Front Speakers Replacement

Attachment 9192
The above is the specs for the OEM front speakers (8 ohms).
Can I replace them with aftermarket 4 ohms speakers
Thanks.

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Originally Posted by Oka

Attachment 9192Can I replace them with aftermarket 4 ohms speakers

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The Factory speakers are a unique shape and mounting hole spacing - they are not a standard size like a generic 4 inch, a 4x6, etc.

So - your generic speaker will not fit in the hole the Volvo speaker came out of properly, unless you rig some sort of custom surround. You lose fidelity if the speaker is not sealed to the door panel and air escapes around the edge of the speaker.

Whenever I've had to replace a speaker on a newer Volvo (that i owned) - I would simply source a used (good) one -

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Originally Posted by hoonk

The Factory speakers are a unique shape and mounting hole spacing - they are not a standard size like a generic 4 inch, a 4x6, etc.

So - your generic speaker will not fit in the hole the Volvo speaker came out of properly, unless you rig some sort of custom surround. You lose fidelity if the speaker is not sealed to the door panel and air escapes around the edge of the speaker.

Whenever I've had to replace a speaker on a newer Volvo (that i owned) - I would simply source a used (good) one -

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Thanks for the reply.
Rigging the speaker/door panel is not an issue with respect to "fidelity".
Just wanted to know about the ohoms capacity;
if I can use a 4 ohms instead of an 8 ohms?

You can use 4 ohm speakers, and likely they will work fine. You may not get the max volume that an 8 ohm speaker would have provided because your amp is "working harder" to drive 4 ohm speakers and theoretically won't have the same max oomph when driving the lower impedance speaker. But speaker rating is kind of an average and varies with frequency anyway. So IMHO go ahead. And let us know what you do for the mount...

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Originally Posted by Allgonquin

You can use 4 ohm speakers, and likely they will work fine. You may not get the max volume that an 8 ohm speaker would have provided because your amp is "working harder" to drive 4 ohm speakers and theoretically won't have the same max oomph when driving the lower impedance speaker. But speaker rating is kind of an average and varies with frequency anyway. So IMHO go ahead. And let us know what you do for the mount...

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On the other hand, 4 ohm speakers draw more current than 8 ohm and therefore put more stress on the amplifier, so if the amp isn't designed to handle the higher load it could lead to overheating and failure. It really depends on whether the design is sufficient to drive a 4 ohm load. I'd guess it probably is. (And there would be less risk if not listening at high volume levels). However, without knowing whether anyone has been successful using 4 ohm speakers I'd still be inclined to stick with the OEM spec of 8 ohm.

Shouldn’t you get the car running first, before messing about with the sound system?

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Originally Posted by Astro14

Shouldn’t you get the car running first, before messing about with the sound system?

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Oh, not on the same car. I have two; both are 2001, a XC70 and V70XC. The later is the one I am working on and the one with the speaker thingy (XC70) is the one am currently driving.
Thanks for your concern.

I put Infinity component speakers in my front doors, and Infinity coax in the rear doors, both with roll off caps so they weren't sucking as much power trying to play low frequencies they weren't really good at. Although I used to be super into audiophile stereo gear and did elaborate installs, I simply added the Volvo big amp under the passenger seat to drive the capped speakers, and the Volvo subwoofer under the rear deck. It's very, very satisfying. Sorry, just reminiscing.