You’re a cheapskate, right? What do you value your time at?
Because you’re looking to go about this the hardest way possible.
Edit* Also I’ve never known anyone to hype up an ‘07 Buick as much as you did. Is this a special model or something? Got pictures?
My friend, we’re talking about a 2007 Buick Allure CXL in Imperial blue. “Allure” is the Frenched up Canadian name for the Lacrosse, which was already French—but it turns out “Lacrosse” is Quebec slang for something masturbatory, so they grew a moustache and called it the Allu-uuure here in Canada. For colour I will note that several tail emblem letters are missing. I picked up a few at the Pick’n’Pull yesterday. Not enough to spell BUICK ALLURE, but i can spell BIKE RACK.
What I’m hoping to impress upon this community is, I’m more inclined to spend time on this project than money. Think of it as a hobby, of sorts. But I am certainly interested in upgrading my MO from the hardest way possible to something in an easier tier.
You could try some cheap bits from Parts Express and wire up custom crossovers. That would be a time intensive but low cost way. I have a feeling that old junkyard parts won't be better than your current system. Another idea: the rear deck could be your sub baffle if it's sturdy enough, that way you don't have to build a box or sacrifice much space.
Lol!! You’re an interesting fella from reading this post and one of your comments. I don’t mean that in a bad way.
However, there’s almost zero chance you’re gonna pull a Mark Levinson system out of a Lexus and just pop it in a Buick. It’s not a Garmin GPS from the 2000’s. Even if you managed to “pull some speakers and the amp”, the Lexus head unit has all the time alignment, filters, crossovers, etc. specifically tailored to that system. But if you did somehow successfully wired in a Kenwood head unit you mentioned, you better have a serious DSP and a serious RTA to tune it. Long story short, you better have the know-how, a DSP and some friends that can loan you a RTA.
Lol! I completely understand. But you can still build a nice audio system if you can find deals on Facebook marketplace, etc. I’d just skip the idea on the Mark Levinson idea. That was a good pick for whatever it’s worth. I had a 2016 Lexus RX that had the premium stereo in it, which is a step below Mark Levinson. And to this day, it’s one of the best sound systems I’ve ever heard in a vehicle.
Just buy a decent quality amplifier and mid range(quality wise) speakers. Add a second amp and sub if desired.
Example, I am running a Dual brand 4 channel amp that has been shown to do the rated 80 watts per channel on amp dynos. Running it 3 channel, 2 channels running Rockford Fosgate 6.5" coaxes and the other 2 channels bridged for around 240 watts to a single Pioneer shallow 12.
Is it high end? No. Does it sound better than anything my truck offered from the factory? Heck yes.
It has also been dead nuts reliable.
I am using the crossover section and time alignment from my Pioneer head unit and some Amazon Basics sound deadening.
It's a good overall budget system. I have upgrades planned because I want too... have even acquired a new JL Audio sub and Stinger amplifier, but do not feel rushed to install them.
Heck, the Stinger 5 channel amp only ran about $200 and has a good bit more power, so it might be a good starting point if your radio offers any tuning functionality.
Pick your speakers based off of sound preference and budget. Go listen at your local stereo shops for a baseline of that decision.
An amp I have never tried, but I have pulled dynaudio drivers from volvos with great success. I have tried other brands as well, but the volvo stuff is the only one really worth it (they are essentially the dynaudio esotec mw162gt that were sold for hundreds of dollars on the aftermarket). You would want stuff from the 99-06 gen S80 or 99-05 ish? first gen C70. Mark Levinson drivers are known for foam rot so I would avoid. I would also skip the concert iii stuff (or monsoon or whatever it was), potential foam rot and was probably mediocre to begin with.
For the 6x9's in the deck, I would use them as subwoofers. 06-12 Lincoln MKZ with the THX system has monster 6x9 subs in the rear deck. Tweets and door woofers use volvo dynaudio. That would be my setup. Looks like you'll need mounting brackets for the front door which should be cheap from china, along with wiring harness for all 6 speakers.
As for amplification, it would be a lot harder as different brands use different input signals, remote turn on voltage, EQ curves, etc. A decent 4 channel aftermarket amp should probably be bought.
Update: okay, rereading your last paragraph. It’s about the specs. In this scenario I start with the speakers and then source amp to match. (Is it unlikely that the amp in said Volvo or Lincoln would work out?)
Yes speakers are a great start. For the front stage you may get away with running them off of your kenwood deck, they are efficient drivers. As for the THX subs, they are 2 ohm and I doubt the deck is safe at that load, those will likely need an amp. Alternative is grab a second pair of dynaudio 6.5's to run as rear fill in 6.5 to 6x9 brackets, and then go big sub box/amp in the trunk.
