I have installed 5 x 7 MTX co-axials in the doors, (front & rear) and the factory cd player is still in the dash. This is a co-worker who doesn't want to spend too much on an aftermarket system. The vehicle in question is a 2004 F-150 (new body style). Well he wants to add a pair of 1" tweeters to the space above the 5 x 7's in the front doors. there is what appears to be a stock location for tweeters above the door speakers. My question is if we keep using the factory head unit do I need to wire the tweeters in series or can I run them parallel? These are MTX 5 x 7 co-axials and 1" tweeters. The tweeters come with a two way passive crossover. Should I run the 5 x 7 co-axials off the "woofer" side of the crossover and the tweeters off the "tweeter" side? Or would this configuration defeat the tweeters in the 5 X 7 co-axials? If I just use the two way crossovers on the tweeters how should I wire the 5 X 7 co-axials, series or is parallel acceptable? The rear speakers will not be getting the tweeters. Oh yeah I may replace the factory head unit with a Pioneer DEH-P860MP. I will definately be adding a 10" MTX sub with a custom made Probox enclosure, MTX 421D class D mono amp, and 1/2 farad capacitor. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. I am trying to get him the most stereo for the buck but I don't want to sell him short either. Thanks for reading Charles Abbott.
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Charles Abbott
First off why do you feel the need to add extra tweeters? this kind problem is usually due in part of another problem, like poor amplification or ill adjusted cross over points (or lack there of)
Why are you selling him a cap, sounds pretty shady (sort of kidding, but seriously why?)
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Oh I am not selling him anything. I am a firefighter/driver and he is my lieutenant. I was installing everything for him. I was doing the capacitor for the sub amp. I used one in my set up and I thought it would help the performance on the sub and maybe cut down on any unwanted voltage spikes. You know the old flickering headlights. He was the one who wanted to add the tweeters. I think because there was an empty space for a 1" tweeter. Ford must have an optional upgraded stereo that uses either a component set up in the front doors or uses an additional tweeter. Either way I just received the tweeters this morning and he payed for them so they gotta go in. Any ideas on the BEST way to wire them in conjunction with the co-axial 5 X 7's (Parallel or Series)? Currently the factory head unit is in and he is considering a Pioneer DEH-P860MP in the near future. I haven't installed the sub, 1/2 farad capacitor or the sub amp yet. The wires are there I just need to finish up after I get some EXPERT advice on how to proceed. Thanks for answering the post! Charles Abbott.
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Charles Abbott
Adding tweeters to the doors is not a good idea. You will create severe comb filtering in the vehicle (the two tweeters playing the same frequencies will tend to cancel each other in certain frequencies) and may actually lose high end rather than gain it. The best way to use the factory tweeter locations is to install a component set with seperate tweeters and woofers and a dedicated crossover. Your best bet is to purchase a component set.
If you need to retain the 5X7's in the lower factory locations, you can actually use them as the woofer and sort of create your own component set. Disable the tweeter in the coaxial (unsolder one lead going to it) and install the other tweets with their crossover in parallel with the 5X7. This will certainly not be an ideal setup, but it will work to an extent. If it sounds bad after the install, I suggest you re-connect the coax tweeter and remove the second tweet until you can get some real components.
Cheers
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Support the12volt.comThanks as usuall DYOHN. Your knowledge is greatly appreciated!!!! I was thinking, (I know I'll try not to hurt myself). These MTX tweeters came with a crossover network. I believe they were from a component set only missing the 4" mid speakers. The crossover has a "woofer" output and a "tweeter" output. Could I hook the 5 X 7 co-axials up to the "woofer" output of the frossover and the crossover would block the high frequencies? I figured I wouldn't have to tinker with the tweeters on the co-axials. Then I could hook up the 1 " tweeters to the output on the crossover that is marked "tweeters". I know that is not a very good or efficient use of a co-axials but we have already purchased the tweeters and I can't send them back. The only other obstacle to overcome is the impedence of both the 5 X 7's combined with the 1" tweeters. Do you think I could run the two sets of speakers with the crossover and not run too low of impedence? I didn't want to fry the built in amp in the factory deck. My lieutenant will probably purchase a DEH-P860MP in the near future. I thought if I use a DMM to check the 5 X 7's combined with the tweeters to see what the ohm's would be. Am I correct in checking the impedence without the crossovers or do I need to leave the crossovers in line to get an accurate reading. I thought I would check the combined resistence without the crossovers? Is that correct? Thanks for any help you can lend an audio challenged firefighter. Thanks Charles.
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Charles Abbott