I posted this in another thread, and I am sure some of you read this, but I felt that it needed a bit more attention. Read below:

I have known this for quite awhile, but I have not said anything about it. The speakers are average quality 5x7's.
There are 4 of these. Two up front in each door, and two in the rear just below the seat belt straps. The speakers in the rear are muffled because of the plastic casing covering them. The enclosed casing causes a very "low" treble level, which sounds very bad.

On your stereo you will notice a balance control to move the sound from front to rear of the cab. If your like most people then you probably keep it balanced between front and rear. If this is the case then move the bar from the center 1/2 over towards the right. You will be amazed at how fast the sound quality improves.

The cab is small enough to be filled rather well by the sound of the front speakers. You will still have some sound coming from the rear speakers, but until the plastic casing is altered or removed you won't have quality sound with the balance set to the middle. It does sound decent though doing it the way I explained. Give it a try, and tell me what you think.

 

Thanks MB. Much better now.

------------------
White 1999 Lightning
Build Date 7-26-99
#2892
Snuglid
Bedrug
Superchip
Member NLOC

 

Guys,
Give us your reactions after trying my above solution! Don't let this tread die so quick like my "Birthday Thread" did

 

Yep!! I tried it today during the testdrive, and it was TONS better. Still Not fantastic, but livable, until some other more important mods get done. Heheh...Like the chip!!

------------------
AtomHeart
2000 Silver Lightnin' on order...
1969 Ford Fairlane Cobra R code w/ 3.91 dragpack
atomhart@cyberhighway.net

 

top!

 

Like I said in the previous topic
Its a big big improvement, but not enough.

Order a thunderform on friday.

 

Hey Metallic Blue:

Good post. Question: just replaced my factory receiver and speakers. The front speakers sound great but the back speakers are still a little muffled. What can I do to improve the sound. Not sure what you meant by
the plastic casing? The speakers are Infinity's.

I appreciate your insight!

'97 F-150 crew

 

What aftermarket speakers does anyone suggest? I would like direct replacements.

------------------
99.5 F-150 SVT Lightning (Red)
SuperChip
Mobil 1
Clear Corners
Dual 40 Series Flowmasters
Window Tint
WetOkole Seat Covers
Snuglid
Build Date 8-20-99
Build Number 3889 of 4000
1998 Honda ST1100
1998 Kawasaki Lakota 300

 

Hands down. Polk Audio or Mb Quart

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Floyd91
Why do I do the things that I do? Because, The chicks dig it!
99.5 White lightning
#2349 Born on 6/14/99

Clear Corners
Clear Tail lights
APC Ultra White headlights
IPF Ultra White Driving lights
PSP Filter Kit

 

I agree. I got 2 10" MB Quart subs in back and some MB Quart 6.5" coaxials in the doors, and it made a hell of a difference. Next thing is to replace the stock head unit....although I'd like to keep it to give it the 'stock' appearance.

------------------
Pritch

'00 Silver Lightning
'93 Taurus SHO, BORLA

pritch28@yahoo.com

 

To be completely honest, I'm really not sure how to setup the rear casing. The plastic seems to to muffle the rear speakers badly.

A custom cut or shop could probably do a nice job in constructing a "proper" mount to get full functional clarity, and distribution of the sound.

I hope this helps. I am too broke to do "anything" to my vehicle right now, but that will change as soon as the C cards are paid off.

 

In my opinion, Kenwood car speakers are by far the best you can buy. In terms of frequency response, power handling, and efficiency, they are unmatched by anyone except Pioneer. Pioneer, however, usually falls a little short of Kenwood.

 

The best "cost no object" speakers that are readily available out there would by Dynaudios, a/d/s/ and Focals, in no particular order. The Dynaudio's are very neutral sounding but require tons of amplifier power. Given that space is a constraint in the Lightnings, this might not be the best option. I have personally have limited experience with Focals to give an honest opinion. The a/d/s/ are about in the same league as the Dynaudios but require significantly less power to sound their best. The 325i/m is a 5.25 inch coaxial speaker, possibly the best sounding coaxial out there. Alternatives would be the 336i/s and 335i/s. The former comes with a 6.5 inch midbass while the latter has a 5.25 inch midbass. Both are components or separates which allow you to mount the tweeter elsewhere or right beside the midbass in the stock speaker locations but angled to give you the best sound. Just make sure you mount the speakers on a baffle which then mounts to the truck's doors and make sure as well that the doors are sealed properly so that the sound pressure from behind the speaker does not leak into the cab...this would cause bass cancellation.

Speakers that I have found to sound about 85-90% as good as the Dyns for a fraction of the price and are not as particular when it comes to amplification would be the DEIs. You can find them at www.MMXpress.com or you can go to the DEI website at www.directed.com . The 3065 and the 3055s should be of particular interest for a Lightning install.

On the rear speakers...I've seen Jesus Romero Salas' red L and it seems the only way around it is to cut out the portion of the panels that act as a grille and put fabricate a speaker grille from cloth to cover it. Then again, if you put in really good speakers up front, you wouldn't really need the rear speakers...

You could also check out these other threads on equipment choice and speaker placement:
https://www.f150online.com/f150board...ML/000192.html
https://www.f150online.com/f150board...ML/000039.html
Hope that helps.

Needless to say, feel free to shoot me an e-mail if you have any questions I can help you with...

------------------
Thunder
rainmaker@attglobal.net

Black 97 Expedition EB 5.4L 4WD

pics temporarily available at http://itsaboutthemusicstupid.com

Mods: Lightning front fascia, Clear Corner Lenses, Lightning Wheels, Pirelli Scorpion Zero 285/55VR18, K&N Gen II Kit

Brembo 14" disc brake kit coming right up!!! And hopefully a Lightning engine too!!!

Audio: McIntosh MX406, McIntosh MCD4000, Zapco SX-SL, Zapco EQ30, Genesis Monoblocks (3), Genesis Dual Mono, Dynaudio System 340, Dynaudio System 220, JL Audio Stealthbox


[This message has been edited by Thunder (edited 03-07-2000).]

 

top!

 

I really began to notice the fader idea when I changed to the Pioneer speakers in my L. back in November. Much better quality and sound in general. So much so, that I won't need a bass tube, etc. for now. I am quite satisfied with the way it sounds now.

Paul G.