Vtwin Posted May 24, 2009 Share Posted May 24, 2009 After much research and several months of having no door woofers, I decided to repair the speakers. It cost about $53.00, and about three hours of my time. They sound perfect, and I am very glad that I chose this solution. I contacted a company called Simply Speakers. They sell repair kits for all types of speakers. They were very familiar with the foam edging issue that afflicts the door woofers of the Mark Levinson system. The website is: Simply Speakers I ordered a "New-Edge-It"® Replacement Foam Surround Kit" for a 6 x 9 speaker and specified that it was for the ML SC430 door woofers. I followed the instructions posted in this forum for removing the door panels. The most time consuming part was scraping the old foam and glue off of the speaker frame. I would recommend that you glue the new foam to the frame first, and then to the cone. The directions specify glueing to the cone first, but I experienced a voice coil rattle when I did it per directions. Luckily they sent me an additional foam edge so that I could redo my mistake. The foam is a perfect fit in the frame. It is also helpful to let the glue get tacky for a few minutes before seating the foam onto the glue. If you so desire you can send your speakers to Simply Speakers for them to do the repair. I was quoted about $37.00 per speaker to do this. I forgot how great this system sounds. This would be a good option for those who have rear woofer problems as well. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dggeorge Posted June 2, 2009 Share Posted June 2, 2009 I have a 2002 SC430. How did you know it was the replacement foam and not a blown speaker? My right front speaker makes a rattling noise when a person with a bass voice speaks on the radio. I have had to shut down the right front speakers and now my left front speakers is starting to make the same sound. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveinTX Posted June 4, 2009 Share Posted June 4, 2009 Wow, small world Vtwin, I live in Plano and have a v-twin also (vtx1800c). I have a 04, my wife has been complaining about the speakers but I thought the problem was with how we have her mp3 player wired in (fm modulator, works but the quality sucks). Anyway she says there is some buzzing when she plays a cd also. I find it hard to believe these speakers are coming apart in just 5 years. Thanks for the fix, I can live with $50 but I wasn't ready to spend serious bucks, I like good audio but can live with just about anything, I remember the days of cass. tapes. I guess I need to remove the door panel and check it out. Did the door panel removel go ok, I really can't screw anything up or my wife will go nuts. What should I be looking for on the speaker? It sounds like your saying the foam around the edges is coming apart??? Thanks-Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aceflash Posted July 1, 2009 Share Posted July 1, 2009 Wow, small world Vtwin, I live in Plano and have a v-twin also (vtx1800c). I have a 04, my wife has been complaining about the speakers but I thought the problem was with how we have her mp3 player wired in (fm modulator, works but the quality sucks). Anyway she says there is some buzzing when she plays a cd also. I find it hard to believe these speakers are coming apart in just 5 years. Thanks for the fix, I can live with $50 but I wasn't ready to spend serious bucks, I like good audio but can live with just about anything, I remember the days of cass. tapes. I guess I need to remove the door panel and check it out. Did the door panel removel go ok, I really can't screw anything up or my wife will go nuts. What should I be looking for on the speaker? It sounds like your saying the foam around the edges is coming apart??? Thanks-Dave FIRST - THANKS FOR YOUR POSTINGS, THEY HELP A LOT!! I am in the same boat with a 2002 that I just purchase in Dallas. (I am in Houston). I found the front right speaker was blow. I also found that there is a site that makes a 1/4" thick plastic insert that will convert the 6 x 9 frame to accept a 6.5" mid bass woofer. I found the unit on ebay, but the parent company is MJM Auto Innovations. There are a variety of 6.5" 8 ohm woofers. Most are built for home stereo systems. I have purchase the pioneer version noted in an earlier forum report, but I have also decided to keep and repair the 6 x 9's just in case I don't like the sound. My concerns are similar to the other Dave's question. How difficult is pulling the door panel. The directions look clear but are there any key pitfalls or difficulties to be aware of. