Replacement speakers for '92 Lumina 4-door

[Schurkey]

Searched this forum but got no hits that helped. Home audio I understand. Car audio is a mystery to me.

 

Have a single popped front speaker in my '92 Lumina Euro 3.4. No continuity through the voice coil. Original Delco AM/FM/Cassette in-dash unit. Speaker is apparently a 4 X 6 (2.5" depth) driver with whizzer cone, rated at 9.5 ohms according to the ink-stamp on the magnet assembly. I'm guessing the original Delco in-dash unit will wet it's pants when faced with a 4-ohm load.

 

Other than grabbing another W-body speaker at the Treasure Yard, is there an aftermarket speaker pair that will:

• Sound at least as good as the OEM GM speaker
  
• Not blow up the OEM receiver/cassette deck
  
• Fit in the original plastic housing without hassle
  
• Preferably connects to the OEM wiring harness (I'll consider an adapter if needed.)
  

 

 

Every aftermarket 4 x 6 speaker I see on Amazon lists 4-ohm impedance, or doesn't list the impedance, or has greater than 2.5" depth.

 

[EDIT] The original speaker is much more shallow than 2.5 inches. More like 1.5 inches from magnet to mounting flange.[/EDIT]

Edited April 28, 2014 by Schurkey

[Nas Escobar]

95% of aftermarket speakers are 4ohms. GM has had a habit of using crazy high ohm'd speakers in thier cars. The fact that it's 9.5 doesn't surprise me at all. That was the ohm rating of my 6 1/2 speakers in my Camaro.

 

Of course, the lower the ohm impendance, the easier it would be for the head unit to give power to the speaker. It would take less power to get to the same level of volume with a 4 ohm than a 9.5 ohm speaker. More than likely, the speaker would fry before the radio does since the radio is expecting more resistance from the front speakers. Anyways, you are right, the 92 lumina speakers are 4x6 and the rear deck ones are 6x9. You can use a 4" speaker in place of the 4x6 but I would rather recommend that you get a kick panel or make a hole in the door and use a 6 1/2 speaker instead.

 

You can also replace the speakers in sets, front first then rear. You don't have to swap out all 4.

 

Also, you will always need an adapter to connect a speaker to the stock wiring harness. There is no such thing as a plug and play speaker unless you get them directly from GM, and GM doesn't make replacement speakers like that.

 

As far as sounding good, it all depends on sound frequency. The better range of frequency, the better it will sound. Typically GM speakers have a frequency of 90hz to 18k hz. The lower the number, the more bass you get, the higher the number the more treble.... to put it simple.

 

I would recommend that you check Crutchfield.com or Sonicelectronix.com . Sonic is cheaper than crutchfield. I personally would recommend Alpine or Polk Audio for your front speakers. Not many manufacturers make 4x6. I would also recommend that the RMS rating on the speakers are around 60-80. The higher the rating, the better they are made since they are made to handle that much wattage, whereas a cheap walmart speaker will blow quickly since it's only rated at 30ish.

 

Here's some links to some speakers that I liked. You can google and shop around for a cheaper price, and don't be scared to use eBay on Buy It Now items, brand new. There's a lot of Audio Stores selling stuff brand new on eBay.

 

http://www.crutchfield.com/p_107DXI460P/Polk-Audio-DXi460p.html?tp=100#details-tab

http://www.crutchfield.com/p_1084621CFP/Infinity-Kappa-462-11cfp.html?tp=100

[spiderw31]

9.5 Ohms? Thats bizarro impedance!

 

Not knowing what the current capacity of the output stage of the factory head unit is, I'd be cautious with a lower impedance speaker. It's possible everything would be fine. It's more likely that you could run it, but would need to keep the volume low to prevent popping the outputs. How low though, I dunno. You could also slap a 4 Ohm 10 watt (or higher) resistor in series with the speaker to bring the impedance up to 8 Ohms, which would be close enough to likely be fine. that resistor could generate quite a bit of heat if you push the stereo hard though, so you might need to figure out a way to keep it cool...

[Schurkey]

9.5--10 ohms impedance is common as dirt for GM speakers. Higher impedance means less current flow, which means thinner wires and less heat-sink in the head unit. It's cost-cutting at GM, which shouldn't surprise anyone.

[spiderw31]

I get the reasoning for the high impedance, but haven't seen that value before. I've seen 12 Ohms, as well as 16 Ohms in GM cars before. I still find 9.5 an odd value to settle in on.

[Nas Escobar]

I've never seen 16 ohms... that's crazy high.

 

I think the 9.5 ohm was a bureaucrat or bean counter.

[RPE1992GPSE]

The CDM/ETR units are largely the same on all of the 2000 Series Delco radios. They are all 4-ohm stable. You'll be fine with a 4 ohm aftermarket speaker ans it will sound much better than the original dual cone unit.

[Schurkey]

The CDM/ETR units are largely the same on all of the 2000 Series Delco radios. They are all 4-ohm stable. You'll be fine with a 4 ohm aftermarket speaker ans it will sound much better than the original dual cone unit.

How do I know if I have a "2000 series" Delco radio?

 

I'm surprised that it might be 4-ohm stable. The wires plugged into the original speaker sure don't inspire confidence. I get that I shouldn't expect 12-gauge like the Home audio system, but I bet these are 18- or 20-gauge!

[spiderw31]

Yeah, I'm thinking 18 gauge too if my memory serves me.

 

I know its over simplified, but Ohms law says that roughly 15 watts will be 1 Amp. That's no problem for 18 gauge wire; it will easily handle several times that (check out the table here). Thats not to say that the resistance of the wire won't degrade the audible quality and decrease the power actually transferred to the speaker, because both of those will happen (though using a good speaker will way more than make up for that). Safety isn't a factor though.

