Adding door speakers....

[Muzzy]

Hi guys,

I have a 2003 2.7 boxster with a CDR23 headunit. The problem is i only have dash speakers and would really like to add some door speakers. I have purchased an amp (160wx2) for the CDR23 headunit for rear speakers from the US, so just need to plug them up to some speakers now.

I have heard that it is a really hard job to wire in the speakers to the doors from the stereo, does anyone have any expereince or advice about this? Not that much info on the forum.

I know I can pick up a PNP rear speaker kit, but at a speaker size of 3.5" I'm not going to get any bass which is what I really want. I know I can fit 6.5" quart speakers in the door which should give a bit of bass.

Any ideas or suggestions would be appreicated.

:help:

[Chris_in_NH]

Hi guys,

I have a 2003 2.7 boxster with a CDR23 headunit. The problem is i only have dash speakers and would really like to add some door speakers. I have purchased an amp (160wx2) for the CDR23 headunit for rear speakers from the US, so just need to plug them up to some speakers now.

I have heard that it is a really hard job to wire in the speakers to the doors from the stereo, does anyone have any expereince or advice about this? Not that much info on the forum.

I know I can pick up a PNP rear speaker kit, but at a speaker size of 3.5" I'm not going to get any bass which is what I really want. I know I can fit 6.5" quart speakers in the door which should give a bit of bass.

Any ideas or suggestions would be appreicated.

:help:

IMHO, the door speakers are a waste of time. they're supposed to be 'subs' but they are really crappy subs if anything. a much easier and more worthwhile pursuit would be to add a custom sub in the passenger footwell, or one of those flat subs that you can put behind the passenger seat.

take a look around the web for 'boxster sub' or something similar. you'll be much happier than if you added door speakers.

here's a pic of the behind-the-seat sub...

[Muzzy]

Hi guys,

I have a 2003 2.7 boxster with a CDR23 headunit. The problem is i only have dash speakers and would really like to add some door speakers. I have purchased an amp (160wx2) for the CDR23 headunit for rear speakers from the US, so just need to plug them up to some speakers now.

I have heard that it is a really hard job to wire in the speakers to the doors from the stereo, does anyone have any expereince or advice about this? Not that much info on the forum.

I know I can pick up a PNP rear speaker kit, but at a speaker size of 3.5" I'm not going to get any bass which is what I really want. I know I can fit 6.5" quart speakers in the door which should give a bit of bass.

Any ideas or suggestions would be appreicated.

:help:

thanks Chris, as each day passes the door speakers look like a bad idea. Porsche quoted me £2,200 today to fix up some door speakers! lol! Will look into the subwoofer option.

Many thanks!

[Chris_in_NH]

Porsche quoted me £2,200 today to fix up some door speakers!

are you sure they heard the 'speaker' part of the question? sounds like they're pricing entire DOORS!!

just for kicks, i'd shoot an email to Sunset Imports just to see what they charge for L+R tuned port enclosures. i'll bet it's 5% of the cost that your dealer quoted.

$2,200GBP??!! what are they smoking?

[nightghost]

I am also thinking about adding door speaker .I really don't care much for the bass but what I really care about is the sound quality .I really hate driving the Boxster because of that problem. if any one know how to add door speaker that would be great. I bought the housing for the speaker but I really don't know what else I need to do the job. I am not the one who is doing the work .I just want to have all parts necessary to complete the job

Edited October 25, 2006 by nightghost

[Chris_in_NH]

I am also thinking about adding door speaker .I really don't care much for the bass but what I really care about is the sound quality .I really hate driving the Boxster because of that problem. if any one know how to add door speaker that would be great. I bought the housing for the speaker but I really don't know what else I need to do the job. I am not the one who is doing the work .I just want to have all parts necessary to complete the job

what year car do you have? does your car have an amp? what stereo model do you have?

again, IMHO i wouldn't even bother. if you're looking for sound quality, get yourself a rear speaker kit, upgrade your dash speakers and get a real sub. :)

[atmorris]

I am also thinking about adding door speaker .I really don't care much for the bass but what I really care about is the sound quality .I really hate driving the Boxster because of that problem. if any one know how to add door speaker that would be great. I bought the housing for the speaker but I really don't know what else I need to do the job. I am not the one who is doing the work .I just want to have all parts necessary to complete the job

what year car do you have? does your car have an amp? what stereo model do you have?

again, IMHO i wouldn't even bother. if you're looking for sound quality, get yourself a rear speaker kit, upgrade your dash speakers and get a real sub. :)

Adding the PNP rear speaker kit will make a BIG difference in the sound stage, but Chris is right, it won't address the bass issue. The Kenwood sub is a good solution, the door speaker solution is possible as well. I wanted to stay as "stock" looking as possible so I have 6 1/2" MB Quart subs in my doors. They are a huge improvement over the stock 5" junk that was there, but to be fair, I'm not a 600W hip-hop blast your windows out bass lover either...I just like punchy,tight, and clean bass. I don't believe the door panels in any year Boxster are all that different from one another, so putting speakers in the doors shouldn't be a big deal. Wiring them in a Boxster that didn't have door speakers, on the other hand might be a bit more of a challange. The Boxster has a socketed contact arrangement for the wiring normally running between the door pillars and the door. There are probably some open contact points in the molded seats that you could utilize(especially if the door speakers were an option on your MY), but I'm not sure where you can get the contact parts from. Maybe one of the other guys on the board knows.

