Ah.. I did a lot of horsing around in the back seat of my RX-8 today, and came to at least one conclusion:

Replacing the rear 6x9's or the 2" rear, is a heck of a lot of work, which includes pulling out the rear seats!

Step 1:

Lift up the front or the rear passenger seats. It takes a good bit of force, but will work

Then lift the seat up further, and slide the seat botom out:

Then unscre both of the 12mm bolts on the bottom of the seatback

and the 2nd one:

then lift the seat back out, and you're left with this:

then you need to remove the two push-pins in the decklid cover, and disconnect the 2" tweeter harness:

pushpin #1 (behind the seatbelt):

pushpin #2 (and tweeter harness to disconnect)

the seatback may have held on to one of the white plastic retainer clips, for the upper seat-back, remove it from the seatback metal bar, and put it back in the clip holder:

start by lifting up the decklid cover on the front, center of the car, corner of the decklid. It's easy to get the very corner part up, but then it takes a lot of force to get the push-clip from 4-5 inches further down to lift up. It'll be hard, but it should pop out. Rember, be careful, you don't want to mess up your car..

Then slide the center side of the decklid cover forward, and lift a little bit. The entire decklid cover, along with the 2" speaker should lift out. If the left hand side is still being held in the corner, rotate the cover further

Now, to remove the speaker, open the trunk, and remove the harness from the back of the speaker. Then you will probably need either an angled screwdriver (the offet type or some adaptor to get the angle) or a flexible screwdriver angle.

Once you've done that, pop in the replacement, and screw it back in, connect the harness and reassemble everything in the reverse order. The only tricky thing was getting the decklid back on properly.

slide the corner in first, and keep up the edge as high as you can, but get the lip of the decklid cover in under the side-panel cover, and push it up as close to flush as you can get it. (My picture shows it on top). You should be able to get everything back together and get the sound cranking from there!

Bring on the Speaker replacements!!!

OverLOAD

Great!

Do you have a shot showing how the 2" speaker mounts to the decklid cover? If you've already put the car back together w/o doing so, it's not important.

---jps

2" speaker mount:

The tweeter is screwed to the decklid mount like so:

For reference, the wire is going to the front of the decklid..

Holey Smokes!!! that is some work just to get to speakers.. whew.

Excellent pics OverLOAD!! Hat's off to ya..... Didnt realize it took that much. And all I want to do is find a rattle that's back there heeehhe.. while I'm at it, I might as well get new speakers too heheeh..

May I ask, what do you you have planned for yours?

Also, is that first pic of the seat bottom? Where the butt goes?

Thank you!

---jps

Yup, that first pic, is of the underside of the rear seat, with the two yellow retainer clips. They hold that seat down pretty well..

My plan for the 8, is to replace the 6x9's with Infinity Reference (Model REF96031) 3-way 6x9's.. I've got a pair nailed down for $169 MSRP..

Also planning on adding an Infinity Kappa 10.5t 1" CMMD tweeter to the front A pillar. (MSRP also 169)...

See attached pic.

They have the best frequency response, and should fill out the car properly with the missing high-range. The Bose 2" tweeters may go away, depending on weather or not they actually add anything to the system.

Also definately going to add a JBL 10" sub & Amp to the trunk. Then it'll be complete.

Hey thanks for the pictures, they will definitely speed up speaker changes. You deserve praise for helping out our community.

My paranoid mind says that Mazda and Bose deliberately conspired to make changing the stock sound system almost impossible. Removing the seats to change a speaker? And what about integrating the AC with the head unit? The Infinity G35, which was my second choice for a new car, also has the same AC/head unit configuration.

Car manufacturers know that the inability to change head units will probably not hurt their car sales, and so we held hostage to their choice of sound system.

Hmmm. I wonder if car stereo manufacturers could sue car manufacturers for deliberately obstructing aftermarket sound units? Kind of like the lawsuit against Microsoft for integrating their browser and other utilities, obstructing 3rd party manufacturers?

This pisses me off!

Very nice, thanks! Let us know how the new speakers sound!

