Recommendations for a replacement radio speaker for a 57?

[Boozeman]

Good morning, all -

I'm curious to hear what brand and type of speaker you might have replaced/upgraded your radio speaker with in your 55-57 bird. I purchased some Pioneer four-way speakers hoping to use one of them to replace my original speaker (just had my radio rebuilt and upgraded by Bill Abate), but the speaker was too thick due to the tweeters that protrude from the speaker. Any suggestions?

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[1957Bird]

Build a panel between trunk & passenger compartment and put a pair of mid priced speakers in it.
very pleased, even cruising without top you can hear without having volume loud at all.
problem solved

 

[Gary Tayman]

A lot depends on what you mean by "upgraded." The original speaker is a 6x9, and I can't recall for sure but I think it was an 8 ohm speaker. If your radio was converted to AM/FM Stereo, you have a completely different radio electrically, and most likely you want 4 ohm versions. There is also such a thing as adding FM to the original AM radio; I no longer offer this but some dealers do. The problem was not the FMC board but the radios themselves -- getting harder and harder to find parts to rebuild them PROPERLY.

Let's dispel a myth right now: original speakers are cheap and crappy, and a hi-fi speaker will greatly improve the fidelity of the radio. WRONG! That original speaker was designed to efficiently reproduce everything that comes out of the radio. What DOES come out of the radio? A grtand total of about 3 watts, with a frequency response of about 50-4500 Hz. That's all! If you want, I can describe all the nuts and bolts of why this is the case, but I don't want to fill up bandwidth with technical notes and charts that you may not understand anyway. If FM was added, either with an internal PCB or with one of those aftermarket adapters, you'll get FM stations but your fidelity is still limited to not much more than what you get with AM.

A modern speaker is made to reproduce fidelity that the radio cannot offer, and chances are it's less efficient, meaning not as loud, and with only 3 watts available you don't have much in reserve to counter it. Some are better than others, and with a 6x9 it may not be bad, but you still won't gain much.

Now -- if you happen to have had the radio converted to AM/FM Stereo, you have a lot more to work with, and you want 4 ohm speakers with decent fidelity. Once again I wouldn't go overboard -- sosme people want tweeters, offering 20,000, 22,000. or 25,000 Hz. Big whoop! FM radio stops at 15,000, as per the FCC. Your hearing stops at around 17,000 anyway. Go with efficiency, or SPL.

If you only want a speaker in the dash, one that I recommend is the Custom Autosound DVC-3006 Dual Voice Coil. If your original speaker is bad and you need one in a pinch, you can use this -- it's electrically two 4 ohm speakers. Wire the two voice coils in series and you have an 8 ohm load. For any kind of aftermarket stereo, connect the front left anf front right channels to this speaker. You don't get much stereo effect from a single location but it makes for a nice sounding radio.

, I write a page about power and speakers, and posted it o my website. It explains a lot about power and speakers, and I wrote it to be an easy read. Check it out: http://garytayman.com/power.htm

 

[Boozeman]

A lot depends on what you mean by "upgraded." The original speaker is a 6x9, and I can't recall for sure but I think it was an 8 ohm speaker. If your radio was converted to AM/FM Stereo, you have a completely different radio electrically, and most likely you want 4 ohm versions. There is also such a thing as adding FM to the original AM radio; I no longer offer this but some dealers do. The problem was not the FMC board but the radios themselves -- getting harder and harder to find parts to rebuild them PROPERLY.

Let's dispel a myth right now: original speakers are cheap and crappy, and a hi-fi speaker will greatly improve the fidelity of the radio. WRONG! That original speaker was designed to efficiently reproduce everything that comes out of the radio. What DOES come out of the radio? A grtand total of about 3 watts, with a frequency response of about 50-4500 Hz. That's all! If you want, I can describe all the nuts and bolts of why this is the case, but I don't want to fill up bandwidth with technical notes and charts that you may not understand anyway. If FM was added, either with an internal PCB or with one of those aftermarket adapters, you'll get FM stations but your fidelity is still limited to not much more than what you get with AM.

A modern speaker is made to reproduce fidelity that the radio cannot offer, and chances are it's less efficient, meaning not as loud, and with only 3 watts available you don't have much in reserve to counter it. Some are better than others, and with a 6x9 it may not be bad, but you still won't gain much.