Edited October 25, 2006 by Andy_M

[Chris_in_NH]

Adding the PNP rear speaker kit will make a BIG difference in the sound stage, but Chris is right, it won't be a cure all. I have 6 1/2" MB Quart subs in my doors and they are a huge improvement over the stock 5" junk that was there, but to be fair, I'm not a 600W hip-hop blast your windows out bass lover either...I just like it punchy,tight, and clean. I don't believe the door panels in any year Boxster are all that different from one another, so putting speakers in the doors shouldn't be a big deal. Wiring them, on the other hand might be a bit more of a challange. The Boxster has a socketed contact arrangement for the wiring normally running between the door pillars and the door. There are probably some open contact points in the molded seats that you could utilize, but I'm not sure where you can get the contact parts from. Maybe one of the other guys on the board knows.

hi Andy,

as you know, i used your fabulous instructions and choice of speakers for my upgrade. i didn't use the door baffle that you created... i tried and i just wasn't getting the sound i wanted. so i Dremeled out my OEM speaker enclosures to fit the 6.5" MBQ speakers. this seemed to work pretty well, but i still don't have the bass-iness that i'm looking for. i'm not a 600W hip-hop shake-the-street guy either. but i think eventually i'm going to get a real sub so i have that low end that i'm looking for.

i've seen two styles of boxster doors. one is basically flat from top to bottom, and the other has the 'lip' to accomodate a speaker. without the lip, i don't see how a speaker could be added since the speaker depth would prevent the window from working correctly. maybe i'm wrong... i can't remember exactly.

but i think it would be a lot of work to add door speakers for little gain.

[atmorris]

Adding the PNP rear speaker kit will make a BIG difference in the sound stage, but Chris is right, it won't be a cure all. I have 6 1/2" MB Quart subs in my doors and they are a huge improvement over the stock 5" junk that was there, but to be fair, I'm not a 600W hip-hop blast your windows out bass lover either...I just like it punchy,tight, and clean. I don't believe the door panels in any year Boxster are all that different from one another, so putting speakers in the doors shouldn't be a big deal. Wiring them, on the other hand might be a bit more of a challange. The Boxster has a socketed contact arrangement for the wiring normally running between the door pillars and the door. There are probably some open contact points in the molded seats that you could utilize, but I'm not sure where you can get the contact parts from. Maybe one of the other guys on the board knows.

hi Andy,

as you know, i used your fabulous instructions and choice of speakers for my upgrade. i didn't use the door baffle that you created... i tried and i just wasn't getting the sound i wanted. so i Dremeled out my OEM speaker enclosures to fit the 6.5" MBQ speakers. this seemed to work pretty well, but i still don't have the bass-iness that i'm looking for. i'm not a 600W hip-hop shake-the-street guy either. but i think eventually i'm going to get a real sub so i have that low end that i'm looking for.

i've seen two styles of boxster doors. one is basically flat from top to bottom, and the other has the 'lip' to accomodate a speaker. without the lip, i don't see how a speaker could be added since the speaker depth would prevent the window from working correctly. maybe i'm wrong... i can't remember exactly.

but i think it would be a lot of work to add door speakers for little gain.

Sorry...I neglected to mention. I also know that Kevin Bennet at RoadsterSound (www.roadstersound.com) is working on a sub system for the Boxster right now. It is still in prototype stage but is probably only a few months from being available commercially. You might want to wait a while more Chris.....

[atmorris]

Adding the PNP rear speaker kit will make a BIG difference in the sound stage, but Chris is right, it won't be a cure all. I have 6 1/2" MB Quart subs in my doors and they are a huge improvement over the stock 5" junk that was there, but to be fair, I'm not a 600W hip-hop blast your windows out bass lover either...I just like it punchy,tight, and clean. I don't believe the door panels in any year Boxster are all that different from one another, so putting speakers in the doors shouldn't be a big deal. Wiring them, on the other hand might be a bit more of a challange. The Boxster has a socketed contact arrangement for the wiring normally running between the door pillars and the door. There are probably some open contact points in the molded seats that you could utilize, but I'm not sure where you can get the contact parts from. Maybe one of the other guys on the board knows.

hi Andy,

as you know, i used your fabulous instructions and choice of speakers for my upgrade. i didn't use the door baffle that you created... i tried and i just wasn't getting the sound i wanted. so i Dremeled out my OEM speaker enclosures to fit the 6.5" MBQ speakers. this seemed to work pretty well, but i still don't have the bass-iness that i'm looking for. i'm not a 600W hip-hop shake-the-street guy either. but i think eventually i'm going to get a real sub so i have that low end that i'm looking for.

i've seen two styles of boxster doors. one is basically flat from top to bottom, and the other has the 'lip' to accomodate a speaker. without the lip, i don't see how a speaker could be added since the speaker depth would prevent the window from working correctly. maybe i'm wrong... i can't remember exactly.

but i think it would be a lot of work to add door speakers for little gain.