--SL01

Everything's all about integration these days in the automotive world. I don't think the aftermarket manufacturers will have a case. They can just as easily make an aftermarket plug module for the environemental controls, is the argument for the big car makers.

At the end of the day, Bose, Pioneer, Visteon, and all the other players in the automotive world are stuck with using common components. Other than the use of a 2" (? what where they thinking!) tweeter, the system is pretty normal.

The low profile 9" subs in the door aren't very normal either, and I bet they'd be good candidates for replacing with a 6.5" mid-range speaker with a 10" sub in the trunk.

Then, the next step up the system is replacing that amp under the decklid. If you want to go to the trouble of replacing that, you mught as well rip the head unit out too, and hack the environmental controls off, and see what will work with the system.

But, I just want to bring the sound up to a good level of realism, I figure rear speaker replacement, front 1" tweeter addition, and 10" trunk sub will fill it out. Everything should be complete after I recieve the rest of the parts, in about 2 weeks..

OverLOAD

Don't forget, they used 2" tweeters for a lower crossover point, to better match with the 9" "mids". So that's something to keep in mind when you are only replacing one item at a time.

---jps

The tweeter's I'm putting in will have their own crossover, and I'm going to put them in to supplement the 2" speakers at first. They'll be pretty optimized... I'll keep you posted on the actual install.. I'm going to wait for all the parts before I start replacing speakers.. The photos from today were more like exploratory sugery..

OverLOAD

This is a really helpful bit of research!!!

I've never been a fan of oval speakers or setups with the smaller speakers suspended above the larger - they've always seemed to be a bit of a compromise.

Can't wait till I get my car tomorrow ... I'm going to really take my time upgrading to serious hifi.

Originally posted by OverLOAD
The tweeter's I'm putting in will have their own crossover... Well, that wasn't a concern about hurting the tweeters, but having a hole in the frequency response because the smaller tweeter might not be able to cover the frequency range of the 2" tweeter.

---jps

Sweet, man seems like a lot of work!

I had an older car that was the same, grrr take the entire car apart for the speakers!

I had a cavalier that was smart though you just undid the screws from inside the trunk and VOILA, done!

So the Bose 6 by 9 is only a 1way??

Very cool! Now that I know what a pain in the ass it is I just may pay my local shop to do all this for me when I get mine. I just don't trust myself ripping apart a brand new car. I know I would screw something up. ;)

Thanks for sharing!! :cool:

Yup, the premium bose 6x9 is a 1-way... You can't quite see it on that picture, but the dustcap is just a round bump, with a Bose label on it. Not even an aux buzzer cone attached to the center of the speaker. There is a 2" tweeter next to it, attached to the decklid, see the picture back on page 1.

And as for the crossover for the speaker, I meant that in reference to the Infinity tweeter having it's own crossover, I wouldn't want to use the crossover for the 2" bose tweeter, just to aim for the correct frequency response tuning... Don't worry, I know what I'm up to.. I work at a large company (+1000 employees) that does OEM sound system integration.. ;) Unfortunately, we didn't do the RX-8, nor to we do Mazda...

Originally posted by Wave
Now that I know what a pain in the ass it is I just may pay my local shop to do all this for me when I get mine. I just don't trust myself ripping apart a brand new car. I know I would screw something up. ;)

Hm... do you trust the local store not to screw it up?
I mean... the one who cares the most about your car is YOU. Unless the local shop is an excellent, reputable place who know the RX-8 already, you have a good chance that they will break something while doing the work since they don't care as much about YOUR car as you do. Nobody does. They just need to do the work and move on.

This, in fact, is my main fear when letting anyone else do interior work on my car. Maybe I have too much bad experience with car dealers fu(king up more things than what they fix.

Have to admit, I didn't have anything done by a dedicated car stereo shop yet... I did everything myself so far which will probably change once I'll get my RX-8 and need to get my stock radio modified to allow an AUX input. That I can't do myself :p

Man no wonder, if the speaker is a one way, are the ones in the door a one way as well? That means we have highs and lows but no mids! We need mid drivers!

ugh!

Last time I took out the stock 1 ways out of a car and replaced them with high quality three ways I felt I lost too much bass.

