Awesome video man I was just about to install my Speakers today but after reviewing this video I realized I needed a lot of parts like the mounts and the connectors great video!!
Hey thanks for this, just looking to replace my door speakers. What about the 3" and tweeter door speakers? Were they working still and can you access those without taking door panel off? I noticed they were not mounted to the door. I haven't found a video about replacing those, just the 6x9's.
Great question! Mine werent blown, so I left them installed. You could certainly replace those if you'd like. Should just be two wires just like the other speakers.
Thanks for all the info in the video. I ordered the DS18 6.5 by mistake. lol I think I'll just keep them for the back doors. Having a hard time finding the 6x9's. Have you replaced any of the other mids and highs in the door and the dash?
I heard the 6x9's were out of stock...wondering if this video caused a bunch of people to order them. I did not replace the other mids and highs in the door or dash as those weren't blown. I'm sure that day will eventually come.
The rear doors would have needed modified to fit the DS18s 6x9” size. At the time it made sense, but if you could modify the rear doors or get a conversion bracket, you’d get better sound from the DS18s. Let me know if you go that route. I’m curious to know how it goes.
Great video. I copied you and install the same rear and front speakers. Sounds good but I'm having an issue with some static feedback. Nothing crazy but you can't definitely hear it in between songs or on pause. Did you experience this at all?
Hey Marc, sorry for the delayed response. I haven’t encountered and static in my setup. Wondering if you have a connection that’s becoming faulty. I know it’s a pain, but I’d check all the speakers for a loose or failing connection.
There are two. The 6x9 that I replaced in this video and a small tweeter in the door. I still have the small tweeter in mine from factory as it’s still sounding clean.
Hey David! Glad this helped you out! I was struggling to find anyone who could directly answer my speaker questions, so I did the research and made this video to help others. Thanks for reaching out and giving great feedback! 🙏🏻
love your videos! Im about to take the plunge but thinking of doing the front/back door and back sub all ds18.. just had a few questions. Can you tell me the difference between XL 6.5" Mid-Range Loudspeaker 300 Watts Rms 8-Ohm and PRO-ZXI 6.5" Mid-Range Loudspeaker With Neodymium/Ferrite Magnets 300 Watts Rms 8-Ohm would either of these fit as the trunk subwooder? Appreciate the help!!
Great question. Technically the stock ML amp is driving the speakers. The head unit sends a signal to the amp, which gets amplified to drive the speakers.
I'm from Russia, the search led to your channel, I read all the reviews and realized that the speaker manufacturer himself did not think that these speakers would play in the Mark Levinson system, maybe because no one knows exactly the characteristics of the amplifier? Maybe he's not that weak?
I set up the sound system just like you did, but I'm hearing a popping sound, and the music keeps cutting out for a few seconds before continuing. Any idea what might be causing this?
Great Video! Do the rear skar speakers not require the Toyota Compatible wiring Harness…plug and play? Also I didn’t see you used Metra Adapter for rear do they need it? Not sure if to get (4) Wiring Harness and (4) Adapters or just two of each? Thanks!
Hey TX, sorry for the delay. I thought I had replied to your comment and it looks like I hadnt. I ended up soldering the rear speakers to the factory wiring. If you check you can see I cut the wire from the original speakers and then I stripped it back and soldered the Skar speakers into place.
I used a similar screw to the one I talk about @13:44 in the video. A #10x3/4" screw will work and even something smaller, like 1/2" length will work. The key is the #10 size screw to get the bite you need on the plastic speaker frame. Let me know if you have questions or issues finding them.
Did you by chance modify or cut back the lip on the door panel that is in the shape of the 6 by 9? It's a very thin plastic that's kind of sharp and it seemed like it made contact with the original bracket on the plastic part but while installing my new infinity speakers it almost seems like the whole speaker enters that casing and it stopped by the lip twitch presses on the foam surround at the base. Let me know I'm on the fence about what to do I guess I should cut it back for safety. Also did you not add a gasket to the back of the Metro amount that makes contact with the door? I installed my first one passenger side without it but then I realize there actually is a gasket on the original and it did seem like I was getting some rattle without it. That said I will probably go back and take the speaker out and add it so it's not plastic directly on metal door.
