. Bass is alright for me, I just want something that would sound bad when I turn it up.

 

Mind recommending some decent speakers for me? I was used to the Bose in my Maxima and this Shaker honestly doesn't match it. Bass is alright for me, I just want something that would sound bad when I turn it up.
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I like the EFX Scosche speakers, 5x7s they have a built in adjustable tweeter.

 

I'm going with Audioban they have some really nice stuff.

 

I just had my shelf speakers replace and WOW what a difference. You might have known Ford speakers had Made in China on them. They distorted really bad when I cranked the volume

 

Bill,
What brand of speakers did you use? Any plans on replacing the front speakers?

 

I did my rears first as well, definitely made a difference right away.

 

Infinity coax 5 X 7 from Circuit City. Around 80 something for the pair.

 

Bill, I had these installed at Circuit City today. They sound real good!! I was going to install them myself, but it wasn't worth the hassle. For 35, CC installed the rears and wired them. When I want to sell the vehicle, they will remove them for me.

 

Jason I am glad to see you are happy with them also. I had them install also. I watched TV while they installed. Only thing missing was a cold Pepsi.