Different strokes for different folks :thumbup:

I added some accoustical material to the inside of the door panel in mine and got decent mid bass response, which was what I was after. Those speakers and that amp combination are never going to produce the lower end of the bass range like a sub will. There isn't enough power and the speakers are not built for it. My problem with the system is more that it is now simply underpowered, but I knew this would be the case going in to that upgrade (and said so in my article). I have a 6x100 amp to replace the 6x40 stock unit, but I am not going to change that out until this winter when I upgrade the HU in the car.

[Chris_in_NH]

I have a 6x100 amp to replace the 6x40 stock unit, but I am not going to change that out until this winter when I upgrade the HU in the car.

i just picked up one of these!!!

[atmorris]

I have a 6x100 amp to replace the 6x40 stock unit, but I am not going to change that out until this winter when I upgrade the HU in the car.

i just picked up one of these!!!

Yep...that's the one I think I want too. Kind of bouncing back and forth between this one and a Pioneer AVIC-N3, because it has the nav system as well. The Nak looks more stock though, and I'm sure the sound is tight.

[nightghost]

my car is 97 box

Edited October 26, 2006 by nightghost

[nightghost]

No amp and it had the cdr-210

Edited October 26, 2006 by nightghost

[nightghost]

my car is 97 box no amp and it had the cdr-210

door speakers was optional

I bought these which are the Porsche Original cabinets for door speaker.it should fit nicely in the doors.my question is I am going to need a separate wire going from the doors to the stereo .or am I going to plug it to the box and plug this box into the doors.

thank you

Edited October 26, 2006 by nightghost

[Chris_in_NH]

my car is 97 box no amp and it had the cdr-210

door speakers was optional

I bought these which are the Porsche Original cabinets for door speaker.it should fit nicely in the doors.my question is I am going to need a separate wire going from the doors to the stereo .or am I going to plug it to the box and plug this box into the doors.

thank you

first, get rid of those stock speakers. seriously. unscrew the speakers and replace them with better ones before you install them in the car. the stock speakers are only 5" and you're not going to get much bass out of them, but even if you stay with the 5" size, i would buy some QUALITY 5" speakers to put in there.

those 'tuned port speaker enclosures' (cabinets) can be modified to accept a 6.5" speaker, but it will take some work and a Dremel tool to do it. this would give you more bass, but i'm sure even the 5" speaker will fill out the sound enough, considering that you don't have any low-end at the moment.

if your car is pre-wired for door speakers, there will be a connector in the door that matches up with the connector on the outside of the speaker enclosure (in your pic).

if not, you can either make your own connector somehow, or just bypass the speaker enclosure connector by running a wire pair (+/-) directly from the speaker itself through the door.

since you'll be installing an amp, you want to run this wire pair from the door into the front trunk. you'll also want to disconnect the front speaker connection from the back of the radio and run that into the front trunk. you'll be connecting the dash and door speakers to the amp.

you will need a cable to connect the radio to the amp. i don't know what the cable is, but Becker probably sells it - www.beckerautosound.com. tell them which amp and radio model you have, and they should be able to tell you what you need. you'll also need to get power to the amp. i'm not sure how to do this, but hopefully your installer will.

i still don't know why you're doing this instead of installing a real sub, but if you're going to go through with it, upgrade those speakers before you install the enclosures. the stock speakers are paper-cone crap! ;)

to recap, you need to:

-run all speaker wires into the front trunk to the amp

-get a cable to connect the radio to the amp

-install and power the amp

good luck!

[Muzzy]

Are there boxsters out that without door speakers but are prewired for them? I really doubt it. Has anyone come across this?

