Heres my problem I have to hook up my xA with only Sony products. Yes I know they dont make the best stereo equipment but its a requirement for me because I have a hook up to get the equipment but it must be Sony.

So I want to leave my factory stereo in but I want new speakers. So my first question is what fits the door of the xA 5 1/4 or 6 1/2 speakers. Also what is needed to do it? Do I need adaptor rings? How much and what will i have to drill or dremel to make it all fit?

Next how about a wire harness or adpator for the sub to run from the stereo? Any suggestions?

Next what is the best path to run power to the back of the xA for the amp? Should I take it down the passenger side under the trim or is it better to run it under the car?

Here is the list of what I am looking at getting, remember once again I have to buy Sony products so if you know any better Sony products let me know.

4 Sony xplode speakers 6 1/2(XS-V1640H)
((Depending on what size will fit the door))
4 Sony xplode speakers 5 1/4 (XS-V1340H)

1 Sony XS-L101P5 10" Sub

1 Sony XM-D400P5 200w Amp

 

I believe they are 5.25's ... can't remember .... one suggestion ... I think crutchfeld(sp?)
has something that ya plug in your make and model and it will tell you what will fit

 

I think you should go with components up front. These are the Sony XS-HF600G or the XS-HF500G if they are 5.25.


If you decide to change out your HU, I like this one that we just got in. The display is nicer in person. It's the Sony CDXF7700.

The only downfall I can see about going with that amp is if you want to go with a matching 4 channel or 2 channel for your other speakers then you won't be able to get one from Sony that matches the same design as the monoblock. The Pentagon amps are only monoblocks. Thier other amps are rectangular. But if you decide to go with another 10" sub you can run both off of that amplifier.

 

I tried crutchfeld and they havent measured the Scion xA or xB yet. So were all out of luck for support from there.

 

Not sure if this is the same but the XB has 6.5 for the front and 5.25 for the rear.

Matt :twisted:

 

You know you bring up a good point about the look of the whole thing. I dont think i will ever go to powering the other speakers with anything other than the HU but you know changes will happen. What do you think of the XM-2200GTX.



As for the HU, eventually i plan to put a indash DVD player but Sony doesnt make any even close to what I would be willing to put in now but they might have something in the very neat future.

 

ok here is the Sony Setup you should get (checkbook not getting in the way of course :D )

In Dash Monitor

Overhead Monitor w/ Dvd Player

Then you can use the dvd that the overhead comes with to provide video for both monitors.


4 channel amp

2 channel amp

Subwoofer

Fronts

Rears

 

sorry to hear about your luck...I'd rather take a kick to the nuts then run sony

Why only sony equip

 

I seem to hear that alot. ;)

 

That is the best setup that i have found too but its missing a few things i want, MP3, XGA, Touch screen and aux inputs for the playstation later (Once again Sony) Thats why im waiting on the next gen of HU from Sony and then i plan to mount a xenarc 700TS in where the stereo is right now then a good CD/MP3/DVD HU below and mount a small computer down in the center console and the PS2 under the rear seat. Oh and of course 2 Sony XVM-H65 monitors in the headrests



But im trying to be low key with this setup

 

Why components in the front? What makes them the better choice in everyones eyes?

 

I do not own a Scion and have not seen any in person. Does it have speakers in the dash or in the doors?

 

There in the door.

 

components are better for the fronts because you get the better highs then with just a regular coaxial.

 

Depending on where a speaker sits in a car (like low in a door) it may be harder to get a strong soundstage up front if your speakers are firing into your ankles. With components you can raise the soundstage up a little higher and get a much more defined front imaging. I also think you get a little better midbass from a driver as opposed to a a coaxial speaker.

 

So i got 2 Sony XS-V1640H and i noticed that the volume is considerably lower than the factory speakers. Now i soldered the new wires and shrinked tube the connections and its really low volume but the sound quality is execelent. The wires are not backwards. I can only figure that it could be one of two things.

1. I thought the stereo is 4ohms if its 2ohms could someone tell me?

2. The new speakers are rated for a much more powerful amp but i should still be able to get the same volume with the standard head unit right?

 

The only thing I can think of is if the new speakers have a lower db sensitivity than the factory ones. Then they would be less efficient and are going to need more power to get the same output at the same level as before. Hope this makes sense.

This is from Crutchfield's website:
Efficiency or Sensitivity (SPL)
An efficiency or sensitivity rating tells you how effectively a speaker converts power into sound. The higher the number, the more efficient the speaker and the louder it will play with the same input power. A difference of 3 dB means a speaker needs one-half of the power that the less efficient speaker requires. (However, many high-performance speakers are not very efficient — they need lots of power to energize their components.)

 

Ok so i just spent the last 6 hours installing everything. I put 2 Sony XS-V1640H speakers in the front for now and one Sony XM-4060GTX AMP under the passenger seat(Good fit and to make adjustments i just slide the seat up) Next will be the component speakers which i will get when i get more money and move the speakers from the front to the back.

So heres how the install went. I did take alot of short cuts because i plan to do more in the future. First since im using the HU from Scion i had to use the speaker levels as my inputs for the amp but i really didnt want to cut up the stereo harness and i dont know where to get the male side of a wire harness so i could go inline so i decided since im already running speaker wire to the speakers, why not make an additional run and splice in the leads from the old speaker connectors the same way. It might be a longer run but when i get a new HU i want to have line outs and then everything will be perfect. I then ran the wires from the doors and down the middle under the console and then snuck the wire under the passenger seat. Then i little wire dressing and i was off and running. As for power i ran a lead from the battery thru the firewall and down the center console. Then for the remote power switch i ran it from the power adaptor down the center. As for the ground i put a wire under the hand brake and bolted it down.

Now all thats left is to balance the amp. So far it sounds good but theres more work still to do.

 

OK well i had someone contact me about how to remove the speakers in the xA, so instead of sending a private message i figured i would post the answer so that it could be searched for later.

Yes the speakers are rivited in the door panel, very annoying. So I had to drill them out but the rivits are so weak that they pretty much pop right off.

Next the opening in the door is a little larger than 6 1/2 so i had to make an adaptor ring out of 3/4 plywood. (if anyone knows where i can purchase rings that are pre-fitted???)

The next annoyance is that the door panel has a mis-shaped speaker port. So you can get a speaker mounted near the edge without alot of dremel work. This also means dont plan to just cut a hole in the door and mount your speakers with planning to remove alot more plastic ribbing from the back of the door.