[mtan123]

Hi Guys,

I got tired of buzzing coming out of the stock speakers and ended up breaking down and buying a sound system. I ended going with a Rockford Fosgate R165-S component system for the front and Rockford Fosgate R165 coaxials for the rear. No sub just yet, I'm going to hold off for now, but the aforementioned speakers will be plugged into a Pioneer P1400DVD HU. Amazon had both speaker packages for a pretty good deal considering, and based on the instructions from Crutchfield the speakers seem pretty easy to install. What I'm worried about is how to manage the tweeters. I pretty much presumed they'd fit in the stock tweeter locations, but I think they will be smaller in size than the oem tweeters. Any idea on how to make them fit snugly without rattling and making noise? Also, I'm not sure what to do about the crossover box, or if I have to worry about it. Amazon's only description says that the tweeter crossover is built into the midrange basket, of which I have no idea what that means. What should I do?

I also bought wiring speaker harnesses from Crutchfield in case I sell the truck as well as speaker adapters from Best Buy.

Does this sound alright? Is there anything I'm missing? I'm new to car audio and enjoy the DIY project (and avoiding a $500 bath for someone else to install it), but am always grateful for any input you guys would have. For the moment, Amazon has the speakers backordered until the end of the month, so I have pleeenty of time before I actually dive into this.

Thanks for looking!

 

[laserguy]

Good deal :cheerleader:

No dash location installation recommended unless you want to fish new wire through the door and up to the dash, easy 2 hours per door.

Simply put them on the window sail panel like this http://www.ridgelineownersclub.com/forums/showpost.php?p=678314&postcount=9 it will simplify everything and save time, If you really want them on the dash pay a pro to do it, you can use zip ties with existing holes available on the grills connecting 2 or more to reach the areas needed or cross them to hold them, some foam insulation seal could also help.

 

[laserguy]

Here is the dash grill picture with zip ties to get the idea of one of few ways you can use those zip ties. http://www.ridgelineownersclub.com/forums/showpost.php?p=766465&postcount=587

 

[mtan123]

Excellent, thanks for your help!

 

[laserguy]

Sure! Those RF components should have a separate large crossover that needs to be installed in the door just behind the door panel to make the connections.

Try it and let us know how they work driven by the Pioneer head unit.

 

[loginfailed]

Good deal :cheerleader:

No dash location installation recommended unless you want to fish new wire through the door and up to the dash, easy 2 hours per door.

If you want to use the stock tweeter locations, it can still be done without running wires into the doors.

You can catch the speaker wires in the kick panels before they enter the door. Cut the OEM wires. Hook the radio side to the input on the crossover. The other side (wires heading to the door speaker) to the woofer output of the crossovers. Then run a new wire from the crossover tweeter output to the factory tweeter location.

This is how I did it in my RTL.

 

[mtan123]

That sounds like a very good option. Do you happen to have any pictures from when you installed your system? It's a little hard for me to visualize at the moment.

Again, I'm trying to make this as un-intrusive as possible in case I sell. While going through the sail panels seems waaaay easier, I'd rather not blow a hole in the door just yet if I can avoid it.

 

[laserguy]

What loginfailed is saying is put the crossovers in the kick panel area, connect the leads coming from the HU in the xover main input, then connect the xover woofer outputs to the side that goes to the doors, then fish new wire from the dash tweeter location down to the kick panel where the xovers is and connect the new tweeter wires to the tweeter connectors on the xover. Fishing new tweeter wire is not that hard, just need a flashlight to light from the top to catch the wire on the foot area for each side.

Xover has main input, woofer outputs and tweeter outputs (6 connectors) The issue with this method is cutting factory wire to save some time.

By installing them on the door/ window seal panel everything stays on the door, you can use the speaker wire adapters to plug those leads into the xover main input then new wire to the 6.5 inch driver from the xover and the same thing with the tweeter, just need to drill a small hole on the plastic triangle part to mount it and wire it.

