well, I did the swap with some Polk 3500 tweeters. I have some observations.

First, the old Clarions are marked 4 ohm, but they test out at 5.6 or so (no, I didnt test with the cap ) The new Polks are about 4.4. As expected they take alittle more power than the stock tweeter. In parallel like this, the lower ohm speaker tends to get more juice. So, you can deduce this may take a small amount of power away from the door speaker. However, the crossover is much lower on the new tweeters (4K@12db-polk vs 7K@6db-clarion), so it actually evens out nicely.

I turned on the stereo with only one side done to compare. It was rather amazing.. the bose side was blaring and flat, the polk side was bright and accurate. I mean, side by side, it will blow you away how flat and weak the high end really is on the stock tweet.

I grabbed some favs and gave them a spin. I noticed that in songs with reverb and acoustics, you couldnt even hear it on the stock side, whereas it was clearly audible on the polk side. Didnt really matter what I listened to, ALOT more music is brought out. You might notice the staging isnt dead on.. you may want to use the directional covers (not shown in pics). But you will be able to actually hear music to STAGE for a change!

check out the handy work. Notice I managed to get the crossover on the frame

first, the old

 

The new tweeters in the frame

 

and finally..

 

note the liberal use of foam tape.. thats your standard Home Depot variety found in the home insulation section. The A-pillar is known for rattles, wanted to make sure I didnt make any new ones.

 

CRAP. That's it...I'm going to the store. Thanks Tim.

ARFF

 

Aw man you guys gotta knock this off! This is one thing I reeeeally want to do BUT my car is leased.... so I can't be hacking at stuff.

But I have to say Tim - your installs totally CLEAN... I might just have to take the plunge.

Just to be clear - did you have to make any permanant mods to your car? It looks like you used piano wire or something along with zip ties to attach the tweeters. I don't want to do any damage to any of the brackets so I can pop in the old tweeters before I return the car.

So these are the famed Polk EX3500's right???

Your pics are great - make sure to post them to a website for people's reference.

TIA........

 

thanks..

thats safety wire. like you would use here
http://www.rx7turboturbo.com/robrobi...afety_wire.htm

I have enough of it, anyone can send me a self addressed envelope and I'll send you more than enough for this app.

Ummm, I tweaked the frame quite a bit around the screw holes.. but I suspect I could pop the old ones back in. One reason I used frame is that I noticed you cannot drill in that area, the drain for the sunroof is in that pillar and tape didnt seem like it would last (at least none of the tape I have - the 3M HD may be permanent enough tho, but I didnt have any). There are probably better ways to do this, this was what I came up with

 

Tim, great job. I'm gonna redo mine.

 

The moral of the story is to get plain SE and put better leather/sesstem in there!

 

I figured if I was going to lease I would be doing no mods so I might as well get all the goodies.

Being in IL it's reeeeally nice having the heated leather seats/wheel.

I just noticed you have a 2k Maxima Tim - I was reading other posts about this tweeter mod and it should work on the 2k2 Bose system right?

What's a good price for the Polk EX3500s? I haven't had too much luck finding them. The lowest I can find is here:

Polk tweeters @ CarStereoTime.com

 

Looks nice! I took the double sided tape approach with mine. I had to shove the crossover in the gap between the dash and the a-pilar.

 

Are you sure thats a pair?? Looks like each???? I hope its a pair.

 

Looks great! So.....gonna send a spare pair of them my way?

 

WOW, am I glad that I didn't drill with my tweets! I had no idea that there was a drain behind there!!! I eneded up using velcro (one on tweet, one on pillar) but it doesn't look too sturdy (although it has held for a few weeks now). I was planning on drilling so thank you very much for your post.

Oh, those tweeters are HUGE! What size are they?

Also, how did you get the stock tweeter frame off the car so cleanly? I ended up using a screw driver / pry method and scratched the pillar all up. It's covered, but I know it's there.

 

CRmax, not sure.. my wife heard the comparison and really liked the sound of them. I was surprised, she doesnt notice anything usually. She wants the second set. If the fit in the Pathfinder, I guess I'll be throwing them in. I'll know tomorrow if they fit, I havent even looked behind the a-pillar yet in the PF. I won't break the seal on the box, no need to until I actually see the pathfinder setup.


spta97, yeah, they are large. I kinda wanted 1" tweets that could reach down to the door speakers, the 4K@12db crossover also compliments the system quite well. You couldnt ever crossover that stock tweet that low (for long ) Vocals are alot more clear.

