The Secret To Door Panels And Door Speakers

For some, the prospect of changing out speakers is a daunting one, since you have to remove the door panels to access the speakers tucked away within its walls. They are not a tricky as they seem, if you know the right techniques.The first thing to do is to locate any screws holding the panel in place. These are generally found in or under the armrest piece, in the door opener latch, or near the bottom of the door panel. Remove as many as you can find to start.With the screws removed, you will need to carefully pry the door panel off the door. Start in the bottom corner nearest the speaker. Gently pull the panel until it pops loose.

There are usually several clips holding it in place. Work around the bottom of the door panel popping the clips out. Be careful to not break them, because you will need them to reinstall it. Continue around the outside of the panel until you have removed as many of the clips as you can. If you have power windows, doors, etc, remove the control panel from the door panel. It is usually clipped in place, and can be carefully pried out. Look for small notches that may give away the position of the clips. If you have mechanical windows, you will need to push the door panel into the door at the window crank, and look for the snap ring clip holding it in place. With a thin flathead screwdriver, pop the clip loose, taking special note of where it goes, as you will need it to secure the piece back in place. Once this is removed, you should have enough clearance to reach the speaker. If not, you can attempt to completely remove the door panel by sliding it upwards and out of the window compartment. You may be caught up by the door opener latch. These can be a little tricky, as some will slide in place horizontally, screw in, or pop out. Look for screws, and if you don't find any, try sliding it horizontally towards the inside. If that doesn't work, see if it pops straight out. It will be connected to the bars that pull the door latch, so they will have to be positioned correctly for the door panel to be removed. If there is a triangular piece of trim in the top corner of the door panel, you will need to remove it also. It also clips in place and can be removed. This should allow the door panel to slide out, assuming you have disconnected the control panels electrical wires.You should now be in full view of the door speaker. it can be removed by removing the four screws holding it in place. You may also find that the connectors on these speakers won't work for your aftermarket ones, so you will have to clip the wires and attach the end connectors provided with your speakers. Pay attention to positive and negative here.

If you are unsure of what is what, there are a few ways to check. Look at the terminals on the factory speaker. It may have a "+" and "-" sign designating positive and negative. If it doesn't tell you, you can log on to installdr.com and look up the color codes for the speaker, or try the battery test. Take a good charged battery and place one of the factory speaker wires (attached to the speaker) on the positive, and one on the negative of the battery. If the speaker pushes out, the polarity is correct as you have it, and attach the wires accordingly. If it pushes in, the polarity is reversed, so reverse the battery and try again. If it pushes out, wire the speakers following that polarity.Install the speaker in the door by replacing the 4 screws and securing it in place, and reinstalling the door panel. be sure to slide it back down in place, and line up the clips exactly before applying pressure to reattach them. You don't want to break any of those. Finish screwing the door in place, then attach the window control panel/window crank, and congratulations, your done!

Choosing a Subwoofer

Subwoofers are the speaker units that produce lower frequency sounds. It is a very important part of getting great sound. It ensures that the music’s bass is clear and hard hitting. Most human beings can hear between 20and 20,000 Hz. Subwoofers give out sound on the low end of this frequency scale.
The crossover filters of subwoofers filter out sound that is high on the frequency scale. The point where this takes place can be adjusted. Sounds on the low part of the frequency scale are very long and it takes a lot of power for them to be heard. By using a subwoofer to filter low-frequency sound, the base in your automobile will sound a lot better.
When you're looking for a subwoofer, it's important to decide ahead of time how much power you want. If you have a lot of room and you want a lot of base, then you will want to purchase a subwoofer that has powerful, built-in amplifiers. Also, it is important to note, that the bigger the driver is, the deeper the base will be. Therefore, you may want to go with subwoofer with around a 10 or 12 inch woofer cone.
Many subwoofers come with a single cone then moves back and forth to help create sound waves that are low-frequency. The woofer cone can be mounted one of two ways. The first way is called, down firing and the second is called front firing. Subwoofer cones that are down firing are typically on the bottom of the subwoofer cabinet. When they are front firing they are on the side of the cabinet. One of these is not necessarily better then the other. It's just a matter of design and your own personal taste.
Another important part of subwoofers is the enclosure. This is essentially the cabinet where the speaker is placed. By changing the design of the cabinet, you can affect how the subwoofer works and its’ output. There are a couple of types of enclosures. They are called acoustic suspension and base reflects. Acoustic suspension enclosures are inside a box and help to offer base response. The sound that you will get will be tight and accurate. However, it will take a more powerful amplifier then is required with the base reflects design. A base reflex enclosure has a port, which helps to make the base bigger and more extended. Essentially all of port is, is a hole that allows some of the energy created from the woofer cone to come out. These types of enclosures use power better, but they're not as accurate.
Subwoofers provide full, rich sound and a lot of base. If you have standing speakers, you may be satisfied with the base. However, if you want a little more power and a little more kick then you may want to consider adding better subwoofers. Also, if you are thinking of using your stereo system for a home theater or you just want really big sound, then you may want to consider getting or upgrading your subwoofers.