Better speakers for the Mach 460?

[CatDaddy]

Got my new Mustang 2 months ago and want better tunes without spending too much dough. Has anyone replaced the factory speakers with a Mach 460 system? Can you improve on the system without changing everything?
I have an Infinity Basslink powered sub that I will add soon but wondering about the factory speakers. Are the factory speakers two way or seperates (door and rear)?

Thanks

[FRANKY]

Each set of speakers is run by its own amp.
the mach 460 has 3-amps two in the trunk and one
at the front just under the cd player pannel.
if you want to put aftermarket speakers, i dont think it will work with the 460 set up unless you
run with a different amp.now i might be wrong here but i tryed mine and did not work well.you can change the tweeters front and back and they will sound very good, i have audiobahn and they are sweet.

my setup is, jvc cd player,kenwood 11 band EQ,legacy 4 channel passive crossover,2ch-1000w
Kenwood amp for subs,4ch-600w legacy amp for mids
and highs,2-10"pioneers subs in a potted box made by custom stereos at preston and I-635 to fit my trunk:D :D

[CatDaddy]

Sounds like a good setup FRANKY!
Are the speakers in the lower doors just a subs/mids, not a full range? And are the speakers in the rear deck the same, seperates?
I didn't realize that there where three amps. I thought the two amps in the rear deck where one for front & one for rear speakers. What speakers are driven by what amps in the Mach460?

Thanks for the reply!

Originally posted by FRANKY
Each set of speakers is run by its own amp.
the mach 460 has 3-amps two in the trunk and one
at the front just under the cd player pannel.
if you want to put aftermarket speakers, i dont think it will work with the 460 set up unless you
run with a different amp.now i might be wrong here but i tryed mine and did not work well.you can change the tweeters front and back and they will sound very good, i have audiobahn and they are sweet.

my setup is, jvc cd player,kenwood 11 band EQ,legacy 4 channel passive crossover,2ch-1000w
Kenwood amp for subs,4ch-600w legacy amp for mids
and highs,2-10"pioneers subs in a potted box made by custom stereos at preston and I-635 to fit my trunk:D :D

[FRANKY]

if i can remember right,the two amps at the back
one runs the front mid bass{on the doors} and the other one runs the full range at the back. the front runs the tweeters at the back on at the front on the windows. a good test is, while the system is running you can unplag one amp at atime
and listen to which set that goes out.try the two at the back its easy but tricky{arm & back breaking}.also its easy to replace the back fullrange with after market than the rest coz of the crossover inbuilt in the amps.

[mschmoyer]

I did this exact thing, I had a mach 460 in a 1998 V6, and I added the infinity basslink. We spliced two wires coming from the rear speakers and plugged into the basslink. As for which wire we spliced, I dont recall, I no longer have that car.

I warn however, make sure you use good wire and make sure the splices are flawless or your basslink will only turn on if you turn the system to the half way point, which you know as extremely loud. If you turn it down for a sec, the sub will power down and this is annoying.

It seems like a cheap way to go but its what a couple of installers said they were going to do with it.

[CatDaddy]

I'll try the amp unpluging to see what goes to what, good idea FRANKY. So it sounds like the front speakers are seperates and the rear are full range, very helpful.

mschmoyer, you didn't say how the Basslink sounded in the Stang? I had it installed in my four door Dakota with RCA inputs and remote turn-on and it sounded great. I'll go ahead and solder the wires when I put it in the Stang. Thanks.

[LOSE2A4d]

OK i posted this question a few weeks ago but i didn't know that there was 3 amps. I don't know if it is my amps or what but i was driving one day and my all of the bass just cut out. I thought I might have burned up my amps but there is still sound coming out of the speakers. Does anyone know what this could be?

[CatDaddy]

Did you lose bass from just the front, just the rear, or both front and rear speakers? What about left and right? If you lost bass from only front or back, you could probably swap amps to verify that it's the amp that has gone out. If it's in both front and back, start checking all the settings in the radio first, then investigate fuses for the amps. Is the system completely factory or have you had it apart or changed any components?


Originally posted by LOSE2A4d
OK i posted this question a few weeks ago but i didn't know that there was 3 amps. I don't know if it is my amps or what but i was driving one day and my all of the bass just cut out. I thought I might have burned up my amps but there is still sound coming out of the speakers. Does anyone know what this could be?

[LOSE2A4d]

I've lost all the bass from all the speakers. I was thinking maybe it coud be the power wire from the battery but I couldn't find anything wrong?

[CatDaddy]

I haven't dug into the factory system yet but I would find the power wire going to the amps (at the amp) and put a voltmeter on it to see if it had +12 volts when the radio is on. Process of elimination:D


Originally posted by LOSE2A4d
I've lost all the bass from all the speakers. I was thinking maybe it coud be the power wire from the battery but I couldn't find anything wrong?

[FRANKY]

Originally posted by LOSE2A4d
I've lost all the bass from all the speakers. I was thinking maybe it coud be the power wire from the battery but I couldn't find anything wrong?

