Speakers for 2010 Camry?

[zacster]

My daughter, after having her 2009 Camry totaled through no fault of her own, had a 2010 Camry fall into her lap. Both cars came from her grandmothers, from each side. Her cousins from both sides had turns driving these cars. She gets them after everyone else has beat them up!

Anyway, the 2009 Camry was an XLE with all the bells and whistles and had a decent sounding system. The 2010 OTOH is a base model and doesn't sound good at all, aside from the fact that the aux in is kaput. I can replace the aux myself, not a big deal. But without spending a huge amount of money I thought that she could use some of the settlement money from the totaled car (over book value!) and do a simple upgrade. The car has 200k miles on it so not too much money as it won't last too long. I was thinking the door speakers and tweeters in front. But which? I was on Crutchfield looking but there are so many options. What would be good up to $400? And something that could be pulled when the time comes and used in the next car so not Camry specific. I saw a few of those.

I put Focal ISU200 in my Tesla and I'm happy with those, and Infinity 4032 in the dash. She of course wants to take my car when she goes out. Not a chance of that.

Any opinions? (this being the internet, if there are 100 readers there are 200 opinions.)

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[hispls 5,000+ posts]

I've always had great results with Harmon International product (JBL/Harman/Infinity/Crown) and honestly Infinity would be my go-to for sounding good off of head unit power. They should have a sub 200$ component set that would do nicely.

I believe the "higher end" Camry has the separate tweeter up in the A pillar which is probably why whatever was stock sounds better. If you can get your tweeter mounted up in that neighborhood that should help a fair bit.

 

[zacster]

I see the Infinity Kappa series such as the 63XF and the Reference series of various models that are somewhat cheaper. Some are coaxial, some have separate tweeters. I'm not sure if this car has the A pillar tweeters, I'd have to look. If it doesn't I'm not about to try and add them although the space is likely there. I used the Reference 4032 in my Tesla and was impressed enough so maybe that's the way to go except in a larger version. The 6532IX would fit.

So either the Kappa 63XF for $210 or the Reference 6532IX for $120? The price difference doesn't matter to me.

Or Focal? I know they make some good stuff too. While I'm sure there are clunkers out there most of the main brands are going to be OK I'm sure.

 

[audiobaun 5,000+ posts]

Cant go wrong with a set of Kappas. They seem to last quite a while

 

[hispls 5,000+ posts]

I see the Infinity Kappa series such as the 63XF and the Reference series of various models that are somewhat cheaper. Some are coaxial, some have separate tweeters. I'm not sure if this car has the A pillar tweeters, I'd have to look. If it doesn't I'm not about to try and add them although the space is likely there. I used the Reference 4032 in my Tesla and was impressed enough so maybe that's the way to go except in a larger version. The 6532IX would fit.

So either the Kappa 63XF for $210 or the Reference 6532IX for $120? The price difference doesn't matter to me.

Or Focal? I know they make some good stuff too. While I'm sure there are clunkers out there most of the main brands are going to be OK I'm sure.

Looks like you can get those Kappa for 100 and a little bit on Amazon which seems a very good value. I really would suggest trying to get a component set and put tweet up in the A pillar. My Corolla is about the same gen as your Camry and definitely not LE or anything fancy and has the tweeter in the A piller. That A pillar piece just pops right out once you have the door panel off (which is just a few screws) and a couple dabs of hot melt glue or Amazing GOOP brand glue can set your new tweet right up in the stock location. Really even if you had to drill a hole and mount the pod that comes with a component kit up there it would be worth the trouble I think.

I'd think the Reference component set with the tweet up high will outperform the Kappa coaxial stuffed low in the door. 400$ for the Kappa component set is a little rich for my blood but if you could scoop them up for 250ish on sale somewhere I'd go for it.

Focal makes some good loudspeakers but if you're not trying to spend up into the higher models I'd suggest avoiding those premium brands as usually their entry level is going to be really poor when compared to similar priced offerings from the more mainstream brands. If you're not spending up into the middle of the road with their lineup avoid those premium brands like Focal/JL/Hertz/etc.

