# MK5 door speaker upgrades?



## WunTon (Mar 14, 2017)

I have read every thread I can find here and on the other forums regarding upgrading MK5 door speakers but they all seem to be older threads and really only point to the Rainbow and Hertz 3ways and not much else with the exception of a few $7-900 sets. Being that the threads are so old I am wondering if anyone has some opinions on other options? I plan to build MDF rings for the mids and the tweeters are pretty straight forward so its the 4" that seems to be the most space constrictive. I want to keep everything behind the factory door panels and I do not want to cut any metal on my doors. I have read decent things about the Rainbow's but their build quality/QC doesn't seem that great and I was pretty set on picking up the Hertz ESK's then I read a few post saying to go with the HSK's but they are more than I really want to spend and I would likely step to a JL or Focal at that price range anyway. I can get the Hertz ESK's for $285 and I haven't priced the Rainbow's because I have fully crossed them off my list. I'd like to stay under $500 if possible. I will be powering them off my JL 900/5 and pairing them most likely with my JL 12w3 although I do have a 13w7 sitting around but I think thats just to much for what I really want and I don't really want to run more wiring for an additional amp. Let me here what other options are out there nowadays!


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## Jack Watts (Jul 19, 2015)

WunTon said:


> I have read every thread I can find here and on the other forums regarding upgrading MK5 door speakers but they all seem to be older threads and really only point to the Rainbow and Hertz 3ways and not much else with the exception of a few $7-900 sets. Being that the threads are so old I am wondering if anyone has some opinions on other options? I plan to build MDF rings for the mids and the tweeters are pretty straight forward so its the 4" that seems to be the most space constrictive. I want to keep everything behind the factory door panels and I do not want to cut any metal on my doors. I have read decent things about the Rainbow's but their build quality/QC doesn't seem that great and I was pretty set on picking up the Hertz ESK's then I read a few post saying to go with the HSK's but they are more than I really want to spend and I would likely step to a JL or Focal at that price range anyway. I can get the Hertz ESK's for $285 and I haven't priced the Rainbow's because I have fully crossed them off my list. I'd like to stay under $500 if possible. I will be powering them off my JL 900/5 and pairing them most likely with my JL 12w3 although I do have a 13w7 sitting around but I think thats just to much for what I really want and I don't really want to run more wiring for an additional amp. Let me here what other options are out there nowadays!


I have some used Dynaudio Esotec 362's I'd be willing to sell for $500--used but in good condition. I think this is probably the best set-up for an MK5, as the sealed back dome mid is a lot easier to deal with on the install. Unfortunately these are drivers-only, as I was running them active (car was totaled and I pulled them out). I was going to install these into my MK7 but 1) still not sure about cutting into the door panel to install the mid, and 2) still waiting for a MOST150 converter, and it looks like it'll be a long wait. 

There is a pair o X-overs on Ebay if you wanted to go passive. With the airspace (or lack thereof) on the position of the mid, a dome works way better, IMO, so whatever you do I'd look at a 3-way with a dome mid.


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## WunTon (Mar 14, 2017)

Jack Watts said:


> I have some used Dynaudio Esotec 362's I'd be willing to sell for $500--used but in good condition. I think this is probably the best set-up for an MK5, as the sealed back dome mid is a lot easier to deal with on the install. Unfortunately these are drivers-only, as I was running them active (car was totaled and I pulled them out). I was going to install these into my MK7 but 1) still not sure about cutting into the door panel to install the mid, and 2) still waiting for a MOST150 converter, and it looks like it'll be a long wait.
> 
> There is a pair o X-overs on Ebay if you wanted to go passive. With the airspace (or lack thereof) on the position of the mid, a dome works way better, IMO, so whatever you do I'd look at a 3-way with a dome mid.


I appreciate the offer but that's more than I want to spend having to buy x-overs or a new amp unfortunately.


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## Jack Watts (Jul 19, 2015)

WunTon said:


> I appreciate the offer but that's more than I want to spend having to buy x-overs or a new amp unfortunately.


No worries. You may be able to piece something else together. The Dyn 3-ways are typically pretty expensive, but you may be able to find a used set of these for under $500 in the used market: https://www.amazon.com/Morel-Virtus-component-speaker-system/dp/B00ABMNOJQ

The problem with using a tradition driver in that location is that there's no air space in the door--and if you remove the plastic cap, it's sharing the airspace with the woofer. The easiest way, by far, to deal with this is a dome mid. Domes play better off-axis as well, which is pretty key given the location.


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## WunTon (Mar 14, 2017)

I scored an AVIC-8000NEX the other day so that will be the HU I run which should be way more than capable of what I want. Now I just need to nail down what door speakers I want to go with!