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveinTX Posted July 2, 2009 Share Posted July 2, 2009 Well Ace it looks like Vtwin may not make it to the forum much. Someone else posted a link in, another thread about the speakers, with excellent detailed instructions on how to remove the door panel. It had pictures as well. I think with that as a reference we should be able to remove the door panel without any damage. I have a desktop so it may mean 25 trips inside to look again at instructions but i'm not in a hurry. I'm starting to think the bass speaker in the drivers door may be blown also, it sounds really bad. I didn't realize my wife had the bass turned all the way down, when I turned it up it was awful. I think I'm going to bite the bullet and buy some new speakers, I havn't even started looking yet. So am I correct that it is a 6x9 thats 8 ohms? Please let us know how your new speakers sound, and if you don't mind how much they cost. I have a 98 es300 and the speakers still sound fine, I can't believe the speakers in my 04 sc430 already sound that bad, previous owner must have liked it loud. Thanks for your input-Dave P.S., just look through the speaker threads and you will find that link for door panel removal, it's very good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aceflash Posted July 21, 2009 Share Posted July 21, 2009 :D OK; I finally got around to repairing the speaker. My old driver side speaker was completly detached at the outer edge of the foam. It was not difficult getting the door off, but it was a little more challenging to get the panel back on right. The internal snaps kept slipping off. I didn't break anything in the process so that is a sign it must be real easy for most. The speaker repair took a while, the most difficlut part of this was cleaning up the edges to a point I though they would accept the new glue and foam without creating a bigger mess. I clue the foam to the cone first as instructed and the biggest obstacle here is getting it centered properly. All in all it was a fairly simple job. One thing I did not do is pull the wood panel and remove the latch and locking cables. I simply pulled the speaker and partially remounted the door until the speaker was ready to be replaced. I got comfortable enough with removing and replacing the door panel that I pulled the right panel just to check on the condition of the speaker. Everything was fine on the passenger side so I put it back together and the sound is great. Again I want to thank everyone for all the great suggestions and advice. I never would have attempted this without all of the details. HAVE A GREAT DAY! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveinTX Posted July 23, 2009 Share Posted July 23, 2009 Aceflash, did you try the 6.5 pioneer woofers? I ordered some 8 ohm vifo 6.5" woofers from parts express this week. They had good reviews, the depth was 3", and the price was only $20 apiece. I figured I'd put them in when I pull stock out and if they sound bad then repair the stock like you did. I was just curious since you didn't mention pioneer speakers. Thanks-Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveinTX Posted July 31, 2009 Share Posted July 31, 2009 I just wanted to let you guys know I installed the "Vifa TP16WJ-06-08 6-1/2" Woofer 8 Ohm" speakers from parts express. The sound is great, much better than I expected, almost unbelieveable for the price I paid for these speakers, $20 apiece. The hardest part of the install was making the adapters to put the 6.5" round into the 6 x 9 bracket. I can't believe how loud I can turn it up without any distortion, they really sound fantastic. These speakers don't have foam around the edge they have rubber, they look higher quality than what came out. Both the old woofers the foam was split all the way around, I guess you can imagine how bad it did sound. The stock speakers did not look like quality ($200)speakers, and I noticed the foam had split right where the frame presses against it mounting it to the housing it sits in, if I had new stock speakers I would leave the frame off and just mount using the holes in speaker frame, I think the plastic frame that sat on top was pressing to hard on the foam, it had a sharp edge so with all the flexing back and forth I'm not surprized the foam split, what I'm trying to say is it looks more like an issue with how it was mounted than the speaker itself. I followed the procedure that several speaker threads link, that guy did a great job with the instructions. There were a few tips I would add. After removing all door panel screws the panel didn't seem to want to lift up and out, I pluged the window cont. back in and lowered window. After some gentle back and forth pulling the side closest to mirror finally came loose. It's a tight fit, I would