 

Sounds like a great audio mod. I'm going to get my pair this week!

 

That's cool. Just let me know.

 

Hmm... I just noticed the description said 1-1" - DOH! I just assumed it was a pair because of the photo. You know what happens when you assume things...

What's the going price for a set of EX3500s? Where to buy?

 

Tim,

To make sure I understand what you've done, did you use the safety wire with the existing screws and then did some drilling on the tweets in order to fasten them to the frame? Or am I missing something here?

Buzz

 

Very nice install Tim, kudos. That could pass for stock. I thought about reusing the bracket but couldn't figure out how to attach the tweet to it. I cut my wire connectors off the brackets...

I went the tape and tuck route. The tape I got at HD is very strong, I was stunned. Even with the cold temps here in Atlanta over the week end it is impossible to move them. The package says to use 4" of tape per pound (2 or 3 lb max) it will hold mirrors up in a bath room. It also said when removing to use a knife to cut behind so as not to damage the surface. It's 3M Heavy Huty Clear Mounting Tape, it has red backing and was $3.95 a roll.

I didn't use the directional covers because the grill in the pillar is a bit away from the face of the speaker. Highs are very reflective and I felt you would lose some sound bouncing back in the pillar.

My wife never notices $hit either, LOL, I threw in some Alice in Chains cranked it up some and she says wow the sounds good.

You should be able to pick these up for under $100 per pair.

 

Nick Exxon, there was a small slot in the side of these, along the rim. It was there for installing a grill and the tweeter base. It was just right for sliding the safety wire thru and then around the frame, no drilling needed.

Circuit City is selling these for 1 pair @ 99, second 1/2 off. So $75 a set, but you end up with 2 sets like I did. Some Circuit City stores will let you have them for $75. I dunno, these things are alittle pricey at $99. They are definately a better deal at $75. The fact that they had a 12db crossover instead of just a cap made feel alittle better about the cost.

You know just about any 4 ohm tweeter of your choosing will work great here. You can shop for anything you like. As long as they come out of the base and the grill is movable, youre set. I mean, this things were huge right out of the box. if they will fit (and 1" I might add) then anything should.

 

Hmmm, guess I may have an excuse to head over to Memphis, since there's no CC in Jonesboro. I checked on Crutchfield's website, but they no longer sell the Polks. Thanks for the info. I may hit you up for some safety wire if I don't find anything like it locally.

Buzz

 

Honestly, those Infiniti 105t and the JBL on crutchfield are just as good and the price is the same or less. the worst case scenario is having to use 3M tape and really, thats not a bad thing. If you are worried about cheesing up the stock tweeter frame, using tape is a better solution anyway.

 

Curcuit City has them on sale right now for $94.99 plus $50% off the next pair. Tim, I'm a novice when it comes to this, is it possible for you to e-mail me(mcobb@cbmi.com) with the exact steps. What speakers are you going to get to replace your Bose in the door with? Thanks Mo.

 

no plans to touch the door speakers.

its a 30 min job per side. I might do a write up. I wasnt planning on it because there is no wrong answer here. everyone can mount them anyway they want. As far as the Polks go, that pic explains it all. If you had them and the frames in your hand, it would all make sense. again, tape and crimps is the easiest.

Aside from prying the a-pillar cover off at the top, then pulling out and compressing those tabs to get the tweeter off, there really isnt much more to it.

 

thats exactly what i did.

 

Tim, great write up. It inspired me to go out and do the same. Your write up is excellent. The pics helped quite a bit. Some slight modifications and it's done. No mystery as to crossover bable and size issue and so on. A few radio shaq purchases and it's in. The wire you used to wrap the existing tweet to the metal housing was wire wrap found in RS, also connecters for the wires, although a little to big for a car but it still worked. And finally I used velcro to put back the tweet to the A pillar also found in RS, the strong kind used to adhere EZ Pass to your car window. I coudn't figure how to put back the existing bracket to those white cross things so I cut a small piece of the velcro attached one piece to the pillar the other to the back of the magnet and a solid fit, no movement. There is a diference in sound quality. Much clearer than those clarion tweets. I'm a semi novice to these mods and it took me a few hours indoors of course in this fridged weather. Again thanks for the details. Anyone with a little patience can do this mod. Tweets on sale at Circut City $100 plus Radio Shaq supplies $10 and knowing you did this yourself, worth every penny.

