Thanks guys. Certainly sounds like the Focal upgrade is the smart choice.

 

i never knew focal made oem style stuff like that. i bet you those would sound way better than the OEM+ offering. id love to hear a few members sit in a car with one and a car with another to see their preference. I will say for Orcygoodness1 keep in mind the woofer is a door replacement and the tweeter is the tweeter replacement. no specific mid driver.

 

The problem in Australian BRZ's, the audio is the base 6 speaker unit.
No mid in the dash, just a tweeter. What I can say is the sound is much better with the Focal kit. Not sure about US and Euro BRZ's but ours don't have a centre dash speaker for stage imaging and suffer accordingly.

 

yeah ours dont come with a center speaker either. and honestly ive debated myself which sounds better between the 8 speaker and 6 speaker and i cant say. leaning towards the base 6 speaker though

 

I’m trying figure out a good speaker solution. Read this whole thread. I’m typically not a big sound system guy, (I was totally fine with my 5th gen 4Runners stock sound system) but man is this base GR86 system bad. I’d probably be fine with the OEM plus option, but seems over priced, and I don’t like the wait time on that. I’m trying to piece something together similar to the original post in this thread, but without the modifications. What are your thoughts on these 2 speakers:

Hertz DCX 165.3

Dieci Series 6-1/2" 2-way car speakers

www.crutchfield.com

Hertz DCX 87.3

Dieci Series 3-1/2" 2-way car speakers

www.crutchfield.com

My thinking is depth and width are less on the dash speakers so they don’t hit anything. Door speakers should fit, right? Ohms are the same, sensitivity is slightly higher. I’m assuming it’s best to stick with one brand/line of speakers, or does that not matter? If I’m way off base let me know what I should be looking for.

appreciate your help!

 

Personally i wouldnt get a co-ax for the doors (speaker and tweeter) as well as tweeters in the dash (again coax). It just really opens the door to weird acoustic cancellation.

Sadly i dont have advice on the speakers. I am a fan of hertz and may eventually put some in my vehicle but my knowledge of their line up is a bit dated. from what ive known I would have 100% recommended their energy and hi energy lines and would say to avoid the dieci line. but it looks like their lineup has changed quite a bit from the speakers ive heard. If the dieci is built better than the old ones then id say get the coax for the dash and look for a 165 woofer with no tweeter (165mm-6.5in). the most plug and play setup it looks like they would have for our car would be the mille MPK 163.3. I have heard the older milles and they are good but hella expensive

 

Thank you. I was thoroughly disappointed by the stock speakers in mine. As a daily driver and dropping what I did on an AE, I hoped for more out if the OEM sound system.

 

I'm confused about ohms. OEM+ uses 4 ohms tweeters and mids with 2 ohms woofers. Focal uses 4 ohms tweeters with 4 ohms woofers. Can I install 4ohms tweeters, mids and woofers all around or is that too much load on the stock amp? I am thinking about upgrading my 8 speaker BRZ with the Focal speakers and adding a 4inch in the dash as well.

 

This thread is for the BASE GR86 or Premium BRZ which use 6 speakers (tweeter and woofer on each side are each 4ohm) running in parallel, thus producing a 2ohm load and the rears are 6ohm.

You have a Limited BRZ if you have 8 speakers. The OEM+ is for the Premium GR86 or Limited BRZ that has the 8 speaker factory setup. Both the factory and OEM+ woofers in this setup use the small external factory amp that runs at 2ohm. If you swap the woofers out for 4ohm Focals, they will have less power and volume than a 2ohm speaker, especially if the sensitivity rating of the Focals is not as high as the stock.

