Reaperman

I have been following this thread with interest as I too am looking to swap out the standard front speakers with a set of Kappa 60.9's...pricing in the UK is pretty good just now - £125 total.....compared to £220 for the HK kit...

I feel a mod coming on !

jctevere

Can someone provide to me a link of where I can buy or look at the specs of the exact speakers, I tried looking, but I can't find it. All I came up with was http://www.woofersetc.com/p6703/609c...ker-System.htm But I can't imagine that these are them, being that they are so cheap...

Reaperman

Those are the exact Kappa speakers Im looking to use....and the ones mentioned in the thread as suitable replacements....

Here's a link to the manufacturers site...

http://www.infinitysystems.com/car/p...=US&Region=USA

ICON 1

You won't regret the upgrade. If your doing it yourself just read up on the forums for the subject matter.

jctevere

I have pulled the trigger on the upgrade. I have bought these items: http://www.woofersetc.com/index.cfm?...roduct_id=6703

It consists of the 60.9cs component speaker system which has the (2) crossovers, (2) Woofers, and (2) tweeters. I then bought the 62.9i woofers for the rear, which again, come with the (2) crossovers, and (2) woofers. I hope that I bought the right ones, I have the link to my cart above. The total price was $270 + $20 shipping, bringing it to $290 altogether. I thought it was a pretty good deal...

Reaperman

I do hope so....I believe the Head Unit (Command) is a good source but the stock speakers, as always, are the weak link....

I've read the forum notes/threads on this subject and it seems a straight forward upgrade...

Reaperman

Does anyone know what the distance is between the speaker mounting plate in the door to the window glass....the reason why I ask is that the upgrade Im looking at is 66mm mounting depth..

http://www.focal-fr.com/catalogue-do...files/1226.pdf

ICON 1

If you replace the front door speakers in the same manner that Akadan has posted for his rear speaker install you should have enough room. That is how I installed both my front and rears. Do not remove the riveted orignal speakers but surgically remove the speaker drivers within. This will leave a perfect spacer ring in place for your install.

ICON 1

That is a pretty good deal. If your doing the install yourself just read up on Vic Viper's, Akadan's, and my install notes. One good idea is to purchase a set of interior prying tools. These came in handy and worked very well in prying the door panels and trims off without damaging anything. For the rear door you do not have to remove the plastic trim around the window frame. The door panels in the rear simply pry off.

Reaperman

Are these readily available from any motor/car accessory store or are they from MB...?

ICON 1

I purchased the 5 pcs set from amazon for under $20. Try the following link
http://www.amazon.com/No-Scratch-Too...sim_dbs_auto_7

Out of the 5 pcs you would end up using 3 of the smaller tools. The one with the slanted center notch flat end is very useful for popping out the plastic snap plugs that remain in the door when you remove the door panel. Make sure you read and understand Vic Viper's forum on removing and reinstalling the door panels.

jctevere

Thanks for the info Icon. I can still change my order, reading back I see that if you could do it over you would also install the 62.9i in the fronts? Should I change the order from the 60.9cs for the front to the 62.9i?

ICON 1

I am very happy with my 60.0cs install and have no second thoughts about it. The components take a bit more of an install process (replacing the tweeters, installing the crossovers) than just installing the 62.9i in the fronts. It is not hard, just follow what I did in detail.

The statement I had on the forum was "If one does not want to use components I would recommend replacing with 2 ways for the woofers since this pair of stock wires are full range". Installing just the front woofers with the 62.9i (2 ways) is even easier. You will not have to replace the stock tweeters and having to install the crossovers. The sound should be fine as anything is better than the stock speakers. IMO either way you can't go wrong.

If you want to discuss the install process for a better feel of what is involved let me know.

ICON 1

If anyone has completed this speaker upgrade be advised that to fully enjoy your speakers you need to fine tune the Parametric Equalizer settings in Engineering Mode of the Audio 20 head unit. My music preference is adult pop and jazz and after numerous fine tunings I have concluded the following settings -

Filter1 / Frequency: 90 / Q: 0.5 / Gain(db): +3.5
Filter2 / Frequency: 1000 / Q: 1.5 / Gain (db): +4.0
Filter3 / Frequency: 10000 / Q: 1.0 / Gain (db): +4.5
Filter4 / Frequency: 15000 / Q: 1.0 / Gain (db): +2.0

It is amazing how clear the speakers are. You can hear every instrument that is mixed into the music. Of course these are my preferences and anyone else may need to fine tune to their own preferences. Happy listening!

jctevere

Thanks for the info ICON. Have you installed a separate Sub for your car?

