Elantra GT CD / speaker replacement - recomendations?!?

I'm going to replace the speakers and CD deck in my Elantra GT. Any
recommendations? I want a deck that matches the dashboard light color...
Also, speakers... I know that even the best speakers can sound crappy in
certain conditions... what sounds best in the Elantra GT?



Thanks in advance...

 

I'm [almost] done replacing the CD deck and both sets of speakers in my 02
Elantra GT. Here's my story; see if you find helpful.

I bought a Kenwood Excelon KDC-X579 CD/MP3/WMA Receiver
(http://www.kenwoodusa.com/product/product.jsp?productId=2567), Kenwood
KFC-1669S 6-1/2" 2-way Speakers
(http://www.kenwoodusa.com/product/product.jsp?productId=2584) for the front
door, and Kenwood KFC-1789ie 6-3/4" 3-way Speakers
(http://www.kenwoodusa.com/product/product.jsp?productId=2516) for the back.
Total cost: $300 delivered from Crutchfield (http://www.crutchfield.com). I
like Kenwood products in general, and these models have good
price/performance ratio, at least on paper. The receiver also has black
faceplate, and although it does not quite match the charcoal Elantra
interior, most other receivers on Crutchfield's web site (Pioneer,
Panasonic, Sony, etc.) had silver faceplates, and IMHO would look even more
out of place. Since I can't stand up/down volume buttons, I limited myself
to the models with a knob. Most higher-end units come with a choice of
display color. Kenwood's color is a decent match for Elantra's purple
dashboard (unlike the factory stereo, I must add).

Crutchfield is known for including free installation kits and detailed
instructions - perfect for a newbie like myself. Plus, I had bought much of
my home audio equipment from them, and like their customer support and a
well-done web site. The order arrived in a couple of days. So far so good,
but as soon as I actually started installing the gear, the troubles began.

Surprise No. 1: the wiring harnesses needed to be soldered or crimped
together. In retrospect, I should have thought about it, but Crutchfield
never mentioned soldering during the sales process, and neither a soldering
iron nor a crimping tool are listed as being required in the Master
Installation Sheet. No biggie - a trip to nearby Wal-Mart, $10 less in the
wallet, and 1 hour later I'm back at installing the receiver.

The dash trim panel came off easily. The instructions mentioned that the
nice, cloth-lined storage pocket below the factory stereo would be reused,
but the mounting kit for the new receiver already had a non-removable
pocket. Too bad, but still, no biggie. A slightly more annoying problem is
that receiver's trim ring cannot be used - it's wider than the opening in
the dash trim panel. The really big problem is that the trim ring supplied
with the installation kit cannot be used either. With it in place, dash
trim panel just wouldn't snap back in. It appears that the trim ring has
tabs on the sides, and is supposed to be held in place by the dash trim
panel. However, it looks like the tabs are too thick, and the dash trim
panel doesn't lock in place because of that. I will probably have to remove
the tabs, and glue the trim ring to the kit instead.

Front door speakers are relatively easy to install. Crutchfield supplied a
set of brackets, which weren't the easiest to mount, but worked out ok in
the end. The OEM speakers look really cheap, so any $50+ set of aftermarket
speakers with probably sound better. I was pretty impressed with the sound
of my new system (sans rear speakers) when I did a test run. BTW, the front
speakers turned out to be the easiest part of the process.

Surprise No. 2: rear speaker installation requires removal of back seat
bolsters, which are held in place by a 12mm bolt hidden under the back seat
cushion. I've had my Elantra for close to two years, and I had no idea that
back seat cushions can be just lifted and folded away. Well...until I
discovered that exciting feature, I probably spent an hour trying to get to
the freaking bolt.

According to the Crutchfield instructions, rear speakers do not require any
special brackets and can be mounted using the existing mounting holes.
However, after removing OEM speakers, it became obvious that there's no way
to mount the new speakers using the existing holes. The problem is that the
OEM speakers have a square, non removable bracket attached to them. The
mounting holes are in the corners of that bracket. The new speakers are
round, and even though they're slightly larger than the OEMs (6 3/4" vs. 6
1/2" in diameter), there's no way to use the old holes. In fact, the OEMs
in the rear have the same form factor as the ones in the front, so the same
special brackets are needed. I called Crutchfield, and talked to a tech.
support guy, who promptly offered to send me another set of speaker
brackets.

The brackets should be here tomorrow, my car has been without rear speakers
and with dash trim popped out since Monday, and I kinda wish I just took the
Elantra to BestBuy. Good thing my wife is out of town, so (among other
things) I can drive her car to work.

I'll write an epilogue in a day or two. Cheers!