B4 u start messing with the danm wires, try by looking into your head unit stereo first then down
to an amp at a time coz the head unit bass module could be out #%&*@?" {GONE} and not the power or amps?????!!!!!:(

[FRANKY]

ALSO TRY THIS, TURN UP YOU SYSTEM FOR ABOUT 3MIN
AND THEN GO TO THE BACK AND FILL EACH AMP BY HAND.
IF THIS AMPS ARE DEAD COLD, THEN THEY ARE NOT RUNNING COZ THEY PUT ALOT OF HEAT OUT WHEN RUNNING. IF HOT BUT NO SOUND,CHECK YOUR FULLRANGE AT THE BACK AND YOUR BASS SPEAKERS AT THE FRONT.
IAM SURE WHAT YOU ARE HEARING ARE THE FRONT TOP TWEETERS AND THE BACK, HOPE IT WORKS.:D

[Canoman]

Try this on for size.

http://www.flemworld.com/95/mach.html#Head%20Unit

[EW]

The 03 Mach460 only has 2 amps. The 4 "tweeters" are run by the deck. If you just replace the speakers, you will have problems because your new tweeters are not designed to play as low as the factory "tweeters" play.

[jakesford]

I like the way the 460 sounds. My friends truck has an Alpine head unit, with infiniti's all around and my brothers 95' sounds better IMO.

[jbullerjr]

Originally posted by jakesford
my brothers 95' with a custom installed Eclipse head unit by jbullerjr sounds better IMO.

Fixed.

[Sean Park]

Originally posted by Sonic Blue 2V
Got my new Mustang 2 months ago and want better tunes without spending too much dough.

Define "too much dough" so suggestions are appropriate.

[CatDaddy]

Originally posted by Sean Park
Define "too much dough" so suggestions are appropriate.

I don't wish to replace the factory amps at this point so the speakers would need to work with the factory amp power. With that in mind, $100-$150 per set of speakers. Got any suggestions?

[Sean Park]

Originally posted by Sonic Blue 2V
Got any suggestions?

If you feel unbelievably compelled to modify the 460, best luck finding a quality three inch driver (no, not the one in your shorts) and plan on mounting a tweet in the door. Or, jump on some kick panels (i.e. Q-Logis or custom) and buy a set of MB's or Bostons. Unfortunately it's going to be very difficult to improve the system for as little as $100. The kick panels are going to increase teh cost, and a set of good three inch mid based components is next to nonexistent. Best luck finding something worthy of the trouble/expense.

Here is the better suggestion --> Wait until you have more funds available/set aside and avoid wasting time, effort and cash on a mediocre setup and maintaining it as a very minimally improved setup. It's a cheap (and weaknut) version of Bose Acoustimass placed in a coupe. Bose sucks, Mach 460 sucks, and modified Mach 460 sucks even after stealing funds from your bank account and retaining identity.

Sorry if this doesn't help much, but either your allocated funding is insufficient or my expectations are too high for your needs...

SP
Why doesn't Ford just call it the "Mach-4-shitty???

[FRANKY]

LE ME TELL U SOME,THAT $100 GO BUY YASELF SOME PANTS OR SOME.A MACH SYSTEM IS THE MOST COPLICATED
SHIT I HAVE EVER DELT WITH.SAFE SOME MONEY AT LEAST $550 AND REPLACE THAT SHIT IN YA CAR
CALLED MACH 460.I HAVE A 00'GT WITH MACH SET BUT NOT ANY MORE ITS GONE NOW.
CHECK THIS OUT!!
-TRADERS VILLAGE BUY
-JVC-$100 NEW
-KENWOOD AMP 4CH $80 OR 100-450WATT
-KENWOOD AMP 2CH $100-600WATT FOR SUBS
-6*9 SPEAKERS FRONT AND BACK EACH SET $50-120WATT
-TWO-10"SUBS IN A POTED OR SEALD BOX,NO MORE THAN
$150
-AMP KIT $25 OR $30
THIS IS THE CHEAPEST YOU CAN GO AND YOU WILL LOVE
IT ONCE IN YA CAR.BUY THE STAFF,THEN CALL ME I WILL SHOW YA HOW TO GET IT IN YA CAR IN A DAY.
JUST TRYING TO HELP YA MENNN
:)

[EW]

Originally posted by EW
The 03 Mach460 only has 2 amps. The 4 "tweeters" are run by the deck. If you just replace the speakers, you will have problems because your new tweeters are not designed to play as low as the factory "tweeters" play.

Hear me now and believe me later.

[Paul]

The way the 460 system is wired and the lack of any expandability makes any mods to a 460 a real nightmare.
Trust me when I say this because I am the guy who has to try
to fix that crap when people get into it. I am not saying it can not be done, just by someone who knows what they are doing, and even still there is the possibility of a very problematic situtation.

[CatDaddy]

I am inclined to believe you Paul. It seems like I see a lot of complete Mach460 systems for sale where people have taken the entire system out and started over. I have listened a buddy's Mach460 where all he changed was the head unit to a nice Sony and it sounds much better than the stock system. It is louder, clearer and better imaging than stock. I thought the speakers were the low point of the Mach460 but a better head unit will improve the sound. I think I will change the head unit and add subs to it for now. The next step would be to replace the speakers and amps, along with all the wiring, kind of do it in stages.
Thanks for the insight.