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## ravendarat (May 24, 2013)

Ok so a couple pieces of advice for you. First off those hertz speakers at that price are a great speakers and you wouldnt be disappointed with them. Secondly DO NOT USE MDF IN DOORS. Use abs plastic to make your rings or just buy a set of Metra adapters for the car. Wood over time swells and deteriorates in the doors. Ive been installing professionally for almost 17 years and have seen my fair share of garbage in doors after a while. the metra rings are honestly a good way for a do-it-yourselfer and are cheap. Thats a nice amp, I owned one myself but you will definetly get better overall results running your 12w3 on it as opposed to the 13w7, that 13 is power hungry and just isnt gonna be happy on that amp and honestly a 12w3 is plenty of sub for a daily driver. IF you are gonna go to a higher end speaker skip the c3 and go straight to the c5. Crutchfield has the for 529. Im doing a system in my beetle next month using a couple pairs of them, I just got done with a whole hertz system in my last car and am doing all JL this time around, they are a great speaker and have come down in price compared to a few years ago. ESK is a better speaker than the c2 and honestly the c3 in my opinion but the c5 is better than the esk or hsk in my opinion. Good luck on your system either way. It sounds like you have a good grasp on the whole thing regardless


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## WunTon (Mar 14, 2017)

So I got my new HU installed and everything works as it should with the exception of the sub! The sub started out being very quiet and now is acting as if it is blown or clipping REALLLLLY bad at almost any level. I played around with the EQ settings on the radio and turned the gain all the way down on the amp thinking maybe there might be a difference in tuning the amp with this HU but the issue is still there. I used all plug and play wiring from Enfig for the install and the only modification I made to any of it was to add in a PAC TR1 video lockout bypass in the harness but that shouldn't have anything to do with it. I pulled the LOC I was running with the factory HU out and plugged the RCA's and remote wire direct to the new HU so as far as the amp goes that is the only difference it is seeing. Thinking I may have accidentally chaffed the RCA wire under the dash I picked up a new set of RCA's to try and there was still no change there. I'll pull the sub today and Ohm it to see what it reads and if its good I will try and plug a set of RCA's into my son's car and see if it is any different this weekend. I'm just at a loss what would have caused this when everything was perfectly fine before the new HU went in. I suppose it may be possible to have bad RCA output on the HU causing bad audio output right? Any ideas would be great!!

Untitled by https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/, on Flickr


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## WunTon (Mar 14, 2017)

Did some trouble shooting with no solution yet on the sub issue but I've got some more things to try when I have time. But for a more positive update i set my alarm to wake up at 6:45 this am to to some ebaying and getting up early payed off big time!! I scored a set of brand new Hertz Mile Pro MPK163.3 three ways for a whopping $411 shipped!! I am extremely happy with my purchase. If everyone is cool with it I'll just keep this thread going and turn it into an install thread and get some good pics along the way.


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## ravendarat (May 24, 2013)

Turn off the hpf on the deck if you have them turned on and plug the sub rca cable into the front or rear output and see if the sub still sounds bad, that will tell you if you have a problem with the sub out on the deck.


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## WunTon (Mar 14, 2017)

So far I have tried switching the outputs on the HU, turning off and or on all of the available filters on the HU and amp and messing with the tuning on the HU and the amp and still no change in sound from the sub. I was planning to try some trouble shooting with my sons car running wires back and forth to narrow it dow but that didn't happen this weekend so I have a 3.5mm to RCA adapter arriving tomorrow so I will be able to rule out or confirm the HU that way hopefully. In all honesty even though the sub is only a few months old I'd really prefer that the sub be the issue here since its the cheapest part to replace.


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## ravendarat (May 24, 2013)

It sounds like thats likely your issue


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## WunTon (Mar 14, 2017)

Well I was able to run a wire from my sons amp to my sub and sure enough my sub is blown! I don't know how or why but its blown. Time for a replacement any recommendations? Looking for something in a 12" preferably 2 ohm and around 500w RMS.


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## ravendarat (May 24, 2013)

What are you replacing, what kinda budget are you trying to stick around, what kind of box are you using and how big is it, or is that something that can be changed after a sub is chosen?


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## WunTon (Mar 14, 2017)

I'll be replacing a 12w3. It's currently in a JL powerwedge sealed box so its got a fairly small footprint but I am not at all opposed to replacing it with something larger and or ported to be tuned to a specific sub since I had intended on building one for this sub anyway. I would like to stay fairly "cheap" and I am patient enough to wait until a really good deal comes along before purchasing so I will say sub $400 would be ideal but cheaper is better since I didn't plan to have to purchase another sub so soon so I am a bit salty lol! I think I should be able to get a very good sub to fit my wants at that price point.


