[Liam Nissan]

Hi all,

I recentely replaced the factory stereo in my 2011 base trim with a Kenwood DPX594BT and was quite surprised at the difference it made with the factory speakers. I told myself I wouldn't go any further but I've been bit by the audio bug again! Twenty years ago I had 2 12"s in the back seat (read: not the trunk!) of my 240sx coupe, it's amazing I can still hear...

I was going to go with a nice 6x9 component set up front but after thinking about a tweeter bouncing off the glass and blasting me in the face I decided against it. I like the fuller sound offered by a full range and I'm not an audiophile by any means. That coupled with a simple system to tune led me down this path. Goals for my build were above average sound quality, easy of instal and stealth/factory look. Front/rear door and dash speakers are ran of HU power. I rarely listen to music over about 80db and cargo space is more important than big bass.

I read several other threads of guys adding different speakers to the dash and one involved cutting up the dash. rdp91356 on clubfrontier did some cutting to fit a coaxial 3.5in. Johnson5377 on this site did a smaller 2.5inch replacement. The factory is closer to a 2.75 inch speaker.

Found the Kicker 47KSC270 on Crutchfield. It's a 2.75 inch little monster capable of 50-100 watts with a sensitivity of 300hz to 20khz. The perfect factory replacement I was looking for. Crutchfield said it wouldnt fit but all the measurements I took said it would. The brackets are for Chevy/Toyota so need to be modified.

Sits in the hole perfect. Just need to trim a set of the brackets.

I used a dremel with a die grinder and cutoff wheel. Holes need to be elongated and corners need cut off to fit in the factory location.

My stock speakers had some stains and warping. The new kickers at 2.75 inch are 2mm smaller than the stock speakers. Really an odd size. You cannot go bigger without cutting.

Soldered up with the included bass blockers that start at 250hz. Kept the factory harness for easy reinstall.

Installed.

Crutchfield offers these in a 6x9 component set. I didn't want to jump as I wasn't sure the dash speakers would fit. I would order the component set now that I've sorted this out. Unfortunate as it's hard to find a 6x9 mid without a tweeter.

Also added a Kenwood KSC-PSW8 powered sub under the driver's seat. Fits tight without brackets. Easy all in one harness helps keep it a very clean install. Looking under the seat you can't see any wires. Ran power cable to fuse panel in glove box. Running at gain +2 and bass boost +1. Granted it's not 2 12's but it fills in nicely and keeps my stock fronts from distorting.

Im blown away at the sound quality in my Xterra. LPF and HPF set at 80hz and 24db/octave curves all around. Have not touched time alignment but that's next and will be my first attempt. Mega stoked.

Hope this helps if your looking for a dash speaker alternative. The stock position is not ideal for a tweeter and putting in a coaxial 6x9 isn't either. For me the majority of music ranges from 20hz to about 7khz. Most tweeters start at 3khz-5khz leaving the majority of the sound coming from the floor level 6x9.

This is THE alternative if your searching and undecided.

 

[BlueGoose]

Perfect! Thanks for posting this and doing the leg work. I was looking for exactly this. Did you have to request the Chevy/Toyota brackets?

 

[Liam Nissan]

You do not have to request the brackets. Three different styles are included.

Glad this could help!

 

[Liam Nissan]

Had some time and adjusted the speaker location. The front stage is spot on. The imaging is unreal. It sounds like everything is coming out of the center dash and windshield. When my eyes are closed i cannot tell where the speakers are located. Maybe it's been too long since I last put a system together. Maybe it's all the factory sound systems I've grown used too, maybe the tech has gotten much better. The speakers in all 4 doors are still factory so that will provide another level of quality once replaced.

My advice, replace your factory head unit first and make sure it has filtering/xover settings and sub control. This made the biggest difference. For me, not using a tweeter was 100% the right choice. I have a full rich sound that has zero harshness, was simple and cheap to install and above all else was cake to tune.

 

[Troublemite]

Wow, excellent stuff! I’ve never been a huge car stereo upgrade person, but after doing some drop in upgrades in my old Jetta back in the day, my eyes (ears?) were opened to how much better they can sound! Def will keep this idea in mind for an updat/upgrade someday

 

[ScaryFatKidGT]

Yeah I would have went with these Kicker 48KSS269

Had some time and adjusted the speaker location. The front stage is spot on. The imaging is unreal. It sounds like everything is coming out of the center dash and windshield. When my eyes are closed i cannot tell where the speakers are located. Maybe it's been too long since I last put a system together. Maybe it's all the factory sound systems I've grown used too, maybe the tech has gotten much better. The speakers in all 4 doors are still factory so that will provide another level of quality once replaced.

My advice, replace your factory head unit first and make sure it has filtering/xover settings and sub control. This made the biggest difference. For me, not using a tweeter was 100% the right choice. I have a full rich sound that has zero harshness, was simple and cheap to install and above all else was cake to tune.

How did you achive that? Just time alighnment? It's all still running through the factory amp right? I'm always aware of how far away the left speakers are...

