[leonar40]

Hello. I am going to use this thread to post detailed instructions with pictures for replacing the 6 speakers in the standard stereo with aftermarket speakers. I will create this thread in three sections, first the dash speakers, then the rear doors, and finally the front doors. I will include part numbers and links when applicable.

Today I will start with replacing the OEM 3.5 in dash speakers with a pair of 3.5 in Infinity 3002cfx 2-way speakers. This project took approximately 1.5 hours including taking pictures and cleanup.

1. As with any project, it helps to lay out all your tools before you start. For this project, I used the following
- Socket wrench with #10 socket
- Decent crimping tool
- Wire cutter
- Small gauge wire stripper
- 22 gauge butt connectors
- Plastic pry tools. In place of these, I have found that a flat head screwdriver wrapped with electrical tape works well.
- Wires for connecting the speakers with appropriate spade terminals on one end



2. The first step is to remove the dash grills. Use the plastic pry tools or a flat head screwdriver to pry them upward. I was surprised by how much force it actually took to pry them up. The dash is pretty soft and luckily forgiving, so there was no damage done even though it had to flex quite a bit. I found that starting on the side and then working your way down the front worked best for me. I have notated where I started on the picture below.



3. Once the speaker grill is removed, remove the OEM speaker by removing both #10 bolts. The speaker connector is released by a small latch at the back of the connector. Push down on the latch, and the connector will slide out.

Here are some pictures of the stock connector. This is the part that I tried and tried to find a matching connector for, but never could. I took a good view of both the connector on the OEM speaker and also on the car side if anyone wants to keep trying to find the match.



4. Assuming that you don't have the matching connector, you will need to clip off the stock connector. However, as you can see in the pictures above, Lexus wrapped the speaker wire with a nice mesh sleeve. This is great except that it doesn't leave very much exposed wire at all for stripping and crimping. I found that I needed to cut this mesh sleeve back about an inch, and also remove some black electrical tape that was on the wires. This allowed enough room to clip off the connector and strip the wires.



5. Using a decent quality crimp tool, crimp your speaker wires onto the stock speaker wires. Green is the positive color for the right speaker. Red is the positive color for the left speaker. This is easier said than done, and a good crimp tool really helps. Of course if you are good at soldering and have a portable soldering iron, you could also solder these wires.



6. Connect the Infinity speaker to spade terminals on the new speaker wire. Here are some side by side pictures of the OEM speaker and the Infinity speaker.



7. Place the speaker into the speaker opening. Due to the size of the magnet of the Infinity speaker, you may need to play with the speaker wiring a bit to push it out of the way so that the speaker sits flat on the speaker mounts. I found that the right speaker fits pretty easily. The left speaker just barely fit. At one point I actually thought I wasn't going to be able to get it to fit because it was so tight. The problem here is that the magnet is so big that it actually hits the very back of the instrument cluster "hood" as it starts to rise from the dash. Once in place, bolt them in place with the original #10 bolts.



8. I always advise testing the speakers before replacing the grills, just in case something isn't connected correctly. When I tested the speakers, I found the highs were much improved. Cymbals and other high range sounds really sang, especially at high volume. I was shocked however to see that the 3.5 in woofers weren't moving AT ALL. I couldn't even feel anything if I put my finger on the speaker surround. I can only assume that this is due to the cross-over point of the OEM head unit blocking bass and midrange from going to the speakers. I also noticed that these Infinity speakers come with an electrolytic capacitor attached to their input. This may be acting as a high pass filter in addition to the filtering that the OEM head unit is already doing. I know that the 3.5 in woofers wouldn't do much anyway, but it's kinda a shame to have such nice speaker cones and not really be using them.

9. If everything is working, replace the speaker grills by inserting the back end first, and then pressing the front end downward.

10. Clean all the finger and hand prints you just made off the windshield and dash, and then put away your tools. Now you have much improved high frequency sound!