 

[zacster]

I don't see an A pillar space, only the dash corners for tweeters. If you need to take the dash off to access it I'm not going to bother.

The other thing is that I have a pair of Focal tweeters, the TWU 1.5 that comes with the ISU 200 that I put in my Tesla. The Tesla M3 SR+ does not have the wiring in the door for tweeters but it does have the space. The dash Infinity Reference 4032 is a coax design so I thought that would suffice, and it does. The car has 200k as I said so I'm not looking to do too much.

When the new Aux jack comes today I'll install it to see how it sounds with hi-res 24/96 music playing on it. When I put hi-res on in my old Odyssey it made a huge difference in the sound even with the stock system. If it sounds anywhere decent I may just call it a day.

 

[hispls 5,000+ posts]

I don't see an A pillar space, only the dash corners for tweeters.

That's unfortunate. I had an older Camry that had the A pillar style, I figured they'd have kept that considering my 2011 Corolla has that style.

Anyway, I also wouldn't mount to the dash mostly because bouncing off the glass out of those locations almost never sounds good and they're always a pain in the arse to get at.

 

[zacster]

I put the new aux jack in earlier this week and it makes a huge difference to play true hi-res music (via a Raspberry Pi on my home network) vs. the radio. It's funny, there is a CD player too and my daughter couldn't find anything less useful! CD is dead to the under 30 crowd, and all but dead to everyone else. Anyway, it sounded pretty good by comparison, but still boomy. In the meantime though my daughter has Covid and isn't going anywhere and hasn't heard it yet herself. (She's fine.)

Today, Thursday, I decided to look once again at it. I watched a few youtube videos and decided I needed to see what was there. It turns out the tweeter grill pops off really easily and gives access without removing the whole dash so I did that and took out the tweeter, and also pulled out my Focal tweeter from the box to see how it compares in size. The thing is though that most woofers come with a tweeter so there is no advantage to using those.

That brings me to Crutchfield. When I did my Tesla I didn't buy from them because the price was much higher but now I see why. They provide everything you need to install, brackets, wire harnesses, and full instructions specific to your car. With the Tesla there are no brackets that fit, everything is tight, and you get those custom from someone with a 3D printer. Most other cars take standard fit. So now I see the value they provide.

The insurance settlement from the car she was in that was totaled was very generous so I'm going to spend a little more, around $400, and again with the notion that I'll pull them when the time comes to junk this car. I'm looking now at either Focal Performance 165AS or Infinity Kappa 603CF. I'm sure either would be a big improvement. I'm open to any other suggestions too.

 

[zacster]

I gave the current speakers in the Camry a better listen after driving around all day in my Tesla and they sound completely dull and lifeless even with 24/96 music playing. I ordered Focal Performance 165AS even though the Infinity are on sale at Crutchfield. I decided I'd rather buy a middle $ speaker from a high-end company than a high $ speaker from a mass-market brand. And I went with Crutchfield too since they include everything, including tech support if I need it.

If it needs an amp I'll have to read up on installation as all I've ever done with car audio is replace speaker drivers and aux jacks.

 

[Bobbytwonames 5,000+ posts]

My daughter, after having her 2009 Camry totaled through no fault of her own, had a 2010 Camry fall into her lap. Both cars came from her grandmothers, from each side. Her cousins from both sides had turns driving these cars. She gets them after everyone else has beat them up!

Anyway, the 2009 Camry was an XLE with all the bells and whistles and had a decent sounding system. The 2010 OTOH is a base model and doesn't sound good at all, aside from the fact that the aux in is kaput. I can replace the aux myself, not a big deal. But without spending a huge amount of money I thought that she could use some of the settlement money from the totaled car (over book value!) and do a simple upgrade. The car has 200k miles on it so not too much money as it won't last too long. I was thinking the door speakers and tweeters in front. But which? I was on Crutchfield looking but there are so many options. What would be good up to $400? And something that could be pulled when the time comes and used in the next car so not Camry specific. I saw a few of those.