 

Well Tim it looks like your great pics and write up has inspired more than just me! I just picked up Circuit City's last pair of EX3500s for $94.99. Luckly they were sealed in the box - I thought they might be the demo model.

Being that it's about 12 degrees F where I'm at and I have no garage the mod might have to wait. I think I'll do the radar detector hard wire and tweeter install all together since I'll have the A-pillar off.

The radar detector purchase will come after I get my fat refund check in a month or so.

 

ehh, I just took some pics.. I cant take any credit for the idea or the deal at CC.

 

I was going to run my radar through the pillar also but decided against it. As someone else on the org mentioned I tapped into the power wire from the RV mirror. There is a black wire with a thin red stripe on it that runs behind the roof console, you can trace it from the connector on the mirror. Then run the ground to a screw in one of the brackets up there. All you need is 1 wire tap and a little spare wire if the lead from the detector is to thin. See what you think.

 

I haven't really opened up that area. If I can access the wire you're speaking of by removing the sunglasses holder thingy I might take that approach. It sure would be easier than running a wire all the way to the fusebox. (Thanks for the idea!)

I figure when I had the radar detector in hand I would start digging a little deeper for solutions using my favorite function of the org: SEARCH BABY!!!!

But wait - this thread is all about the tweeters!! Uh...did I mention I got the tweeters???

 

can you do the tweeter swap with the existing bose, and just have new tweeters?

 

yes, thats the idea.. the bose door speakers and sub are 1 ohm, but the tweeter is a standard 4ohm clarion. So we all decided to drop in the tweeter of our choice. People have been doing this for quite some time in the Audio section here, seems to be very little risk to the bose amp. The actual impedence difference it sees on the door speaker and tweeter is very little. and the install is simple.

 

So I just picked up a set of Polk EX3500 Tweeters from my local Circuit City. They charged me $94.99 and offered a second set for $50. Since they didn't have the second set in stock, and I really didn't have a need for it, I asked them to sell me one set at $75. As hard as I tried, they would not do it. Therefore, I have a second set on order and should have it in a few days. I'd be willing to sell it for $75 plus shipping to anyone who is interested. I'll ship it via any method you choose (Ground, 2 Day, Next Day, etc.) and pass that exact charge along to you. If you choose Ground, it should be less than $5 as the box is quite light. If you have any questions, please let me know. Thanks.
Steve

 

check your PM box

 

CRMax may want your other set..

 

I also bought the tweeters & will install soon....but here's a quick thought

I understand that the Bose system has a non-Bose head unit...but shouldn't all of the speakers at least be manufactured by Bose ....I keep hearing that the stock tweeters are Clarion....what's up with that?

 

bose makes the drivers for the doors, the sub, and the amp. they 'tune' the system and make it a closed proprietary system. While the headunit is clarion, the output is a slighly different voltage than a retail clarion unit. Not only is there pre-programmed equalization, but there is also circuitry that attentuates the bass with volume

Another thing with Bose is that they use low voltage with high impedence to drive everything (amp and speakers). Supposedly that lowers the risk of noise/inference.

As for the clarion tweeters.. the door speaker is 1 ohm. Adding a 4 ohm tweeter is negligable to the amp. Whereas adding a 1 ohm tweeter would be too low (resulting in .5 ohm in the front... arent many amps that can push that) and would require another amplified channel.

So, I suspect they just threw a plain retail 4ohm tweeter in there.

After a few days with these, I'm *really* happy with moderate volume. Up to 3/4 volume, it sounds SOOO much better. More than that and I find myself pulling alittle treble out... or fading to the back on notch. regardless, even at full volume and down a notch on treble, the improvement is pretty evident.

 

Yeah I wish I put my tweeters in the stock bracket, but they were too big. I siliconed then to the pillars.

 

Tim, great write-up. One thing however and I may be wrong...I read that the door speakers on the 2k2-2k3 Bose on the Max are also 4 ohm dur to changes in wither the amp and/or head unit. This was a change to the 2k-2k1 system. If so, would this affect a tweeter selection on the 2k2-2k3?