 

ohms is resistance. the lower the number the less resistance. in practice what that means is a 2 ohm woofer would get roughly double the power of a 4 ohm woofer connected to the same amp. it varies depending on the amp but you get the idea. so OEM+ is using the resistance of the speakers to get more out of the woofer and less out of the mids and tweeters. Focal being a more traditional company keeping it all 4ohm makes sense.

every amp has a limit on what the lowest ohm they can handle is. so if you are going with a 2ohm woofer and 4 ohm tweeters you are desigining for an amp that can handle 2ohm and leaving power on the table when it comes to the mids and tweeters. Focal however is designing for a much more broad audience and 4ohm is the lowest that most OEM amps and or HU can run. 2ohm is more unique in that space although most newer aftermarket stuff can handle 2 ohm no problem. (90s amps were built for 4 or 8 ohm)

 

Just in case if you wonder what happens when you go all in🔊🤯

This is the plug n play V4 Masterpack (scroll down for English description) from Car and Audio Germany which has been installed in my car a while ago. Not shown in the photo is the damping material, which was also installed. This is their largest set. They also offer simpler sets.

They made a very detailed video about the installation in my car. Unfortunately it is all in German. Maybe use the automatic translation if you are interested in the details.

This system has a nice and unique feature: the engine sound generator runs through the audio system now which means it was possible to tweak it through the DSP of the amplifier and I can switch it between on and off in 25 steps through a rotatable control unit which can also adjust other things.

I recommend to jump to 48:35 in the video where he accelerates without the engine sound amplification. At 49:45 he turns on the new engine sound amplification which runs through the whole audio system now. A direct comparison is possible at 50:25 where the system is turned off and 50:28 where it is turned on again.

A few interesting technical takeaways about the OEM system which he mentions in the video:

• bass is pretty much dead below 50 Hz
• the frequency range about 6 kHz and above has a crazy amplification (not a problem of the radio)
• the radio has has a really nasty distortion at volume level 29 and above
• distortion-free max power measured on one of the front channels is 16 watt
• the frequency range from the radio for the front speakers is quite linear (not perfect, but "good")
• the frequency range from the radio for the rear speakers starts to drop at about 500 Hz and lower because the rear speakers, due to their size and an installed capacitor, would not be able to reproduce this range in a meaningful way anyway

Since the used amplifier is fully programmable, pretty much all of these problems can be corrected. A sensitive microphone was also used to cross-check the settings. The following screenshot is just a random example (no settings of my car) to get an idea of the software. More of it is also shown in the video.

Just in case someone is interested in such a system: the amplifier comes with a preloaded configuration. So, there is no need to measure or adjust anything yourself. Of course you can still attach a notebook to the amplifier and make your own adjustments.

Well, the overall sound experience is on a completely new level now. Everything sounds balanced and just right. Hard to imagine that it could get any better. The tuned engine sound is a fun thing and inside the cabin it sounds like I have upgraded the car with some fancy exhaust system. Sometimes I completely forget about it and feel slightly ashamed when I drive through a quite area and then just realize: wait a moment, those bozos out there can't hear it - pedal to the metal! 😎

And a few more photos...

 

Wow, very nice @Shoggy!

 

I hate to mess with door panels. They hardly sit back in place as firmly as the first time.

I would probably just do the Beats Sonic with stock speakers. If I do, I will report back here.

 

I hate to mess with door panels. They hardly sit back in place as firmly as the first time.

I would probably just do the Beats Sonic with stock speakers. If I do, I will report back here.

Same. But just to let you know they go back on real easy since they are new and the pop clips don't shatter yet. I was very worried when taking them off but it was super easy and even easier going back on. Don't let it ruin your audio choices!

 

Awesome system and report, @Shoggy! I'd say you have the ultimate system now for our car.

Very interesting details about the OEM system. I'm watching the video at 0.75 speed with subtitles in German (no English). I can understand about 25% of the words, so I have some idea what he is saying. He said the high frequency gain above 6 kHz is +20 dB! Of course the OEM system sounds horrible! Now I know why unplugging the tweeters improved the sound in my car so much.

 

Yes, this is really crazy and is only caused by the tweeters themselves. When he measured the output of the radio directly, the frequency curve does not show this problem.

 

I would love to see the frequency response with the tweeters disconnected.

