So, I have the itch to upgrade my 2011 stereo. No surprise, for a "premium sound system" the Shaker 500 is most disappointing. So here are the three levels of system I'm thinking about, let me know what you think:

Level1: budget system

Front/rear 5x7s: Polk DXi570 http://www.crutchfield.com/p_107DXI570/Polk-Audio-DXi570.html?tp=93&nvpair=FFBrand|Polk+Audio

Sub box: Zenclosures (Ebay) http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...m=300500681123

Sub LOC: SQLOC2 http://www.audiovideo4me.com/Sound_Q...r_p/sqloc2.htm

Sub Amp: Kicker ZX300.1 http://www.sonicelectronix.com/item_...10ZX300.1.html

Sub: Kicker 12" CompVR http://www.sonicelectronix.com/item_...24-CVR124.html


I have something very similar to this in my F150, and it sounds great. Not gonna win any competitions, but MUCH better than stock. The only thing is I have an aftermarket HU in there. Not sure how good the factory Shaker is at running the 5x7s. Would probably disconnect the factory 8" "subs". Shopping around a little you could put this system together for under $500.


Mid level system:

Front/rear 5x7s: Polk Audio MM571 http://www.polkaudio.com/caraudio/pr...systems/mm571/

Sub/box: JL Audio Stealth Box http://mobile.jlaudio.com/products_s...hp?fit_id=1636

LOC: PAC AOEM-FRD24 http://www.pac-audio.com/productDeta...&CategoryID=28

5ch Amp: Polk PA1100.5 http://www.crutchfield.com/S-MApqkiD...-PA1100-5.html


I think this is probably one of the better systems you could put together for the money. The Polk stuff seems like a bargain for what you get. Gives you amplification on all channels, you can dump the door subs since the trunk sub will be plenty. Should be around $1500 or so for the whole package.


High end system:

Front 5x7: JL Audio C5-570x http://www.crutchfield.com/S-glsASZu...o-C5-570x.html
Rear 5x7: JL Aduo C5-570 (probably leave the tweets out) http://www.crutchfield.com/s_136C557...5-570&skipvs=T

Sub/box: JL Audio Stealth Box http://mobile.jlaudio.com/products_s...hp?fit_id=1636

LOC: JL Audio Cleansweep: http://mobile.jlaudio.com/products_c...php?page_id=79

5ch Amp: JL Audio HD900/5: http://www.crutchfield.com/S-3m41juI...s-HD900-5.html

Obviously this system SHOULD sound great. Of course even shopping around you're looking at a $2500 price tag. OUCH.


So right now I'm kind of leaning towards the midgrade system. I've had really good luck with Polk stuff, which is why I have it in my boat, truck, and at home too. But I'm willing to consider other options.

So, are the C5-570s worth triple the pricetag of the MM571s? Seems hard to believe.

Is the Cleansweep worth the upgrade over the PAC LOC?

I do like the JL amp over the Polk because it's smaller, but it's in the trunk, maybe I don't care that much.


So, collective Mustang nuts, what say you? Did I miss anything obvious?

 

The factory 'subs' actually do a decent job with midbass. If you put a real 8' sub in there you would have to reinforce it, build a bracket and have a dedicated amp. I went with two additional 6.5 components in that 'sub' location and it worked out very well.

Looking at the polks and JLs, one is a coaxial and the other is a component set. The C5-570s price is so much higher because you are getting better equipment, two tweeters, and two crossovers, which is in my opinion definitely worth it. I havent heard the Evolution line personally, but checked them out and everyone seems to think that its the only JL product worth buying (besides their amps and drivers). I went with a component set, made some $30 pods and am planning on wrapping them in that carbon fiber vinyl. This way I wont have to drill any holes in my door or a-pillar and vocals will be 10x better, so i would suggest the components for the front. The rear deck you can put whatever, because I dont think you'll notice the difference in sound, since its behind you (if you were sitting in the back seat, maybe).

I would buy the smaller JL amp and fit it under the rear deck for a really clean install. That polk amp might not fit, but make some measurements and if it does, you could save some money. Along that line, check out pacificstereo.com. They are an authorized distributor for all brands (warranty) and most importantly, have price matching. What you do is go to any distributor (ebay, some company going out of business, some company who has a massive sale) get the price and copy/paste in the web page. It doesnt matter if they arent an authorized distributor, so you can go to some brazilian web page and price match. I got my Focal K2s for 400, which were marked down from 1200.

 

Thanks for the write up. I got an 11 with the 500 shaker and only want to upgrade the front speakers. If I get something like the Polks in your "mid level system" description, I'm guessing it would make a nice difference right? Anyone replace just those front ones with good or great results? I don't want to get an amp or sub or rewire anything just a simple swap. Thx

 

Well, I decided to go with the Polk system. I contemplated doing a component setup, but with the 2010+ bodystyle (and I'm sure the 2005+) there really isn't a good place to put the tweets. I thought maybe the sail panels would be a good spot, and the pass side is perfect, but the drivers side with the power mirrors switch is not big enough. I even thought about drilling holes in the door panels, but I can't get myself to put a 2" hole saw to a 35,000 car with 250 miles on it.

So, the system will be a set of Polk MM571s for the front and back (although I don't know how much the back will get used, but I figured since I had the car apart might as well put something back there). I went with the JL Stealthbox for the trunk, the PAC LOC converter, and I changed out the single Polk amp for a pair of them. A 500.4 A/B for the speakers, and a 600.1 for the sub. I will probably disconnect the door subs since the JL should do the job just fine up to 70 Hz, and the 5x7s will pick up the rest.

I did design an adapter plate for the doors to run the Polk MM5251 component set. I even went so far as to tear the door apart and measure the clearance between the speaker and the door panel. But I decided that it just wasn't worth the effort. The tweets would still be in the door, and the clearance wasn't optimal. Here is what I came up with (feel free to use as you wish, if you want the CAD files, let me know, you can make plates using these drawings): http://fast351.com/caraudio/6x8_to_5.25_adapter_ROT.pdf

Shot some pics of when I had the door apart too at: http://fast351.com/caraudio/

The Polk MM571s are a really nice speaker. I got mine for $100/pair. They would probably work really well, but remember they have an external crossover you have to mount. It doesn't look like there's much room in the door, which means snaking 4 wires through the tube and mounting it under the dash. I might go with something like these instead: http://www.polkaudio.com/caraudio/dx...x.php?s=dxi570 which powered off the factory head unit would probably sound just as good. I have the predecessor (the db571s) in my pickup running just off a head unit and they sound fantastic. Make sure you get the Metra 72-5600 adapters for a plug and play installation. And yes, they will make a HUGE difference!

 

...did you do a search of my posts? You were/are headed in the right direction, but you could get a lot better equipment for the money spent. And JL speakers are garbage for how expensive they are. I'm glad you went with the Polks. JL subs and amps are top notch, but their speaker lines, even the high end line, are mediocre.

 

Yep, followed some of your stuff throughout the board, good stuff.

Which piece would you have done differently? The 5x7s, the amps, or the Stealthbox?