If you want low end I would add a small sub. You could get a sub, amp and wires and still be at that 200 price point and its probably a much easier intall than taking apart the four doors. In all honesty, I think the stock speakers are pretty decent and unless you went with crazy high end speakers you aren't going to notice a huge difference. I have the tech package, but I don't think the speakers are any different than yours. Someone here (can't recall who) did an entire stereo install (speakers and sub) and his opinion was that there really wasn't a need to replace the speakers. I would have to second that unless I was trying to build a competition quality stereo.

 

there are several threads on here and on the general elantra page that discuss aftermarket speakers. Alot people seem pretty happy with the infinity upgrades.

 

I agree. For basic upgrades like you stated, infinity's are clean!

 

I've found that the sound output became a lot easier to listen to after making some changes to the treble, bass, and rear/front fade.
As already stated, the speaker setup (at least in the Australian i30, which is the Elantra GT in the States/Canada) is surprisingly decent.

I've turned on the power bass function, added a little more bass, dropped the tweeter level a bit, and faded the speakers to the rear a small amount.

Personally I'm not really going to worry about replacing anything until either the cars warranty runs out, or something breaks.

 

I put the polk DB series in last summer. Love them. Took a few weeks to break them in (way too tinny at first), but now they sound great. I had bought a small sub, but now find that the DB series is low enough to not bother with rewiring it.

 

Well I picked up the car a few hours ago… and OMG what a fun car to drive! And I am happy to report that the stereo actually doesn't sound bad at all. I already have the speakers ordered though, so I will be putting them in!

 

I have the same question as the OP - trying to get some more clean bass without a sub and without braking the bank for my new ride. So am posting this reply to get some updates.


Latefordinner18 what did you end up getting? Music master - which Polk did you get and are you still happy without a sub?

I am considering putting dynamat on the front doors because when I put the volume up beyond 18 I sometimes hear a rattle which my dealer says is not abnormal. Has anyone had that experience? Have you sound deadened the doors?

Thanks! Matt

 

The fellas on the Elantra MD forum made a run on Infinity's at Crutchfield's some years ago. Lots of posts on that forum that offers pictorials and step-by-step instructions.

The Sonata and Elantra share a lot of commonality between big and little brother. It's good reading for the do-it-yourselfer, if nothing more than to stimulate your right brain to get those creative ideas to the forefront.

 

Thanks okie. I've been doing exactly that for the last few hours. I've had infinity reference speakers before in another car (I think they were $50 or so) and while they were great for the price I don't think they would be any better than the stock ones I have in the GT. Which is why I'm thinking to go with another brand and a bit more money... But want to get some feedback first. I know it's a very personal thing everybody has different tastes. Maybe someone else will answer too to get some additional perspectives.

 

these comps get a lot of love from those that own them....

Amazon.com: JBL MS-62C 6.5" 2-Way Component Speaker System: Car Electronics

 

I had an accent before this car, and I'd changed the front speakers to pioneer two ways and splitters with a 12 inch subwoofer and amp.
When I traded that for my Elantra/i30, I took the sub and amp out, went to the dealer (hadn't picked the car up yet) listened to the stereo and went straight back to the stereo place to have new speakers and sub installed the next weekend.
The standard speakers aren't actually bad, but I'd certainly not call them good. Compared to the ones I put in there they sound like you're listening to them from another room, so if you like quality, I'd definitely change them.

My car now has pioneer splits in the front, pioneer 3 ways in the back, an amp for the speakers and an amp for the 12 inch subwoofer. This is connected to the factory headunit, and it absolutely rocks. Do it, you won't regret it.
I tried to video it with my phone but it doesn't record the bass very well.

 

^^^ Anxiously await an answer to your question, too!

