07' Sierra Component Speakers Replacement Help

Sierra11 · June 26, 2011

Going to replace the factory component speakers in my 07' Sierra Extended Cab(new body style). Just got a Pioneer in dash DVD player and I want to upgrade the sound while i'm at it, now that my receiver is pushing more watts to them.

So...what size speakers are in the front door and what size are in the back door?

I was told 6 3/4" speakers fit the front door..so I'd rather get those if I can, just want to verify that they fit? I was also told the 6 3/4" sound better than regular 6 1/2 inch speakers..

What brand should I look at getting? I see crutchfield has the Alpine SPS-600 6 3/4" speakers for $69 shipped right now for a pair..got good reviews. Anybody have those? Or do y'all recommend a different brand?

Finally, any tips for replacing the speakers when I actually install them? Shouldn't be difficult I wouldn't think..right?

I'm doing this because 2 of my factory speakers just went out on me..so I figured while I'm replacing them, just go ahead and get something nicer.

Thanks in advance for the help!

Justin

aesalazar · June 26, 2011

Hey Justin.

I would recommend using these which is what I did when I redid my system about a month ago:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0015A8Q7S

I attached at picture of what it ended up looking at. In theory, you mount the speaker to the bracket with the 4 screws and the bracket mounts to the door with the clip at the bottom and a single screw at the top. But when I did this I found it to be a fairly loose mount. So I ended up using really long screws where the speaker mounts to the bracket that were long enough to reach the steel of the door. Had to pre-drill holes and took a little time to line things up but once I did, all 4 screws grabbed the speaker to the door and made for a really solid mount. The dynamat helped alot too to keep everything tight and prevent vibrations.

As for speaker choice, the sky is the limit. 6.5 or 6.75 are pretty much the same thing as far as the mount goes. 1/4 inch isnt enough to make a difference in sounds all else being equal. It comes down to quality which is usually related to price (not always though). Alpines are a good brand and you would be fine with them. Any good name brand would be fine. Rockford, JL Audio, Polk, etc. Best way is to try to find a pair locally and listen since alot of it has to do with personal taste but finding them can sometimes be tough. I used components which are more pricey but it is really up to you how much you want to spend. Could even keep the factory tweeters which arent bad and just put woofers in the doors but you would probably want to use crossovers which alot of people dont want to deal with.

As for the rear speakers, lots of threads on them. They are this weird bracket setup similar to the front but I dont know of any aftermarket bracket upgrade like the fronts. I have seen people put 6x9s in there but you will want to make something custom otherwise you will have much of seal. Attached is a pic of what the factory looks like. I personally didnt bother. They are so far from the ears and muffled by the seats that I perfected to put more money into the fronts. But that was just my personal preference...

Ernie

Sierra11 · June 28, 2011

Thanks for the reply! What kind of speaker is that in the picture you attached? Looks nice!

I'm actually looking at getting some Infinity 6 3/4" component speakers I found last night for $129 a pair on crutchfield.com. Their 3 way speakers and come with a tweeter? Should I just get a 2-way speaker instead since I already have tweeters in the truck?

Thanks again!

Justin

aesalazar · June 28, 2011

Those are JL Audio ZR650-CSI but they might be a little more then you want to spend

http://www.crutchfield.com/s_136ZR650CS/JL...-ZR650-Csi.html

If you shop around you can find them alot cheaper online (like half that price) but you run the risk of buying from an unauthorized dealer. Not necessarily the end of the world but there are important considerations with that.

Infinity components 3-way for $129 on cruthfield? Sounds awfully cheap. Do you have a link? Make sure you dont confuse "3-Way" with "3-Way Component". BIG difference. The former is essentially one speaker but with a tweeter and mid-range in a coaxial setup in the middle of the woofer so it all goes in the single door location. The latter is when they are 3 separate speakers to install at different mounting locations (and a crossover), which is obviously a lot more work.

If you go with 2-way component, there isnt much point keeping the factory tweeter since the new speaker setup will have its own (you get a tweeter and a woofer with it). Same for 3-way since you get a tweeter, woofer, AND a mid-range driver.