I have matching Infinity 6x9 3-way speakers and 6.5 2-way speakers on order for the front and back doors. I will add a similar write-up for each of those installations once I perform them. As always feel free to post or PM me any questions that you may have.

- Jason

 

[cracker]

Great how to!! Thank you so much for your work.
By the way, would you consider to add a subwoofer at the back?

 

[leonar40]

Thanks, I'm glad that you like it. A subwoofer could be a possibility, but I'm going to install the rest of the Infinity speakers first and see where I am at. The style of music that I listen to doesn't require a ton of booming bass, so we'll see. I just got the rest of the Infinity speakers in the mail today. Man the 3-way 6x9s are a beast. The magnet on those things is huge. It's a shame I will be only sending whatever little power the OEM head unit puts out to the speakers. They would probably be unreal with say 100W RMS going to each one.

 

[tk1971]

Nice going. Can't wait to see your door pics and the read your review of the upgrade for the rest of the speakers.

 

[aznbo187]

Also curious what your feedback from changing the door speakers is.


Have you considered removing the capacitor on your 3.5" dash tweeters that are currently installed to see if it is indeed the headunit sending filtered frequencies, or maybe the capacitors is possibly cutting out too much of the lower frequencies than it should?

 

[leonar40]

Rear Door Speakers:

I finally got my car back from getting the front bumper fixed, so I had time this weekend to install some more speakers. I actually tried to install all four door speakers, but found that I didn't have the correct speaker brackets for the front doors. So hopefully I can do those this weekend. OK here goes for the rear doors:

1. Tools / Adapters / Connectors

Here is a list of things that I bought that made this project much easier.

- Plastic trim removal tools
Astro Pneumatic 4524 Auto Fastener and Molding Removal Tool Set, 11-Piece - Amazon.com

- Speaker connectors
Metra 72-8104 Speaker Connector for Select Toyota Vehicles - 72-8104

- Speaker adapter brackets
PVC Speaker Adapters - CNC Machined - In Stock or Custom Made

UPDATE: These adapters come in two thicknesses. The ones shown in this write-up are the 1/4 in. single version. I would recommend instead to purchase the 7/8 in. "double" version, as this allows the OEM wiring connector to be connected outside the speaker through the two pieces of the adapter. See the write-up for the 6x9 speaker replacement later in this thread for some photographs of how this works.

Other then that it was the typical tools including a Phillips and flathead screwdriver, #10 socket wrench, box cutter, pad for my knees, etc.

2. Take the door panel off. There are several threads on here about removing the doors already so I won't go through all that. The Lexus service manual does a pretty good job of describing the process. If you don't have a copy you can get it here:
http://torrents.thepiratebay.se/7082041/Lexus_CT200h_Service_Manual.7082041.TPB.torrent
I will give a couple of hints though. First, roll the window down. Not only will this keep you from putting smudges all over the window, but this really helps with putting the door panel back on once the speaker is replaced. Once you have the plastic trim pieces and screws out, Start with the bottom of the door, and use your clip removal tool to release the bottom clips. This will give your hands some room to start working up each side. You have to be brave and pull pretty hard but you will start releasing the door one clips at a time. Once all the clips are released, the door lifts up and off. Finally remove the door lock and door latch cables to completely free the door panel.

3. OEM Speaker Removal - You can see the OEM speaker in the picture above. These may not be the best quality, but I was actually pleasantly surprised to see some nice features such as rubber surrounds and pretty nice speaker cones. I'm used to stock speakers being made of paper or other super cheap materials. Of course they are completely missing a tweeter, so that would explain the muddy high frequency response. Unplug the OEM speaker connector. There is a little button that releases it. Remove the three #10 bolts, and pull the OEM speaker out.

