Question #1:
I have had my new speakers in for a while and the connectors on the front passenger speaker refuse to stay fully connected for more than a week. All the bass rattles the smaller connector loose and I have to tear down the door to fix it. Any ideas on how to fix this? Maybe soldering the connection?

Question #2:
I have had thoughts about totally rewiring my car and running some better speaker wire to the speakers. I don't have an amp so the speakers would still be running of HU power. Will this make a noticable difference or is it a waste of money?

Question #3:
At the level I listen to the music at (audible about 20 feet away with the windows in the car up) the HU display fades in and out with the bass. I had the doors open on my car last night and I realized that all of the interior lights were dimming also(if I dimmed the headlights I would be impressed). I know people have trouble with this when they use amps, but I'm just running HU power. Someone suggested running bigger power cables to the HU to counter this problem. Is this a good idea? What gauge? Any other ideas? How can I tell if the HU is getting all the power it can?

 

1) Yes, solder the connections. You could also consider dynamatting the door or mounting the speaker to a more solid (MDF) baffle.

2) Don't bother until you get an amp.

3) You must be pushing that head unit really hard to get it to dim everything else. I'd be suspicious of other electrical problems with the car. You can stick a voltmeter on the power and ground wires in the stereo harness to see what it's actually getting.

 

Is MDF more sturdy or just more dampening than other types of wood? I used 3/4" plywood which is pretty sturdy.

 

MDF is a little easier to work with plus it's resonant frequency is quite low compared to a laminate plywood using soft wood. Birch plywood is good stuff though if you used that.

 

The plywood I used was the best because it was free. I'm definately running a low budget operation.