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## WunTon (Mar 14, 2017)

In keeping this thread alive until I finally get around to starting my install I have changed things up and bought a bunch of fun new things! I picked up a stack of amps to replace my 900/5 with a bit more power
Untitled by Rex Burns, on Flickr

I was also able to find a smoking deal on a brand new set of Hertz 163.3 Mille Pros for $411 to my door!
Untitled by Rex Burns, on Flickr

For a sub I decided to go with a single Sundown X-8 in a nice little ported enclosure.
Untitled by Rex Burns, on Flickr
This thing is a beast at over 30lbs for and 8" sub!
Untitled by Rex Burns, on Flickr

Then a bunch of misc install pieces to get the job done. Some of these things will be switched out in lieu of the new amps since I will need a larger main power run and sadly splitting up my 6 channel RCA's won't be possible so its back to 3 individual runs of RCA's. Also the 900/5 is in the following pic but that will no longer be used obviously.
Untitled by Rex Burns, on Flickr

Untitled by Rex Burns, on Flickr

Untitled by Rex Burns, on Flickr

I'll be ordering some new items to accommodate the new amps as well as searching for some speakers for the rear doors. I know most will say not to worry about the rear doors but my kid likes music and I can easily tune the rear out from the HU if it bothers me that much. For now I have a pretty amp with no use for it besides rear speakers so thats what I'm planning for now at least!

Lastly does anyone have a good source for for PVC or HDPE speaker rings or at least know about how much offset space I need from the door to order some? I'd like to be able to have them on hand so I don't have to remove the door panel more than necessary. Even if I just buy multiple and stack them together thats fine I'm just hoping for a rough idea so I don't have to stack 4 half inch rings together when I could have just done 2 one inch rings or similarly I don't want to buy one inch rings when I need a half inch ring type of deal!


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## ravendarat (May 24, 2013)

Metra 82-7803 speaker adapters work in those cars for the 6.5. I notice you bought the 3 way component set, do you have the stock 3 way speakers?


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## WunTon (Mar 14, 2017)

ravendarat said:


> Metra 82-7803 speaker adapters work in those cars for the 6.5. I notice you bought the 3 way component set, do you have the stock 3 way speakers?


Thanks for the tip! I do have 3 ways factory.


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## IFlyGTI (Feb 26, 2001)

ravendarat said:


> Metra 82-7803 speaker adapters work in those cars for the 6.5. I notice you bought the 3 way component set, do you have the stock 3 way speakers?


Safe to assume only one set (pair?) will be needed for these cars? I'm in the same boat as to looking at speaker upgrades for my '08 R32. Bulk of the system will be factory components, though just not factory for _this_ car...


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## WunTon (Mar 14, 2017)

IFlyGTI said:


> Safe to assume only one set (pair?) will be needed for these cars? I'm in the same boat as to looking at speaker upgrades for my '08 R32. Bulk of the system will be factory components, though just not factory for _this_ car...


Looks like only one pair will be necessary. I bought a set on ebay https://www.ebay.com/itm/Metra-82-7...e=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649 for under $9 and have them sitting on my desk for measurement purposes only so I can order some solid HDPE and make my own more stout rings and mounts. If you want measurements I'll be happy to provide them just let me know.


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## bmxer13 (May 9, 2012)

THY GREYT's audio build thread

https://r.tapatalk.com/shareLink?sh...tex.com/showthread.php?t=5420607&share_type=t


It's an older post and some pics may not work but great info either way. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## WunTon (Mar 14, 2017)

I haven't done much with the install yet except slowly starting to install some sound deadening. I am also researching some rear speaker options. I have decided to do a false floor for the amps as well so I will be picking up supplies for that next week and hopefully that will give me a push to get moving on all this.


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## WunTon (Mar 14, 2017)

I also picked up a set of Hertz MPK130.3 5 1/4" components for the rear doors that match my 3 ways up front since I have blown out one of my rear speakers.


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## WunTon (Mar 14, 2017)

I started working on a layout for the false floor today. This won't be the wood I use when I actually build it since MDF will just die but I wanted something cheap and easy to work with for the design. Here will be the general layout.
Untitled by Rex Burns, on Flickr

Untitled by Rex Burns, on Flickr

There will be three fuse blocks coming off of the power distribution block so each 4awg amp lead will have a separate fuse as well as the main 0awg line at the battery. I currently have one of the fuses installed in my car so I had to use a lid from one for this visual sorry...
Untitled by Rex Burns, on Flickr

Untitled by Rex Burns, on Flickr

The board will be raised about an inch so I can run all of my wires under it and have them pop out right where they need to at each terminal and then stay nice and hidden and organized underneath as well as having all the speaker wires terminated at distro blocks under the front of the false floor so if I ever need to remove everything it will be a matter of undoing some screws at some terminal blocks and the power wires at the distro blocks for a quick easy removal or install!
Untitled by Rex Burns, on Flickr

And no pics but there will be a floor built above the amps that will be hinged so it can easily lift up to view the amps and things but I will still be able to use my floor as a trunk. I will be building in some venting as probably some fans to help with cooling as well but I don't have those details worked out yet.


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