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Speaker on grill

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coldbeaT posted on Wed, Oct 14 2009 8:09 PM

Hello, i want to put a speaker in the grill of my car, but i dont know whether to go with a marine speaker or just a normal speaker?  You know because of the rain maybe it could damage it..  Any ideas?

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Definitely want to get a marine grade speaker. That said, (depending on where you drive) your biggest concern may not be the water, but any debris that makes it past your grill, ie bugs, rocks, etc. Finding a speaker (marine or otherwise) that will survive for more than a year permanently mounted behind your grill without fabricating a protective shield will not be an easy task. Virtually all aftermarket speakers come with speaker grills, but not all are built the same, and none will be completely impervious to a rock flying at 80+mph.

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Definitely want to get a marine grade speaker. That said, (depending on where you drive) your biggest concern may not be the water, but any debris that makes it past your grill, ie bugs, rocks, etc. Finding a speaker (marine or otherwise) that will survive for more than a year permanently mounted behind your grill without fabricating a protective shield will not be an easy task. Virtually all aftermarket speakers come with speaker grills, but not all are built the same, and none will be completely impervious to a rock flying at 80+mph.

02 BMW 330Ci, Alpine DVI-9965, Alpine MRA F350 5ch, Alpine MRP T220 + 2x Kicker 6x9 FreeAir, Kicker KX1200.1 + Alpine 12" Type-R, 2-Way Security, Keyless Entry, Remote Start

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coldbeaT replied on Wed, Oct 14 2009 10:29 PM

alright thanks!

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There was another thread on this, but depending on what you are wanting it for, you might want to look into something called a powerhorn which is an outdoor PA system type speaker, that won't be great for SQ, but should be more durable.

Hope This Helps!!!

2002 Ford Focus Sony CDX-GT410u Sony XT-100HD HD Tuner Stock speakers, no amp, no subs

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Spruce replied on Thu, Oct 15 2009 11:13 PM

TigerHeli:
you might want to look into something called a powerhorn which is an outdoor PA system type speaker, that won't be great for SQ, but should be more durable.

 

this is what they were doing in NOLA back in 2002... it is loud and well loud.  sound quality is none existant...but if you are doing what i think you want to do with it the PA horn is what you are looking for..

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Ohh, well I really want it to sound clean not just loud.. How about a component speaker?

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What exactly are you doing? I would strongly suggest against permanently mounting a component set behind your grill.

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I'm trying to put a speaker behind my grill, you know so everyone can hear what im listenin too! haha

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Just for general use? Or for tailgates/events?

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yea general use.. I want something thats loud and clear, not just loud. 

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From both a personal and legal aspect, I would advise against mounting any speaker behind the grill for general use:

 

  1. Although you would lose some quality by using a powerhorn over a conventional driver, it would hold up to the elements much, much better. One stray rock, and a conventional speaker would be toast.
  2. Depending on where you live, there is probably some sort of noise ordinance in place, so a permanent external speaker may not be the best idea.
  3. I would be more than a little annoyed if someone was blaring their music over an external speaker driving around town. It's one thing to listen to your music loudly, (I probably do Devil) but forcing other people to do so isn't a good idea. Music at a tailgate, party or event is one thing, but driving around town is something completely different.

 

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Yea of course, i know where your coming from.. I was going to hook a switch up to it so i can turn it on and off when i want too..

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A switch would be absolutely necessary for something like this, but would require it's own dedicated 2ch amp and speakers to function correctly.

But going back to my previous post, this entire idea just sound like a bad idea. The only place that you would be able to pull this off would be at tailgates/events or when you were away from police/traffic/bystanders. You had indicated that you would not really be using this for events, so it just seems like poor judgement to spend extra money to force other people to hear what you are listening to.

Most people spend their money on sound dampening and equipment to keep the music inside their vehicle, but here you are, trying to project the music outside of your car!

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To clarify, what Ninja said, you would need TWO speakers behind the grille - marine grade - heavy-duty grille covers for them, their own amp, and water-sealed disconnects on the speaker connections.

Personally, I agree - for what you are discussing it is a bad idea and likely illegal in most places.

The CF forum has a policy against conveying illegal or unethical info - but I think we can continue to discuss this (and try to talk you out of it), since wiring the speakers up is not illegal and using them would depend on the particular circumstances and laws in the area they are used in.

Hope This Helps!!!

2002 Ford Focus Sony CDX-GT410u Sony XT-100HD HD Tuner Stock speakers, no amp, no subs

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J Ro replied on Mon, Oct 19 2009 5:18 PM

I've actually done this myself, tho i'm a bit embarassed to admit it today.  For sure, a marine grade speaker or HLCD would last a much longer time exposed to the stress of the elements.  I didn't know that 15 years ago, and all i did was replace my weak factory speakers and instead of tossing them in the garbage, hooked them up under the rear bumper.  No enclosure, no baffle, they just faced down at the pavement and annoyed everyone within earshot.  The year i did that was also the first year that anti-noise legislation came out against stereos in my locality, and i may have been partly to blame for that.  I did have a switch to defeat the exterior noise, but it was hard to reach Devil

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