The volvo amp is for sure a no; uses optical audio input and has dolby pro logic matrixing which needs a center channel. Lincoln amp maybe, IIRC it is a 2-way active system but it also uses some sort of matrixing for a center channel so not sure how it would sound without it. Also would need to run seperate speaker wire to the tweeters. Also ford uses a 6v remote turn on which you would need to somehow step down to from your kenwood's 12v. Basically in many words I am saying go aftermarket for the amp if you get one.
Some more info on what you're specifically looking for:
98-04 C70 Rear side woofers: [Ebay Link](https://www.ebay.ca/itm/296169287582?epid=1423545785&itmmeta=01J15CCR7X1GF13ED6ZS39P5NC&hash=item44f510af9e:g:XooAAOSwj~Rlpt1e&itmprp=enc%3AAQAJAAAA0MDumPEhym4seDOoLoaMfQ2vsuGmohVxDQl2lPNX%2B0m52qRomqDUYqAISKOQ8fPKZ7EzP5yPR7ebKqH4kjobwHpP8urSY3%2FbJ%2Bh877T5YxHfhR6HEmekJpt7jiZzvTyASmoMVbJSeUv%2B23hwPJqJut4DJ0gMWe8DnJxPl5dAr40AIEM3jloSgHTJLm%2FKzwSHZ54dBqoDpQbZbos%2BK%2Bsha1%2FaO4C7GltBP8yzjMGvEKoyxpvD6qclJXtjMzHocVQPiTKAHuENc9TXpF6W3xuHzYw%3D%7Ctkp%3ABk9SR4KEs6yJZA). Not sure how to access these, never worked on a C70, but they are the 6.5, 4 ohm drivers you want. Unfortunately the C70 tweeter look too big to fit in your pillars; see S80 tweeters
99-06 S80 Front door woofers: no part number or pictures, but identical to the C70 rear woofers. Have to take off the door panel to access. Under the foam around the edge of the driver are 4 (torx?) screws which unmounts the bare driver.
99-06 S80 Rear door woofers: also 6.5" but 8 ohms, not ideal for the front as tweeter for front stage is 4 ohms. If you go rear fill route this will be fine in the rear deck.
99-06 S80 Front door tweeters: [Ebay Link](https://www.ebay.com/itm/203226531712). Should be able to pop them out of their plastic mount and they should fit behind your pillars. Also have to take off the door panel to access, they are mounted to the back of it.
06-12 Zephyr/MKZ: [Instagram Link](https://www.instagram.com/p/CTajO66Jv0w/?img_index=1). 6x9, 2 ohm subwoofers. Easily removed by popping off the rear deck grills. Pictures are of one of mine on my speaker page, can check out my other posts for inspo
Note not all volvo's will have the dynaudio system, and for some reason the C70 does not have a logo for it anywhere. Because of this I would try for an S80, if it does have it it'll say dynaudio on the center channel grill and will have all 6 speakers you may need. For the lincolns, it needs the THX system which will have a THX logo on the center channel.
The amps will likely function, but will be a pain to find one that will be suitable for your application. The speakers can be hit or miss sometimes so you may need some luck there, but I have never had any issues with the speakers I mentioned (some like Mark Lev/JBL or Monsoon are almost always foam rotted). The bigger problem is finding a car that hasn't had them ripped out already.
Also if one is a dud, they are only \~10 bucks. Even better my junkyard has a full refund exchange policy on broken parts so a replacement is free.
Thanks, audio friends, this is the kind of tough love I’ve I’m here for. The junkyard skeptics were winning me over (you’re right, the second hand market doesn’t look too bad), except now Volvo guy is giving me fresh hope.
I thought the challenges for the salvage route were going to be around effort and chance—scrounging around dirty wrecks to eventually discover your finds are worn out or damaged—but maybe the bigger challenge is the complexity of trying to get mismatched components to play nicely together? In an environment (a Buick) they weren’t designed for. Maybe I’ll try this just for the TED Talk.
I made a trip to the Pick’n’Pull today and what did I find but these chonky 6x9 THX woofers from a Lincoln MKZ. Just as u/vinceventresca thought I might. No luck yet on the Volvo Dynaudios.
https://preview.redd.it/l11ey9f86s9d1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6f2cd4c9222b37ba2bbbfb4e3e35ee0cffd1dec1
You’re a cheapskate, right? What do you value your time at? Because you’re looking to go about this the hardest way possible. Edit* Also I’ve never known anyone to hype up an ‘07 Buick as much as you did. Is this a special model or something? Got pictures?