 

I would say the majority of the OEM system's shortcomings arise from the excessive high-frequency gain of the tweeters. It's probably caused by the use of a simple 2.7 µF capacitor as the crossover for the tweeter.

If we were to retrofit 2-way LC crossovers, what would be a good choice for the crossover frequency? I'm thinking 3.5 kHz.

 

honestly id junk the tweeter all together but thats just me. im probably a bit more picky with higher notes than most.

 

It would be nice if Denso would let you tweak the DSP settings in the head unit (like rear channel high pass frequency). One thing I noticed after my head unit was updated on my 2022 GR86 to newest version in the Toyota TSB from June 2023, the DSP firmware went up 1 minor minor version. I don’t really hear any differences. The update didn’t reset any of my settings. I may do a factory default on it and redo my settings to see if I notice any differences.

 

The base GR86/premium BRZ paper OEM tweeters that are made by Panasonic are just as bad.

 

Ugh, suddenly I have a high pitched noise coming from somewhere inside the car. It doesn't happen on every drive, which is really weird. If it does happen, it persists the entire drive. Turning music on or off does not matter.

Guessing it has something to do with my Alpine amp. Really hate the idea of pulling all of that back out.

 

if its intermittent while its possible its the amp itself its more likely a loose connection. next time it happens pull over with the music still playing and wiggle the inputs to see what if anything that does. likely not power or remote. slight possibility of ground but that's not a wiggle while the car is on type of situation.

 

Makes sense, thanks for the advice.

 

if its intermittent while its possible its the amp itself its more likely a loose connection. next time it happens pull over with the music still playing and wiggle the inputs to see what if anything that does. likely not power or remote. slight possibility of ground but that's not a wiggle while the car is on type of situation.

Thankfully I believe I found the source. When I got in the car after work the noise was occurring, and upon tapping on the drivers tweeter grille the sound changes, so obviously there’s an issue there. That tweeter also doesn’t sound good when playing music. Guessing bad connection or failed tweeter. It’s the JL Audio C1

 

Thanks for the great writeup GR86Talk! I was able to install the door speakers with no issues. I also used Asobu's 3d printed door mounts and they fit perfectly!

Those stock speakers are light as hell!

 

Is this a plug and play with the harness linked?

 

Those speaker mounts look great! I didn't know about those when I did mine!

 

Refreshing the topic,

Unfortunately, BRZs in highest trim in Europe, comes with 6 way speakers, bummer. Went ahead with what UK forum says and here we are:

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https://www.gr-zoo.com/threads/focal-2-way-component-oem-retrofit.4770/page-1

Today I went to garage to play around.
Starting from my observations and inputs.

All spoken on this thread is valid and easily explained. The process is absurdly simple and there is nothing to break. Couple dummy plugs, screws and you are good to go. Tweeters are doable within 15 minutes, I'd recommend doing them "in spare moment" to not add additional time for the doors.

If you are still scared, watch this guy, he goes over the same procedure step by step.

NOTE, Focal tweeters don't need that much of a hassle, just pick adapter and you are good to go.

For people upgrading only audio, total spent time would be 1hr for whole car, it's dead simple. Others, myself included, if you are using mats to deaden the car, it's a little bit tricker. I did it first time and for passenger doors alone, it took me almost 4 hours.

The black glue, holding the plastic... It stretched like a fudge, cheese, sticks like hell but there is a good part as well. You can simply "pull" the glue, and then when it's on your gloves, just use it to get rest of the glue from the frame - you will create "snowball", or in this case, "glue ball" (see my pic with the glove). Afterwards, it's easy as hell, you don't need any tar remover as glue sticks more to itself than to the metal doors.

Take the plastic tools to extract any pins left from door shell, to the metal inside frame. Also watch out for silicone rubber grommets that are attached to the pins - you can easily drop them and miss em when assembling.

I've managed to do only passenger side so can't really tell much about the audio but first inputs - it's noticeable that right doors sounds better I'll wrap up driver side and give it a fly.

