A new Infinity REF-607F speaker install project; 2019 WRX

[GoFrogs]

Car is a 2019 WRX base w/the 6.5" Starlink 6-speaker infotainment.

Figure 1 - The Gear



Well, here I am w/another project. You'd think I'd wait until one project was complete before starting a second, or third, or fourth...but nope, that's not my style. [other projects: (1) mirrors turns, (2) CCV front hose on dual catch can set-up, (3) windshield banner, (4) footwell lighting]

Crutchfield had a sale on the Infinity REF-607F (6.5" coaxial) speakers and I bought 2 sets. Not sure why I bought two sets because I only listen to the fronts (see Fig 2 below). They included the F&R adapter rings and speaker adapter harnesses for FREE. It was more or less a "why not?" purchase.

In addition to the speakers, I also sourced some NVX silicone baffles and a Sound Skin speaker ring kit V3. The NVX baffles and the Second Skin kit do overlap in function and parts as both come w/waffle foam back pads; 2 and 4 respectively. The NVX baffles were chosen to protect the rear of the speaker from possible water drips. [Update: ordered a 2nd set of NVX baffles, so now I have 4 total; not sure if I'm going to use the Soundskin foam rings.]

After 5 years with the base 6.5" Starlink, I thought it was time for a change. I chose the Infinity REF-607F because I'm a fan of silk dome tweeters, the 0dB or +3dB adjustment on the not swiveling tweeter; only angled tweeter, and I'm curious on the whole 3-ohm load spec.

I figure with the low power output of the factory HU, a more efficient speaker is a good thing. Hopefully the telematics lady doesn't get mad. Who knows, it could all go horribly wrong. BTW, I am not changing the dash speakers.

My stock speakers can get boomy, hence the Bass set to -8. Anything higher, even -3 gets muddy quick. I listen to SXM channels 52/53 (EDM) and I think they might be bass boosted or gained in some way. My speed volume is set to "LOW" . My volume ranges from 12-18 in my daily commute depending on the song. The REF-607F are only rated down to 53 Hz.

• 6-1/2" 2-way speakers (pair)
• Plus One+ polypropylene woofer cone w/hi-roll rubber surround
• 1" textile, edge-driven dome tweeter w/3.0 dB level adjustment
• True Four Ohm Impedance technology: 3-ohm impedance combined w/speaker wire impedance for a 4-ohm load compatible w/virtually all factory or aftermarket car stereos
• handles up to 60 watts RMS (180 watts peak power)
• frequency response: 53-21,000 Hz

While I am in the doors, I will also apply some sound deadener treatment. I will not cover the entire door with deadener and will focus on the area around the speaker and the large access holes. I may even apply some squares to the door panel itself, but nothing too crazy.

When it is all said and done, the new gear will have a definite advantage over the stock equipment. If for some reason I don't like the Infinity REF-607F, I will still have the stock speakers and they'll also benefit from the sound deadener treatment and waffle back pads should they go back in.

I have no plans to add an amp. I have no plans to add a sub. If I do find myself wanting to add a sub, it will be something all-in-one; exactly what, is unknown at this time.

I will update this thread as I progress through my project. Time is my worst enemy. I am not a college student, so I don't have endless free time or bottomless pockets. I do not live on social media, so I don't have an audience to play to; so there is no real rush; however, I now have winter to deal with and a garage that can get chilly.

Yes, I could have chosen different speakers such as the Kicker 43DSC6504 or 46CSC654 (both go down to 40 Hz); MB Quart DK2, Focal ACX 165, or many others, but again, I didn't feel the need to go hog-wild on speakers as I'm not building a high-end, high-powered SQ system.

More to come.


Figure 2 - EQ and Balance/Fade settings


Figure 3 - Speed Volume settings

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[GoFrogs]

I haven't forgotten about this project, trust me. Working nights doesn't give one a ton of time during the day to get long and involved projects completed. And speaking of projects, I'm adding one more (dash cams) to the list for both cars. So, "yay me". Winter is not the best time to go popping plastic panels or adhering sound deadener; but I've never been known to do things when they make the most sense.

Plus, a 35* - 40*F garage (and a floor that feels colder) is not a fun place to be for extended periods of time. Ohio sucks. I have an oil change coming up in January and that one will be "fun" crawling around on an ice cube-like garage floor.

