Old school speaker boxes modified with car audio

[Dj-torn 10+ year member]

Just as the title says, how many people have taken their old school speakers and upgraded them with automotive or other types of speakers. Or even just build their own systems.

I ask bc I just picked up a pair of old school pioneer 3 way tower speakers at a yard sale for $10.00 and im thinking if they are bad just replacing the speakers in the tower with components and a sub.

Ideas???

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[keep_hope_alive Premium Member]

i know this thread is old, but apparently no one wants to respond.

yes, i've done this many times over 20 years. i've also rebuilt them with OE type drivers or home audio drivers. the biggest thing to recognize is that the 3-way tower speakers usually had sealed back midrange speakers since it was one large enclosure. the crossovers are designed for 8 ohm speakers which won't give the same crossover points with 4 ohm speakers. also, the sealed midrange drivers don't play below 500Hz, so the sub needs to play up to them, usually around 800Hz. car subs don't do that well.

the best results are had when you make a small sealed enclosure inside the box for the midrange, which has to be made in pieces to fit through the sub opening. then build custom crossovers that lower the sub/mid crossover point below 200Hz. then the car audio subs can shine and the midrange speaker can play a wider range. from there, use whatever tweeter you want and make a crossover for them and the mid (or use a component set crossover).

Parts Express, Madisound, and MCM Electronics are resources for DIY speaker builders.