Also, if I were say, more into, "Hip Hop" or rap music, how would I adjust the equalizer settings accordingly. (A rule of thumb, don't have to give me exact numbers). Lower frequency, higher gain, etc?

ICON 1

No I didn't install a sub as I am not a fan of booming base. The Infinity speakers with the parametric EQ settings I settled on and posted produced a strong balanced base.

Occasionally I will listen to some mainstream "Hip Hop" that streams over Pandora. You can start with the settings I have posted (I feel that these produced a very well balanced sound) and tweek the lower 2 filter settings. IMO -

Filter1 / Frequency: 50 / Q: 0.5 / Gain(db): +3.5
Filter2 / Frequency: 800 / Q: 1.5 / Gain (db): +4.0

From these settings listen and play with the Q and Gain(db). At one point I had these settings and found the base too boomy. Take your time with it as each minimal increment will produce noticeabl changes in the sound.

jl9j

Hi all,

I have installed Kappa 60.9cs in the front and 6092si in the rear. I have the stock audio 20 HU. I did not get another componant to install in both the rear doors and the rear deck. Installation was done by Crutchfield and it was not that difficult. Here's what I think so far.

[edit] Sound is great. The file you listen to makes a huge difference. Today, I was blasting some Jay-Z (320 AAC) and thinking the bass could be better. Couple songs later, Warren G came on and bass was awesome. So before you write off the bass, check your music files.

Question:
Is the rear deck empty and available for additional speaker install? I have the 2 tweets, 2 front and 2 coax in the rear doors. If there's room in the rear deck , I would love to put two more speakers in there and possibly a sub.

jctevere

I don't think that there are any speakers in the rear deck with the stock audio 20 system. That being said, there is an empty place to install it, but I don't know how you would mount them... Are the mounting brackets there for speakers/subs? You can climb into your trunk on your back and look up to check it out.

Acapulco Bill

The "crossover" is just a non-polarized cap soldered to the tweeter. The wiring is done in parallel in each front door. The rear speakers are coaxial with the same tweeter mounted on a spider over the woofer (angled upwards to combat "Q"). Someone in MB Hong Kong mentioned in another thread that the OEM price of the stock speakers ia about a dollar for ALL of them.
Recommended are the Infinity Kappa 60.9 speakers in front and the Infinity 6032 shallow magnet coaxial for the rear. Plus a self powered subwoofer for the trunk (Boss audio).
FIT - the original woofers have a non-standard basket and seal. The tweeters for the front door pillars are truly tiny and some enlargement would be needed.
The local MB dealer (220 mi away) was glad to install them, and I am satisfied with the job, no rattles from the door replacements, and apparently were well sealed.
SOUND - the Infinity speakers are nearly 6 dB more efficient = twice the perceived volume. The Audio 20 unit produces 40 Watts per channel into their 2 ohm impedance.
Some say this system sounds more accurate than the HK system, with original CDs or lossless encoding from an iPod.

jl9j

Speakers back there are not needed but it would be nice to have 2 extra speakers. If there's room for it. Does the Audio 50 come with speakers back there? Is it just the Audio 20 that doesn't have anything back there? There are grills that make it look like there should be speakers back there but I'm not sure what is suppose to be there. Anyone know the answer to this?

Acapulco Bill

@jl9j: You should consider getting a compact self-amplified subwoofer like the Boss Bass600, its tiny with huge sound. Mounted under the rear deck with the speaker facing into the cabin, it really compliments the Infinity Kappas. Means less wear and tear on the 6 1/2" cones for cleaner midrange. Not sure, the openings in the rear deck are for the HK? Anyway this is the best $300 - $400 ANYONE can invest in their W204 with the Audio 20 system.

jl9j

Hey Bill,

Yes, I remember you telling me to do this. I was going to listen to my new speakers for a while than make a final call on whether or not to get the bass. If I do, I will be sure to contact you for advice. BTW, did I mention how much I love the new speakers? Thanks for your help with all that.

In addition the the bass install, I simply was wondering why the back deck had grills on them and if it was possible to install additional speakers.

Acapulco Bill

@jl9j The back deck does not have grills, and under the deck was a thick rubber sound insulating pad. Didnt check yet, but one supposes that the MB dealer cut through this and left the black cloth on the rear deck intact when installing the subwoofer. Been so busy. Hope you let the speakers break in for 40 hours before final judgement. Have 200 sq feet of Dynamat to put into the trunk and doors.

jl9j

Still breaking them in

Imageboi

Is there a reason everyone chose the infinity speakers?? is it cause of the 2 ohm impedence??