Hey Raphael! I did not modify the back lip on the door panel and had luck fitting these speakers without a clearance issue. With regard to the gasket...mine didnt come with one but I'm shocked I havent had rattling issues. I'm wondering if it's because they are cranked down pretty tight. If you have them, I'd add them for safe measure.
Great video!! Changed out all 4 door speakers with ease. For the side door 6.5 speakers, used DS 18 Pro-X6MSE 8 ohm speakers. This gave the sound more midrange depth and a little distortion compared to my wife's Mercedes. Great for 80's music and needed when playing digital music from an iphone. My wife's Mecedes sound system is premium but has no character. Almost matches the sound I get from my 2011 Acura TL. The adapters for all 4 doors and wiring harness made this changeout easy after watching the video a number of times. My old speakers were shot, did not know the 6x9 in the front two doors were bass only. Also from Central PA but live in Denver.
Thanks for reaching out! I’m really impressed with the DS18 speakers. I hadn’t heard much about the brand until this recent search and they give quite the punch! Glad to hear you are enjoying the upgraded sound. Oh nice! Good ole central PA…I miss Middlesworth kettle cooked BBQ chips lol.
It’s crazy I replaced all my door speakers with the same one you did over the last 3 weeks. They’re are ds18 speakers for the rear I find the bullet speakers are better
Hey David! I’m glad to hear you went with the Skar for the doors. Yes, the head unit equalizer helped with tuning the speakers and resulted in a great sound. Those DS18’s up front can put out some serious thumping! Thanks for the update!
Got the rear doors finished using your guide. Great notes on all the necessary tips. I got the tabs cut away and had both doors done in about an hour. Once the 6x9's are back in stock, I'll be set! Thanks
Thanks for providing feedback on the install! I’m glad to hear it went well and the video was helpful for installing. The 6x9s were my favorite upgrade as the DS18s have quite a punch. I was surprised by their bass.
Here’s a speaker upgrade? I noticed the GX has a single center dash speaker. I too have a single dash speaker in my 2015 RX350. I just have the premium 12 speaker/ 210watt/ 7 channel system c/w navigation but not the M/L. Trying to decide if this speaker would be worth changing out. Or is it primarily for phone & navigation commands? What are your thoughts. P.S. : Great job on this video!
Thanks Rick! I like where your head is at and now I'm curious about that center speaker and when its active. I'm going to put my head up there next time I have music playing to see if its running.
Hey man - I'm having a difficult time trying to change the top, and mid speakers in my front doors (lowers are fine, just replaced). There isn't a wire harness for easy plug-and-play for the top and mids like there is for the bottoms. I have a set of kickers that fit the mids and Mc Larens that fit the top, but unless I splice wires, I don't know how I'd properly swap them. How'd you do it?
Great question! I actually still have my top speakers in good shape, so I didn’t have to swap them. Regardless, what you can do is either trim the old ones out and solder to the terminals of the new or take crimpers and crimp on a terminal connector.
I have a question about the Phoenix PX6. Did you install this with a factory nav and Levinson system? I have been looking for an updated audio sytem but most are only available for vehicles without navigation.
Sorry for the delay. I can help you out, but my first question is Are you planning to remove and replace all speakers and you also want to get a new amp? Or are you just wanting to upgrade speakers.
I replaced my rf speaker and had a lot of low level audible buzzing, thought maybe spkr was defective. Installed the 2nd spkr, it, too buzzed! Installed frst spkr in LF door, no buzzing! Must be the amp...
Yeah that sounds like the amp has a defective channel. You might be better off going with an aftermarket amp as I hear the ML amps are very expensive now.