Now -- if you happen to have had the radio converted to AM/FM Stereo, you have a lot more to work with, and you want 4 ohm speakers with decent fidelity. Once again I wouldn't go overboard -- sosme people want tweeters, offering 20,000, 22,000. or 25,000 Hz. Big whoop! FM radio stops at 15,000, as per the FCC. Your hearing stops at around 17,000 anyway. Go with efficiency, or SPL.

If you only want a speaker in the dash, one that I recommend is the Custom Autosound DVC-3006 Dual Voice Coil. If your original speaker is bad and you need one in a pinch, you can use this -- it's electrically two 4 ohm speakers. Wire the two voice coils in series and you have an 8 ohm load. For any kind of aftermarket stereo, connect the front left anf front right channels to this speaker. You don't get much stereo effect from a single location but it makes for a nice sounding radio.

, I write a page about power and speakers, and posted it o my website. It explains a lot about power and speakers, and I wrote it to be an easy read. Check it out: http://garytayman.com/power.htm

Thank you for the thorough reply, Gary. Great website and great read - thanks for that too! Per recommendations from folks on this forum, I sent my radio to Bill Abate to refurbish my radio, and upgrade it to have FM capability as well. It does, however, remain mono, not stereo. Bill told me that if I was to replace the speaker, to purchase one that is 4 ohms. This being the case, would you still recommend the Custom Autosound DVC-3006 Dual Voice Coil, or is this only if I have stereo capability? I was just going to buy an off-the-shelf speaker from Best Buy...

 

[Gary Tayman]

If mono and 4 ohms, I would recommend a single speaker rather than a DVC. Fidelity doesn't matter much, as your FM reception will not give you much more than AM, but I would look for an efficiency factor or SPL. A good speaker will be around 92-94; a cheaper one may be in the 80's. Remember, this is a measure of how loud the speaker s per watt, and for 4 ohms you have about 6 watts to work with.

 

[Boozeman]

If mono and 4 ohms, I would recommend a single speaker rather than a DVC. Fidelity doesn't matter much, as your FM reception will not give you much more than AM, but I would look for an efficiency factor or SPL. A good speaker will be around 92-94; a cheaper one may be in the 80's. Remember, this is a measure of how loud the speaker s per watt, and for 4 ohms you have about 6 watts to work with.

Thank you for the guidance, Gary - much appreciated! One more question - could SPL be listed under "specifications" as "sensitivity"? Several of the 6X9 speakers I've looked at at Best Buy list a "sensitivity" of 89-91 decibels: https://www.bestbuy.com/site/kenwoo...loth-cones-pair-black/6197111.p?skuId=6197111

 

[Boozeman]

Thank you for the guidance, Gary - much appreciated! One more question - could SPL be listed under "specifications" as "sensitivity"? Several of the 6X9 speakers I've looked at at Best Buy list a "sensitivity" of 89-91 decibels: https://www.bestbuy.com/site/kenwoo...loth-cones-pair-black/6197111.p?skuId=6197111

Just following up... Thanks for all the help! Turns out that "SPL" is indeed synonomous with "Sensitivity". I paid $44.99 for these Kenwood speakers https://www.bestbuy.com/site/kenwoo...loth-cones-pair-black/6197111.p?skuId=6197111 with a listed "Sensitivity" of 91 decibels. Installed one in the dash. It installed perfectly, and sounds really good! Way better than the stock one did. I hope someone finds this helpful. Cheers!

 

[Billy-Bird-FiveSeven]

Build a panel between trunk & passenger compartment and put a pair of mid priced speakers in it.
very pleased, even cruising without top you can hear without having volume loud at all.
problem solved

Would you share your panel dimensions and mounting? please?

 

[55blacktie]

Several aftermarket vendors, including T-bird parts suppliers, sell a felt-covered Masonite board/w two 6 x 9 speakers preinstalled. The cost is about $150. If you have both tops, the soft top might interfere with the sound quality, when the soft top is down, and the hardtop is on. With the hardtop removed, and the soft top down, you might not notice, due to wind noise.

You can buy a reproduction Masonite trunk divider from a T-bird parts vendor for less than $20 (shipping excluded), cut a couple of holes, and install the speakers of your choice. Don't bother, if you intend to retain the original radio. There are aftermarket stereo radios/w USB, Bluetooth, etc, that are rated at 50 x 4 watts. You can also have an Aurora conversion done to your original radio.

 

[Ward 57]

Some of that is way over my head. But Casco has a couple of options. Original style replacement and another with stereo speakers to fit originally. My original radio still works, so I just went for the original mono. I have never had much of an ear for music other than the sound of the motor and exhaust and much more fun to listen to. With the top down and wind in you hair, radio off , enjoy the experience. that's what it is about.

