Talk Morgan Forums Morgan Sports Cars Morgan Photo Gallery Re: IMPROVING THE CX SOUND SYSTEM PART 2

I have previously posted here about how to replace the factory Kenwood speakers in the front doors with FOCAL ISU130 2 way component speaker system ( comprising a door mounted 5 inch woofer and separate surface mounted tweeter - £150 from Car Audio Centre ) - and also how to generally improve on the abysmal audio transparency and installation of the factory set up in my 2020 CX.

This post now completes the upgrade by showing how to replace the factory rear Kenwood speakers with FOCAL ACCESS 130 AS 2 way component system - £100 from Car Audio Centre, and also an ultra compact subwoofer - the PIONEER TS-WX010A Ultra Compact Space Saving Active Subwoofer with built-in Class-D Amplifier - £115 Car Audio Centre.

The first steps to replace the rear speakers is to remove your side screens, remove your headrests, slide both seats forward, and release the hood. You should now be able to swing it forward to expose the rear tub for better access to the rear bulkhead.

Next remove the rear "parcel shelf" carpeting lifting it away from its pop studs. You can now remove the four allen bolts holding the base of the bulkhead.

Next you need to detach the top of the bulkhead by pulling it free - it is held by 4 plastic plugs that friction fit into 4 retaining holes in the upper tub wooden frame. It is not easy. The plugs have tremendous grip. I slipped an aluminium plate into the interface of the bulkhead and cockpit edge and lever yanked with a screwdriver adjacent to the plugs.

Once the bulkhead plate is free you can ease it forward to expose the void behind it in which the Kenwood amp and a spaghetti of wiring are exposed. You will also see how the factory Kenwood speakers are mounted on to a wooden block which in turn is secured to the bulkhead plate via the 5 allen bolts that also secure the aluminium grille to the front of the bulkhead plate. Inexplicably the bulkhead cutout for the speaker is 4 inches for a 5 inch speaker, and likewise the hole in the wooden block is 4 inches diameter rather than 5 inches. Combine this with a "solid" centre section of the perforated aluminium speaker grille - and the acoustic transparency of the factory installation at the rear is more or less as appalling as it is at the front. No wonder the sound of the factory set up is so muddy and wooly. It is difficult to imagine how such a compromised set up ever got conceived and approved. Any decent local car audio shop could have advised MMC toward a much improved installation even with the rather modest components they chose to install.

In theory, I had hoped it would be simple to just replace the factory Kenwoods with the Focal woofers, wire in the Focal cross overs and tweeters and bolt in Pioneer Subwoofer patching it into the signal feed with RCA Y connections/ - and wiring into the fuse board for a power feed.

I am not going to bore you with the detail, but the factory 4 inch aperture in the wooden block fouled the FOCAL 5 inch speakers - and I had to laboriously file enlarge it. Then the FOCAL speaker magnet just fouled a crossmember at the rear of the void. So I had to remount the speakers, the wooden block and the aluminium speaker grilles around 5 mm lower to allow the magnet to clear. I should also add that I drilled a series of 8mm hoiles into the centre section of the speaker grilles to improve acoustic transparency, and also foam enclosed around the speakers to project the sound forward and out rather than to dissipate in the void behind the bulkhead.

Lastly, I simply mounted the subwoofer to the centre rear of the bulkhead without bothering to perforate the bulkhead.for audio transparency - because for bass this is less critical.

#Now some praise for MMC. What a beautiful fuse box! Under the carpet at the end of the passenger footwell. A model of clarity and accessibility. Easy to use piggy back connectors to wire in a 10 amp power feed for the subwoofer and a 2 amp feed for its on/off switch.

I have to say I would not take on this upgrade lightly! It is not simple. And I only saw it through because once committed there is no turning back. But the results are fabulous. The sound is awesome particularly given the space constraints in a Morgan. The little subwoofer gives me all the bass I want and need and a very well rounded sound with sparkling clear treble from the separate tweeters, The upgrade has cost around £400 in total - a very modest outlay for the transformation in sound quality.

Well done. As my car hadn't had a factory fit system I used standard speaker covers that work well

John
And well done to you. Retro fitting the OE factory set up as you did, would not have been without challenge given your car specified without the sound system would have not had enough pre preparation to install on a plug and play basis - particularly the rear. I gather you had to contend with the speaker cut-outs in the rear bulkhead having been blanked off - and you will have discovered the mismatch of 4 inch apertures for 5 inch speakers. Further you would not have had the wooden mounting blocks or the OE factory grill - maybe a blessing given its acoustic naivety. Anyway it's been quite a challenge, but the result is transformational compared to the OE set up. Having followed my journey you will know that I have retained the OE bluetooth module and the OE amp, but jettisoned both pairs of Kenwood OE speakers in favour of 2 x component pairs - with woofers and separate tweeters and added in a Subwoofer. Although to be honest I do not rate the Kenwood OE speakers highly, anyone who wants to achieve a useful improvement in sound retaining all the factory hardware could do so simply by making the improvements outlined in improving the acoustic transparency of the OE set up, and adding in sound deadening materials.
Anyway, I am most grateful to you for your pioneering work in this area, which certainly gave me the inspiration to proceed along with some very useful procedural tips and photos.

I should also add, that I have 4 x Kenwood OE Morgan CX speakers going FOC to any Talk Morgan participant who wants them. (maybe PM me?)They are a much easier fit than most after market alternatives, as the CX is more or less pre-prepared for these speakers, and while fitting you can maybe take some of the acoustic transparency enhancements mentioned in my post.

I have two Morgans
1. 2021 model loaded with speakers (amazing sound when stationary)
2. 1990 model with a speaker system, now removed! (I could hear it when stationary)
Both rubbish when on the move
If you really want quality sound (whilst driving) get a SHOKZ open run pro headset and run all sounds through it. NOTE this doesn’t fit in your ear, it’s technology at its best, the sound actually comes through your bones!
Buy two and your passenger can also listen. As it’s not in your ear you can simultaneously talk to each other as well
Too many positives to list. TRY some out before wasting money and destroying your lovey machines