I put Focal ISU200 in my Tesla and I'm happy with those, and Infinity 4032 in the dash. She of course wants to take my car when she goes out. Not a chance of that.

Any opinions? (this being the internet, if there are 100 readers there are 200 opinions.)

I would replace all the stock speakers with Infinity Kappa's 62ix. Get two pairs and you are set.

 

[zacster]

I would replace all the stock speakers with Infinity Kappa's 62ix. Get two pairs and you are set.

I already bought the Focal component set for the front. I didn't give the rear any thought but maybe could replace them with the coax version of the Focals. One thing at a time. I think an amp might be the next thing, but only if it is necessary. The car has 200k miles on it and my daughter is likely moving out to an area of Brooklyn where you just don't even think about owning a car. If she uses the car twice in a week that's a lot.

 

[Paralelepiped]

One of my friend use Front - Focal Access 165 AS; back - Morel Maximo Coax 6х9

 

[Clifff150 10+ year member]

I wouldn’t waste money on rears

 

[zacster]

I did the install on one side only today, and the one side sounds pretty good. Why only one side? It started when I took the tweeter out of the dash and realized that the crossover in the plastic case the size of a deck of cards is too big to fit anywhere in the tweeter compartment. I even thought well maybe I externally mount the tweeters in the supplied fitting and put the crossover in its place but it wouldn't fit there either. Since I was doing the drivers side there were no great options underneath either as I didn't want it to interfere in any way with pedals or controls. I found a single screw hole that was empty and made a bracket out of flat aluminum rod. That took a while to get the sizing right, to bend it, to drill it, etc... Then I moved on to the wiring, which needed a little bit of custom work since the wiring harness was built on the assumption that only the tweeter had a filter but the woofer went straight through. The tweeter bracket itself needed to have the hole cut out and rather than a trip to HD for a hole bit, I cut it with a knife and my Dremel. That took time too.

With all that prepared I then had to get it all in place, which required a lot of awkward positions for a 67 year old with a bad knee. I had to connect 6 wires to the crossover while under the dash, and then the bracket and then attach it. I got all that in and it all worked!

I moved on to the woofer which requires removing the door panel and I only had a little trouble with that. The woofer bracket also needed cutting, the screw tabs for a slightly smaller speaker needed to be cut off. Once that was done it went in easily. All in all it was 5 hours just to do that. I expect the passenger side to go in a lot more easily as I know what to expect.

 

[hispls 5,000+ posts]

I did the install on one side only today, and the one side sounds pretty good. Why only one side? It started when I took the tweeter out of the dash and realized that the crossover in the plastic case the size of a deck of cards is too big to fit anywhere in the tweeter compartment. I even thought well maybe I externally mount the tweeters in the supplied fitting and put the crossover in its place but it wouldn't fit there either. Since I was doing the drivers side there were no great options underneath either as I didn't want it to interfere in any way with pedals or controls. I found a single screw hole that was empty and made a bracket out of flat aluminum rod. That took a while to get the sizing right, to bend it, to drill it, etc... Then I moved on to the wiring, which needed a little bit of custom work since the wiring harness was built on the assumption that only the tweeter had a filter but the woofer went straight through. The tweeter bracket itself needed to have the hole cut out and rather than a trip to HD for a hole bit, I cut it with a knife and my Dremel. That took time too.

With all that prepared I then had to get it all in place, which required a lot of awkward positions for a 67 year old with a bad knee. I had to connect 6 wires to the crossover while under the dash, and then the bracket and then attach it. I got all that in and it all worked!

I moved on to the woofer which requires removing the door panel and I only had a little trouble with that. The woofer bracket also needed cutting, the screw tabs for a slightly smaller speaker needed to be cut off. Once that was done it went in easily. All in all it was 5 hours just to do that. I expect the passenger side to go in a lot more easily as I know what to expect.

That's dedication. As you say, playing contortionist under the dash of a car is more of a young man's game.

And yes, you really want to filter the highs out of the woofer as well as the lows out of the tweeter so just about anything you'd buy as a 2 way set will need source wire to a crossover then two separate wires to the components from there.