Boom Boom Stereo Advice

[Tom Fenton 1,542]

So the ongoing quest to improve my 205 continues, I've decided the stereo system is decidedly s*ite and needs improvement.

 

At the moment it comprises;

 

Panasonic MD (yes!) headunit, 4x40W

Panasonic CD changer

 

Front speakers in doors, some cheapo Pioneer jobbies with tweeters infront of main cone

 

Rear speakers in parcel shelf, some Pioneer 6x9's of unknown model

 

 

So why is it poor I hear you ask, no real "power" from it, no decent bass, really just nothing good to say.

 

Ideally I'd like to keep the headunit and cd changer setup, I am happy with this. Also I don't really want to start weighing my lightweight nimble hatchback down with loads of bitumen deadening, I don't do many miles in this car and those I do, are usually for fun.

 

To start with I've bought an active sub doobrey to go in the boot, an Infinity Basslink. I have been down the route of seperate amps etc in the past and don't really want to go to this length again.

 

My plan at the moment is to get some decent speakers for the front to give some decent front fill. Let the active sub do the bass.

 

So, critique my plan please, and also recommend me some good front speakers, component type really as I would like to put tweeters at the top of the a pillars.

 

Ta.

[BlueBolt 156]

Don't worry about the sub, get a good set of 6x9's and run them through an amp...

 

Incidentally, I have a vibe amp and pair of vibe black hex 6x9's which I'm not using any more. These speakers have a crossover for the sub section of them. I found that using these and a sub was simply too much, removed the sub and these catered very well... Before I stripped the rear of my 205 that was anyway lol

[Carbs4me 45]

Vibe are always good make, expensive tho! their more for bass if thats what your looking for

 

What model of Headunit you got?

 

Sometimes its not always down to the speakers themself's but can be the headunit.

 

I got myself a decent Kenwood 4x45 with DAB radio changed it from a old Panasonic one 4x40 i had and it made a huge diffrents, then i went down the route of getting a sub and amp, i could do with a smaller amp and a smaller sub cause im not after the loud sound but base make its a whole lot better, but for £10 i couldnt grumble

[Tom Fenton 1,542]

The headunit is an old one, probably 10 years old now, but I'm a bit loathe to change unless I can get one that will still work with the multichanger. However I think you could have a point, as in my Shogun I've a more recent 4x50W Blaupunkt head, and with just a set of half decent speakers in the front doors it sounds pretty decent.

 

I am not going to even consider filling it with seperate amplifiers so that is out of the question, but I will spend £50-75 or so on some good front speakers if we think its worthwhile.

[Carbs4me 45]

10 Years old... Sounds like you need a new one!

 

try it in the shogun or try the headunit from the shogun in the 205, see what the quality is like, cause tbh if your front speakers have tweeters they cant be that old and i bet they dont sound half bad with a decent headunit have a play with the headunits.

 

I payed £200 for my kenwood and its by far the best headunit ive had so far! DAB never gets old! Kiss FM for the Win!

[allanallen 528 2 Cars]

Tom Fenton in bass cannon shocker!!

[Tom Fenton 1,542]

I'll have you know I once had 3 pairs of 6x9's a pair of tweeters and a 12" sub in a boom box that completely filled the boot, in a Mini! HA, didn't f***ing expect that did you!

[BlueBolt 156]

didn't f***ing expect that did you!

 

 

:o :o

No!!

lol

[kyepan 291]

Make the car quieter and the panels less resonant, that way the sound stage you give yourself will be much better, and any money you spend on stereo will improve it.

 

The second best thing you can do is fit 6 inch speakers in the front, a bit of a pain but they will have so much better mid and high bass without overdoing the mid range.

 

my mx5 has nothing but a single set of 6 inch speakers in the front doors, and it sounds amazing considering, far better than my 205, which had 5 times the money spent on it.

 

Have a squiz at my sound proofing thread, it's a bit OTT, but even if you only spent 20 on the car builder solutions sound deadening pads it would make an amazing difference to the door skin resonance.

 

Cheers

J

Edited July 20, 2012 by kyepan

[johnnyboy666 195 1 Cars]

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/5-13cm-2-Way-350w-System-Car-Speakers-2x175-watts-/380185033221?pt=UK_In_Car_Technology&hash=item5884cb3a05

 

these are my personal preference. Quite pricey but worth it for the sound quality and buid quality. they also do a 6" version for an extra fiver if you do as suggested above.

The doors really need at least a bit of sound deadening though, or there'll be vibrations galore!

[Tom Fenton 1,542]

I have to say the name of those initially put me off but having read the reviews I am now tempted to give them a go. Have you got them fitted to your front doors? Do they fit under the grilles and not foul the window mech?

[johnnyboy666 195 1 Cars]

yeah I innitially thought theyd be a chavvy company but there service is the best ive come accross, next day delivery etc. they are in my front doors yes, they dont foul the window mech (although the magnet is MUCH bigger than standard) I havent put the standard grilles back on, as they wont fit straight on, but I think they might go on with a bit of trimming, but cant confirm that.

As a testement to the quality, this is the second set of these I've owned (first set got mangled in a crash) and I've also got a set of 6x9s and an amp by them.

[backroadpug 12]

I had a crazy sound system in my 205 about 10years ago when the louder your car was the cooler it was.

It even got a wee feature in FAST CAR. lol

It hit 138,9db in a fuel sound off. When i say it was hard base it was mad used to shake your eye balls and thats no joke. IT did used to have a cage in it with buckets aswell this pic was taken when it was going back to standard.

check that bab boy out.lol

[1 FAT PUG 39]

good set of components up front and a bass tube in the rear, 1 good quality amp bridged 1 chanel and then other chanels to your components, jobs done

[Simes 248 2 Cars]

I've just installed some Focal components up front, blimey how good are they!! Tweeters are mounted in a-pillars.

There's a 10" alpine sub in the boot driven by a mono lock alpine amp.

The components are driven by another alpine amp.

The whole lot is controlled by an Alpine cda105 head unit.

 

 

I used to love my old Sony md head unit, that did sound awesome.

[johno_78 2]

I've just installed some Focal components up front, blimey how good are they!! Tweeters are mounted in a-pillars.

 

 

About 10 years ago I used to run Focal 5 1/4" inch polyglass components at the front with 2x12" subs and a top end Pioneer unit. It was built for sound quality rather than volume but still managed 143.4Db at a sound off competition.

 

Spend as much as you can on the headunit, as you will be able to tell the difference between a middling Sony unit and a top spec Pioneer, Alpine etc.

You will need to amp the speakers for the best results, a head unit just doesn't have the power needed to drive decent speakers.

[Tom Fenton 1,542]

So then, I've got the Infinity Basslink installed, already much better. The headunit I have has a built in sub pre out, with controllable level from the HU, so I can increase or decrease the sub level from the drivers seat to suit.

It has also allowed me to turn the bass down to the speakers which will allow them to perform much better without distorting.

So far so good.