bdonkersgoed

By the way, I don't think my amp is bad because it is brand new (internal in the Alpine head unit). I was just using the factory wiring which may be a problem too . . . Regards, Bryan

Hey SK . . . brilliant observation! I just assumed that the speaker in the door was 4 ohms . . . that could more than likely be my problem. The Sonys are 4 ohms. The ones in the door are probably 2 ohms hooked in series with the tweeter to be a 4 ohm load on the amplifier. I should have tried playing the Sony with the tweet disconneted to see if that made a difference. Thanks for the valuable info, Bryan

Yup, I definitely now know how to take the door panel off :P How does it make sense that the Sonys sounded like crap? I could see if I was still using the factory amplifier, but I am not. All of my speakers (except my sub) are powered by the Alpine head unit's internal 60x4W amp (26x4W RMS). Regards, Bryan

Thanks man! Actually, I ended up getting the door panel off first, and the Sony speakers I was putting in ended up being worse than stock, so I scrapped the whole "change speakers" idea. Thanks for the info though. I will still need to know that for when my bulbs inevitibly die sometime in the near future :P Regards, Bryan

Well, my stock speakers are OK, I just thought that the Sonys would be better. I was wrong. The Sony distort at lower volumes than the factory Pioneers do! I just put my facotyr speakers back in :P Regards, Bryan

Thanks man! Here is what happened: - Finally got door panel off - Finally got speaker out of plastic housing (it is glued!) - Installed Sony XPlod speaker - The XPlod is worse than stock! Distorts at lower volumes - Put the stock speaker back in and forget about the Sonys :P So right now I have the Alpine MP3 CDA-9835 deck, factory speakers, and a 10" Alpine type R sub in the trunk. I am pretty pleased with the way it sounds :) Regards, Bryan

C'mon . . . someones gotta know the location of the clips . . . please! This stupid brake light is really *BLEEP*ing me off :( Bryan

OK, I go the panel off now (turns out I was missing a screw under a piece of felt where you grab to close the door). Anyways, now I hae no idea how I am supposed to get the stock speaker out of the plastic housing. I pulled a plastic ring off and undid 3 screws, but now what?!?! Please help! Bryan

OK, these doors are *BLEEP*ing me off!!!!!!!!!!!!!! What is holding the stupid thing on!?!?!?!?!? I am working on the passenger side. Looking at the door panel from the inside, I have got the bottom and left side loose. I have pulled out the two clips on the right side, but the right side still seems tight and pulling doesn't seem to loosen any clips. Can someone give me some detailed instructions? I thought I should be able to loosen the left, bottom, and right sides and then pull the door off by lifting up . . . Please help ASAP! I hate having my car all apart, and I don't want to put it back together and give up when I am so close :( PLEASE! Thanks! Bryan

I'm trying to pull my 3rd brake light out too, and am having some difficulty. Does it take a really strong tug? It doesn't seem to budge. For clarification, the clips are on the bottom of the light housing, correct? Then why do you pull towards the front of the car? Shouldn't you pull towards the roof? I am confused PLEASE PLEASE HELP! My car is all apart cause I'm trying to replace the rear speakers. Can't get that damn brake light out of the way!! Thanks, Bryan

Now I am beginning to wonder if the Sony's will even fit in the car. For some reason, when I search Crutchfield, very few speakers come up (i.e. meaning that they fit the ES300). Maybe there is not much mounting depth or something? Well, I guess I'll find out when I rip out my back seat . . . Regards, Bryan

All right :) I'll give it a try then. If worse comes to worse and I mess the clips, I can always buy new ones from the dealer. For my Mazda, they were only 5 cents a piece, so I guess for the Lexus they will be a bargain at $2.00 a piece :P Regards, Bryan

Thanks for the input Lex :) But, I really don't want bass coming out of my component speakers. That is what the subwoofer is for. I also don't have a factory head unit anymore, and the output from the new integrated amp is much more than the output of the factory amp. I think my situation is a little bit different than yours (since you are still running factory head and amp). First I will put in the Sony 6x9s in the rear and see how they sound. If I like them, then I will try the Sonys in the front. If they suck, then I will just put the stock back in . . . no biggie. By the way, are the front door speakers woofers?? I thought they played highs? And if they are woofers, the output from my new Alpine deck won't be sending a bass signal to those speakers (unless I want it to, that is :P ) Thanks, Bryan

Well, I wouldn't say I am completely clueless :P How hard can it be? Usually, when you just start pulling at things the clips just pop out (at least on old cars that I have owned). I will make myself a tool this time to help loosen the clips without wrecking them . . . Thanks, Bryan