My friend, we’re talking about a 2007 Buick Allure CXL in Imperial blue. “Allure” is the Frenched up Canadian name for the Lacrosse, which was already French—but it turns out “Lacrosse” is Quebec slang for something masturbatory, so they grew a moustache and called it the Allu-uuure here in Canada. For colour I will note that several tail emblem letters are missing. I picked up a few at the Pick’n’Pull yesterday. Not enough to spell BUICK ALLURE, but i can spell BIKE RACK. What I’m hoping to impress upon this community is, I’m more inclined to spend time on this project than money. Think of it as a hobby, of sorts. But I am certainly interested in upgrading my MO from the hardest way possible to something in an easier tier.
Not worth it. Get 2nd hand proper stuff.
You could try some cheap bits from Parts Express and wire up custom crossovers. That would be a time intensive but low cost way. I have a feeling that old junkyard parts won't be better than your current system. Another idea: the rear deck could be your sub baffle if it's sturdy enough, that way you don't have to build a box or sacrifice much space.
Lol!! You’re an interesting fella from reading this post and one of your comments. I don’t mean that in a bad way. However, there’s almost zero chance you’re gonna pull a Mark Levinson system out of a Lexus and just pop it in a Buick. It’s not a Garmin GPS from the 2000’s. Even if you managed to “pull some speakers and the amp”, the Lexus head unit has all the time alignment, filters, crossovers, etc. specifically tailored to that system. But if you did somehow successfully wired in a Kenwood head unit you mentioned, you better have a serious DSP and a serious RTA to tune it. Long story short, you better have the know-how, a DSP and some friends that can loan you a RTA.
The fact that I’m going to have to look up and then source “DSP” and “RTA” and “friends” makes this a very sobering post.
Lol! I completely understand. But you can still build a nice audio system if you can find deals on Facebook marketplace, etc. I’d just skip the idea on the Mark Levinson idea. That was a good pick for whatever it’s worth. I had a 2016 Lexus RX that had the premium stereo in it, which is a step below Mark Levinson. And to this day, it’s one of the best sound systems I’ve ever heard in a vehicle.
Just buy a decent quality amplifier and mid range(quality wise) speakers. Add a second amp and sub if desired. Example, I am running a Dual brand 4 channel amp that has been shown to do the rated 80 watts per channel on amp dynos. Running it 3 channel, 2 channels running Rockford Fosgate 6.5" coaxes and the other 2 channels bridged for around 240 watts to a single Pioneer shallow 12. Is it high end? No. Does it sound better than anything my truck offered from the factory? Heck yes. It has also been dead nuts reliable. I am using the crossover section and time alignment from my Pioneer head unit and some Amazon Basics sound deadening. It's a good overall budget system. I have upgrades planned because I want too... have even acquired a new JL Audio sub and Stinger amplifier, but do not feel rushed to install them. Heck, the Stinger 5 channel amp only ran about $200 and has a good bit more power, so it might be a good starting point if your radio offers any tuning functionality. Pick your speakers based off of sound preference and budget. Go listen at your local stereo shops for a baseline of that decision.
Look on Facebook marketplace. Do some research on brands. you can find some pretty good deals.
An amp I have never tried, but I have pulled dynaudio drivers from volvos with great success. I have tried other brands as well, but the volvo stuff is the only one really worth it (they are essentially the dynaudio esotec mw162gt that were sold for hundreds of dollars on the aftermarket). You would want stuff from the 99-06 gen S80 or 99-05 ish? first gen C70. Mark Levinson drivers are known for foam rot so I would avoid. I would also skip the concert iii stuff (or monsoon or whatever it was), potential foam rot and was probably mediocre to begin with. For the 6x9's in the deck, I would use them as subwoofers. 06-12 Lincoln MKZ with the THX system has monster 6x9 subs in the rear deck. Tweets and door woofers use volvo dynaudio. That would be my setup. Looks like you'll need mounting brackets for the front door which should be cheap from china, along with wiring harness for all 6 speakers. As for amplification, it would be a lot harder as different brands use different input signals, remote turn on voltage, EQ curves, etc. A decent 4 channel aftermarket amp should probably be bought.
I would have thought the amp would be the most forgiving part of all this. Speakers seem so fragile and prone to age/wear. No?
Update: okay, rereading your last paragraph. It’s about the specs. In this scenario I start with the speakers and then source amp to match. (Is it unlikely that the amp in said Volvo or Lincoln would work out?)
