CL-Class (W215) 2000-2006: CL 500, CL 600

Aftermarket Front & Rear Speakers Recommendation

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Old 10-31-2018, 09:11 PM
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97 Lexus LS400, 04 Mustang, 08 Corvette Z51, 92 Honda Civic Si, 02 CL500, 03 E500
Aftermarket Front & Rear Speakers Recommendation

Hi there,
I have an 02 CL500 & am thinking about replacing the OEM 6.5" front & 5.25" rear speakers as they're old & pretty much shot. Would like to get some recommendations on the aftermarket speakers as direct replacements. Thanks in advance.
Old 10-31-2018, 11:48 PM
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Originally Posted by superfast
Hi there,
I have an 02 CL500 & am thinking about replacing the OEM 6.5" front & 5.25" rear speakers as they're old & pretty much shot. Would like to get some recommendations on the aftermarket speakers as direct replacements. Thanks in advance.
the oem Bose speakers have impedance different than any aftermarket speaker . The oem amps don’t sound good running after Market speakers

Go on ebay and get good used oem speakers if you use the oem head unit and amps . they will sound better than any aftermarket option using the stock amps .

Now If your head unit is aftermarket and you are using aftermarket amps they are all set to a 4 ohm standard and will sound good together
Old 11-01-2018, 10:27 AM
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97 Lexus LS400, 04 Mustang, 08 Corvette Z51, 92 Honda Civic Si, 02 CL500, 03 E500
In that case, I'll stick w/ OEM. One of my speakers is buzzing & I've heard from some of the forum's members stated the cone may be de-laminated & just needed to be glued back on. I'll pull the door panel for a look first. Thanks.
Old 11-01-2018, 01:14 PM
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Here's a great video I used:

Rats! I had a complete set of door speakers I'd give you - but wife just told me she tossed them out during the last garage re-org :-(
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Old 11-01-2018, 04:41 PM
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Smartadze- What brand & model #'s did you replace your OEM speakers with? Did you also replace the head unit? I've removed the door panels before so thanks for the video clip anyway.
Old 11-01-2018, 05:20 PM
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As I said - it's all or nothing. Replaced everything, and had to run wiring from the head unit to the trunk for the amp. Luckily, the existing speaker wiring is OK and accessible, so wiring the amp is pretty easy on that score. Must use a box-type sub as the Bose one isn't compatible and sounds crappy anyway. You also have to remove the Bose sub because your guys are right - even disconnected it will respond to the pressure waves from the new box sub and make wuffy noises. easiest to just cut the dam thing out :-)

Actually, I tried several speakers in the door. The stock fronts don't sound half bad with a good amp, but I ended up replacing them. Same for the rear door speakers: for 4" speakers they just provide fill anyway, and stockers worked fine. Rest of info here: Double-DIN install in W215 and 2-DIN dash kit

You'll need a 5-channel amp, and make sure it's a Class D. They run cool and will tolerate being in the stock Bose location behind trim in the trunk. Regular amp will overheat.
Old 11-03-2018, 11:05 PM
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2002 CL500 to CL55 conversion
I also believe I ended up using 4" speakers in my rear. They seem to be 5.25" inches but I believe the speaker housing is misleading

I'm sure the impedance isn't perfect but I've been running aftermarket speakers in my doors (rears) for years. My speakers and amp are still working fine. However, they were cheap replacement speakers and I'd love to re-do this whole sound system eventually with nice components. I believe I will be replacing the stock amp in the process.

Furthermore, if the speaker cone itself needs repair this is an easier task than most people assume. I've used elmers glue and paper towels on guitar amp speakers (much much more powerful and louder) with good success. Speaker cones are mostly glue and paper anyways
Old 05-24-2021, 07:19 PM
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The front are 6.5 and the rear are 4 inch . I was gonna install 5.25 inch in the rear . But decided to keep it like MB had invisioned the audio. Minor modification to the rear housing with a Dremel . I went with Kickers I got natural bass coming through . Sounds pretty good I'm happy with the out come .


Joyner and marky mark

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