OK.....who is going to be brave and show pics of removing the door panels now to get to the 9" speakers?

OK.....who is going to be brave and show pics of removing the door panels now to get to the 9" speakers?

I just took one step back :)

A compilation CD of all these pics would be better than a shop manual.

Just a word of caution for those who are replacing their rear speakers: the sheet metal screws that hold the factory speakers in place need a torx bit (I believe the size is T-20 but don't quote me on that). I didn't have the appropriate size but happened to have a bunch of hex keys and one of them (that is L shaped so it's pefect for the angle) was just the right size to remove those pesky screws.

Also, the wire colors are as follows (for the base stereo, might be the same for Bose as well):

Passenger side rear - Black with blue stripe: negative; white with blue stripe: positive
Driver's side rear - pink: negative; purple: positive

Other than that, the rear speaker replacement is a doddle. I wish the front replacement (with 6.5" components) were just that easy :)
Now I have my Focal 6x9 replacements installed. Yay! On to the front...

Tamas....I have 6.5 Infinity Kappa components waiting to go in the front.......

You pulled your 6.5 focals to put in the 6x9s?

Also......what did you do to adapt the large opening to allow for the 6.5 speaker?


EDIT: - Ohh wait I reread your post.......you havent done the fronts yet.....oops

Nope... I pulled the crappy factory 6x9 speakers to install the Focals in the rear. I'm trying to figure out the best way to install the 6.5" Focal Polyglass 165V2 6.5" separates in the front doors. I have the door panels pulled and am working on the front install right now.
The base stereo has 6x8 paper speakers in the front, with tweeters in the sail panels. The 6x8 opening needs to be enlarged a little bit for the 6.5" speakers to fit - and also, I'll need some sort of a mounting plate to get them in properly. Once I'm done, I'll post some pictures (provided it doesn't look too ghetto) http://www.probetalk.com/forums/images/smilies/icon_lol.gif

Another member..(KKManiac I believe)....made really nice adapter plated from aluminum. He had them plasma cut where he works. He posted saying he will email anyone the CAD file for the template.

I'm in the exact same boat. Stock audio system...replacing all speakers. I have them all here waiting to be installed once my Rx8 is out from hibernation. I also have the Infinity Basslink 10 along with the Kappa series speakers all around.

Seeing that I dont have a machine shop in my garage.....I will have to take a slighty different approach to making an adapter. I was thinking of heavyweight plastic....something I can cut with traditional tools....and easy to work with. Did you have any ideas?

how do your new 6x9's sound compared to the stock ones.....assuming you have no amp...?

Some sort of heavyweight plastic would work OK for a mounting plate I guess. Just be careful not to use something that is too thick because I don't know how the door panel will fit then (it still might, just did't check that).
Me, I'm hoping that the stock plastic plate behind the door trim will hold the 6.5 speaker well enough and just have to fill the gaps left and right with something (probably some plastic so that it's more or less airtight).
I want to see it first how these speakers work with just the stock head unit. If it is not good enough, I can still add an amp anytime. It will definitely not be some audiophile solution, but I just need better sound than with the factory speakers - I'm no perfectionist... :D

As for the sound of the Focal 6x9 vs. the stock paper crap - it's night and day. But I didn't expect anything else. The immediately noticeable difference is the presence of highs. There were none with the stock speakers... they don't even have whizzer cones.

Tamas: so you have the set installed now? A stereo place in town was talking about an install w/ the same 165V2's. I'm still debating about going Focal's or Kappa's...

I used a pair of Infinity Reference 6x9 3-way speakers, and though they didn't fit on the top of the deck-lid (Too tall with the tweeters and slightly atoo small an opening), I was able to screw them in from the bottom to prevent them from being too high, and it also made them fit the stock hole.

The sound difference is pretty dramatic, and the Infinity Kappa 6x9 3-way speakers are even better sounding than the reference series (a lot brighter). I like my sound to have the majority of the brightness in the front, so I didn't want the kappas for the rears, since I thought it would be too much.

