looking for input for new speakers in my 2006 f250 crewcab. and is it difficult to do it myself?
thanks
jeff

 

these guys might be able to help a little better
Audio & Video Systems, Navigation, Satellite Radio and Mobile Electronics - Ford Truck Enthusiasts Forums

 

Very easy. One note though, the rear speakers need to be more efficient than the fronts. (Ford does this too) If you put all 4 speakers of exactly the same sensitivity, you will have to adjust your fader more towards the rear for a balanced sound. Or you can do it right so it sounds good right off the bat.

You want the rear speakers to have the highest "sensitivity" number and the front speakers about 3 to 5 lower.
Look for rear speaker sensitivity around 94 or higher and front's around 90ish.
Then it will sound balanced. The rear speakers are farther away from you and they play right right into the back seat. Thus they need to play louder so that they sound balanced to your ears. The sensitivity rating is listed in the specs. (the rest of the specs are meaningless)

I have had good luck w/ Pioneer 5X7's. They make a real good one (forget the #'s) for the front and a cheaper but hi sensitivity for the rear. They sound SO much better than stock.

BTW: Been in the audio/video business for over 35 years.

Follow my advice and I am confident you'll be happy.

 

I just put in four Polk db571 speakers in my SuperCab and I'm pretty pleased with them. I had Infinity Reference speakers in my car and they sounded a little more detailed, but they were also on a Pioneer deck and my truck still has the stock CD6 head unit.

About the speaker sensitivity, I have to disagree with offshore1. I used the same speakers all the way around and leave the fader neutral and it sounds great. In car audio you want the soundstage towards the front, not even or biased rearward. The last think I want to hear is vocals or high frequency detail coming from the back speakers, you should hear that from the front.

For great value, high quality speakers, I think these Polks are hard to beat. I got them at Crutchfields, buy one get one 50% off, so all four were $150.

 

i replaced all my factory audio with Pioneer Premier deck and speakers, very pleased!

 

I have to disagree too. The fronts are the stage and should set up the right and left of the stage. The rears can help, but my plan is to limit their output so as not to effect the sound stage.

I like component systems, 6.5" mids and 1" tweeters should be fine in your truck. If you get them for places like crutchfield they will supply a reverse harness that plugs into your stock wiring. Metra and the others should have that harness as well. With the component systems you will need to mount the crossover and wire it to both the mids and highs. It's easier than it sounds and typically sounds great.

 

I'd have to agree with offshore, I put alpine Type R 5x7's all around in my 05 Crew and the rears are defenitly overpowering the front at the neutral setting. I'm running them off of a Shaker 500 Mustang deck, sounds decent.

Do it yourself, it's not too hard.

Here's a link to get the door panels off Door panel removal

As far as the rear go just be gentle and don't break the plastic "clips". You'll need a large torx bit or a vice grip to get the seat belts off as well. GO FOR IT!!!!

 

For those that disagree - why does Ford do what I suggested then?
BTW: This only is true for CREW CAB!

By doing what I suggested you WILL get a proper sound stage.
Look at where the rear speaker is on a Crew Cab. The play RIGHT into the rear seat. To get a sound stage you need to allow the directional high frequency's a clean (unblocked) path to your ears, the front speakers give you that. The rear speakers are farther from your ears and they are partially blocked; this will make them sound weak and muffled as when compared to fronts.
By recommending the above; what I am doing is: adjusting for longer path (to your ears) and compensating for the blocked speakers by the rear seat to ensure proper rear fill level. You guys posting may have done YOUR truck, but I am in the business and have done closer to 50 trucks. Until you have heard it done correctly, your opinion is. . . . well, you know.

I recommend Pioneer TS-D6802R (Sensitivity (1W/1m)-88 dB) for fronts, and TS-G6842R (Sensitivity (1W/1m)-91 dB) for rears. This set up sounds good. Will sound even better if you have the Nav system because it has time correction circuitry built in.

unrulee - I'll bet that Mustang Shaker sounds good! The rear circuit of that is biased/equalized to make the rear speakers of a Mustang come alive - it is a retro thing - kinda like the old days when you had 6X9's in the rear and "maybe" a 4" (or nothing) up front. Cool idea putting that radio in a SD!!

This too may help:
http://www.crutchfield.com/S-HESij5C...oundstage.html

 

That seems to me like buying a .38 instead of a .357 for 0.125" you can have full power 357, reduced velocity 357, 38 spl and reduced power 38 spl.

Unless you talking about straight replacement without amplifiers I wouldn't limit myself by using detuned (comparatively) components when I could just as easily do it with pots, the fader, the eq, adjusting the amp. Even if I wasn't using power, I'd want a speaker capable of similar output, but I might put pots in line to adjust them if I couldn't handle turning the fader.

Now on a professional level to keep idiots from coming back I can see your point of view, but I wouldn't do that to my own install.

 

Agreed, thats what the fader is for.

 

I run JL Audio Evolution XR's in my Dodge and could't be any happier with them. Looking to go all JL in my truck soon.

 

I would highly recommend these Eclipse speakers. I have two pair in my truck right now and I am very happy with them (actually I have two pair of the older 5x7 speakers, but they shouldn't be too different). I will soon be hooking them up to an amp and I'm sure I'll like them even more then.

ECLIPSE Integrated Series Speaker SE6800 | Fujitsu Ten

Here's a good place to buy them.
Eclipse SE6800 6" x 8" Speakers Car Speakers - Sonic Electronix

 

I have Image Dynamics door speakers think they are around 200w cant remember exactly. Alpine amp for those only, procomp box and mtx 5500 series 12 in sub behind seat pheonix gold amp on that, and a Kenwood kdc 591 head unit. The box came out of my o1 f250 that didnt have a power rear window so i had to modify it some for my 06 but the system sounds great.

 

Just my personal opinion but i have used infinity in my last 3 vehicles and love them. I dont think that i will change. I have used pioneer, sony, and focal. the focals being the second best. and now that i have switched to components i will never use anything else in the front. i would not use component speakers all the wat around, a nice set of components in the front and some coax's in the rear for fill work well

 

Was that Shaker 500 a straight forward install? Did you just put in the head unit or are there amps involved too?

Any idea if that style radio will fit in an 01? I know they mount in the dash differently.

Thanks.



I recently installed some Pioneer 6x8's that I got from Wal-Mart. They sound great, but now they are starting to tax the radio so I gotta get something else in there. I'd like to put a stock deck in there.