reccomend having the window down, and take it slow when pulling out the panel. It was easier getting it back in, just make sure you give it a little extra push to make sure it's fully seated back down. Almost all the screws are phillips head, until you go to remove the 6 X 9 from the housing, those 4 screws under the foam use a little 6 point star, I'm not sure what it's called but luckily I had one. For the adapter I used 1/4" plywood. I would have rather used particle board but couldn't find 1/4", I wish I had looked harder because the plywood was a pain making clean cuts, I made it work but there are better choices. I mounted the speakers in the adapter and then the adapters back in the stock 6x9 housing, I left the frame that went on top of the old speaker off. and then I put some low density weatherstripping around the edge. It all fit together well, and like I said the sound is fantastic, my wife and I drove around all afternoon. The door panels are on tight and nothing broke. Thanks for all the info on these, I could not have done this without all the info on these forums. Just wanted to add one last thing. When calling around to car audio stores before ordering speakers I was very unimpressed with the answers I was getting concerning how they would fix the issue. One shop said he would install boston acoustic 6'5" round 4 ohm speakers, he insisted the 4 ohm would work/sound fine, I wasn't buying it, He wanted $210 for all. Another shop said they would do like another poster said and wire 2- 4 ohm speakers in series. The 3rd shop (car toys) said they wanted to set it up to have all 4 ohm speakers, I guess add an amp, they wanted to get in the car to see whats up before quoting anything, translation- big $. These shops don't have any 8 ohm speakers so I'm glad I just did it myself, the cost was much lower and the sound is fantastic, I can't believe the stock speakers sounded any better than these. I wasn't jealous of my wife's car before now I am, I have a tundra and the audio doesn't even come close. Thanks again everybody-Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ebythebeach Posted November 6, 2010 Share Posted November 6, 2010 so where is the best place to get a good price on new 6X9 Mark Levinson besides Lexus and ebay? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LC6529 Posted November 11, 2010 Share Posted November 11, 2010 Both of the front speakers in my 2002 are blown but as another poster said, I can put up with a lot so I just adjusted the fade to use the rear speakers. So the speakers are 6x9" - 8 Ohm? Maybe I will try and replace them myself... Where can I find the diagram? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stri8d Posted February 20, 2011 Share Posted February 20, 2011 Hey guys quick question. I don't really know much about sound systems and was wondering if I can use 4 ohm speakers for the door speakers in my SC430. Both my front speakers are buzzing so my dad bought 2 Alpine speakers. Will it work and if it does, will it drop the sound quality? Thanks! here's the same speakers my dad bought http://www.crutchfield.com/S-SN9ZgkwrHnZ/p_500SPS69C3/Alpine-SPS-69C3.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SRQMark Posted February 20, 2011 Share Posted February 20, 2011 Hey guys quick question. I don't really know much about sound systems and was wondering if I can use 4 ohm speakers for the door speakers in my SC430. Both my front speakers are buzzing so my dad bought 2 Alpine speakers. Will it work and if it does, will it drop the sound quality? Thanks! here's the same speakers my dad bought http://www.crutchfield.com/S-SN9ZgkwrHnZ/p_500SPS69C3/Alpine-SPS-69C3.html I don't think replacing 8ohm speakers with the 4ohm speakers is a good idea. I had the same issue when I bought my 2003 SC430. I have read on another forum that if you use the 4ohm speakers, you run the risk of burning up your amp. Buy the 6x9 to 6.5" speaker adapters from Ebay for around $10.00, then find some 8ohm 6.5" speakers. Try to find speakers that are 3" or less in depth so they fit the opening without obstructing the rolling down of your windows. Here is the link to the speaker adapters: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/6x9-6-Speaker-Adapters-Lexus-SC430-01-06-Front-_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQhashZitem483a7b982bQQitemZ310218823723QQptZCarQ5fAudioQ5fVideo#ht_4687wt_758 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stri8d Posted February 21, 2011 Share Posted February 21, 2011 Thanks SRQMark! I definitely don't want to cause any more problems I'll look into what u suggested. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pj8708 Posted February 21, 2011 Share Posted February 21, 2011 Thanks SRQMark! I definitely don't want to cause any more problems I'll look into what u suggested. Hi guy's. I don't mean to butt in here, but you really can't just willy-nilly swap speakers to what ever you like without matching the impedance to that of the output of the amplifier. When you removed the original (OEM) speakers, they should have the impedance/ohms stamped on the back of the frame. Ohms are like water pressure. If you put your thumb over the end of the hose, you create more force/resistance to the flow. An 8 ohm speaker puts more resistance to that flow than a 4 ohm. A 2 ohm, even less. The amplifier is designed to only put out enough power to satisfy one of these settings. Ask for more or less...not good. Sorry if you already knew all of this. Paul Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jfrobertson Posted May 16, 2011 Share Posted May 16, 2011 The depth of these speakers looks to be more than 3" ... is it? I just wanted to let you guys know I installed the "Vifa TP16WJ-06-08 6-1/2" Woofer 8 Ohm" speakers from parts express. The sound is great, much better than I expected, almost unbelieveable for the price I paid for these speakers, $20 apiece. The hardest part of the install was making the adapters to put the 6.5" round into the 6 x 9 bracket. I can't believe how loud I can turn it up without any distortion, they really sound fantastic. These speakers don't have foam around the edge they have rubber, they look higher quality than what came out. Both the old woofers the foam was split all the way around, I guess you can imagine how bad it did sound. The stock speakers did not look like quality ($200)speakers, and I noticed the foam had split right where the frame presses against it mounting it to the housing it sits in, if I had new stock speakers I would leave the frame off and just mount using the holes in speaker frame, I think the plastic frame that sat on top was pressing to hard on the foam, it had a sharp edge so with all the flexing back and forth I'm not surprized the foam split, what I'm trying to say is it looks more like an issue with how it was mounted than the speaker itself. I followed the procedure that several speaker threads link, that guy did a great job with the instructions. There were a few tips I would add. After removing all door panel screws the panel didn't seem to want to lift up and out, I pluged the window cont. back in and lowered window. After some gentle back and forth pulling the side closest to mirror finally came loose. It's a tight fit, I would reccomend having the window down, and take it slow when pulling out the panel. It was easier getting it back in, just make sure you give it a little extra push to make sure it's fully seated back down. Almost all the screws are phillips head, until you go to remove the 6 X 9 from the housing, those 4 screws under the foam use a little 6 point star, I'm not sure what it's called but luckily I had one. For the adapter I used 1/4" plywood. I would have rather used particle board but couldn't find 1/4", I wish I had looked harder because the plywood was a pain making clean cuts, I made it work but there are better choices. I mounted the speakers in the adapter and then the adapters back in the stock 6x9 housing, I left the frame that went on top of the old speaker off. and then I put some low density weatherstripping around the edge. It all fit together well, and like I said the sound is fantastic, my wife and I drove around all afternoon. The door panels are on tight and nothing broke. Thanks for all the info on these, I could not have done this without all the info on these forums. Just wanted to add one last thing. When calling around to car audio stores before ordering speakers I was very unimpressed with the answers I was getting concerning how they would fix the issue. One shop said he would install boston acoustic 6'5" round 4 ohm speakers, he insisted the 4 ohm would work/sound fine, I wasn't buying it, He wanted $210 for all. Another shop said they would do like another poster said and wire 2- 4 ohm speakers in series. The 3rd shop (car toys) said they wanted to set it up to have all 4 ohm speakers, I guess add an amp, they wanted to get in the car to see whats up before quoting anything, translation- big $. These shops don't have any 8 ohm speakers so I'm glad I just did it myself, the cost was much lower and the sound is fantastic, I can't believe the stock speakers sounded any better than these. I wasn't jealous of my wife's car before now I am, I have a tundra and the audio doesn't even come close. Thanks again everybody-Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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