What amp are you using?, I have no idea how any of this works so I’m not sure which one would work, I have the ML amplifier but it is broken so I’m not sure if I should get the same one or a different one
I'm using the factory ML amp. Since yours is broken you have two option: Buy the ML amp or go with aftermarket. If you can find a deal on a factory ML amp, I would go that route to keep it simple.
7:02 . I need to change out my speakers in a 2004 GX470 non nav non mark levinson system and am having a heck of a time trying to find the output per channel on the amp. Then I came across the model number and found the specs, it says it’s only 22 watts to the front and back, does that sound as though it’s an accurate number ? If so, what wattage speakers should I be getting? Thanks for your help in advance
Great question! There is a big misconception with wattage ratings on speakers and amplifiers. The speaker wattage rating is specifies the total amount of power they can handle. So you'll just need to make sure your speaker can handle more than 22 watts...which you'll find that most can handle over 200 watts. Hopefully this helps...let me know if you have questions.
Thanks for the video! I just did the front two speakers and will be doing the passenger door speakers once they get in. Your video and parts list made it easy.
They’re still incredible and I wish I would have put the same DS18s in the rear side doors because the sound quality is great. I still recommend the brand!
Amazing video, very insightful ❕I have a question, since my GX doesn’t have the original Mark Levinson Amplifier, and it has an aftermarket head unit/car stereo… I know for sure that all the speakers aren’t working; the ones that are currently working (or connected to the head unit) are the lower front speakers, the rear door speakers and the trunk door tweeters… the subwoofer was connected with an small amplifier to the head unit. So my question is, if I don’t have an 8ohm amplifier, can I just replace the 4 speakers I’m currently using with new 4ohm speakers ? Or because of the fact that the wirings are for 8 ohm’s, i should still buy 8ohm’s speakers for my GX? I want to buy some 6.5” Component Speakers for the front so I can mount them on the lower mount of the front doors and install the tweeters on the original front door mounts. And for the rear buy some 2way (low/tweeter) 6.5” inch speakers, since the trunk door already has its tweeters working and I have my subwoofer (on the OEM space) connected to the small amplifier. What would you recommend?😅 I’m not an electrical engineer but want to buy the parts to have them installed😂
I’m so sorry Andy. Apologies for the late response (I try to get back to everyone in reasonable time and this slipped on me). Since you don’t have the original amplifier, you are in a great position to use 4 ohm speakers. Plus that gives you much more options with speakers.
Thanks for doing this video, I just did the front 6x9s exact same everything and used the wiring harness. I did not clip the ends off and solder them but used existing connections from harness to speakers. Did I just cross wire my speakers? 8:37
Hey Wilton! Sorry for the delay. I guess I didn't realize the DS18 6.5" came in 8 ohms speaker configuration, so I went with Skar since I used their sub in an earlier video. I really like the DS18 for my from speakers, so I would try them out for the 6.5" and see how you like them.
Hey Gabe! Sorry for the delay and don’t worry about asking questions…it’s the whole reason I make these videos…to help out the GX community! The 6x9’s in the doors are mid to low and the tweeter speakers cover the high range of frequencies. Hope this helps!
I have not replaced this speaker yet. I don't know if we'll have many options to pick from for this speaker in 8 ohms. So I suggest get what you can in the impedance.
Just an FYI. The rear speakers are NOT the same for the non nav OEM/non mark levinson audio. My 2003 is the same as my old 4runner 4th Gen you DO need to purchase a Metra kit Metra 82-8148
Yes, you are correct! The ML system is an 8 ohm system and the non-ML is a traditional 4 ohm impedance system. The good news for non-ML GX owners is that there are so many more options for 4 ohm speakers. Unfortunately, I was stuck with only a few options in 8 ohm, but these speakers have been great so far.
Have you upgraded any of the other front door speakers? I replaced my 6x9s. But now it looks like some of the smaller door speakers are blown. Do you know what what size those smaller speakers are?