4. Attach the aftermarket speaker connector - You will notice that Lexus ran the speaker connector on the outside of the speaker opening. This is very strange and most likely different than how your aftermarket speaker is designed. Luckily, there is an opening pretty close to the speaker opening that you can run the speaker wires into so that they come out through the speaker opening like a standard setup. Just cut a little slit into the vapor barrier as shown in the picture below. Luckily the speaker wire is covered in a tough mesh sleeve, so I don't think running it next to these metal parts will cause any rubbing issues.

5. Attach the speaker adapter bracket to the speaker - If you bought the adapters that I referenced in the tools section, they come with little screws. For the Infinity 6.5 in speakers, you will use the outer-most screw holes. Interestingly, the speaker bolt holes in the door are not symmetrical. Test fit the adapter bracket so that you can find which way is "up". Connect the speaker to the adapter through the four holes such that the speaker connection is to the left for the left door, and to the right for the right door. This will give you the shortest speaker wire run.

6. Connect the aftermarket speaker, and reattach it to the door with the three #10 bolts. The Infinity speakers that I bought have a swivel tweeter. I moved it so that it points up and towards the back seats, where my passenger would be sitting. I also did not use the +3dB tweeter gain. Seems like these speakers have plenty of treble as it is.

7. Re-attach the door panel - This is where having the window down really helps. First re-attach the door lock and door latch cables. If you forgot to look closely when you removed them, the green cable goes on the bottom. I found it much easier to line the door panel up from the outside of the door, with a helper holding the weight of the door. Slip it down over the window ridge. Then start pushing the clips back in one by one. I started down each side, then at the bottom. Re-attach the two screws, and put the plastic pieces back together including the window switches.

That's it. All in all it's not too hard. Of course this could have been made much easier if Lexus would have just made the speaker grills removable. That is a huge pet peeve of mine. You will find that the first door takes you a while, but once you learn how to do it, you can do the other ones much easier. It took me about an hour and a half to do the first door and about 40 minutes to do the second door.

As always I'm happy to answer any questions, and I'll follow up with the front door installation next week.

- Jason

 

[aznbo187]

Well, how's the sound?

 

[leonar40]

The dash speakers make a noticeable difference. Honestly the rear door speakers don't make any difference unless you are sitting in the back, you can't hear them from the front seats. The big change will be this weekend when I put Infinity 3-way 6x9's in the front doors.

 

[midcow3]

The dash speakers make a noticeable difference. Honestly the rear door speakers don't make any difference unless you are sitting in the back, you can't hear them from the front seats. The big change will be this weekend when I put Infinity 3-way 6x9's in the front doors.

leonar40,

Great job on upgrading your audio and very, very nice write-up. I completely agree with you about the front speakers being the primary sound plane. The rear door speakers and also the subwoofer don’t make that much difference. Good front door speakers will add the missing bass frequencies ( those above sub and below mid) .

Your upgrades will significantly improve your USB and AUX input. Have you had any thoughts about replacing the OEM head unit to improve the AM/FM/XM ? … Because the OEM head unit, Panasonic, is pretty muddled.

MidCow3

 

[tk1971]

Nice going... Waiting for your review of the front speaker upgrade.

 

[aznbo187]

Interesting. Any reason why you are going with 3-ways in the front door panel, instead of a dedicated mid-bass? The 3-ways would mean you'd be getting some highs from your door area instead of the dash.

 

[dj_baby_tenshi]

Interesting. Any reason why you are going with 3-ways in the front door panel, instead of a dedicated mid-bass? The 3-ways would mean you'd be getting some highs from your door area instead of the dash.

I was thinking the same thing...In the past I've only upgraded with component speakers so I can make my own tweaks but since I'm not too familiar with the lex set up I was looking thru the threads and what ppl have done w/ the speaker upgrades...

Would the coaxial 6.5 produce too much high's?

 

[aznbo187]

I mean, there is no "right" way to do things, but listening to the CT's sound stage I like that most of the vocals are coming from the front. My plan is to drop in a 4" mid-range in the dash location that has a wide frequency response, and using a dedicated mid-bass for the front door, possibly a 7". I know it's always the goal to move away from having highs coming from the door area AND the dash, especially when we don't have sound processing tools to control time alignment and such.