 

Well I recently went to sonic electronics site I got a Rockford fosgate amp to power Mb quart pvm216 front speakers and pvm 116 for the rear . the sound is very very good. I did not replace the head unit to many adaptors required to install. I got a installation kit from them it all cost about 524.00 . I went to a local installer for about 300.00 to install . I ran new wiring for the speakers I do not believe that using the factory speaker wire is a good option I have had problems doing it that way before so .......
as I said the sound is great ! very little distortion no matter what I play. I felt it was worth every penny I spent

 

Thanks and update

Appreciate all your input.

I've gone ahead and ordered the db6501 component set from polk for the front. I figured that I will give them a try and if I don't like them return for another set (bought from amazon they should be good about letting me do that in my experience). I'll install it myself given the great install instructions on this forum. From the reviews the polk'is seem to be more what I'll like sound wise. They also seem to be well made - not sure if in the same harman factory or not

I understand I might need an amp to make them really sound right which I'm willing to do in the next "phase" ie a couple months down the road when I have the money for it. I was thinking about getting the pioneer gm d8604 but will have that installed professionally when the time comes.

I'm undecided what to do with the back speakers but likely will get the polk coax if I like what I'll be getting for the fronts. Can't wait to get the package should only be a few more days.

Thanks again.

 

Hi, everybody.
I'm new at this blog but I would like to post a new question.
I have a doubt in relation to my radio's specification because it says that it operated at 4 ohm. However, speakers that people recommend in every blog that I have read operate at 2 ohm.
There are any trouble related to that difference? Do I have to purchase an amplifier?

 

If your OEM radio uses 4 ohm speakers don't use 2 ohm Some OEM amps could be damaged or would distort more. IE: my Azera uses 2 ohm speakers with the Infinity system but the standard Azera radio uses 4 ohm.
Higher end replacement amps are stable at 2 ohm and will put out more wattage ar 2 ohms then 4 ohms

 

I'll say this again...... stay with the impedance that the OEM radio calls for...
you can cause damage to the amplifier if you mis-match impedance or the sound could distort at higher volume. If you upgrade the amp purchase one that you can vary the speakers ohm value.... GOOGLE the info you will see I'm correct .... Forums are a source but a lot of misinformation is out their What's that famouse quote
"TRUST BUT VERIFY" :=)

 

I put a clarion xc1410 amp behind my head unit to bump the wattage up going to the factory speakers and the difference is unbelievable. Seriously sounds like a have sub's. The factory none infinity head unit only outputs 18 watts RMS per channel when the amp I installed is 50 watts per channel. There is no distortion or clipping and the bass is strong and the highs are clear. Stock head unit doesn't have the power to make any speakers sound to their potential. If you buy expensive speakers all you will have is expensive speakers that are underpowered. Like having a Ferrari and putting regular gas in it.

I invite anyone in the GTA to meet up and listen to my stereo. You will be blown away.

Oh and by the way, the xc1410 is 2 ohm stable so if you ever upgrade the stock speakers you could go with 2 ohm speakers and the amp will push 75 watts per channel at that impedance. But make sure you wire it to the battery with a 10 gauge power wire and 20 amp fuse.

 

Thanks for your informative posts kevjef420.

Could you please share how you mounted/connected the Clarion XC1410? I am considering this or a Pioneer GM-A4604, which is much larger, runs hotter and would need to go under a seat. If there is room for the Clarion behind the factory head unit, this might be the preferred option.

I just got an 2015 Elantra SE with rear-camera but no navigation.

Thanks in advance for anyone's suggestions!

 

My setup:

MB QUARTZ RCM216
AMP Crunch P1.650.4
Subwoofer JL audio 10 inch

The amp goes under the copilot seat, the sub in the boot. It sounds really good in my opinion its a nice upgrade.

 

How tough was it to install the amp? Did you have to pull the stereo deck out and install a Hi-Lo Converter? If so which one did you use?

 

Infinity Reference X Series. This is what I am running in my GT

They run at 3 Ohm which is fine for stock head unit. 2 Ohms might be pushing.

