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Where Should I Mount My Tweeters?...


terryk2003

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ok...i'm getting ready to get my infinity kappa components for my cutlass...what i wanna know is where i should mount the tweeters for the best sound!?...i was thinkin of either mounting em on the a-pillars, the top door (on the inside of where the mirrors are), or just go with the factory tweeter location (my car doesnt have factory tweets)...i'm just wondering where i could get the best sound?...i'm thinkin up higher (a-piller or top of door)...i am also considering an engine swap in the future so i might get a gauge pod for the a-pillar, so i'm thinkin my best bet right now is in the top part of the door panel!?...any opinions on this!?... :?

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I'd go with the top of the door panels or the dash.

The tweeters aren't gonna sound to great inside the door spanel (stock location?) because they will be driving at your knees..unless you and rotate them to point upwards that is.

Go with dash or door panel. I know my Lumina has that nice spot on the top of the door panel right by the mirror..

 

- Jeff L.

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I have mine mounted in the stock location and they sound great. Back when I had a 94 Grand Am, I mounted the tweets up in the sail panels (the little part of the door where the rearview mirrors anchor to) and they sounded alright.

 

What size "woofers" are you going with? If you go with 6 1/2's, you'll have to fab up your own brackets to house them cause they won't fit in the stock "buckets."

 

Here's some pics of my door speaker install:

Befo

rtdoor1.jpg

Aftuh

rdoor2.jpg

 

As you can see, I went with 6 1/2's and had to fab up some custom brackets...

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What size "woofers" are you going with? If you go with 6 1/2's, you'll have to fab up your own brackets to house them cause they won't fit in the stock "buckets."

 

As you can see, I went with 6 1/2's and had to fab up some custom brackets...

 

i'm getting 5.25's which should fit good in the factory locations...

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When I had my 88' GP I had speakers in the dash (factory) and I added speakers in the doors. I really liked having sound coming from the dash, instead of the mid/high bouncing off your leg. That being said, I would put them in the dash.

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the factory tweeters on my 88 cutlass was where the 4inch dash speakers went i put mine there it sounds pretty good and the tweeters are hidden :)

 

well...thats fine & dandy...but, i never had dash speakers in my car... :lol:

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I would personally put them on the a-pillars.

 

thats what i was thinkin...BUT, like i said, i may opt for a engine swap (L67 :wink: ) and might want the a-pillar for some gauges...thats kinda why i'm thinkin about puttin them in the top of the door panel (behind the rear view mirrors)...and, i guess there's mixed emotions about the factory cutlass location which...too me, it seems would put the sound @ your leg instead of @ your ears where you'd want it... :think:

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FYI, the sound doesn't "hit your leg" (or your passenger's for that matter) at all when they're mounted in the stock location. By having the tweeter right next to the "sound source" you actually hear the highs better than if you have it 2 feet away.

 

I've seen some (IIRC) JBL separates that allow you to mount the tweeter directly above the woofer (they say this is the spot where you get the best sound reproduction.)

 

Another added benefit of having the tweets next to the woofers is their "stealth" appearance (hidden behind the door panels...)

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Car audio guys would say to mount your tweeters as close to the woofers as possible. Mounting tweeters lower actually improves stereo imaging since it reduces the difference in distance between your ears and the tweeters.

 

According to Crotchfield:

In order to achieve realistic stereo imaging, it's important that your speakers' path lengths are unobstructed and as close to equidistant as possible.

 

So, it's best to put the main tweeters close to the woofers. If you want to raise the soundstage, you can supplement your speakers by adding additional tweeters in a higher position, but attenuate (turn them down) by -3dB or more so they don't overpower the main speakers. That will give the sensation of the sound coming from higher up without having too much of an impact on the stereo imaging of the main tweeters.

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wow...some good info...so, i guess i should just go with the factory location for the '95-97 cutlass then...guess i just need to find a part # for the factory tweeter grilles... :?

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I have mine mounted in the stock location and they sound great. Back when I had a 94 Grand Am, I mounted the tweets up in the sail panels (the little part of the door where the rearview mirrors anchor to) and they sounded alright.

 

What size "woofers" are you going with? If you go with 6 1/2's, you'll have to fab up your own brackets to house them cause they won't fit in the stock "buckets."

 

Here's some pics of my door speaker install:

Befo

rtdoor1.jpg

Aftuh

rdoor2.jpg

 

As you can see, I went with 6 1/2's and had to fab up some custom brackets...

 

Brackets? Or WOOD? Actually not a bad idea. I was gonna modify the factory pods though since it does point them "up" a little. Hows it sound?

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I didn't have any MDF handy, so I dug out a chunk of 3/8" plywood and the ole RotoZip :lol: . I had every intention of cramming those 6 1/2's into the stock pods but it just wasn't physically possible.

 

As far as sound goes, it sounds freakin' awesome!

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wood is good! I really want to get the 6.5 pioneers in the front. I'm sure I could pry some off the basement wall somewhere. Either that or run out. Did you have any interference problems with the door push- clips?

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Did you have any interference problems with the door push- clips?
Nope. Both the woofer and tweeter fit perfectly under the "raised" speaker grille area of Regal's door panel. Lucky for me the grille was a bit oversized for the stock speakers.

 

When I made the brackets, I traced the perimiter of the stock bracket onto the wood so it would fit in the same spot on the door when cut. IIRC, the stock speakers sat out a bit farther than my Bostons do. There's also plenty of clearance between the magnet and the window.

 

Getting the speakers to fit in the doors was cake compared to wiring up the amp! I think it took me less time to change the Head Gasket on my wife's old Cavalier than it did to get all of the wires run and connected properly (and getting the amp board to fit and whatnot) :lol: ...

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Hey I just did the speakers today. Bought some wood at Depot, I now have my 6.5" Pioneers up front, what a difference. I missed them things (had them in my old car) No pics since my camera's out...

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Hey I just did the speakers today. Bought some wood at Depot, I now have my 6.5" Pioneers up front, what a difference. I missed them things (had them in my old car) No pics since my camera's out...

 

so, the 6.5's actually fit behind the door panels with the wood & all!?....thats kinda good to know...did you get tweeters too!?, or just 6.5's!?...

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They're full-range speakers with the separate tweeter in the middle. PLUS The Olds "separate tweeters" w/ the premium sound are actually attached to the door panel, not the door frame.

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Are kick panel pods an option? I'm going that route in my '94 GP.

 

hmmm :? ...i could probably go there...BUT, i don't see where that'd be very different from the factory location in the lower part of the door...

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The kick panel location is very small on these cars. I don't think you'll be able to get enough room there to mount speakers without reducing legroom a ridiculous amount.

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I cant wait to see what someone has to say about this.... For an ideal location for tweeter mounting, I'd choose the dash panel with the tweeters pointing toward the windshield. My reason for this location is because the sound would "bounce" off of the windshield & send the sound throughtout the vehicle. It worked & sounded good in a Chevy Suburban, after the low power rated tweets blew the new tweeters were mounted on the "upper door panels" near the sideview (rear) mirrors. Try different angles for different sounds. I would mount my tweeters in one of the locations listed above, also I do sound systems for "cats" around this hell hole. no complaints yet!!!!!

 

Opinions are like assholes, "everyone has one so heres mine.

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I put my 3/4" cdt silk tweeters flush mounted in the sail pannel beside the mirror and the mid is in the factory locationon the inside of the pannel. It seems to be good because I have the 4" alpine type s in the dash running off of deck power and X-overed very high.and you cant really tell where the sound is coming from.

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