10 ohm front speakers

[sarookha]

You probably need to replace the junky Delco paper speakers in your Reatta.  But the proprietary 10 ohm front speakers are thin on the ground.  To avoid burning out your radio head unit, DO NOT replace the speakers with the more commonly available 4 ohm speakers.  Maybe you could use 4 ohm speakers with a 6 ohm resistor wired in series to each front speaker, as long as the resistor wattage was higher than what the speakers would draw?

 

But I found 10 ohm speakers here, and in 5.25" round at that: https://www.smelectrotech.com/product/5-1-4-pin-cushion-single-/3?cp=true&sa=false&sbp=false&q=false&category_id=6

 

They ain't cheap, and they probably aren't better than the stock speakers that failed you, but maybe they'll give you another 30 years of music before biting the dust.  

 

I ordered a pair of generic Pioneer 6X9 4 ohm speakers for the rear, per factory spec.

 

I'll keep you posted.

[Padgett]

8 ohm seem OK. I use mylar for any replacement. Agree not 2 or 4 ohm.

Alternative, use the radio module as a pre-amp for a real 4 channel amplifier.

Just be glad the Reatta did not get a Bose system (at least never saw one - never say never). Be very glad.

[ship]

I profess total ignorance regarding car speakers.  So, for my '91 Reatta the standard is 10ohm for the 5.25" front speakers and 4ohm for the 6X9 rear speakers?? 

Edited December 6, 2022 by ship

[alchemist]

I used 4 Ohm 4x10's in the back (Convertible) and 3 Ohm 5.25" in the front.  Sounds fine, works fine and because it is a convertible, rarely are we listening to the radio.  We also have a refurb module with bluetooth from East Coast Reatta Parts which is wonderful for streaming.

[ship]

On 12/5/2022 at 4:22 PM, ship said:

I profess total ignorance regarding car speakers.  So, for my '91 Reatta the standard is 10ohm for the 5.25" front speakers and 4ohm for the 6X9 rear speakers?? 

Stupid me...the answer all along is in the ROJ!  It's 10-ohm front, 4-ohm rear.

[sarookha]

On 12/5/2022 at 10:57 AM, sarookha said:

You probably need to replace the junky Delco paper speakers in your Reatta.  But the proprietary 10 ohm front speakers are thin on the ground.  To avoid burning out your radio head unit, DO NOT replace the speakers with the more commonly available 4 ohm speakers.  Maybe you could use 4 ohm speakers with a 6 ohm resistor wired in series to each front speaker, as long as the resistor wattage was higher than what the speakers would draw?

 

But I found 10 ohm speakers here, and in 5.25" round at that: https://www.smelectrotech.com/product/5-1-4-pin-cushion-single-/3?cp=true&sa=false&sbp=false&q=false&category_id=6

 

They ain't cheap, and they probably aren't better than the stock speakers that failed you, but maybe they'll give you another 30 years of music before biting the dust.  

 

I ordered a pair of generic Pioneer 6X9 4 ohm speakers for the rear, per factory spec.

 

I'll keep you posted.

And now that I've got my dead OEM speakers out of the car, they have the opposite impedence of every other Reatta reference I've read.  !0 ohm rear, and 4 ohm front.  Who knew? I'll install the aftermarket ones in the more orthodox configuration, 10ohm round up front, 4ohm oblong in back. 

Edited December 13, 2022 by sarookha

[sarookha]

And the sound is now wonderful, meaning that burned out capacitors in the radio module are not my issue.  

[sarookha]

On 12/6/2022 at 6:46 PM, alchemist said:

I used 4 Ohm 4x10's in the back (Convertible) and 3 Ohm 5.25" in the front.  Sounds fine, works fine and because it is a convertible, rarely are we listening to the radio.  We also have a refurb module with bluetooth from East Coast Reatta Parts which is wonderful for streaming.

The problem with lower total impedance in the speaker set (you are using only half what the manufacturer designed the system for) is not that they will sound badly, but that they will draw more power than the radio module was designed to provide.  You really don't want to fry your newly refurbished-Bluetooth equipped radio module. 

 

If you don't want to buy the 10 ohm speakers for the doors, you can at least add a 6 ohm resistor to each front (or each rear, whichever pair's wires you find easiest to access).  The resistor can go on either speaker wire, one resistor for each front speaker (or one for each rear).  You'll still have plenty of sound, and you don't need to remove the speakers, just access the wires.

 

The total ohms doesn't need to be perfect, but you should get somewhere close.  My new "10ohm" fronts are actually closer to 8ohms.  Close enough, in my book.  But your 3ohm speakers are going to draw over 3X more power than the OEM 10ohm speakers.  Yikes!

Edited December 14, 2022 by sarookha
more information

[sarookha]

On 12/5/2022 at 12:18 PM, Padgett said:

Just be glad the Reatta did not get a Bose system (at least never saw one - never say never). Be very glad.

What's the scoop on the Bose system in Buicks?  Trouble?

[Ronnie]

Did you keep the tweeters and crossovers in the doors?

[Padgett]

In the Bose system the radio module is just a pre-amp, not an amp. The amplifiers are at the speakers and the wiring is smaller, only good for about 10W.

[sarookha]

14 hours ago, Ronnie said:

Did you keep the tweeters and crossovers in the doors?

Yes I did. I've never had a car stereo system that needed more "tweet", so didn't bother.  Had also read here somewhere that they rarely go out.

Edited December 14, 2022 by sarookha

[Ronnie]

When I installed new speakers in the doors I listened with and without the tweeters connected. I think with the tweeters connected you get better sound. Probably because high frequencies are more directionional and tweeters put the high frequencies closer to ear level.

 

As far as your new speakers not measuring exactly what they are rated at... speakers are rated in ohms but it's ohms of impendence, not resistance. Although similar they are not the same thing. Impedance can't be measured accurately with an ohm meter. When you connect your ohm meter to the speaker you are measuring the DC resistance of the voice coil which will always be a lower value than impedance.  Impedance is an AC measurement.

[Padgett]

Is easy: resistance is static (dc). Impedance is resistance to active (sound waves: ac)

I buy only mylar speakers, not paper.

[Grayman]

On 12/13/2022 at 6:59 PM, sarookha said:

The problem with lower total impedance in the speaker set (you are using only half what the manufacturer designed the system for) is not that they will sound badly, but that they will draw more power than the radio module was designed to provide.  You really don't want to fry your newly refurbished-Bluetooth equipped radio module. 

 

If you don't want to buy the 10 ohm speakers for the doors, you can at least add a 6 ohm resistor to each front (or each rear, whichever pair's wires you find easiest to access).  The resistor can go on either speaker wire, one resistor for each front speaker (or one for each rear).  You'll still have plenty of sound, and you don't need to remove the speakers, just access the wires.

 

The total ohms doesn't need to be perfect, but you should get somewhere close.  My new "10ohm" fronts are actually closer to 8ohms.  Close enough, in my book.  But your 3ohm speakers are going to draw over 3X more power than the OEM 10ohm speakers.  Yikes!

I’ve never installed a resistor before is soldering involved? Also where do I find one and what does it look like,and do I use one for each speaker if so does hook up to pos or neg? Thanks 

[Ronnie]

18 minutes ago, Grayman said:

I’ve never installed a resistor before is soldering involved? Also where do I find one and what does it look like,and do I use one for each speaker if so does hook up to pos or neg? Thanks 

If you already have speakers that aren't within specifications, adding a resistor will work but I wouldn't do it if you are buying new speakers. Adding a resistor in series with a speaker will drop the speaker volume compared to the correct speaker the system was designed for.