2003 Suburban Speaker Upgrade

[SUBURBIAN]

Audio guys, please help me pick some speakers for the doors in my Suburban.

2003 Suburban
Bose (non lux)
Pioneer MVH-210EX
Factory amp and sub


The intention is to replace/slightly upgrade the factory speakers. Passenger door speaker sounds blown. Not trying to break the bank, just a modest aftermarket upgrade. I was planning 6.5" for front doors and 5.25" for rear doors. I can't find definitive answers on whether I need 2 ohm or 4 ohm speakers. I don't know if it is a better idea to replace with component or 2 way or 3 way speakers.


Thanks...

 

[rgosart]

Audio guys, please help me pick some speakers for the doors in my Suburban.

2003 Suburban
Bose (non lux)
Pioneer MVH-210EX
Factory amp and sub


The intention is to replace/slightly upgrade the factory speakers. Passenger door speaker sounds blown. Not trying to break the bank, just a modest aftermarket upgrade. I was planning 6.5" for front doors and 5.25" for rear doors. I can't find definitive answers on whether I need 2 ohm or 4 ohm speakers. I don't know if it is a better idea to replace with component or 2 way or 3 way speakers.


Thanks...

Both front and rear doors take 6.5" speakers at least on a non-Bose truck. I believe it is worth putting component speakers up front and a coaxial speaker in the rear. As far as specific speakers go, I run pretty much all JL Audio. I have C1-650 components in my daily driver car and I plan to put C2-650s in my Tahoe. They might be a little pricey for what you are looking for.

There are lots of threads about what you need to fit the factory sub enclosure. I don't have a Bose truck so I can't comment on that specifically.

I'm sure others will comment with their experience.

 

[SUBURBIAN]

Proper wattage (peak/RMS) and impedance (ohms) ratings are what I'm asking for help with, of course also if it is a terrible idea to replace with 2 or 3 way speakers.

I am not interested in replacing the factory console sub.



I've read countless threads on this board and others about this subject. None of these threads specifically call out the ideal replacement speaker specs. Over or under watting your system makes for bad sounds. Over or under ohming your system does the same thing. Either also leads to a short speaker life also. It's said that the bose setup wants speakers with less than 4 ohms, which seems to be the most common aftermarket run of the mill speakers.

The last thing I want to do is burn up new speakers or burn up the factory amp.

What is the right wattage rating and what is the right ohm rating to optimize the setup for a basic aftermarket head unit adapted into the factory amp?

 

[Wylie_Tahoe]

Honestly, I would not get bogged down on the speakers' rms and peak ratings. Just about EVERY aftermarket speaker you could go with, is going to handle the stock amp wattage.

I do not know what the impedance if the OEM speakers are, but a $20 DVOM from Harbor Freight will solve that mystery. Start there. Its always safe to go with a higher impedance speaker. Lower impedance increases the load to the amp.

I would not go with a 3-way. They never seem to sound all that good IMO. Id stick to a quality coaxial at least, but a nice component set can improve the front sound stage by bring the volume up closer to you. However, I would not put the tweeter too far from the mid-bass. This creates a detached effect.

 

[Joseph Garcia]

If you keep the Bose amplifier, you will have a hard time finding compatible non-Bose speakers, as Bose speakers have impedances well below the standard 4 ohm impedance used by most OEM and aftermarket manufacturers of audio systems. Using a 4 ohm aftermarket speaker with a Bose amplifier that is looking for a 2 ohm Bose speaker will not deliver the good sound and volume that you are looking for in your upgrade.

Bottom line, IMO, either retain the Bose amplifier and purchase Bose replacement speakers, or gut the entire Bose system and install an entire aftermarket system.

Good luck on your final decision and upgrade project.

 

[Mr. 960]

infinity makes 2 ohm speakers; that is what you are looking for. front are 6.5 and rear are 5.25. Just get GM BOSE replacement speakers from amazon or ebay and add a little sound insultion to you doors.