Miata Mailing List: February 1998, Message #565
sponsored by



     



From: 	Al Roethlisberger <aroethli@cisco.com>

Subject: Re: JBLs in HR and Doors

Date: 	Wed, 4 Feb 1998 19:14:20 +0000



At 10:50 AM 2/3/98 +0000, you wrote:

>Al, 

>

>Your setup sounds great!  I will be upgrading the speakers in my '94 this

>spring.  Question, why didn't you use the speaker covers built into the door

>panels?  Did you have to cut them out of the door panel to use the new JBL

>grills?  I haven't had the chance to check out any modified cars, so I'm

>curious what those people with '94+ do with their new speakers.

>



I would have had to rear/bottom mount the 6.5 drivers in the door in order

for them to fit behind the factory cover.  Given that I planned to add a

little more power to them later, I was also concerned with the travel of the

cone/surround possibly hitting.  And IMO, the JBL covers looked much better

than the little non-descript black discs....but that is just me.  I am sure

many other folks would like to keep the panel totally stock in appearance.

I am not sure this is an option with these particular speakers.



The cover for the 6.5(and the speaker) is a little oversized, so you have to

play with positioning the speaker/grill back a little more than the stock

installation.  If you don't, the new JBL grill will hit the underside of the

dash...you don't want that.  Fortunately the opening in the actual door is

plenty generous, so I was able to move the speaker around to 'just where I

wanted it'.  But of course, the actual opening in the door-panel needed some

alterations since the speaker is larger and positioned about an inch further

to the rear now.  Since the panel is just cardboard, a couple snips with

wire cutters had it fitted perfectly.



The tweeters were no problem.  They can be surface or flush mounted.  But if

you wanted to flush(recess) mount the JBLs you would almost certainly have

to perform some metal cutting behind the panel.  So, I surface mounted them.

It looks nice, and they have a bevelled ring that directs them back toward

the driver.  They only stick out about 1/2 inch...just a bit more than the

stock units.  Installation is simple.  Just run the wiring behind the panel

up from the 6.5, drill a small hole in the bolster where you want to mount

the tweeter, and then attach the mounting ring with two small screws.  Very

clean and simple. I would recommend attaching the tweeters temp. at first to

make sure they are where you want them, and to make some temp. marks.  No

point drilling holes only to find out they don't 'match'... =)



All in all I am very satisfied with the sound quality and look of the

installation.  I just want to now add a little more power so that I can hear

the low/mid a bit better with the top down.  





al





>Also, how difficult was it to mount the new tweeters?

>

>Thanks for the info!

>Dave

>'94 Classic Red

>Team Base, BBS, Momo, CATZ

>

>

><From: Al Roethlisberger 

><Subject: Re: JBLs in HR and Doors

><Date: Mon, 2 Feb 1998 21:05:09 +0000

>

><I have the JBL GT 6 1/2" (6 1/2 mid/bass, titanium tweeter) component set in

><our 94 running off of the stock stereo right now and it sounds great.  I

><listened to several other brands, and it appeared that that JBLs had a

><little more tolerance to some real bottom end power. I plan to add an

><additional amp, so that was important to me.  

>

><The tweeters, although a little bright in the shop, sound great in the car.

><I have them installed in the same location as the factory tweeters in later

><model years with the premium stereo setup.  Perhaps not the best setup for

><soundstage, but it isn't bad at all, and I didn't want to put them in the

><vents or on the dash.  

>

><snip>

>

><I really like the JBLs, I had to do a little cutting on the door panel to

><get them in and have room for the JBL cover.  But the opening in the door

><itself is plenty big and deep enough.

>

><al

>

>

>

>

>