But, If I were replacing the fronts with 6x9's, I'd consider the 6x9 kappas, but in that situation, where you can replace the tweeters too, you're definately better off going with a component system and using a matched pair of round 6.5"'s for the door, and an appropriately matched tweeter. The Infinity Kappa 6.5" (1-way) and the Infinity 10.5t (tweeter) would work well to replace the fronts, and you will do far better to add a real sub-woofer at this stage too.

The only problem with using those speakers in this application, is that the impedance of the speakers doesn't match factory speaker impedance, so you could put some stress on the amp, or have abnormal gain levels that need to be removed with the fader. An additional Amp in line could fix that up properly though.

Good luck,

OverLOAD

Yeah, I was going to go w/ component 6.5's. I'll probably end up putting a 5-channel amp in there, so i shouldn't have to worry about impedence problems.

Originally posted by OverLOAD

The only problem with using those speakers in this application, is that the impedance of the speakers doesn't match factory speaker impedance, so you could put some stress on the amp, or have abnormal gain levels that need to be removed with the fader. An additional Amp in line could fix that up properly though.



Are you referring to the Bose system? I have the Base stereo and are replacing all the speakers....I assumed the impedance was 8 ohms.....

Tamas: so you have the set installed now? A stereo place in town was talking about an install w/ the same 165V2's.
No, the fronts are not in yet. Only the rears.

I used a pair of Infinity Reference 6x9 3-way speakers, and though they didn't fit on the top of the deck-lid (Too tall with the tweeters and slightly atoo small an opening), I was able to screw them in from the bottom to prevent them from being too high, and it also made them fit the stock hole.
I had no such problems with the Focal 690 CA speakers. They went in fine from the top. First I was also concerned that they might be too tall since their edge seemed to be a bit thick compared with the stock speakers - but they fit and the stock grille is OK with them too.


The sound difference is pretty dramatic, and the Infinity Kappa 6x9 3-way speakers are even better sounding than the reference series (a lot brighter). I like my sound to have the majority of the brightness in the front, so I didn't want the kappas for the rears, since I thought it would be too much.
I thought the same thing about the brightness being more in the front and since the rear is there to give a decent fill, I went with the Access line which is Focal's cheapest speakers (one below Polyglass, but they are still quite nice). My thought is that the Polyglass components in the front will produce the most important sound and these rear 6x9s will complement them well enough. I'm sure rotarygod and other audiophiles are rolling their eyes now :p
The only concern I have now is how these speakers will sound with the rather wimpy stock head unit (as the first step). All the speakers I chose are able to handle about 75W nominal, 150 W peak. The stock base stereo is 100W total (I assume that's the peak), so then nominal power per channel is probably not more than 15W... I'm hoping that this will be not TOO weak for the speakers so that they would distort... :eek:
Well, if I have any problem, I will go the separate amp route for sure. That'll probably happen sooner or later anyways...

The only problem with using those speakers in this application, is that the impedance of the speakers doesn't match factory speaker impedance
There's no such problem with the base stereo. All the stock speakers are 4 ohm impedance just like the replacements I use.

Originally posted by Tamas

Well, if I have any problem, I will go the separate amp route for sure. That'll probably happen sooner or later anyways...

.

I wanted to do that also.....but the lack of line level outputs from the head unit leave me wondering. I really dont want to have to use speaker level......but if I have to I guess.

Originally posted by Gyro
I wanted to do that also.....but the lack of line level outputs from the head unit leave me wondering. I really dont want to have to use speaker level......but if I have to I guess.

Hey Gyro,

This thread (http://www.rx8club.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=16214) says that the stock bose system has low level outputs that can be tapped at the amp in the trunk.
I know you only have the base system, and that's what I'm planning on getting too. Can you check if the cable for the bose amp is in your car? Some manufacturers wire all the cars the same way and then just leave the amp out of the cars with the stock stereo.
The other thing you can try if the cable isn't there, is tapping into the headunit. The headunits should all be the same, so there should be a line output coming out of the headunit. I know that the wiring diagrams have been posted on this board somewhere before. Let me know if the cable isn't there for the amp and I'll search for the diagrams.
In case you can't tell I'm excited about the stereo prospects in this car too.