Hey Matt, thanks for reaching out with questions. I have not replaced any of the other speakers, but Crutchfield has a great list of the speakers for our GX. Hope this helps. www.crutchfield.com/ymm/2003-Lexus-Gx470-Speakers-Stereos.html
Great video. Do you have the stock Mark Levinson amp, which I believe puts out 22 watts RMS per speaker? The rep at DS18 states that he did not think the speaker you used would work with the Mark Levinson amp as the speaker has a 275 watt RMS rating. He thought a higher wattage amp would be needed. Also, did you find there was any problem with too great a speaker depth in the door hitting any door items like the window, or too great a height of the installed speaker hitting the door speaker grill with any part of the speaker rubber surround or cone when it is in use and moving with the bass sounds? Thanks!
Hey Ken, Sorry for the delay. There is no issues with under driving a speaker, you just need to make sure you don't exceed it's max rating. Yes, I'm under driving it but it sounds great and I have no worry of blowing this speaker out as the amp won't ever put out enough to exceed it's limit. The DS18 speakers sound great in my car and I"m still so happy with my choice to go with them. There are many people on the Facebook group for GXOR and GX460/470 who have done the same mod in my video and can attest to great sound. If you're hesitant, I recommend checking out some of their comments to help build confidence. I do agree with the rep at DS18 and ideally it would be awesome to have installed an after market amp to drive it, but if I went through all that trouble I would have gone with a 4 ohm setup and a completely different speaker than the DS18s. I wanted something affordable that would work with the factory unit and this fit the bill for that. Maybe in the future I'll upgrade things and I'll be sure to document and upload so people can see that process. Thanks for reaching out and let me know if I didnt answer all of your question and we can chat more about a path that works best for you.
Love all your GX470 videos! I have a 03 and have been adding alot lately, wheels/tires, tint, roof rack, etc. Looking at replacing my speakers and appreciate you going through this detailed explanation. My amplifier died which I see alot of GX owners having problems with. Did you replace your amp? Do you know what could be a good plug and play option for an amp? Having problems finding the right solution here. Really appreciate any help I could get.
I did not replace my amp on this system as I was going to a budget solution at the time. So the timing on this is awesome as I've noticed that OEM Audio Plus has mentioned they're working on a solution for the GX470. It's also been listed on their site and shows "In Development" so I plan to go this route once they come out with it. oemaudioplus.com/lexus/gx-470/
Hey. Are you planning on replacing the rest of the speakers and tweeters? I mean the small ones on the doors, barn door and the center dash speaker? Or they don't normally go bad? Thank you!
I'm planning to keep mine as long as they stay intact. I think the day they go bad, I'm planning to do an audio upgrade video and do a full conversion to a 4 ohm setup with an aftermarket amp and new speakers all the way around.
Dude, loving your channel and content on the GX. Just bought a ‘06 from Florida that’s shipping to me in Ohio. Can’t wait to try some of the same all around mods incl. checking out the sound sys setup. Thx again!
Hey Ryan! Thanks for reaching out and I appreciate you following the channel. Congrats on the GX purchase as well! Feel free to reach out with questions as you build your GX!
aren't the 6x9" speakers mid-bass in the front doors?? i put 6x9" 2 way speakers, meanwhile i repair the foam surrounds on the mark levingson factory speakers. when i put these in, all i got was bass coming out of them. which is telling me, that they are crossover through the factory amp, and can potentially damage the speaker if its not a mid-bass or subwoofer speakers. did you have any issue with the speakers you installed on the front doors? it seems like you installed mid-bass on the rear doors, so i don't see you having issue with those.