Well, I am asking if I should put the Sony XPlod speakers in and pul out the stock Pioneers. I received the Sonys as a gift a couple of years ago when I still had my Mazda. When my Mazda was totalled, I pulled the speakers out and they have been sitting in my closet ever since. They are still like brand new. I don't have the money for an external amplifier right now, and I don't think I really need one. The built-in amp on the Alpine deck I bought is sweet, and the 26x4W RMS output is more than plenty for me. I am just hoping that the Sony speakers won't distort at higher volumes like the factory speakers do. I think I am going to give it a try and swap them. If worse comes to worse and I think the Sonys sound like crap in comparison to stock, I can always put the stock speakers back in again. Also, with regards to the subs, I think the one 10" sub is plenty of bass for me. For a 10", it can really pound when pushed. My mom just told me that my neighbour complained to her already, and I only played it loud for like five minutes one day when I was trying to set it up :P (I'm not one of those idiots who drive through quiet neighbourhoods with a loud !Removed! pipe and blasting music :P) Anyways, I'm going to do the swap now and see how it turns out :) Regards, Bryan

And also, I have read in previosu posts that the Pioneer speakers are low wattage, high efficiency. Does anyone know what the RMS wattage of the factory speakers are? Thanks! Bryan

Is it difficult to remove the door panels? In my Mazda, the door panels just clipped out, but I wrecked a few of the clips and couldn't get the panel o go back on fully. Is the Lexus just clips as well? Is there a right and a wrong way to pull it off? Thanks! Bryan

Hey Everyone, I currently have the following setup in my '92 ES300: - Alpine CDA-9835 MP3 Head Unit 60x4W MAX, 26x4W RMS - Factory speakers running off of the internal Alpine amplifier (bypass factory amp) - Alpine MRD-M301 350W RMS Monoblock AccuClass D Amplifier - 10" Alpine Type R DVC Sub in a ported box Now, contrary to popular belief, the factory speakers in the Lexus hold up quite well to the 26x4W RMS internal amplifier of my Alpine head unit. I do not notice the speakers popping or anything. Now, from my old car, I still have a set of Sony XPlod component speaker (2-way 6.5" and 3-way 6x9"). I know that the factory speakers in the Lexus are pretty nice Pioneers, but I felt the ones in the back and it feels as though they only have paper cones. They also can not go as loud as my Alpine head unit would like them to go without distorting. Now, my question . . . I know that Sony's are known to be crap and Pioneers known to be a lot better. Would I be sacrificing quality if I put these Sony speakers in?. The models are as follows: - 6.5" XS-HL673 (180W MAX) (RMS unknown) - 6x9" XS-V6920 (200W MAX) (RMS unknown) Thanks guys! Bryan

Oh yeah, also another thing to try . . . Try setting your light on the roof so that it does NOT come on when you open the doors (middle setting). I had a problem with my Mazda once where the door button thing was making the car think the doors were open all the time. With the Lexus, the lights fade out so you might not notice if they are left on. Maybe your lights are staying on without you noticing and draining your battery? Good luck, Bryan

I agree . . . Really, I think it all comes down to the popularity factor of owning a specific brand. But, there is indeed quality differences, but if you are not an extreme audiophile, then who really cares anyways? If you have the unit and like the way it sounds, then that's all that really matters :) Regards, Bryan

Well, the ES and the RX are worth more than the entry-level IS, so it is still pretty good :) I just really want to try the IS because I have always liked it's styling. But, really, I would be ecstatic if I could drive ANY newer Lexus for a day :D If I get a newer Lexus for a day, I will almost be happy every time my car needs service :P hehe Regards, Bryan

Do you have an aftermarket sound system in your car (such as a Subwoofer and Amplifier?) If you amplifier turn-on lead is screwed up, then it could drain power from the battery all the time beecause it doesn't turn off with the car and is powered all the time. Otherwise, it sounds like you have a wire grounded somewhere where it shouldn't be. I know that dead batteries are extremely frusterating! My battery kept dying on my Lexus every night too (due to a crappy battery from Crappy Tire) so one day I decided to take my motorcycle to work instead of the car. Sure enough, when I got on my bike to go home, it's battery was dead too!! Arg!! Good luck! Bryan

A site with a good Audio forum is www.ecoustics.com Just ask the user Glasswolf any audio questions . . . he is an Audio God :P Mention on the board that you have Audiobahn and Boss and you will likely get a bunch of messages saying what crap it is. They particularly don't like Audiobahn, Boss, Sony, Legacy, Pyramid, etc. Glasswolf is understanding though, and he will help you even though he disaproves of your equipment. Good luck, Bryan

I would be embarassed to ask for a specific loaner at a Lexus dealership My car has rust on it, and has seen better days . . . it is probably only worth about $4500CAN because of the rust :( Thus, I don't think I am in the position to ask for a specific loaner car . . . I'm just going to wait and hope :P Maybe they'll try and hook me up with a newer Lexus to try and impress a first-time customer :D Regards, Bryan

I'm hoping for an IS :) But I will probably end up with a Toyota because my car is so old (1992). Also, the dealer I am going to is a Toyota/Lexus dealer, which means they probably have a lot of Toyota loaners available. Oh well. I would like the IS cause I am thinking about buying one in a couple of years, and it would be cool to try one out for a day B) Regards, Bryan