Hi,
Just taken the plunge and bought a new Citroen DS4, absolutely love it. However my one gripe is that the sound quality of the stereo/satnav is a bit so-so, worse than the standard units on my past few cars. So I'm contemplating a discreet upgrade, possibly involving replacing the speakers and/or adding an amplifier (though I'd probably prefer to avoid that). I don't want to replace the head unit or add a huge subwoofer or anything drastic like that. Just a modest upgrade will do.
Have any of you any recommendations of reputable car stereo retailers/fitters around Surrey, S London or sussex? Seem to be plenty such places around, but couldnt tell one from another. Whatever I do I don't want some cowboy to ruin my Pride and joy. Or if any of you have any advice in this field, I'd be interested to hear it.
Thanks
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Speakers in french cars are appalling garbage, an upgrade there will provide you with instant gratification and best bang for your buck.
www.cartronics.co.uk
This place (Byfleet Surrey) has been around for years and does a lot of high class upgrades, not cheap tho.
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>>>Speakers in french cars are appalling garbage
Wrong.
I don't know the DS4 system but my C5 has one of the best standard fit systems I've heard. Sub in the dash and even my hardened teen pasengers vote it top of the cars they travel in.
Sometimes the standard fit speakers just need an amp adding.
Glad to hear you like the DS4 Felix. My girls want me to get one when I swap in Dec.
Last edited by: Fenlander on Sun 30 Sep 12 at 18:51
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>> >>>Speakers in french cars are appalling garbage
>>
>> Wrong.
Right, usually. Specially in this case clearly. Fitting an amp is the last thing you should do, completely the wrong thing to do in fact.
Last edited by: Zero on Sun 30 Sep 12 at 19:23
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Unique in Lightwater is highly regarded in the online Mercedes community. Its other identity Comand Online give a clue as to its specialism, but I understand they'll work on other makes too. I have no direct experience but they're certainly not the cowboy type.
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i really wanted to buy a ds4 for my wife a few months ago but the boys didn't like the back seats with no opening windows. lovely car though
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new pioneer speakers and proper decent gauge speaker cable from the speakers to the head unit can often make a dramatic different to a stock fit stereo. putting in new speakers but leaving the old speaker cables can be a mistake, but new speaker cables can be a hassle on some cars.
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If a modern stereo sounds rubbish it's almost invariably the speakers/speaker mountings.
New speakers has to be the no.1 upgrade.
Worth checking a DS4 forum for advice - if they're anything like Subaru speakers then they'll have crappy Chinese paper-cones.
EDIT: www.ds4ownersclub.co.uk/forum/radio-head-unit_topic34.html
Note the reply.
Last edited by: Lygonos on Sun 30 Sep 12 at 19:38
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>>>Fitting an amp is the last thing you should do, completely the wrong thing to do in fact.
No it's not. Many folks only experience is a speaker upgrade because it's easy and they stop there. Very few put an amp in first to see the staggering improvements before then adding new speakers.
Like home stuff it is no good putting new speakers on a weedy amp/head unit.
Note the guy in the link had the amp as well.
Last edited by: Fenlander on Sun 30 Sep 12 at 20:11
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Speakers first.
Not happy? Little improvement?
Add amp/head unit.
Not the other way around.
Can obviously do both though.
Very few manufacturer's head units appear to create much distortion these days - weedy they may be volume wise but trying to make crap speakers sound good is impossible no matter what is being fed into them.
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Will CANBUS wiring make things more complicated with new head units or an amp?
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>> Will CANBUS wiring make things more complicated with new head units or an amp?
Mostly not if you are doing a speaker upgrade, or you are adding an external amp. Changing the head unit gets you into can bus/registration problems.
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>> >>>Fitting an amp is the last thing you should do, completely the wrong thing to
>> do in fact.
>>
>> No it's not. Many folks only experience is a speaker upgrade because it's easy and
>> they stop there. Very few put an amp in first to see the staggering improvements
>> before then adding new speakers.
>
Sorry Fenlander, but you are completely and absolutely wrong for the majority of cases.
Speakers are always - repeat always - the first step, not the amp first.
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>>>Sorry Fenlander, but you are completely and absolutely wrong for the majority of cases.
Only in your world where you are always right.
I've been doing my own custom fits for over 35yrs. Like P6 Rovers with home made quadrophonic passive simulators and amps tucked under the rear seat... Citroen CXs with seperate amps for front and rear and 45wpc when most folks were on 2.5wpc.
People mostly do speakers first because it's easy... and that includes some pro guys.
And you can't always go by the look of a speaker driver... folks would be shocked at the "cheap looking" drivers and lightweight wiring in some very expensive domestic speakers.
It may be in the DS4 speakers alone would do the job and that's fine if it works for Felix.