Again, haven't forgotten, just need a stretch of uninterrupted time (because I don't have 3-4 friends to do the work while I record for my YT channel).

[GoFrogs]

This project is still on hold. My garage is 25*F this week (thanks Canada) and is currently acting as a secondary freezer/refrigerator. Needless to say, I'm not going to pop door panels and risk breaking plastic clips while losing the feeling in my fingers. Maybe I will get to start it sometime around March.

[GoFrogs]

Good news: the weather has improved, my garage is warmer, and I had time to begin this project.

Bad news: it's all going horribly wrong; at least for now. Let me explain...


I decided to start on the rear doors because they should be easier, right? Also, when I do the fronts, I'm going to be diving into the side mirrors too. Well, the rear doors are not a "one and done" with the route I chose.

Here are the rear brackets (provided free by Crutchfield with my order). These Metra brackets are just "okay", and have some flaws.




First flaw: The (3) open slot mounting flanges. The open slot flanges need to be about 3mm longer to allow more screw head to actually touch the flange legs. Adapter brackets w/enclosed flanges are a much better option, in my opinion.

Second flaw: The bracket does not sit flush to the door (partially Subaru's fault too). Areas around the flange's outer edge are open due to the way the door is stamped, especially at the 9 o'clock position (see below).






Third flaw: The pre-drilled adapter speaker holes make the angled tweeter on the 607F either point back towards the rear seat; or forward to the back of the front seats; and technically, not straight across to the other side.








The OE speaker (and I assume the Kicker Speaker upgrade), seal against the flat flange around the speaker hole as evident by the foam ring on the OE speaker.




Side by side of the OE and Infinity speaker. I tried to put the large ring on the say plane to show the actual mounting depth difference btwn the two. If you notice, I had to use an adapter ring to bring the OE speaker up to the Infinity that was using the silicone NVX speaker baffle.




For now, the OE speaker is back in the door. I will need to approach this install differently than originally planned. I may use some sound deadener to build up the low areas around the low areas on the Metra adapter rings plus add some foam weather stripping to help make a better air seal.

I can see why people cut the OE speakers and use the carcass as an adapter ring. Also, none of the speaker install videos touch on the uneven door panel where the speaker adapter sits. Boost & Shutter YT channel lightly touched on it, but very lightly.

More to follow...

[GoFrogs]

I thought I would add this here. The tweeter on the 607F (apparently now discontinued according to the Infinity speakers webpage) has a fixed angled tweeter that is roughly 10* up. I could not find any information on the angle and had to make my own measurements.




Also, when using the bracket holes, the tweeter is rotated approx 20*-25* off center. So, instead of the 10*-angled tweeter pointing up towards the bottom of the opposite window; it will point to the back of the opposite front seat or rear seat cushion.




Yes, I can drill new holes into the Metra bracket and center the tweeter. I would use the included J-nuts that came with the Infinity speakers.


In hindsight...the factory Kicker Speaker accessory kit might have been the better upgrade route after all.

I will make these Infinity speakers work.

More to follow...

[GoFrogs]

Good news: I had some time to open up the front door panel and continue my speaker and mirror turn install projects

Bad news: the speaker install is still going horribly wrong

Good news: The mirror turn kit (from fastwrx) was 2/3 successful. I still need to connect the DRL (white) wire which I will do when I open up the door again. Reminder: car is a 2019 WRX base trim.

I am beginning to think my car hates me. Or, maybe the Infinity speakers hate me. Either way, my "fantastic" speaker installation project is biting me in unexpected ways.

This time, with the front Metra adapters (82-8901), the screw holes in the adapters are too big for the screws that came with my Infinity speakers. The screws slide in/out of the holes and do not bit into the plastic.

I find this strange as the rear speaker adapters from Metra had no issues with the same screws. I will check my stash of screws/hardware to see if I have enough screws at the right lengths (at least 4 short ones, less than a 1/2", due to the angled adapters). If I don't, it's off to the hardware store.

So, here I am again, having to find a work-around to get this project to move forward.

I will say, the NVX silicone baffles do fit in the hole, but only if/when the adapter is used. Without an adapter, or some sort of spacer, the diameter of the baffle can be too big for the hole opening.

While I had the door panel off, I took the time to install the mirror turn kit I bought from fastwrx .com 8 months ago. Minus the DRL wire, the new mirror turn lamp is in the driver's mirror and it functions as designed.