I've got a decent frequency response coming from these 6x9's. The DS18 website for these speakers lists a the frequency response as 65Hz-12Khz, so you might need to adjust your equalizer settings in your headunit to get the right response out of them. Here is a link to the speakers on their site, so you can see all the tech specs. ds18.com/products/pro-x-series-6x9-8-ohm-midrange-speaker-with-bullet-550w
I'm looking to replace mine and though I'd love to get the higher frequencies, doesn't sound like you were able to get those after all. Even if I don't, I'm hoping the bass response from the 6x9 is better than the stock ML speaker in that front door. Was yours?
I"m sorry for the late response Chris. Glad you were able to figure this out. I always suggest a volt meter to verify polarity or continuity to ground. Thanks for reaching out and I hope you're happy with the DS18 speakers...I'm still loving mine!
Thanks for the great and detailed video. I purchased the same from speakers but stayed with DS18 for the rear and sub. I had a rattle i the drivers front but when I went to replace the passenger side it was tore also. Unfortunately for me after the install I found them to be very under powered by the ML amp. Looks like I am going to have to spend mucho coin and get an entire system upgrade at a local pro shop. Ohh well. Again I want to say thanks please keep up the good work.
Of course! I'm sorry to hear. Hopefully I'm responding quick enough to make sure to ask you if you have you ML amp enabled in your navigation unit? Mine was disabled at first and the sound was bad. Once I found the setting and enabled, I had great output from these speakers. Actually...all these years later I'm still loving them. Let me know if you need any help troubleshooting your issue.
@@Awesomoto Thanks! Yes, unfortunately I did not know of an option to turn on the ML amp. I thought it was already on. Anyway, I spent the cash, had a local pro shop install it. They did a decent job and the sound is great. Thanks again and keep up the great work man.
Hey Jesus, good question and thanks for reaching out. If you don’t have the ML system, then you have way more options for speakers as you don’t need to buy 8 ohm speakers. Your system should have standard 4 ohm speakers, which are much easier to find.
I just installed DS18 speakers in my front doors, sounds good..only problem is my rear speaker channels stopped working after the install. Have you heard of this being an issue with anyone else in the GX community? thanks
Thanks for reaching out. I haven’t heard of anyone with this issue after installing the front door speakers. Are you running an aftermarket head unit or factory?
@@Awesomoto Phoenix PX head unit, I think my problem is with the pass through. The speakers are working, just very faint. I'll mess with it and report back.
So when looking for speakers for these they have to be 8 ohm for impedance when I look at the specs? Also is every speaker 8 ohms? I plan on replacing all of them
@@Awesomoto okay. I just got a teyes head unit installed but the sound is awful. I think I have to mess with the settings, but definitely shopping to upgrade them
I have the Tesla in my GX470 and use the same EQ app. My rear speakers are tied to my front speakers somehow. Thanks for the video. I’m going to probably do this same setup….including the sub. Do you plan on changing out the midrange and tweeters up front?
Thanks for reaching out! 🙏🏻 I don’t plan on changing out the tweeters at the moment as mine are working. You could probably modify/cut the speaker out if the factory bracket for the 6x9 and reuse it, but I think you might risk rattle if it’s not mounted tight.
@@Awesomoto Can you tell us the actual part # and/or description for the mounting brackets you used? I am looking for it in the videos/comments and don't see it anywhere.
I just upgraded all 4 speakers following your suggestions. I have a Teyes CC3 headunit and after some tweaking with EQs, I am blown away by how clear and loud it sounds now. I wasn't expecting it to sound this good. Granted my from ML speakers were completely blown, the rear ones were in good condition but I replaced them anyway since I already had them. Looking forward to upgrading the sub now
Wow, great video! I just installed the Phoenix radio and am having FM reception issues, I understand I can get a Y adapter for the two antennas as the radio only has one port. But even with the bad reception, the ML doesn’t sound great. What volume did you set the stock radio to before removing it? I’m trying to figure out if I need speakers or put the old radio back and up the volume. Thanks a ton.