Last edited by: Fenlander on Sun 30 Sep 12 at 20:41
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P6 Rovers and Citroen CX headunits perhaps not the funkiest out there? ;-)
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No-one had decent stereos in the car in those days... well hardly anyone. Headunits so to speak were something like a Radiomobile MW radio or a rubbish Blaupunkt cassette/radio. Always started off by junking the standard unit for a decent Pioneer... actually in many cases left the radio in situ and fitted a seperate casette deck to feed the amps.
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>> >>>Sorry Fenlander, but you are completely and absolutely wrong for the majority of cases.
>>
>> Only in your world where you are always right.
And the rest of the audio upgrade market advice.
So you think its a good idea to plug in some meaty amps first do you? how many crappy speakers have you blown up? how well do you know they sound when they are being overdriven? People do speakers first because its the right thing to do. Your advice is wrong and misleading.
Of course i forgot, you also said you know more than the pro guys. You got any idea how much this guys head unit is putting out btw, or are you still going by your 2.5 watts experience, which BTW is about 20 years out of date. Your custom fit experience is woefully outdated.
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Blimey didn't realise there were such passionate views on the subject... Have to admit my inclination had been to try a speaker upgrade first and see what improvement that gave me. Not sure about speaker cables, sounds more intrusive work to me and we're not talking really high-end hi-fi here so a bit sceptical about that. Adding an amplifier could come later; is it possible to hide them away discreetly, don't want it taking up boot space really?
Funny you mention the c5 fenlander but I used to have one a few years ago and agree it had a good (standard) unit, certainly better sound than the ds4.
I'd found that link on the ds4 owners forum and the comment about the speakers certainly struck me.
I'd seen cartronics site and wondered whether they'd be any good, a more professional Website than some, hope the 'testimonials' are genuine....
I'll let you know more about the car another day on another thread!
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>>is it possible to hide them away discreetly
The used to go under the passenger seat as a matter of course but modern cars often have other gubbins beneath the seats preventing this.
(and some passengers don't enjoy a 'hot bot')
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>> I'd seen cartronics site and wondered whether they'd be any good, a more professional Website
>> than some, hope the 'testimonials' are genuine....
USed to be called Paula Marks, and have been there for loads of years, certainly no fly by night operation.
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I recently replaced the whole system on a family Aygo, speakers (Alpine), head unit (Pioneer, good head units in my humble) and also tucked a neat little under the seat active subwoofer (again Pioneer) in too.
Fitted in the order above, and after each new item fitted i tried it out, the speakers made an obvious difference, but, the stock system was so underpowered as to be almost useless.
In the Aygo case, neither speaker or head unit upgrades would have been of any real use without the other.
The sub just puts the icing on the cake, providing good bass sounds without becoming too much, nice little remote control for it i tucked down by the centre console as requested by owner.
Purely out of forum interest i bought some proper car insulation self adhesive pads and whilst doing the audio job gave the car some extra, and in the case of the whole boot/ rear wheelarches/ under rear seat area, the only sound insulation present, the front half of the car being already surprisingly well soundproofed from the factory.
Result is a car about half as quiet again as before at motorway speeds, and the sound system of a very much more expensive car....lady owner is like a puppy with two tails, they love their music.
What i would say to Felix is that it wasn't that difficult to do at all, and with careful purchasing via sales and online can be done quite reasonably DIY, doubt if an amp or sub would be needed on DS4, as i expect the speakers are of a decent enough size already, but probably need a bit more oomph than the standard car unit to drive them.
Last edited by: gordonbennet on Sun 30 Sep 12 at 21:40
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Sorry Fenlander, but you are completely and absolutely wrong...
Hmmm. I suspect 'absolutely' is too strong a word here, without knowing what's in the DS4 to begin with. My understanding - admittedly from the home perspective rather than the car - is that distorted peak loads from an underpowered amp are more likely to damage speakers than a well-regulated load from a good one. Of course, that's not to advocate a complete mismatch in current capacity, but if the speakers aren't complete rubbish then they ought to benefit from better amplification; and if they are complete rubbish then you'd have had to change them anyway, so nothing lost.
Generally the benefit of a more powerful amp is not in overall SPL but in a feeling that the system isn't having to try too hard in dense and complex music like big choral works. The best speakers in the world will struggle to sound good if the amp lacks the muscle to control them properly.
Last edited by: WillDeBeest on Sun 30 Sep 12 at 21:42
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>>>So you think its a good idea to plug in some meaty amps first do you? how many crappy speakers have you blown up? how well do you know they sound when they are being overdriven?
Indeed a meaty amp used with respect is far less likely to damage cheap speakers than a rubbish amp firing garbage at decent speakers.... as WDB says above. Never blown a set of speakers that I can recall. Yep know how stuff should and shouldn't sound thanks.
>>>are you still going by your 2.5 watts experience, which BTW is about 20 years out of date.
Ha well that's just the point I was making... even 35yrs ago I didn't put up with the 2.5w experience.
Really don't need to list my car audio, hi-fi & band pa equipment CV but I do know how stuff should sound. More of a challenge these days too as most modern music is over produced to sound good on the "non hi-fi" sources which are the norm and it can throw a decent system.