--A

Shiza! I'll just pay someone to do it!

Originally posted by Jeff_pap31s
Shiza! I'll just pay someone to do it!
Yeah, do that - and pray that they will care (not!) and won't break too many fasteners when they take apart your interior :p

Ah! The pictures don't show up and I'm hoping to replace my 6x9s extremely soon. Can someone help me with the pictures? I dunno how complicated it actually is... but I'm sure pictures would be of great help. :)

Oh, and has anyone made a D.I.Y. for the front speakers yet? I'm nervous about recklessly taking apart the door panel...

re-upload Pictures pt1

re-upload Pictures pt2

re-upload Pictures pt3

re-upload Pictures pt4

Hopefully you can make sense of the picutures. They are a little out of order, but it should be pretty easy to figure out..

I'll go back and edit the old posts some time ...

Regards,

OverLOAD

Cooooool~ Thanks so much!

Cooooool~ Thanks so much!
I've replaced my entire system. If you need help, let me know.
We're practically neighbors.

- Cesar -

Thanks I needed these so I can dynamat the heck out of my rear deck...

Could anybody point me toward a good webpage explaining "one-way", "three-way", crossover, etc.?
Also does anybody know exactly what make/model the stock speakers are? I admit I have NOT done a search - flame away! My only defense is I am out of coffee.
Thanks :)

Could anybody point me toward a good webpage explaining "one-way", "three-way", crossover, etc.?
Also does anybody know exactly what make/model the stock speakers are? I admit I have NOT done a search - flame away! My only defense is I am out of coffee.
Thanks :)


Hmm.. well that's more black magic voodoo then anything else.

Basically the concept behind using milti-way speaker elements is based on the principle that several speaker elements can more accurately reproduce a sound source, then just a single one. The idea behind using the Infinity Reference series 6x9 3-way speakers that I used, was that it would fill in the high frequency responce that was blatantly absent from the system. I'm not too scientific in my approach, I did not take frequency response curve measurements, or any other such thing, as I'm not bothering going the full distance on results.

The stock speakers are bose made. As far as model, they are most likely specific to the RX-8, or at least relatively hard to find outsize of the OEM world.

Hope that helps,

Regards,

OverLOAD

Hey overload.

So, are you running the 6x9 rears with the stock BOSE amp? If so, are you saying that it feeds both hi & lo signals to the 6x9s?

Just wondering if 6x9s are enough, or if I'll need tweeter replacements also. I plan on keeping the stock HU/amps, while changing the 6x9 rears (& tweets, if necessary), the front tweets, ant the center 3" only. The weird 9s are staying.

Thanks,
SiMpLe

Hi SiMpLe,

Yes, I'm still using the factory Bose amp. It's worked just fine for two years with this setup now. I kept the stock tweeters in the back, and left them connected. I did add the 6x9's with their 3-way elements.

If you can find something that easily replaces the speakers in the front, then you can just as easily replace them too. That was my limiting factor. the 6x9's are FAR brighter then the factory system was.

Regards,

OverLOAD

Hmm I have the base stereo and I just replaced the rear 6x9's with the Infinity Reference 9613i

Install went GREAT thanks to the pics in this thread.

Also, I went ahead and cut the connector off the stock speaker and soldered it to the Reference speakers. The spacing is perfect to where you can just solder them directly to the tabs. The polarity on the Reference 6x9's is the same as the stock 6x9's so the connector goes on the same way.

Since the base stereo has no tweeters in the back, the mids and highs have improved significantly. It's really awesome.

Anybody have a reccomendation for a good amp for these speakers that will take the speaker level imput? I was looking at this one:

http://www.infinitysystems.com/caraudio/product.aspx?ProdId='REF7521A'&Ser=REF&Cat=AMP

I am probably one of the few people who consider the bose system adequate. But I hate the performance of the rear speakers (flat bass, no highs, etc.) After considering my options, I decided get a pair of 6 x 9 Infinity Kappa 2 ways (692.7i). Yes, there are quite expensive with an MSRP of about $200. Luckily I was able to get a pair in a local stereo shop for $160 plus tax. There were other places that were selling for $150 but I have to wait couple of days. With this particular shop, I was able to get it the following day. One of the main reasons why I went with the Kappa’s is because those are 2 ohms. Installation was a breeze. I took out the speakers grills (I didn’t remove the center panel because I had a clear shot of the speakers), dropped in the speakers (use only two screws since the others holes are off), tap in the signals, zip tied the external crossover to the speakers and connect the rest of the wires.
Now I can enjoy a crispier bass, especially from Jazz music. Sorry I couldn’t take pictures; camera out of commission.
Cheers!