 

[leonar40]

Interesting. Any reason why you are going with 3-ways in the front door panel, instead of a dedicated mid-bass? The 3-ways would mean you'd be getting some highs from your door area instead of the dash.

No particular reason other than I have always had coaxial speakers in all the doors of every car I've ever owned and I liked the results. Keep in mind that I'm only powering these speakers with the OEM head unit, so I'm not sure a midrange driver would really do much for you. The 3-way Infinity speaker has a woofer, a midrange, and a tweeter, so that should cover anything that the head unit sends nicely. Honestly the main reason was that they were only about $60 on Amazon for a speaker that was originally $250.

 

[leonar40]

Your upgrades will significantly improve your USB and AUX input. Have you had any thoughts about replacing the OEM head unit to improve the AM/FM/XM ? … Because the OEM head unit, Panasonic, is pretty muddled.

Midcow, that's a good point. Actually I don't think it's the head unit's fault so much as the XM signal pretty much sucks. It's been of poor quality in every XM radio I've ever listened to, including the Prius, Honda Insight, and the Ford Ranger. Even so, the variety is great and it's the only way that I can get to listen to my style of music (mainly heavy metal and hard rock) in a radio format. I live in the middle of nowhere, it's all country stations.

 

[aznbo187]

No particular reason other than I have always had coaxial speakers in all the doors of every car I've ever owned and I liked the results. Keep in mind that I'm only powering these speakers with the OEM head unit, so I'm not sure a midrange driver would really do much for you. The 3-way Infinity speaker has a woofer, a midrange, and a tweeter, so that should cover anything that the head unit sends nicely. Honestly the main reason was that they were only about $60 on Amazon for a speaker that was originally $250.

Fair enough!

Curious if we are able to fit a 8" or 7" round woofer in the stock location. Anyway you can also measure the mounting depth and just a few general measurements when you are in there?

 

[leonar40]

Curious if we are able to fit a 8" or 7" round woofer in the stock location. Anyway you can also measure the mounting depth and just a few general measurements when you are in there?

You would certainly have to modify the door panel, as the speaker grill is in 6x9 format. You would probably have to modify the speaker opening as well, as it is oval in shape. Lastly, don't forget that the glass from the window goes right behind the speaker, so any extra depth past what a normal 6x9 would be would likely interfere with the window.

 

[34038]

Base or premium the head end does a decent job of separating the highs to dash and lows to the front doors. You will not fit anything other than the Infinity 3032cf (3.5") in the dash due to the immense diff in the magnet size. The left side (drivers) need a little nudge to compress an air vent duct to fit. The sound difference on the highs is drastic. The machined door speaker adaptors (CNC machined) from resin are Perfect fit. You can get 6x9 or 6.5" round ones for $25. Highly recommend these in the link Leonard provided.

 

[Justwingingit]

I to am anxious to see what the sound improvement will be like once you finish installing the infinity 6x9 in the front doors and if the stock stereo is adequate in pushing them. I know I'll sound like a noob for asking this but I take it the mark levinson unit available elsewhere isn't compatible with ct200's sold in the U.S. . It would seem like the easiest solution for better sound and still retaining control through steering wheel controls,blue tooth,etc. and a clean factory look. I'm guessing we'll have to see if lexus will offer it in a future model and then pay the piper if its worth the difference in sound quality.


Sent from AutoGuide.com Free App

 

[leonar40]

I know I'll sound like a noob for asking this but I take it the mark levinson unit available elsewhere isn't compatible with ct200's sold in the U.S

As far as I know it is "compatible", but it just isn't offered in the US. You can actually buy it from the Sewel Lexus website, but once you add it all up it's several thousand dollars and you then still have to do a huge installation project. That's why for people that want to spend that kind of money and installation time, you might as well just go aftermarket with a big screen navigation head unit, subwoofer, amps all over the place, etc.