By lowering the impedance the amp doesn't work as hard to get the same volume from the voice coil so the sound will be louder. The head unit was designed with 4 Ohms in mind 'cause that is the standard for car audio. Home audio is generally 8 Ohms. Some good amps are .5 Ohms stable. In car audio it is nice to go to a lower impedance as amplifiers run more efficiently, but keep in mind that they must be designed for it, or at higher volumes could overheat from not having enough resistance at the load.

 

I dunno about the non-Nav head unit, but my Nav says 2 Ohm on the top of it. And I think I remember seeing 3 Ohm on either a factory speaker or tweeter. So this is probably at least part of why the 3 Ohm Infinity X's that we both bought work so great off the stock amp.

 

Triple post

 

Triple Post

 

Ok, every typo I corrected made a new post. Weird. Maybe a mod can remove the first two.

 

To anyone else thinking about running an amp to power the door speakers and wonder if and why it should make such a difference, let me try to explain in short.

A low power amp is like a low power engine in a car. A small engine like the elantra has can get you to a fast speed like a low power amp can play music loud. But it is just that. Try pulling out and passing 4 cars when you are already going 100km/h (60mph). Good luck. Think of an amplifier's ability to play music clearly and play lower frequency like having more torque, more brute force. When a low frequency is played it uses a lot more power to amplify that frequency than a high frequency. Like accelerating when you are already going fast. With a crappy amp when a lower frequency is played, it just acts like weakling and buckles under the pressure. This will actually make the high frequencies cut out or clip as the power is being robbed for the lower frequency.

This in short is why adding an amp to power your stock door speakers will make them sound much much better. If you put better speakers and keep the stock amp it is like having a sports car with an Elantra engine. It will handle nice and be fun to drive, but it will have no get up and go.

 

After reading this I'm also thinking this would be great. I love how you installed it behind the factory unit. I haven't done much research yet so a couple quick Q's for you:

1. Being a 4 channel amp, are you using it for the fronts (separates) and the rears?
2. Does the factory unit have RCA's or are the speaker level inputs req's?

I have same 2013 GT GLS MT (Canadian model).

TX in advance for tips! Looking forward to hearing the factory speakers improve as a starting point.

 

The xc1410 has speaker level inputs and RCA. I used the speaker inputs. Basically you cut the speaker wires at the back of the head unit and you run all 4 into it. FR, FL, RR, RL. Then you take the 4 channels coming out of the amp back to the stock wires. The amp ends up being a link between the point that you cut. Run a constant power and ignition power and ground and you are done.

 

"Don't adjust your seat when the stereo is cranked."~kevjef420

LOL

Thanks for all the great info!

 

reading this, and thinking of my install and using that 16 ga wire fuse panel tap to power the amp with the 4 ohm stock speakers... I found online a Wire Gauge vs Current and voltage drop conversion.

a 200 watt Amp maximum draw @ 12Vdc (16.7 amps) using a 3' length of 16 ga AWD copper wire creates a voltage drop difference (based on 12vdc power supply) of 11.9 (10 ga) vs 11.6 (16 ga wire). (2.6% difference in voltage between the 2 wire sizes) The important factor if using 16 ga wire is to keep the wire as short as possible. Fuse block to Amp behind the head unit should not be over 3' distance. If running to the battery, or locating the amp somewhere else (trunk, under seat, etc) longer wire = heavier ga to minimize the voltage drop.
haven't checked, but I think the system voltage at the interior fuse panel might be a bit higher than 12Vdc. At least never below 12V for a healthy electrical system
there is a slot in my GT fuse panel marked Spare (has a 10 Amp fuse in it).. that would avoid duplicate loads, insert the fuse tap, install a 20 amp fuse to cover the 16.7 amp load and should be good.
"Don't adjust your seat when the stereo is cranked."~kevjef420 ... LOL

here is the source online conversion chart link I used ...
American Wire Gauge table and AWG Electrical Current Load Limits with skin depth frequencies and wire breaking strength