Front Door Speakers That Fit…

Finding replacement front door speakers for our cars has always been a problem.  Due to the shallow depth requirements, most 4×6″ speakers mounting is too deep.  Alternatives have included spacing speakers out and trying to mount an aftermarket speaker grille to cover it.  If you wanted to use the stock Porsche speaker grilles, speakers were difficult – if not impossible –  to find.

Our journey started with the acquisition of our mint 1988 924S Special Edition.  While the car is in great original condition including the original functioning Blaupunkt Sebring cassette radio, the front speakers weren’t working.  Upon further investigation, the front speakers were completely deteriorated – the paper cone was no longer connected to the outside edge of the speaker. Replacement was needed to restore the cassette/radio to its former glory.  As a side note, the rear speakers worked, but the sound was a bit scratchy indicating replacement was also needed.

If you look up 4×6 speakers online, you will find that most 4×6 speakers listed say that they will fit the rear, but there is nothing that we could find that indicated that they would fit in the doors.  There is a reason for that.  Most 4×6 speakers require 1¾ inches of mounting depth, which is too deep for the front doors.  For the rear, mounting depth is  not a problem, so almost any 4×6 will work in the rear.

We removed the original 32-year-old speakers from the doors and measured them specifically for mounting depth requirements.  They need an inch and a half (+/-).  Anything deeper will not fit.  So the quest was on.

None of the big online sales suppliers had front door speakers that would work – all too deep.  However, we found that a company called RetroSound in Henderson, Nevada had lots of replacement speakers for classic cars, muscle cars and even contemporary cars and SUVs.  Their website does have a fitment tool where you choose your year, make and model – but no choices for Porsche.  So we looked in the selection for 4×6 speakers and then drilled down into the specifications to see what was there.

It seems that some SUVs require slim-mount 4×6 speakers for the dashboard.  We found the RetroSound Premium Stereo Speakers 4″ x 6″, Part Number R-463N.  However, the description and specifications listed were for a 5¼”  speaker.  (See the listing here.). So we pulled up the specifications tab on the page and found that there was a chart for ten different speaker sizes for this model, listed by size and also by product number.  We found that the R-463N was a slim 4×6″ speaker with a mounting depth of 1.3″ or 33 mm.  The others were 1.7″ or 44 mm.

We ordered a pair to try them out, and we found that the mounting depth was actually about 1½”.  Looking promising, we mounted them and they fit perfectly, although they do seem to touch the metal window channel inside the door.  A piece of Flex-Seal tape on the back of the magnet insulated the magnet from the metal.  (Not sure if that is necessary, but it seemed like a good idea.)

We did not use the mounting or grilles included with the speakers, but we did use the factory spacers between the speaker and the steel door.  (Factory spacers are no longer available.)  The speakers work well, and our next job is to replace the rear speakers, which is a little more difficult.

As we said, Retro Manufacturing does not list these speakers as fitting your Porsche 944 or 924S, but we found that they work perfectly.  If you want the original look, these may be the only speakers currently available that actually fit the doors without modification.

Visit RETROSOUND at https://retromanufacturing.com.

Found something else that works without modification?  Let us know in the comments.