Still have not decided which speaker option to take

[Cassiebox]

my car is 97 box no amp and it had the cdr-210

door speakers was optional

I bought these which are the Porsche Original cabinets for door speaker.it should fit nicely in the doors.my question is I am going to need a separate wire going from the doors to the stereo .or am I going to plug it to the box and plug this box into the doors.

thank you

first, get rid of those stock speakers. seriously. unscrew the speakers and replace them with better ones before you install them in the car. the stock speakers are only 5" and you're not going to get much bass out of them, but even if you stay with the 5" size, i would buy some QUALITY 5" speakers to put in there.

those 'tuned port speaker enclosures' (cabinets) can be modified to accept a 6.5" speaker, but it will take some work and a Dremel tool to do it. this would give you more bass, but i'm sure even the 5" speaker will fill out the sound enough, considering that you don't have any low-end at the moment.

if your car is pre-wired for door speakers, there will be a connector in the door that matches up with the connector on the outside of the speaker enclosure (in your pic).

if not, you can either make your own connector somehow, or just bypass the speaker enclosure connector by running a wire pair (+/-) directly from the speaker itself through the door.

since you'll be installing an amp, you want to run this wire pair from the door into the front trunk. you'll also want to disconnect the front speaker connection from the back of the radio and run that into the front trunk. you'll be connecting the dash and door speakers to the amp.

you will need a cable to connect the radio to the amp. i don't know what the cable is, but Becker probably sells it - www.beckerautosound.com. tell them which amp and radio model you have, and they should be able to tell you what you need. you'll also need to get power to the amp. i'm not sure how to do this, but hopefully your installer will.

i still don't know why you're doing this instead of installing a real sub, but if you're going to go through with it, upgrade those speakers before you install the enclosures. the stock speakers are paper-cone crap! ;)

to recap, you need to:

-run all speaker wires into the front trunk to the amp

-get a cable to connect the radio to the amp

-install and power the amp

good luck!

Agree unequivocally w/ ChrisinNH. First dump the paper cone crap in the dash and put in a good pair of coaxial speakers (even just $70 4.25" Infinity's will do the trick) before you start messing around trying to run wires and putting speakers in the door. It will be a huge improvement.

[atmorris]

Are there boxsters out that without door speakers but are prewired for them? I really doubt it. Has anyone come across this?

Still have not decided which speaker option to take

I doubt it too.

The pics of the enclosures he has do look like they plug into the door connector when you install them in the door. The ones that came out of my MY03 were not like that, there was a lead run external to the enclosure. Still, my bet is that the wiring on the other side of the door sill isn't there, and will have to be run by the installer. I believe that the door speaker leads would have run from the door connector up to the 4x40 amplifier, and another cable runs from the amp to the back of the Becker HU. That would have been part of the optional door speaker package I believe. I believe the door speaker option added a 4x40 amp and the door speakers. I don't think the HU alone is powerful enough. However, I am not certain of the older models' specifics.

Either way, everyones comments here have a large degree of truth to them. The stock drivers are crap. The stock amps are decent but severly under powered, especially with the top down. The least expensive route to improving the stock system follows this basic progression:

1) Replace the 4"+ 3/4" dash drivers with high quality 4" coaxials or 4+1 component systems. This will not be a direct replace deal, and will require minor modifications. These peocesses are well documented on this board....to the point of step-by-step instructions with illustrations. This alone will significantly improve the sound.

2) Add the rear storage compartment and PNP rear storage compartment speaker kit. PNP also sells this kit with the amp for those who need it. Not sure if it is the Becker amp or not. Priced reasonable, great instructions, good drivers, easy install. This makes a HUGE difference in the soundfield in the car - but does not address the lack of low end bass response.

3a) This step has a couple of different ways to go.....Add good quality 5" drivers in the door enclosures is the cheapest and easiest. Better yet is to modify the stock enclosures to accept 6 1/2" drivers, or mount 6 1/2" drivers in the doors on a custom made baffle as my instructions illustrate. -OR-

3b) Forget the door option and install a powered sub system such as the Kenwood unit that Chris was talking about earlier. This is a slightly more expensive route than upgrading the doors, but will provide better bass response, especially below about 60hz.

4) Finally, replace the HU with better quality units such as the Nakamichi CD-400, 500, or 700 HU ( there are others of course), and install a good quality a 4x80 or 4x100 amp(6x80 or 6x100 if you have added door speakers). The Nak HU's have a look closest to stock and are much higher quality electronics than the Becker units. The extra amp power (over stock 4x40 or 6x40 units) is needed when the top is down, and to drop distortion levels and get better S/N ratio or THD.

Its a process. Hey, doing stuff like this is half the fun of owning. There aren't that many improvements you can make to a Porsche by yourself. :)

Edited October 27, 2006 by Andy_M

[Chris_in_NH]

Agree unequivocally w/ ChrisinNH. First dump the paper cone crap in the dash and put in a good pair of coaxial speakers (even just $70 4.25" Infinity's will do the trick) before you start messing around trying to run wires and putting speakers in the door. It will be a huge improvement.

thanks for agreeing with me. but i was referring to replacing the paper cone speakers in the door speaker enclosures. ;) (just so he wouldn't have to take the door panel off again to upgrade.)

the dash speakers are much more accessible, but of course i recommend upgrading those crap speakers as well. :)