If you go with a coaxial type (non-component) then its kind of the same thing since the speaker will have a tweeter in there. You could in theory wire both but I wouldnt recommend it. Running two different tweeters in a setup could end up with an odd sounding system since they are probably constructed very differently which means all of their specs are different (sensitivity, frequency response, etc.) Not to mention they will be a different distances from you ears resulting in echoing and/or cancellations. Better to go with one or the other.

My suggestion to keep the OEM tweeter was only if you were up for buying individual 6.5"-6.75" woofers and replacing the ones in the doors. You would need to consider the specs of both speakers and trying to get a good match between the two. You might be able to avoid using crossovers if you did that but it is a bit of a crap shoot since it is hard to predict how it will sound until you install them. But this could prove the cheapest option if you want to spend the bare minimum.

Ernie

Sierra11 · June 29, 2011

Looking at getting these...

http://www.crutchfield.com/s_107MM651/Polk...M651.html?tp=94

Couple questions - these are "2-way" speakers that do include a tweeter. So...question 1, should I just run the speakers themselves and not run my stock tweeters? And question 2, I will be replacing all 4 component speakers in my truck and getting a suitable amp to push them. I will not be adding a sub at this time, so I'm looking to add components that are versatile and can hit the full range of notes/frequency range. These Polk Audio MM651 speakers got good reviews in this area. So does it make sense to get 2 pairs of the same speaker? Or would I be better off getting 1 pair of these to put in the front 2 doors and a different pair to put in the back doors? Thanks for all the help! Greatly appreciated!

Justin

Sierra11 · June 29, 2011

With maybe something like this for the amp....

http://www.amazon.com/JL-Audio-XD400-Ampli...7393&sr=8-1

What do you think?

Justin

Sierra11 · June 29, 2011

I know I'm asking a lot of questions, but I just want to get this right the first time and not have to redo everything because I didn't research enough.

I was just looking at some of the ~6.5" subwoofers..and this is an intriguing option for me as well considering they take up such small space. Can these be mounted in a door? Or is it best to have them in a separate box by themselves like larger subs? Something like these below...

http://www.crutchfield.com/s_1366W3V34/JL-...k4%5d6-1%2f2%22

aesalazar · June 29, 2011

Cant go wrong with Polk, great speakers. So yes, those would definitely work. No, I would not try to run the stock tweeters with these at the same time. I mean you could try it and see if you like it but I am guessing it is going to sound strange. You dont want to mistake volume with quality - having all both tweeters running might sound "full" but there could be alot of cancellation going on. Not to mention echos and different sensitivities meaning that they will "play" at different volumes. But you could try it and see. It only takes two seconds to disconnect the OEM tweeters at the pillars since you can get to them by pulling off the litter tweeter grill.

For you question about buying 4 of the same 6.5's, it would actually be ideal to use the same speakers in all 4 locations. That way you have the best sound match. The trick will be to get 6.5's mounted in the rear door. That will probably require you to create some kind of bracket since there is no aftermarket that I know of. Maybe someone else can chime in here if they have done it themselves.

That JL audio amp is a great choice, I have the same one in my setup . Very small so it is easy to hide but puts out alot of power.

Those 6.5 subs, can they be mounted in the door? Sure. How will it sound, cant say for sure but I would guess not so good. Subs have very specific volume and enclosure requirements and a car door will not meet them. Also, even with a ton of dynamat you will likely get a whole bunch of vibration. Subs hit much harder then regular speakers. Also, I didnt look at the specs but that sub is probably too deep to fit anyway. I would go with some kind of box that is well built and matches the specs needed.

Ernie

Sierra11 · July 4, 2011

Ernie, you said you're running that same JL amp? How do you have it set up? Do you have it running 2 of your components and 1 sub? Or 2 sets of components(4 component speakers)?

Justin

aesalazar · July 5, 2011

I have 2 component speakers - Front Left and Front Right. Channels 1 and 2 of the amp power those. Not using the rear locations of the truck at all.

I have a single 10" sub in the center console that is using both channels 3 & 4 of the amp bridged into MONO output (+ of one channel, - of the other, forget which exactly). The amp's instructions explain how to do it which you can download from JL's web site.

Ernie