Lastly, as presented by other guy from UK, 2:29 moment.

If you don't want to add necessary weight to the car, just swap the speakers, I'd suggest buying thick PPF foil and just cover all of the holes. It will weight next to nothing, serve its purpose by stopping the water but you will mitigate the resonating sounds from the foil itself - think about it, you already disassembled the doors, it's one extra mile and it doesn't require anything fancy, scissors alone will do the trick.

Cheers,

 

Nicely documented @qajteq. The stock door speakers look like a complete joke next to those Focals!

Do you think you don’t need the clear plastic water barrier now that you’ve sealed the door openings?

 

Indeed, looks like OEM woofers are 170g, while Focals are 900g... It's no comparison between the two.

I'll keep an eye on that one as I know that it's there for a reason. Most of the pictures of other attempts for sound deadening on this car are without plastic vapour barrier, with all holes sealed. I suspect, if you replicate it to not allow water to enter the inner side, it will be fine. I plan to just retake the sides after a year to see if glue still holds up on the sheets I've put inside and make adjustments if needed. Hopefully by then, my car won't drown 🤣

 

Tips from day two, driver doors.

Yesterday I had 15*C weather, today it was around 4 outside. Drawbacks? All plastics hardens and are harder to remove. I've broken one door clip, gladly it was in place where it meets front dashboard so won't be noticeable. I've left mats overnight in car trunk - they were hard as brick and glue was not sticking to anything. Had to make a trip to my home and warm them up with hairdresser. On plus note, the stock glue came easier than yesterday...

Moving on:
If you are all in, to remove the plastic vapour barrier, follow it in this manner - use a sharp knife, and cut out inside of the plastic sheet, leave the outer edges. In this way, it will be significantly less hassle to work on it, and you can pull this part like a rope and goes much easier.

No further pics, I've replicated what I did on passenger side.

Another key point, if you are covering door openings, the part, from where steel lines for locker and door opening comes out (black cable with foam).

Make a cut in mats, closer to rear of the car, rather than front. On driver side, they are obstructing with window mechanism, making funny noise at the begging of the pull downwards. I had to work this out without removing the mat, next time I'd be smarter.

Apart from that, nothing much, same as passenger.

The sound

Oh my gosh, finally this car has audible radio. My goodness. On stock OEM setup, my "threshold" of loudness and quality, was around 20-21 or 22 if going faster - anything further than that sounds absolutely garbage.

With Focals, at 19 it's insanely loud and you CANNOT HEAR THE CAR INSIDE! I was stoked. I'm running AWE Touring exhaust and speakers are louder than exhaust and car noises while cruising with engine below 2500 RPM.

The sound is on next level. Finally, finally... you can distinguish various instruments in the songs. In short summary. Highs are clearer, mids as well, bass is also more precise. Improvement at any level. Vocals are significantly better. The separation on mids and lows is there. It's not a single blur when listening but clear distinction from each sound - drums with beats? No problem. Not the cinema quality or good end hi-fi, but audio is not the weak point now. Highway runs at 140km/h (87mp/h) is doable as well, it's around 3800 RPM on 6th gear, you can hear the engine in background and between the songs, but finally your ears are not bleeding from turning it on.

My settings are following. Bass stays on 0, mids at +2, treble at -2. All other enhancements are off. The speed turn up volume is also off. When audio is at 19/20, and if it's set on low, at 140km/h it's way too loud for my taste. I prefer to have it off now.

Definitely worth the hassle. Wonder how it sounds without this simple deadening. I bought 1,5m^2 of material and I'm left with half of it untouched.

If you are bugging yourself, just don't, go for it.

For people wondering about plastic vapour barrier, it's available as a part from Subie website:

https://parts.grandsubaru.com/a/Sub...ubaru__BRZ/_54105_9408647/FRONT-DOOR-PANEL--REARSLIDEDOOR-PANEL/Z11-605-02.html

61244A and 61244B.