I believe I set the volume to 40 before removing the original head unit. I'm pretty sure you can go under the "User Settings" and adjust that volume level so you don't have to go back to the original unit just to change it. There is also a setting for enable and disable of the amplifier and if that is not selected, the sound will be poor as well. Check those two settings and see if you have any luck. Reach out if you still have problems and I can help debug it with you.
@@Awesomoto Thank you, and you made my day! Your comment in the other video to make adjustments in “console” was spot on! I was trying to adjust the sound with the EQ and having no luck with volume. But once in “console”, the amp settings are all there. Like your unit, mine came from the factory with the amp set to “off”. I turned it on, and have been playing with the amp volume setting and the stereo rocks! Once turned on, the volume was set to around 20…I bumped it to 45 and it’s amazing. I don’t know why so many articles say you need to put the stock unit back in and turn it up, this is SO simple. Again, thank you! Are you aware of the firmware Sergey Kozlov sells? It gets rave reviews. He has a FB group easy to find under “Sergey PX6 firmware”. I haven’t installed it yet but understand it makes a huge difference. I think he charges $100, would be awesome to get your thoughts.
@@Hotzmonster You made my day by providing feedback! Glad you were able to find the setting. I agree, it’s waaay easier that way and idk why people say you need to adjust before removing stock unit lol. I did see that firmware upgrade on FB. Been thinking about doing it as I’m not the biggest fan of the current firmware UI. Have a great holiday!
Just put kicker 6x9 in the front and kicker 6.5 in the rear doors. The front took the 6x9 perfect but the rear doors didn’t fit perfectly but I made it work. All these speakers were 4 ohm and so far no issues at all. The sound is phenomenal. I’m putting the skar 6.5 sub in later this week. Just wanted to give my experience to people watching. Kicker 6x9" 4 Ohm - model: 46CSS694 Kicker 6.5" 4 Ohm- model: 46CSC654
Hey Bobberben! Glad you reached out to share your experience with the speakers. You won't likely have catastrophic issues immediately with running 4 ohm speakers on an 8 ohm circuit...it will be a slow degradation and will wear over time. There's even a chance you go months or years and never see a problem. I'm an electrical engineer, so I couldn't allow myself to go the 4 ohm route just off of principle and circuit theory. Hopefully this holds up well for you over time. If you run into any issues with it, please reach out as I want to know if people ever have issues with the 4 ohm configuration.
@@Awesomoto I thought of doing 4ohm resistors but figured I’d gamble on it. Put 4ohm resistors in another friends Lexus and so far no issues. I did just put the skar sub in and it’s not preforming well. Not sure if it’s the stock head unit or the 6x9s in the front drowning it out. In your video it seems your sub is flexing a lot more than mine.
Off the top of my head, I believe that’s right. A way you can check is a multimeter on the beep continuity setting…connect one side to ground on the car and the meter will beep on the ground wire…then you’ll know which is ground.
I bought the exact same GX , with exactly the same audio issues. I replaced the surrounds (foam pieces) on the frond door 6x9s. I jerked out the wires from the destroyed (so called sub) and plugged them into a JL audio 10" dual box. 2ohm. It all sounds good for now, as I keep it reasonable. I'm sure it will all fall apart soon, ya know... after the fire. At which time I`ll have to drop thousands into the system. lol
@@joshmoore6165 LOL!! Of course not. I’m an EE and I personally prefer 8 ohms for the impedance loading of the amp, but I certainly don’t think 2 ohms would cause a fire.
Great video! I am following your guides. I have one of the front speakers installed, but it is making a buzzing noise. I have tried resoldering but the same issue keeps happening. Any ideas? I am using the original wiring harness.
@@pws629 Ahh crap, that’s a bummer. You should reach out to the seller and get it replaced. Sorry to hear. Let me know if you need any help with other aspects of the install.
I’m looking at replacing my speakers, do the loudspeakers up front cover the tweeters and the midrange speakers in the front? I was also curious if you needed to replace your dash speaker as well as the ‘far back’ speaker and the tail speakers? Turns out this car has more speakers than I thought it did.