 

[Liam Nissan]

Totally agree on the Kicker component set if you decide to go this route. As stated I wasn't sure I could get the dash speakers to fit and the price was a little high for me.

I'm using this head unit:

Kenwood Excelon DPX794BH

CD receiver

www.crutchfield.com

It has time alignment settings. I measured/adjusted things quite extensively and it sounded good. I then used the presets for the left seating position with mid height stage position and it sounded better to me. Much easier than measuring and adjusting things separately. Zero speaker locality, they have completely dissapeared. Its like the entire front windshild is one big speaker, i dont know how else to describe it. I have a base X so no factory amp, just running everything off head unit.

Had to replace one dash speaker that developed a buzz. Crutchfield was awesome and sent out a replacement set. I added JBL Club 6x9s in the front doors after using Crutchfields listen and compare tool for hours. Found a pair on ebay for less than 90 bucks. Very happy with the results. I'm 100% convinced this setup is better than just a tweeter in the dash. Full range at ear level is always better. Front, rears and sub all crossed at 80hz on a 24db slope.

 

[ScaryFatKidGT]

Totally agree on the Kicker component set if you decide to go this route. As stated I wasn't sure I could get the dash speakers to fit and the price was a little high for me.

I'm using this head unit:

Kenwood Excelon DPX794BH

CD receiver

www.crutchfield.com

It has time alignment settings. I measured/adjusted things quite extensively and it sounded good. I then used the presets for the left seating position with mid height stage position and it sounded better to me. Much easier than measuring and adjusting things separately. Zero speaker locality, they have completely dissapeared. Its like the entire front windshild is one big speaker, i dont know how else to describe it. I have a base X so no factory amp, just running everything off head unit.

Had to replace one dash speaker that developed a buzz. Crutchfield was awesome and sent out a replacement set. I added JBL Club 6x9s in the front doors after using Crutchfields listen and compare tool for hours. Found a pair on ebay for less than 90 bucks. Very happy with the results. I'm 100% convinced this setup is better than just a tweeter in the dash. Full range at ear level is always better. Front, rears and sub all crossed at 80hz on a 24db slope.

What did the left seating preset do? Every car is different so I'm really surprised that that was better than dialing in the time alignment with a measuring tape.

I'm going to try and install kicker dual pods somewhere on the dash

 

[Liam Nissan]

It's the presets time alignment setting. Left, center or right. It's possible I messed it up when doing manually. The menus on the deck are not ideal and I've never done it before.

Pods sound like alot of work.

I was worried adding tweeters in the door position would bring the stage down but that has not happened. A good head unit can compensate.

 

[Gtg768b]

Thanks for the great writeup! I have since installed the kicker 2.75s in the stock tweeter location and they are awesome. I purchased a Pioneer ts-wx130da powered underseat sub and I am looking forward to installing it, and I had a couple of questions about your install.

How did you route the power wire into the glovebox fusebox? Which fuse did you use? Did you use an inline fuse adapter (like https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07TBRM45F/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_i_6K33G5NK01W16JVQ2TCX?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1)?

When connecting the remote wire, did you just tap it into the remote wire leaving your head unit? When I installed my aftermarket head unit, I connected the remote wire from the head unit to the remote wire on the factory harness adapter, and I'm not sure if I need to disconnect it from the harness and just run it directly to the sub.

How did you anchor the sub to the floor?

Thanks very much for your help!

 

[Liam Nissan]

Hey that's awesome. Glad to help! As I said in my post I think these are way better than just a tweeter. Way more range.

The wiring for that sub looks very similar to the Kenwood I got so it will be easy. I ran power off the factory sub fuse location. It's labeled on the back side of the fuse door. What you linked on Amazon looks like it will work good. Since my X is a base model I did not have any subwoofer wiring to worry about. I ran my wires under the carpet up into the center console near the emergency brake then toward the dash, with power running across to the passenger side fuse box. It was all very easy, just take time to route and zip tie it up.

Yes remote wire hooks directly to the head unit in my base trim X as it was not needed in the harness for anything.

I did not anchor my sub. It is a pretty tight fit and is jammed in there at an angle. It hasn't moved but I've not been off road with it. The floor under the seat angles down toward the door, your might fit down in there also.

Glad you tried the kickers and liked them! Let us know how the sub instal goes.

 

[wolfintheforest]

Had some time and adjusted the speaker location. The front stage is spot on. The imaging is unreal. It sounds like everything is coming out of the center dash and windshield. When my eyes are closed i cannot tell where the speakers are located. Maybe it's been too long since I last put a system together. Maybe it's all the factory sound systems I've grown used too, maybe the tech has gotten much better. The speakers in all 4 doors are still factory so that will provide another level of quality once replaced.

My advice, replace your factory head unit first and make sure it has filtering/xover settings and sub control. This made the biggest difference. For me, not using a tweeter was 100% the right choice. I have a full rich sound that has zero harshness, was simple and cheap to install and above all else was cake to tune.

Can I ask what head unit you are using and/or recommend for the best bang for the buck? I have an 06 OR with the upgraded RF factory head unit.