 

[Billy-Bird-FiveSeven]

Several aftermarket vendors, including T-bird parts suppliers, sell a felt-covered Masonite board/w two 6 x 9 speakers preinstalled. The cost is about $150. If you have both tops, the soft top might interfere with the sound quality, when the soft top is down, and the hardtop is on. With the hardtop removed, and the soft top down, you might not notice, due to wind noise.

You can buy a reproduction Masonite trunk divider from a T-bird parts vendor for less than $20 (shipping excluded), cut a couple of holes, and install the speakers of your choice. Don't bother, if you intend to retain the original radio. There are aftermarket stereo radios/w USB, Bluetooth, etc, that are rated at 50 x 4 watts. You can also have an Aurora conversion done to your original radio.

Thanks for your response! Yes, I have seen the Masonite/felt covered board with speakers. A little much for what it is. Thinking about building myself. Masonite trunk divider? I have not seen that. I will look into that!
I am thinking about a stand-alone bluetooth amplifier (something like Velex VX502) with a pair of speakers and possibly a speaker replacement in the dash.

Again, thank you for your response and info!!

Some of that is way over my head. But Casco has a couple of options. Original style replacement and another with stereo speakers to fit originally. My original radio still works, so I just went for the original mono. I have never had much of an ear for music other than the sound of the motor and exhaust and much more fun to listen to. With the top down and wind in you hair, radio off , enjoy the experience. that's what it is about.

Thank you! I don't disagree with you about the motor/exhaust/wind in hair; that is the experience I love about these cars!
My dad re-install the original radio, but it is not working(He had an aftermarket original style at one time). I want to keep the original for looks, etc. I would like the ability to stream xm radio from my phone at times though.

 

[Ward 57]

There are tube sets available but the problem is finding someone who can diagnose as to why it's not working.

 

[Gary Tayman]

The single biggest problem with these sets is the on-off switch. It is mounted on the left side of the tuner, and activated by the first pushbutton. If the radio gets no power that's where you should look. The pawl for the opening faces downward. There is about an 80% chance of fixing it by simply cleaning it. Try to look inside and locate that pawl. Squirt some WD-40 into that bottom opening, then operate that switch about 100 times. If you still get no power, the switch contacts may be burned beyond repair. All is still not lost, as it is a double-pule switch. Move the power wires to the lamp side of the switch, and just wire the lamp directly. Not the best scenario but these switches are not available so you do what you can.

The second biggest problem with these sets is the Town & Country not working. Almost always it's corroded contacts on the motor brushes. If, on a bench, you can press a seek button, try to move the motor physically and you'll probably feel a little kick at times. Keep doing it and the kicks will increase. It might take awhile but eventually the motor will start running on its own. Keep letting it run back abd forth and it will keep improving.

 

[Ward 57]

The single biggest problem with these sets is the on-off switch. It is mounted on the left side of the tuner, and activated by the first pushbutton. If the radio gets no power that's where you should look. The pawl for the opening faces downward. There is about an 80% chance of fixing it by simply cleaning it. Try to look inside and locate that pawl. Squirt some WD-40 into that bottom opening, then operate that switch about 100 times. If you still get no power, the switch contacts may be burned beyond repair. All is still not lost, as it is a double-pule switch. Move the power wires to the lamp side of the switch, and just wire the lamp directly. Not the best scenario but these switches are not available so you do what you can.

The second biggest problem with these sets is the Town & Country not working. Almost always it's corroded contacts on the motor brushes. If, on a bench, you can press a seek button, try to move the motor physically and you'll probably feel a little kick at times. Keep doing it and the kicks will increase. It might take awhile but eventually the motor will start running on its own. Keep letting it run back abd forth and it will keep improving.

I agree with everything you have mentioned. However I disagree with using WD40. It stands for water displacement foumula#40. It's excellent for distributor caps with condensation inside and even cleans dirt and crud even on light lenses and developed for the Navy.. but it collects dust & dirt. Do not ever use it on a lock. I've discovered a better general purpose spray lube and protectant. It's been around since 1957 and I just discovered it last year. PB Blaster. They have an excellent penetrant for rusted bolts. Now the have a new delivery system where you can adjust from a dribble to a blast. : disclaimer.. I am not a shill but this stuff is amazing.

 

[doug7740]

Attached are pictures of the pawl and the on-off switch that Gary is referring to.

doug7740
1955 Thunderbird Blue