Featured Audio Car of the Month
May / June '05
Matching 1997 3000GT SL’s
His - Pyrenees Black & Hers - Passion Red
Gary (golfpro) & Ellen (Long_Gone)
The systems in these cars are a prime example of getting the most out of the stock Infinity system on a limited budget. It started with an irritating buzz from a dash speaker and a query in the Audio Forum on 3Si.org as to what might be the problem. Diagnosed as a blown dash speaker, a common problem with our systems, other owners recommended upgrading to a 2½-inch speaker from JBL. A do-it-yourself novice at the time, Gary made all the audio improvements to these cars with assistance and advice from the Audio Forum at 3Si.org. The JBL GTO 220 speakers, now discontinued and no longer available, were ordered online and simple instructions provided by forum members were followed for their installation. |
 |
|
 |
The JBL’s are a 2-way speaker featuring a 2½-inch mid-range and 1-inch tweeter that complements the stock system nicely. A passive crossover is provided to direct the proper frequencies to each speaker as well as block the bass signal. |
|
| Gary manufactured a wooden trim ring to hold the speakers in place and has provided other owners with complementary sets for their own installs. The now famous spud washer plumbing gasket was later added to hold his JBL’s in place in his car. |  |
|
Door speakers were upgraded in both cars to Infinity Reference 652i’s. Grilles painted black and spider web trimmed to accommodate slight tweeter protrusion. They are a drop-in replacement for the stock 6.5 inch speakers with no door modifications required. They match the power range of the stock system well and the swivel feature of the Reference tweeter allows aiming for best sound quality. A combination of new and used speaker sets were purchased on eBay and from Crutchfield.com. The tweeter in the upper portion of the picture is the start of an upcoming upgrade in Gary’s car to Infinity Reference 6000cs components. |
 |
|
 |
While installing the door speakers, Gary applied 3 layers of sound deadening material to the outer and inner surfaces of the door panels to limit road noise and improve musical clarity in the cabin.
|
|
| The Infinity Reference 6.5 inch speaker is a direct drop in for stock replacement. The only modification necessary was drilling four new holes in the stock mounting bracket to mount the speakers. |  |
|
| The previous owner of Gary’s car had installed a Kenwood 8-inch powered subwoofer in the rear hatch area. The Kenwood is driven by an internal, 100-watt amplifier and provides controls to adjust the gain and crossover settings, allowing output to be matched to the cabin speakers. |  |
|
|
The speaker is easily unplugged and removed, a must during AutoX and road course driving events. | |
 |
Turning again to Infinity, Gary ordered and installed their Basslink 10-inch, powered sub from eBay for Ellen's car. The Infinity Bass link offers 200 watts of power in a compact unit that fits perfectly in the left storage area of the rear hatch with minor modification to the spare tire cover. Controls for bass boost, gain, and crossover settings are located on the face of the unit. An optional wired remote bass control knob was installed on the dash to allow fine tuning of the bass level from the driver’s seat. |
|
| As an upgrade to the electrical system of the cars, Gary installed a Custom Ground Wire Kit from BigTyla of 3Si.org. Not only has this helped eliminate interference from the electrical system, but an improvement in engine performance resulted as well. |  |
|
Other Notes: No modifications have yet been made to the rear 6 X 9 speakers. They remain the original stock speakers, but replacements (most likely Infinity) will be forthcoming. Gary has already begun installing Infinity 6000cs component speakers in his car. A 2-channel amplifier and replacement head unit are also on the drawing board and are expected to be in place by summer of 2005.
Gary and Ellen’s musical tastes run from the Allman Brothers to ZZ Top, and everything in between. The systems are set up for a strong front stage using the head unit controls to raise the mid and treble levels. The rear speakers are barely faded on for rear fill and the bass gain is raised at the subs for balanced low frequencies. The system upgrades were put together at a moderate cost and make for a very listenable system. It remains distortion free at volumes high enough to overcome any road noise even with the windows down. Gary and Ellen were pleased enough with the setup to incorporate the same changes into their 1997 Mitsubishi Eclipse GSX.
Approximate costs for the upgrades were: JBL 220’s - $60.00/pair (3 new). Infinity Reference 652i’s - $55.00/pair. (3 new and used). Infinity Basslink - $160.00 (used). Basslink remote - ($7.00) Installation materials - $40.00. The stock speakers that were removed have been sold to other 3Si members for a total cost outlay of approximately $550.00 for all three cars.
If you would like your 3000GT or Stealth to be considered for "Featured Audio Car of the Month", please click here to apply.
