Speaker selection for 97 Explorer
 

I wish to upgrade the speakers in my 97 Explorer. Have Focal's in my Acura and love the clean flat unbiased sound (predominately listen to old blues and light jazz with some classical). Receiver is a Panasonic AVIC Z2. The Explorer still has its stock (JBL Premium) system with the small sub in the back.

Looking for suggestions on separate tweeter/woofer (midrange) component setup). Haven't quite figured out where or how to place the tweeters as of yet as I am hoping to not have to go coaxial. Want to get the tweeters up higher.

Have looked at Hertz and MB Quartz and not happy with what I am seeing as of yet. Speaker pricing running around the 700-800 range for the two front door units.

Suggestions?

Also if anyone has installed the separate tweeters in the older Explorer - where did you mount them? I don't want to mount the tweeters in a case on the dash but would prefer to drill the mounting holes up high enough to allow for good dispersion.

Jim

If you really like Focal, why don't you support them again with your Explorer?

Good question as to why not Focal and the answer is "Haven't found anyone (retail) in my area where I am currently working (Vernon B.C.) that handles them.

Jim

And I should have added - I need 5x7 for the mains (stock cabinetry for the Ford front doors) and the tweeters will go where I can drill the 1 1/2 - 2 inch holes.

Get them online man, they'll probably be cheaper too. :)
EDIT: Saw your edit, and I'd go for 6.5" circle speakers, instead of the oval form. Better sound quality, and will probably fit no problem with a little fab.

make a template for a 5.25" or 6.5" speaker for the front doors (6.5 will take some modification to the stock location)

running tweets in the a pillar seems to be the best when i did a comp set up front ( about 5.5" from the bottom of the pillar going up)

word of advice. if you are serious about SQ, deaden the doors fully. they need it. w/o, it sound like slamming an empty paint bucket with a screwdriver

Great advice Jalat! Thank you. For sound deadening the dealer is quoting Dyanmat Extreame Door kit at 140 and labour at 130. I don't have a garage to work in to do the work myself but I understand the importance. What size of tweets were you able to fit into the pillars - 1 1/2?

if you want speakers that fit right in the factory location you can look into image dynamics, they make a component set thats a 5x7 speaker and a tweeter, supposed to sound really good too. What didn't you like about the hertz? which hertz did you hear?

they were no bigger than 1". but the way the a pillar sits, the tweeter will be facing the windshield, which seems to work alright for some reason.

The Hertz came across close to Focal's but with considerably more brightness and I felt an extenuated lower end. I know they would sound completely different in the truck due to placement. This is something I need to consider before making my final decision. The model I was looking at is the Hertz HSK165XL.4.

I use Focal Twin6 Be's on my DAW and and had Focal's 165 A3 in my Acura, thus semi-familiar with a few of their products.

The 97 Ford Explorer presents several difficulties in speaker selection if you wish to maintain as close to a stock presentation as possible in placement and cosmetics (or so I am finding in my initial investigation).

Where I am trying to get to is as flat a response as possible with as wide a sound stage as possible (enveloping both driver and passenger). I rarely have back seat passengers so the focus is on the front seats.

Jim

Are you just looking at two brands of speakers?