Sometimes tracing and finding factory wiring takes time also, you decide if the dash tweeter location is worth the work, either method will work, just a preference.

 

[mtan123]

Can I solder instead of cut the factory wire?

 

[laserguy]

Can I solder instead of cut the factory wire?

It is not a matter or tapping in to the wire, it has to be cut and separated, 2 separate leads go in the main xover input then mid driver xover out to mid driver and tweeter xover output to tweeter.


The only way to not cut any wires is to do it all in the door by using the factory speaker leads as main input for the cross over then a few feet to each driver from the crossover to to the drivers.

Like I said the box, takes a main speaker signal, then splits the high and the lows in to 4 separate wires, pos and neg for each driver. Maybe this picture helps to see why you can't tap or solder wires without cutting them

 

[loginfailed]

You can also do the wiring behind the radio instead of doing it in the kick panels. Then you won't have to cut the factory wires. Just cut the wires where your Pioneer connects to the factory wiring.

You may have to get creative as far as where to mount the crossovers. But if you have enough speaker wire on hand you can extend everything enough to reach a suitable crossover mounting location.

You'll still need to run new wires from wherever you mount your crossovers to the tweeters though. But this will eliminate the need to cut any factory wires.

 

[BusaJeff]

There are quite a few "over analyzed" solutions here with tremendous wasted effort.

FYI the tweeter portion of the crossover is ONE small capacitor per tweeter(can be more complicated to get a steeper dropoff) There is no need to struggle with running wires all over the car for no gain or to mount your tweeters where you can see them. Most of the seperately purchased tweeters that people here have installed have these capacitors built in to the tweeters(the same way the factory ones were built). For the record you can get a better soundstage by moving your tweeters from the factory locations, but of them don't look so hot and your prior post does state that you are looking to avoid a non-factory look. .

You can still use the x-overs on the mids, no need to run the wires from there to the tweeters, you only need to add a simple capacitor in parallel into one wire of each tweeter when you install the new tweeters in the factory location.

Tweeter capacitors are available in any size(different values equate to different crossover frequencies) and will cost $0.50 to $5 apiece($0.50 at radio shack as a bare part and $5 at best buy for a pretty version) In your installation manual, you will likely see the high-pass frequency that the manufacturer selected for those exact tweeters.

Using this simple method will be cheaper/simpler and give you the same result; unless you really wanted to run new speaker wires / cut factory wiring / really want exposed tweeters.

From the sounds of your original post it seemed like you just wanted your seperates in the factory locations without any added complication

Here is a link for a common tweeter x-over capacitor frequency of 2800hz



Sorry such a long post, I'm amazed sometimes how many different complicated solutions people come up with for a simple problem ?

[edit] 1. Looks like the factory crossover cap in the factory r/f crossover is 4500hz @6db/octave roll off.

[edit] 2. Sorry to all who were offended by my cruel words and poop emoticon.

[edit] 3. There are many ways to solve any problem, good luck in selecting your path.

 

[loginfailed]

There are quite a few "over analyzed" solutions here with tremendous wasted effort.

I'm amazed sometimes how many different complicated solutions people come up with for a simple problem ��

There is nothing "over analyzed" about anything I have posted. These are common solutions, that have been used by professional installers for many years.

If running a few wires under the dashboard of a Ridgeline is in your opinion "tremendous wasted effort" then do it your way, buddy. But don't go around bashing on others for providing help.

All you have to do is say "another way to do it is..." or "the way I do it is..." No need for negativity or poop emoticons.

 

[laserguy]

With factory HU, to put tweeters in the dash with a single xover box using factory wiring it needs to be cut, unless a metra harness is added I think, and new wire for the tweeterswill be neded.

With aftermarket HU yes just take the speaker leads from the aftermarket HU and use as main inputs for the xover, however the xovers need to be in the dash behind or next to the HU or other place as long as new wire is added from there, it involves the time removing the dash and still new wire needs to be fished to the top of the dash or from the top for the tweeters.

