Maverick

Has anyone used the aftermarket dual dash speaker in a convertible?

I just saw one at Original Parts Group while looking at kick panel speakers.

I know it won't have the oommpphh of the kick panels, but they must be much better than stock.

My442

www.turnswitch.com

Great products!

Jamesbo

I have them in my 69 drop top. I can't figure out if it's the POS repo radio or the speakers but the sound quality sucketh.

New'n72

I put one in my '72 ragtop. It's ok but not great. I was questioning wether it might have something to do with the antenna. Bad reception, or the radio, poor amplification?

Lady72nRob71

One thing that really irks me still is how these repro radio makers advertise 200 watts or even 50. This gives buyers big expectations and brings big disappointment after installation. I wish this type of misleading advertising would cease...

There is no room in a chassis that size for a switching power supply, so the most usable power one could ever really get is around 15 watts per channel at limited current. And given the tiny wires and PCB traces often used, the output would be more like 10.
I have a 200W true RMS amp and it is the size of four of those radios.

68Tom

I look foward to having crappy speakers in my car. This way I can hear the rumble of the engine better.

derek nesdoly

If I cared about the sound system,I'd keep driving my 535 Bimmer,but in my 442 the only music I care about is windows down and mat the pedal!

Bunser

I was just wandering around the forum, when I happened upon this post.My original speakers (1 front and 1 rear) were both toast (both had ripped cones and the speaker cloth was disintegrating.) I looked up a guy in town who does speaker repairs and took'em over and let him have at em.He was able to get replacement cones and replaced the speaker cloth.Excellent job and the ONLY reasonably priced repair on the car so far!

69cutlassragtop

I replaced my dash speaker with the reproduction unit from Turnswitch today. I pulled an aftermarket am/fm cassette and re-installed the original AM radio. I'm not sure if I swore more at the speaker location (AC car), or fussing around with the glovebox! The end result is a nice looking and sounding stock setup.

rcorrigan5

I'm not an electronics jock so please excuse me if this is completely off base, but......I understand from some of my electronic twidgett friends that speaker resistance (i.e., ohms) can make a big difference in (1) how the speaker sounds and (2) how long it lasts. The stock radios of the 60s and 70s were made to operate on 10 ohm speakers. A lot of the newer models operate on 4 ohm speakers. I've been told that a 4 ohm speaker hooked up to a 10 ohm radio will shorten the life of the 4 ohm speaker and degrade the sound quality over a short time. Again, I'm just throwing darts in the dark on this one, and I throw them knowing fully well they could end up hitting me in the backside, so.....please be gentle if I'm wrong!

VikingBlue

Greg at Turnswitch knows his stuff and is quite happy to give advice

Lady72nRob71

This is an old forgotten post, but it is a good one worth answering.
Hooking a 4 Ohm speaker to a 10 Ohm radio will shorten the life of the radio, not the speaker.
Do NOT run a combo like this.

The radio output transistors expects a light load of 10 Ohms and 4 Ohms is almost like a short to them, causing the output transistors to drive more than designed, overheating them and causing them to either short or open. The sound will distort more when driven hard, meaning DC current is getting into the speaker, which will soon cause damage to both speaker and radio.
An 8 Ohm home speaker could be used, or two 4 Ohm speakers wired in series (8 Ohm total), or three 4 Ohm speakers in series (12 Ohm total), or one 8 Ohm and one 4 Ohm in series (12 Ohm total).
However 10 Ohm speakers are best for those old stock radios.

Always match speaker impedance to the radio / amp, never allow audible distortion to occure, and use proper wiring / installation according to mfgr recommendations. These rules, when followed, will help prolong the life of your equipment.

oldoldss

Something else to watch out for with dash speakers is the clearance on A/C cars. There is very little clearance between the A/C ductwork to the upper center vents and the speaker. Only a true "reproduction" style (flat) speaker will fit. A "modern" speaker will be too "deep" and not fit. On non-A/C cars these vents are "dummys", so that shouldn't be a problem.

501Paratrooper

x2 for radio resto and dash speaker!

servexcell

i would like the less expensive one.

joe_padavano

Only a decade-old thread here...