So... is the service manual on crack when it says you need to remove console, tire house trim, and rear pillar trim??

So the stock Bose amp will power aftermarket 6 x 9s? I thought the stock speakers used a weird impeadence or something.

The rear-decklid speakers are the closest thing to normal in the whole car. 6x9 at 8 ohms.

Everything else is odd sizes and impedances!

Regards,

OverLOAD

Thanks for the info OverLOAD. Put my Infinity Reference 6x9s in today. Much better now!

Thanks for the great info and picks on replacing the rear speakers. There is a mistake on info about the 6X9's resistance, at least for the Bose system, the rear 6X9 speakers are 2 ohms. I checked mine today one was 2.0 and the other was 1.9 therefore I am planning on replacing mine with the Infinity Kapa 693.7i or 692.7i, they are both 2ohm as well as the entire line of 7i Kapa's

Nope... I pulled the crappy factory 6x9 speakers to install the Focals in the rear. I'm trying to figure out the best way to install the 6.5" Focal Polyglass 165V2 6.5" separates in the front doors. I have the door panels pulled and am working on the front install right now.
The base stereo has 6x8 paper speakers in the front, with tweeters in the sail panels. The 6x8 opening needs to be enlarged a little bit for the 6.5" speakers to fit - and also, I'll need some sort of a mounting plate to get them in properly. Once I'm done, I'll post some pictures (provided it doesn't look too ghetto) http://www.probetalk.com/forums/images/smilies/icon_lol.gif
The base model has 6x8 in the front, right. So what size speakers do the rears have? I never got around to looking at what size the rears were. Would 6x9 fit the base model in the front and the back with a minimal amount of modifications?

Thanks for the great info and picks on replacing the rear speakers. There is a mistake on info about the 6X9's resistance, at least for the Bose system, the rear 6X9 speakers are 2 ohms. I checked mine today one was 2.0 and the other was 1.9 therefore I am planning on replacing mine with the Infinity Kapa 693.7i or 692.7i, they are both 2ohm as well as the entire line of 7i Kapa's


Could be.. It's been two years since I dug through the system, so pardon my error. It seems as though the Kappa Reference speakers are actually 4-Ohm speakers. Doubling the impedance may result in a -3db loss of the sound level at the rear speakers, but that's only if the sensitivity is the same. The Reference seried have a 92 db sensitivity, and in my opinion, the volume level was just as high as the stock speakers, or perhaps even a little higher.

I went from the Fader at R4, to R1 after setting up these speakers, if that says anything about the difference in sound levels. The frequency response definitely is a lot better in the higher range.

As far as the impedance difference, it vaguely recall testing the resistance of the factory speakers and coming up with 2.0 and 2.1 Ohms, however the resistance and impedance are not always so closely correlated. An 8 Ohm speaker often only measures 6 OHms of resistance. Design can change it a lot during the dynamics of use, since a speaker is a highly inductive load.

Regards,

OverLOAD

Glad to hear about the increased volume in the rear with the Infinity reference, the Kappa is 95 db sensitivity but and at two 2 ohms should get about double the watts per channel from the amp (Bose Factory). I hope to avoid using another Amp. I have a JL Audio 250/1 with a JL 8"W3 sub. I felt the bass had a muddy sound before Having the sub, now I keep the head unit bass on 0 and the sub fills the bass. The 6x9's are the only speakers I am dissatisfied with I keep the fader on 0 so I can barely hear the rear.

The base model has 6x8 in the front, right. So what size speakers do the rears have?Rears in the base are 6x9, just like with the Bose. The difference is that they don't have a separate tweeter.