Great question! I kept the stock door tweeters, center speaker, and rear tweeters as they were still in good condition. LOL yes, this car has so many speakers!
@@Awesomoto thanks for the quick replies. I went ahead and ordered enough for all and will return what I don’t need. Thanks for the input! Keep the vids coming!
@@TheFatherFigureX No problem! I’m flying back to the US from Egypt now. I’ll be putting out new content when I’m back home. Can’t wait to get back to the videos!
Been waiting for this one, great and informative as usual! Do you know what the right wiring harness is for the front so you don’t have to sodder the wiring?
Unfortunately, I had the correct wiring harness for Toyota/Lexus and these would have been plug and play with the OEM speakers, but the terminals are slightly different size than the OEM speakers.
@@Awesomoto so basically going to have to splice the wires. I tired to get the front speakers but they are out of stock! The links to the products are super helpful! Thanks for what you do and the time you take. Hopefully your page helps finance your purchases.
@@kaisarsaleem8422 Kaiser, Yes unfortunately some splicing will need to be done, but it’s not so bad. You’re welcome! I saw they were sold out on Amazon so I included the main link to their site...glad it helped! Lol I wish RU-vid helped supplement the costs, but I make $0 doing this. It’s not about the money for me. RU-vid turned into a hobby on top of my car hobby and I just enjoy documenting things to help others. I figure if I’m doing the mods, I should take the extra time to film and help out the community. It also has an added bonus of helping practice public speaking skills, which is something I’ve wanted to improve.
@@brendoncampbell3910 I ordered them and just cut the connectors off the tips so that I could solder to the new speaker. You might be able to to salvage the stock ones and save money by not buying the wiring harness. Totally up to you, but the wiring harness for me made it easy.
Great Video!!!! Thank Goodness I was able to find a non-Nav 470! I went MB Quart Formula Components front and rear. 1”/3.5”/6x9” in the front doors and 3/4”/6.5” rear doors. Jl Audio 6.5 sub
@@Awesomoto ya man definitely a subscriber now.. by quick question.. so after watching the video a couple times I take you don’t have the ML sound system?
You could probably repurpose the stock ones, but I’d say you risk rattling if not done properly. The adapters are cheap, so I went that route for safe measure.
Great video, thank you! Just did the front two 6x9s and I have a couple comments to confirm what's been discussed: 1) Sound is definitely bass-heavy now. EQ-ing on a stock ML head unit is not ideal since you don't get fine control, but if like me you only have the stock unit, I would recommend turning the bass down and treble up a bit to help balance the sound out. 2) There is a little rattle at loud volume with the new brackets. Recommend folks trying this to use the OEM brackets. 3) #10 3/4" self-tapping screws are ideal if using the new brackets. 4) The metra 6x9 speaker adapter from Amazon comes in a 2-pack, so only get one. :)
Thanks for the feedback on the stock ML EQ settings! Glad you were able to balance things out with it. Luckily, I don’t have any rattling in my brackets…you might want to try putting some sound dampening material on the backside of the bracket to isolate the rattle.
I hear clipping occurs using 4 ohm speakers when the volume is up. Do you know if this is true? I see people complaining about it in the forums. Thanks for reaching out!
Great Video, Awesomoto!! How did you discover the Ohm rating for the ML speakers? I have a 2004 RX330 with ML and Nav and I am hearing from retail sources 2 ohms and 7.5 ohms but I can't seem to find a spec sheet anywhere. How did you figure out the specs? Thanks again for such a well produced video.
Hey Skaggz! Thank for reaching out and that’s a great question! I had read about 4 and 8 ohm arguments on the forums and eventually found a spec for ML stating 8 ohms. Ultimately, I decided I wanted to know for sure, so I took a speaker and measured it with a multimeter to verify the 8 ohms. This is probably your best bet and it’ll give you confidence in what you have.