The gray mirror cap is an unpainted Subaru OEM mirror cap. Pics below. More to follow...

[GoFrogs]

good news: I found some screws to secure the speaker to the adapter and was able to complete the passenger door speaker install and mirror turn lamp install.

bad news: I accidently set the tweeter to +3 dB and will need to find a way to push the attenuation button in for 0 dB.

Again, found more time to work on the car. This time I was able to kill 2 birds with one stone. I successfully installed the mirror lamp DRL and speaker on the passenger side.

I added a small amount of sound deadener; not as much as others have done, but some is better than none. In addition to the deadener, the mounting surface of the speaker adapter ring has a layer of speaker gasket foam to add to the decoupling effort.

BTW, from my time in the Alaskan interior, this is the only electrical tape I use.




Here are the wire harnesses for the front (provided free by Crutchfield); yes, they are the same as the rears.




The harnesses provide plenty of wire length to cover terminals at the 6:00 position (if necessary). But, due to the holes in the adapter, the speaker is clocked ~20* left (towards the dash). I could have gone ~20* right (towards the seats). Not sure if it really matters. The tweeters seem to have decent off-axis sound.








The following picture is from the top down. I did the best I could to get my phone camera to capture the NVX silicone baffle position in relation to the window in the full-down position.

The baffle sits just under the glass and provides good cover from water. I also cut out a small relief at the 6:00 position in the baffle to help water fall off and not work its way towards the speaker.




What's next:

1. I need to push the tweeter attenuation button "in" to knock down the tweeter sound. As it stands now, the door tweeter is stronger than the dash tweeter on the passenger side.

2. Open up the driver's side door panel and install the 2nd speaker and sound deadener material.


More to follow...

[GoFrogs]

good news: both front door speakers are replaced with the Infinity REF 607F, doors are mildly sound-deadened, and my sequential mirror turns are installed

bad news: I am not super impressed with the Metra front adapters, the driver tweeter is aimed rearward; the p-side aimed forward and (accidently) set to +3dB




>> The Subaru accessory catalog Kicker speaker upgrade will provide a much easier installation experience. I cannot speak to their sound, but I will let you know that since they are designed for the car/space, they will go in much, much easier with minimal hassle compared to what I tried here. <<


Both front door speakers are in, but that does not mean I am happy or finished. Each speaker presented its fair share of challenges. The rears were a total failure/bust.

The front speaker adapters by Metra are less than good, in my opinion, and meet the minimum spec for installation. Sure, they were free (through Crutchfield), but I would have gladly paid for a better built adapter. Maybe not $70/pr like some solid ABS adapters I came across, but something more solid/rigid.

The front Metra adapters are mirrored and are L/R specific; they are angled to the rear, just like the factory door speakers. The adapter itself does not give enough room to solidly attach a screw in the 10:30 (D) and 1:30 (P) positions. You get less than .5" of depth to secure a screw. In addition, #8 screws do not grab in the provided screw anchor; you need #10 screw for the front adapters. The rear adapters are okay with #8 hardware.

Right now each front side has the tweeter pointing a different direction. I think I did this on accident. I may go back into the driver door and rotate the speaker (one hole clockwise) so the tweeter points more forward...maybe, not sure at this point.

As I said in my first post, "it may all go horribly wrong", and I wasn't far off. This speaker install did not go as planned (in my head).

I was met with unexpected snags like bumpy rear doors, adapters that didn't work with the speaker screws; 100* garage temperatures, and sound deadening efforts that didn't go as far as I wanted them to go (mostly due to time or lack thereof).

If, for some chance, I do not like these new Infinity Ref 607F, I have the factory speakers to put back in. I'll give them 6+ months and won't try to jump to any biased conclusions like "lack of bass compared to factory speakers".

The 2nd set of unused 607s are now going in our CX-5 front doors.

I used to think car audio was fun, and maybe it still is; however, maybe my time has past and it isn't as fun for me as it used to be. Maybe I don't have the time needed for it to be fun (like I did 25 years ago).

Questions are welcomed.


Comparison of factory speaker depth and baffle depth:

Factory door woofer. -- Red line represents the bottom of the glass.



NVX silicone baffle installed. -- Green line represents the bottom of the glass