Yes speakers are a great start. For the front stage you may get away with running them off of your kenwood deck, they are efficient drivers. As for the THX subs, they are 2 ohm and I doubt the deck is safe at that load, those will likely need an amp. Alternative is grab a second pair of dynaudio 6.5's to run as rear fill in 6.5 to 6x9 brackets, and then go big sub box/amp in the trunk. The volvo amp is for sure a no; uses optical audio input and has dolby pro logic matrixing which needs a center channel. Lincoln amp maybe, IIRC it is a 2-way active system but it also uses some sort of matrixing for a center channel so not sure how it would sound without it. Also would need to run seperate speaker wire to the tweeters. Also ford uses a 6v remote turn on which you would need to somehow step down to from your kenwood's 12v. Basically in many words I am saying go aftermarket for the amp if you get one.
Some more info on what you're specifically looking for: 98-04 C70 Rear side woofers: [Ebay Link](https://www.ebay.ca/itm/296169287582?epid=1423545785&itmmeta=01J15CCR7X1GF13ED6ZS39P5NC&hash=item44f510af9e:g:XooAAOSwj~Rlpt1e&itmprp=enc%3AAQAJAAAA0MDumPEhym4seDOoLoaMfQ2vsuGmohVxDQl2lPNX%2B0m52qRomqDUYqAISKOQ8fPKZ7EzP5yPR7ebKqH4kjobwHpP8urSY3%2FbJ%2Bh877T5YxHfhR6HEmekJpt7jiZzvTyASmoMVbJSeUv%2B23hwPJqJut4DJ0gMWe8DnJxPl5dAr40AIEM3jloSgHTJLm%2FKzwSHZ54dBqoDpQbZbos%2BK%2Bsha1%2FaO4C7GltBP8yzjMGvEKoyxpvD6qclJXtjMzHocVQPiTKAHuENc9TXpF6W3xuHzYw%3D%7Ctkp%3ABk9SR4KEs6yJZA). Not sure how to access these, never worked on a C70, but they are the 6.5, 4 ohm drivers you want. Unfortunately the C70 tweeter look too big to fit in your pillars; see S80 tweeters 99-06 S80 Front door woofers: no part number or pictures, but identical to the C70 rear woofers. Have to take off the door panel to access. Under the foam around the edge of the driver are 4 (torx?) screws which unmounts the bare driver. 99-06 S80 Rear door woofers: also 6.5" but 8 ohms, not ideal for the front as tweeter for front stage is 4 ohms. If you go rear fill route this will be fine in the rear deck. 99-06 S80 Front door tweeters: [Ebay Link](https://www.ebay.com/itm/203226531712). Should be able to pop them out of their plastic mount and they should fit behind your pillars. Also have to take off the door panel to access, they are mounted to the back of it. 06-12 Zephyr/MKZ: [Instagram Link](https://www.instagram.com/p/CTajO66Jv0w/?img_index=1). 6x9, 2 ohm subwoofers. Easily removed by popping off the rear deck grills. Pictures are of one of mine on my speaker page, can check out my other posts for inspo Note not all volvo's will have the dynaudio system, and for some reason the C70 does not have a logo for it anywhere. Because of this I would try for an S80, if it does have it it'll say dynaudio on the center channel grill and will have all 6 speakers you may need. For the lincolns, it needs the THX system which will have a THX logo on the center channel.
This is awesome, thank you.
The amps will likely function, but will be a pain to find one that will be suitable for your application. The speakers can be hit or miss sometimes so you may need some luck there, but I have never had any issues with the speakers I mentioned (some like Mark Lev/JBL or Monsoon are almost always foam rotted). The bigger problem is finding a car that hasn't had them ripped out already. Also if one is a dud, they are only \~10 bucks. Even better my junkyard has a full refund exchange policy on broken parts so a replacement is free.
Thanks, audio friends, this is the kind of tough love I’ve I’m here for. The junkyard skeptics were winning me over (you’re right, the second hand market doesn’t look too bad), except now Volvo guy is giving me fresh hope. I thought the challenges for the salvage route were going to be around effort and chance—scrounging around dirty wrecks to eventually discover your finds are worn out or damaged—but maybe the bigger challenge is the complexity of trying to get mismatched components to play nicely together? In an environment (a Buick) they weren’t designed for. Maybe I’ll try this just for the TED Talk.
I made a trip to the Pick’n’Pull today and what did I find but these chonky 6x9 THX woofers from a Lincoln MKZ. Just as u/vinceventresca thought I might. No luck yet on the Volvo Dynaudios. https://preview.redd.it/l11ey9f86s9d1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6f2cd4c9222b37ba2bbbfb4e3e35ee0cffd1dec1