The capacitor will work as a short cut, but to get the right frequency and cut off for what the manufacturer intended to do for the sound reproduction the factory xovers for the tweeters should be used. Those RF xovers for that model are very big and that can complicate or limit their installation and location.


You can do it in many ways it is up to the user to decide if the extra time is worth it.

He can also just use the xovers just for the tweeters, adding extra wire to factory dash wiring and place the xover in the dash or kick panel area and just let the mid drivers run full range skipping the xover. This can cut several hours of labor. Since components need more power to sound better, maybe this option of skipping the mids, may actually give better sound, or a bit more power.


Mtan123 you have all options let us know what you decide to do. Hopefully you are not more confused than before, ha ha.

 

[mtan123]

Ohhh I see. Thanks for clearing that up. The speakers should be arriving sometime this week, so I'll try and let you guys know how it goes this weekend. Indeed laserguy, lot of info to take in but I appreciate all the help and options each of you users have given me!

Thanks for the link too BusaJeff, I'm coming back around to the idea of putting them in the factory location because as you said, my goal is non-intrusive and a clean factory look, not necessarily a perfect theater environment. But on the other hand laserguy's approach is pretty darn straightforward (even though I'm not keen on boring a hole in the door).

 

[hofffam]

It looks like the R165-S component speakers are a relatively primitive component set. By primitive I mean its crossover is super-simple. There is just a high pass filter for the tweeter. No low pass on the woofer. It runs full range. Apparently the tweeter is mounted on the woofer though the pictures don't show it.

If the tweeter stays in the door that approach works well for wiring. The single speaker cable from the HU goes to the woofer, then another cable to the tweeter.

If the tweeter goes in the dash that requires two speaker cables into the door unless you remove the capacitor and relocate it to be with the tweeter.

BusaJeff - a single capacitor does produce a 6 db/octave crossover. But such a crossover is connected in series with the tweeter, not parallel.

 

[BusaJeff]

Absolutely hofffam

As long as there are not additional wires run(for this example only- but i support that there are plenty of good options), the tweeter caps get tossed in series with the tweeters at their mounting point (just like the factory tweeters and the cap that's mounted to them from honda).

I think e can be safe stating that the factory must have the tweeter and mid in parallel, since the cap placed on the tweeter from honda doesn't affect the mid.
…
Help me out- if the Rockford x-overs are high-pass for the tweeters and full range for the mid - then he could just toss in the mids without the x-overs and put the r/f x-overs in at the factory tweeter locations(albeit fitting them in would be a challenge) OR go with some aftermarket caps for the tweets, and toss out the r/f crossovers....and still have the same effect as r/f intended, without running any new wires, right?

 

[hofffam]

The tweeter and woofer will be connected in parallel. The capacitor will be in series with the tweeter itself. For a tweeter in the factory location wiring would be much easier overall if the cap was located at the tweeter.

I would just remove the RF supplied cap (apparently mounted on the woofer itself) and just use it at the tweeter location. No reason to buy another.

 

[mtan123]

Ok Guys, the component speakers just arrived today. It looks like there is a capacitor built into the tweeter already like the factory ones, and the installation instructions say that "the tweeter has an integrated 6dB/octave HP crossover. The midrange/woofer has natural roll-off characteristics exhibit great acoustic crossover filtering." Does this knowledge change anything that has already been posted?

Now I haven't actually dived into pulling the truck apart yet, but would it not be possible for me to just install the tweeter in the dash and route RF's included tweeter wire (leaving the stock tweeter wire where it is) through the door to connect it to the woofer speakers that way?

There is a metra harness on the HU by the way, so I can cut through that if need be right?

Thanks again for assisting me with this all, I really appreciate it.

 

[laserguy]

I really hope that is the case guys, cause when I added the word components on the google search for the RF model it came up with some huge xovers, the biggest I've seen for components. Let's wait for the op to get the set and go from there.