DIY stereo upgrade for under $500.00

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sean1968

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Yes, many folks have done the Pioneers/are happy with them, and any decent upgrade speaker will make a difference. I chose JBLs, which cost a bit more than the Pioneers, but are 2ohm speakers, and very efficient (louder with stock amp). I chose a 3way for the front kickpanel and then their high-end tweeters, and, if I had it to do over again, I might have gone back with components, for which the system was designed. JBL and Infinity make some good, efficient 6x9 components that would work well with the stock amp/setup. In the B&O, I think it's very debatable whether you want to switch out the rear 6.5s, because the B&O amp has a very forward bias, making the rears, even if fully faded, used for little more than fill. Finally, there is debate about the center channel speaker, whether it should be replaced, left alone, or removed. In the 2017s with the Sony system, it was an 8ohm speaker, which creates issues if you replace it with a 4ohm, which most aftermarkets are. In the B&O, it's a 4ohm, so the issues are more with imaging. Because my JBLs are a good bit louder than the stockers, I left my center channel alone. Many high-end installers recommend pulling it/unplugging it.

Have fun, and good luck!
Has anyone upgraded to Focal speakers in their raptor? I upgraded my GT350 with Focal separates in front and it sounds absolutely incredible. Did some custom fab work on the A pillars to get the tweeters in but the door mids and midbass drivers dropped in with little modding outside of drilling new mounting holes. Imaging and vocal clarity is astounding with the focals so I was thinking of doing focals in the raptor when it finally arrives.


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lawdog

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Has anyone upgraded to Focal speakers in their raptor? I upgraded my GT350 with Focal separates in front and it sounds absolutely incredible. Did some custom fab work on the A pillars to get the tweeters in but the door mids and midbass drivers dropped in with little modding outside of drilling new mounting holes. Imaging and vocal clarity is astounding with the focals so I was thinking of doing focals in the raptor when it finally arrives.


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You may want to do a search/look though some of the custom thread on the first few pages of this sub-forum...several guys have done Focals, but none (that I know of) without doing a bypass of the stock amp/DSP, adding a new DSP, and amping the system. I just don't think it would be worth it to try and drive Focals with only the stock amp, which most folks agree is only pushing 25w or so. That's why this thread for a cheaper fix focused on very efficient speakers like the Pioneers, JBLs, etc, that could be driven by the stock amp. Would it sound better than stock with just Focals? No doubt. Would you be getting what the Focals can really do without proper amplification? Probably not.
 

dhmcfadin

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You may want to do a search/look though some of the custom thread on the first few pages of this sub-forum...several guys have done Focals, but none (that I know of) without doing a bypass of the stock amp/DSP, adding a new DSP, and amping the system. I just don't think it would be worth it to try and drive Focals with only the stock amp, which most folks agree is only pushing 25w or so. That's why this thread for a cheaper fix focused on very efficient speakers like the Pioneers, JBLs, etc, that could be driven by the stock amp. Would it sound better than stock with just Focals? No doubt. Would you be getting what the Focals can really do without proper amplification? Probably not.

Has absolutely nothing to do with efficiency.

The focals will sound much better than the stock speakers. No question. Will they sound better with proper power? Absolutely. Will they still sound good with stock power? Yes.
 
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sean1968

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The focals I installed in my GT350 are VERY impressive with the stock tech package shaker amp and reach ridiculous volume levels with complete clarity. Soundstage is amazing and I added a JL 10w3 in a sealed enclosure for the bottom end.

I was hoping I wouldn’t need to upgrade the B&O system in the Raptor when it gets here but looking at the paper cone garbage posted looks like I’ve got some work ahead of me.

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lawdog

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Has absolutely nothing to do with efficiency.

The focals will sound much better than the stock speakers. No question. Will they sound better with proper power? Absolutely. Will they still sound good with stock power? Yes.

I know you know more about this stuff than I do, but you just gave the same advice I did. I chose the JBLs for my speakers only upgrade because they are very efficient...high sensitivity and they have a 2ohm impedance, so they can be driven easily by the stock amp. In fact, they are designed that way so that they will perform as desired with most stock amps. The Pioneers recommended throughout this thread are similar. Higher-end speakers like Focals often require amplification to get the best out of them. So, respectfully, if you are upgrading speakers only/keeping the stock B&O amp, I think efficiency of the speakers is relevant, and I wouldn't pop for a high-end speaker without making other upgrades that allow those speakers to perform as intended. JMHO.
 
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dhmcfadin

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I know you know more about this stuff than I do, but you just gave the same advice I did. I chose the JBLs for my speakers only upgrade because they are very efficient...high sensitivity and they have a 2ohm impedance, so they can be driven easily by the stock amp. In fact, they are designed that way so that they will perform as desired with most stock amps. The Pioneers recommended throughout this thread are similar. Higher-end speakers like Focals often require amplification to get the best out of them. So, respectfully, if you are upgrading speakers only/keeping the stock B&O amp, I think efficiency of the speakers is relevant, and I wouldn't pop for a high-end speaker without making other upgrades that allow those speakers to perform as intended. JMHO.

I agree with you!
 

lawdog

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I agree with you!

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royCfus

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Been following this thread for a bit to try and do my own build. Where it gets muddy for me is the sound processing. I landed on Focal ES/EC165k front/rear and Focal 5.1200 amp. I want to keep all the stock functions. Am I correct in saying I can just use the audiocontrol dm-608 and not have a need for the NavTV Zen-A2B/DSP12A-A2B in my 2017?
 

dhmcfadin

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Been following this thread for a bit to try and do my own build. Where it gets muddy for me is the sound processing. I landed on Focal ES/EC165k front/rear and Focal 5.1200 amp. I want to keep all the stock functions. Am I correct in saying I can just use the audiocontrol dm-608 and not have a need for the NavTV Zen-A2B/DSP12A-A2B in my 2017?

Also you have B&O or Sony?
 

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