98 s70 Speaker replacement

Post by **xtrattitude4u** » 25 May 2010, 15:35

I want to upgrade my speakers.
Since there are 8 speakers, each channel is connected to 2 speakers. I have already installed an aftermarket Stereo and connected the existing 4 speaker wires present to it. All 8 speakers work fine, but I don't know if it's actually rated to work properly since I don't know the resistance of my stock speakers.
Ok. So most stereos are rated at 4 ohm per channel.
My question is this: If I get new speakers for my car, do I have to get 2 ohm speakers so that each pair wired together will produce a 4-ohm load on the stereo?

Post by **Ozark Lee** » 25 May 2010, 19:51

People tend to obsess over the speaker impedances. I deal in the FM radio frequency world so impedance matching is a much bigger issue when you are cramming 20 or 30 kW into an antenna than it is when you are putting a few watts into a speaker.

The original Volvo speakers were all 8 Ohm but good luck finding a 8 Ohm aftermarket. I replaced all four sets of mine with 4 Ohm Infinity speakers and I have had no problems whatsoever - even on the Platinum where I have the external amplifier.

...Lee

Post by **xtrattitude4u** » 06 Jun 2010, 11:00

Thanks lee. I'm just gonna go with it. Worst comes to worst I could just move to a four speaker system.

altamishS70 · Post by **altamishS70** » 22 Sep 2010, 22:02

xtrattitude4u wrote:I want to upgrade my speakers.
Since there are 8 speakers, each channel is connected to 2 speakers. I have already installed an aftermarket Stereo and connected the existing 4 speaker wires present to it. All 8 speakers work fine, but I don't know if it's actually rated to work properly since I don't know the resistance of my stock speakers.
Ok. So most stereos are rated at 4 ohm per channel.
My question is this: If I get new speakers for my car, do I have to get 2 ohm speakers so that each pair wired together will produce a 4-ohm load on the stereo?

I am about to do a new install on a aftermarket HU, which wiring kit did you use to make sure all 8 speakers work? I have heard some forums stating only 6 speakers have worked after a aftermarket HU install.

Post by **FlyingVolvo** » 22 Sep 2010, 22:06

Buy your HU from Crutchfield.com and you'll see where to get the proper wiring harness (if not for free!). I just upgraded my HU and speakers from them, very awesome site!

altamishS70 · Post by **altamishS70** » 22 Sep 2010, 22:10

i did just order a HU from crutchfield.com and got the kit for free, just wanted to know if I will still get the 8 speakers to work with just a plug n play with the wiring harness given in the kit. I have heard of a few success and few horror stories, just need a clarification but then again I'll find out soon.

Thanks for the quick reply.

Post by **FlyingVolvo** » 22 Sep 2010, 22:31

It's pretty simple to do, and Crutchfield's tech support is amazing! They'll help you with anything!

You basically plug in the adapter harness into the one that comes from the car's speakers (the one that unplugs from the stock radio). Then you take the harness that came with your new head unit, plug it in to the head unit, and then splice the wires from that one to the adapter harness that comes from the car. They are color coded, and the instructions provided are spot on.

It may seem daunting at first, trust me, I was horrified when I saw all the wires. But again, the instructions that come with are very handy! I recommend using the butt splice crimp connectors. Much easier than dealing with soldering.

All 8 of my speakers still work flawlessly!

The setup is something like this (pardon my bad "Paint" job!

):

altamishS70 · Post by **altamishS70** » 22 Sep 2010, 22:58

thanks man will let you know of the update!!!!

Do the butt splices come with any amp wire install kit if not where can I pick some up? Im guessing Home Depot or Menard's?

Current Updates:
Kenwood KDC-HD545U Receiver
Kenwood KAC-8105D Amp
Kenwood KFC-W3012 12" Sub

Post by **FlyingVolvo** » 22 Sep 2010, 23:18

Oh... I'm very unfamiliar with anything to do with having an amp or sub. All these dealings with the sound system are very new to me. I just outlined what I had to do: going from factory HU and speakers to new HU and aftermarket speaker, no amp or sub. You'll need some more advice/tutorials from other people.

Sorry, I'm still learning too!

altamishS70 · Post by **altamishS70** » 28 Oct 2010, 11:55

Finally got everything installed. All the speakers work the sub sounds really nice and the stock speakers sound even better! Will get the pics up soon.