Would 6x9 fit the base model in the front and the back with a minimal amount of modifications?With minimal modification you can fit a 6x9 in the front just fine. All you need is to enlarge the opening slightly, and keep in mind that you probably won't be able to use the existing screw holes in the door plastic. But that's easy to fix.

Rears in the base are 6x9, just like with the Bose. The difference is that they don't have a separate tweeter.

With minimal modification you can fit a 6x9 in the front just fine. All you need is to enlarge the opening slightly, and keep in mind that you probably won't be able to use the existing screw holes in the door plastic. But that's easy to fix.
On the premium models, in the rear, where are the tweeters mounted? Could you mount tweeters on the base model, the same place where they are mounted on the premium models?

They are near the speaker - if you look at the underside of the shelf, you'll be able to see the mount locations.
I suppose you could mount tweeters to the same place, but why? There's no point in making the sound too bright in the back, those speakers are there mostly for fill. I'd just install some decent coaxials in the rear.

I just repalced my rears (again), this time with Infinity Kappa 693.7I speakers, powered by a Soundstream 400w RMS amp. I got another Soundstream 600w RMS amp to power my Dayton Titanic 12" sub.

I just wanna say Thanks to who ever started this thread cause it is much appreciated. I didnt replace my speakers but back in November I hit a deer and the glass went all over the place and for the past month or so, Ive been hearing this clicking noise coming from my speaker, figuring it was a piece of glass jumping around from the bass. Well sure enough it was, boy was that annoying. But thanks to this thread I was able to do it myself instead of taking it to the dealership...................Mwah

Just finished my speaker install... What I realized is that the best way to remove the screws on the speakers is to us a 8mm socket wrench. (The screws have a hex head.) This gives you much more clearance than an angled screwdriver.

You would have to be careful not to over tighten the screws however. i.e. A socket wrench give you much more leverage than a screwdriver.

Brett

I did this over the weekend finally. My Infinity's were sitting around for about year.

The seat and deck lid removal was the easy part.

The most difficult part was not expecting the torx screws on the OEM speakers. I had to make a Home Depot run in the middle of the procedure to buy a torx offset tool. Also, the OEM screws do not fit the Infinity 6x9 speakers, so I had to hunt around for replacement metal screws.

Also, when you screw in the new speakers, start with the hardest to access corner first (wedged by the windshield) because if you start with the front, the slight misalignment will make it a bitch to screw in the rear screws with an offset tool.

Another Tip for Novices: Prep the wiring on the new speakers before you place them on the deck. You don't wanna mess with wiring bent over through the trunk.

Yet Another Tip for Novices: If you mess up one of the deck lid tabs during removal, don't panic. Usually the holding tab will be bent loose and won't have any more holding power. In this case, small zip ties can be used to wedge. They work well.

After installing a pair of 6 x 9 Infinity Kappa 692.7i's I thought I'll comment on couple of things that may or may not have been mentioned. Also on a side note I got the Infinity Kappa 692.7i's for just $49 at Fry's Electronic in City of Industry this weekend =D

These metal clips tend to come loose when you pry the plastic cover off. There are 2 of them for each cover, 4 total. Make sure to secure them back on the cover before replacing the cover or you'll get some rattling.

http://www.redbookofwestmarch.com/elrohir/rx8/06-30-07_1357.jpg

http://www.redbookofwestmarch.com/elrohir/rx8/06-30-07_1358.jpg



Also even on vehicles equipped with the base radio the mounting point for tweeter is still there if you are interested in mounting component speakers back there. You can see the tweeter mounting location in this picture. There is a hole already cut out in the metal deck behind that point and its covered by a clear plastic sticker.

http://www.redbookofwestmarch.com/elrohir/rx8/06-30-07_1342.jpg

GTSimmo,
Thanks for the update about the clips. I just got mine set of Kappa's from Amazon for $82 delivered. How would you describe the sound compared to stock?


I will probably touch base with you about all the stuff you did to your Auto and how it's performing.

D

what is the best way to remove these clips without breaking them?

anyone know how to remove the clips???

come on i know somebody knows