 

Don't know how to tell if you've got a 2000 series radio though, sorry.

Edited April 10, 2014 by spiderw31

[Schurkey]

I know its over simplified, but Ohms law says that roughly 15 watts will be 1 Amp.

Varies depending on the load.

 

Do I have this right? Watts divided by ohms = amperage squared

 

15 watts / 4 ohms = 3.75

Square root of 3.75 = 1.93 amps.

 

15 watts / 8 ohms = 1.875

Square root of 1.875 = 1.37 amps

 

15 watts / 9.5 ohms = 1.58

Square root of 1.58 = 1.26 amps

 

Mind you, I'd be surprised if the stock receiver/cassette deck would output 15 watts. I'd have guessed more like three watts. But what do I know? Seems like the OEM wiring will be entirely adequate--and that's a surprise to me. Thank you.

[RPE1992GPSE]

Don't worry - by 1992 all Delco radios were 2000 Series.

[spiderw31]

Varies depending on the load.

 

Do I have this right? Watts divided by ohms = amperage squared

 

15 watts / 4 ohms = 3.75

Square root of 3.75 = 1.93 amps.

 

15 watts / 8 ohms = 1.875

Square root of 1.875 = 1.37 amps

 

15 watts / 9.5 ohms = 1.58

Square root of 1.58 = 1.26 amps

 

Mind you, I'd be surprised if the stock receiver/cassette deck would output 15 watts. I'd have guessed more like three watts. But what do I know? Seems like the OEM wiring will be entirely adequate--and that's a surprise to me. Thank you.

 

Yeah I wouldn't expect 15 watts either, I picked that number to simplfy the math assuming the highest voltage you could theoretically see in a car audio scenario. I was mistaken though; I meant to say Joule's law (P=IV) not Ohm's law (V=IR). Seems I did oversimplify though, as your numbers are indeed correct. That'll teach me to do substitution in my head without double checking my numbers! I'll chalk it up to a long day at work:confused:

Edited April 11, 2014 by spiderw31

[RPE1992GPSE]

My factory CD player powers a Monsoon amplifier from a 1997 Firebird with no issues, and I used a good bit of the factory wiring where I could. In no instance did I use wires heavier than 18 gauge and the system holds together and thumps like a mutha. The biggest limitations you will encounter in these cars are the factory speakers.

[Schurkey]

I personally would recommend Alpine or Polk Audio for your front speakers.

I have Polk home speakers. Decided to take a chance on their automotive line, in part because they have rubber surrounds instead of foam. Polk # DB461 is the item number I selected. $53 at Amazon.

 

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000P0R6HA/ref=oh_details_o04_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

The CDM/ETR units are largely the same on all of the 2000 Series Delco radios. They are all 4-ohm stable. You'll be fine with a 4 ohm aftermarket speaker ans it will sound much better than the original dual cone unit.

Skipping to the end of the story...Yes, the DB461s sound better than the OEM speakers at low to mid-volume. There is better bass, and significantly better treble. I suspect the Delco receiver is running out of current at higher volume because the sound noticeably distorts, and then I think protection circuitry kicks in, 'cause they go silent for a moment. I think I will have all the volume I need, so I'm tentatively satisfied. (Have not road-tested at highway speed yet.)

 

Don't worry - by 1992 all Delco radios were 2000 Series.

Delco 2000 series confirmed in my '92 Service Manual.

 

Service manual shows that left dash speaker has tan (feed) and grey (return) wires, while right dash speaker has light green (feed) and dark green (return) wires. Feed and return correspond to + and -, respectively. The Delco head-unit is apparently using bridged amplifiers, as both the feed + and return - wires are powered. When connecting an AC voltmeter across either one to chassis ground, I find half the voltage as connecting the meter across the two wires. Polarity is still important, though, so the tan and the light green wires have to connect to + on the replacement speakers.

 

Service manual also shows that the dash pad is removed with five easy-to-access screws just under the rearward lip, and then "pop" the rear edge of the dash pad upward, to release the spring-clips. Could hardly be easier. I also took this opportunity to re-glue the foam/vinyl covering which was lifting around the defroster duct. God Bless 3M Weatherstrip Adhesive!

 

As it turns out, I had one dead dash speaker on my '92 Lumina, but both dash speakers on my '93 are popped. I removed one of the dead speakers from the '93, replacing it with the working speaker from the '92. The '93 has become something of a parts car, I've robbed other parts from it for use on the '92. With two dead speakers on my work-bench, I felt no remorse clipping the braided-copper wires from the cone, and removing the molded-plastic speaker-wire connector from the two dead speakers. I then insulated the copper wires, and soldered them to the Polk speakers so the Polks are still a direct plug-in to the factory wiring.

 

 

 

 

 

The other copper lead-wire were insulated with black heat-shrink tubing before the leads are soldered to the Polk terminals.

 

The driver's side speaker will not sit flush with the speaker housing. The Polk speakers are taller from magnet to mounting flange, and also from flange to top of the tweeter. As it turns out, the extra height above the flange doesn't make any difference. The extra height below the flange interferes on the driver's side more than the passenger side. I applied a bit of white grease to the magnet assembly, and lowered the speaker into position. When I removed the speaker, the white grease transferred to the foam insulation, showing me what had to be cut out for clearance.

 

 

 

 

With the insulation removed, the Polk DB461 ALMOST fits. The magnet still bottoms-out on the steel structure of the dash, so the mounting flange distorts a little when the four screws are tightened. It's not too bad, and I left it that way rather than cut or dent the dash structure. This may be the first time I've ever been thankful for a THIN THIN THIN mounting flange! Things are a bit better on the passenger side, as there's no steel structure under the magnet--but there is a plastic ventilation duct.

 

 

Edited April 28, 2014 by Schurkey