Last edited by: Fenlander on Sun 30 Sep 12 at 23:12
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I can't understand why anyone would want to throw money on trying to get decent sound reproduction in a poorly insulated tin box with all the associated noise from engine, tyres, wind and other vehicles.
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I believe the stereo works when the ignition is off sometimes too ;-)
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This lot did a good job on two cars for me:
London SW18
www.dynamicsounds.co.uk/
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>> I can't understand why anyone would want to throw money on trying to get decent
>> sound reproduction in a poorly insulated tin box with all the associated noise from engine,
>> tyres, wind and other vehicles.
>>
The pity is that the ds4's one of the best insulated tin boxes I've owned, it's so quiet at speed, so deserves better. I agree that expecting audiophile sound quality in a car is a bit daft but that's not what I'm after.
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Getting back to the question of installers, I can vouch for Comand, and if their non-Merc guise is good, they are a safe bet. I also have good experience of 001 Mobile in Hersham.
The hardest part these days with speaker upgrades (which is where I would go first) is getting the door trim (cards) on and off without damage. Once the trim is off, changing the speaker is easy.
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>> The hardest part these days with speaker upgrades (which is where I would go first)
>> is getting the door trim (cards) on and off without damage. Once the trim is
>> off, changing the speaker is easy.
>>
Are you suggesting a reputable professional will have a problem doing that? I'd hope not - that might be enough to convince me to put up with it as it is? It's a new car, not a "project"
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The door cards fitting, while not designed for being repeatedly pulled on and off, can be removed and refitted ok by a good installer using the correct trim removal tools.
Upgraded speakers tho may not be suitable for the existing speaker fittings (these days its usually a combined accoustic cover/drip shield/connector. He will have to make, or purchase new fittings for your choice of speakers. You can get fancy moulded silicon shields these days.
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>>You can get fancy moulded silicon shields these days.
What, you mean like that floppy tray thing SWMBO has in the oven?
Why on earth would you need something that can withstand those temperatures and spills everything on the kitchen floor?
;>)
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Before I start approaching one of these places, would anyone like to suggest a ballpark figure I should have in mind, say starting with a modest speaker upgrade (including fitting)?
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your starting price, inc fitting is a minimum of 100 quid. It goes up from there depending on the quality of your speakers.
Last edited by: Zero on Tue 2 Oct 12 at 08:31
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>>>starting with a modest speaker upgrade
Felix... forgetting for the moment how it might best be achieved what improvement are you looking for... more bass, punchy midband/vocal clarity or sparkling treble?? What's your main source radio, CD or digital files?
Does the existing system have front and rear door speakers plus dash treble units?
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What you can see and think you have got, may be very different from whats there.
My Altea was a case in point. It had higher dash mounted treble units, or so it seemed. In fact what they were just small speakers (think 1970s cheap transistor radio) wired in parallel (no crossover of any kind) with the terrible quality door speakers.
It was an appalling terrible sounding set up, a pity becuase the head unit was quite capable and powerful enough - when I found out after doing a speaker upgrade.
Thos dash mounted speaker grilles in your car, may even be empty in lower spec models.
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>> My Altea was a case in point.
The standard fit (AFAIK) system on my 2001 Focus is so much better than the one in the much newer Leon FR that preceded it.
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>> more bass, punchy midband/vocal clarity or sparkling treble?? What's your main source radio,
>> CD or digital files?
>>
>> Does the existing system have front and rear door speakers plus dash treble units?
>>
My main source (for which I want decent quality) is MP3 files on a flash drive. They are not an enormous bit-rate (mostly around 160 mbps) but used to sound much better on my Octavia's Bolero system and good enough for my ears on any other system. Bass is particularly lacking at the moment but treble is a bit muddy too, if you turn it up to any real volume it loses any clarity at all frequencies - TBH it sounds like a nasty cheap portable stereo (and before anyone asks I've played with the bass/treble/equalizer/loudness settings to death).
It currently has 4 front/rear door speakers & 2 dash treble units.
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The quality of the stereo is one of the few indisputable improvements between the E90 and F30 BMW 3 series. But that's more down to the E90's system sounding like a cheap 1980's ghetto blaster.
Best standard fit system I've heard is a tough call between a 1996 Peugeot 406 Executive, a 2002 Volvo S60, and the optional Bowers and Wilkins upgrade in a 2009 Jaguar XF. All were so good that you'd be wasting your money trying to improve them.
Last edited by: DP on Tue 2 Oct 12 at 13:33
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Did your S60 have an HU-803 four-CD system like mine, DP? It was an extra-cost option for my S, but I heard it in the demo car I had to myself for a day and 250 miles and thought, I'm having one of these. There was a more expensive 'Premium Sound' option with Dynaudio speakers, but I agree there's a limit to what's worth having in the confines of a car, and the HU-803 is about it for my money.
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No, mine was the standard single CD job, but even so it was very, very good. Wiped the floor with anything I've had in a car before or since.
I heard the upgraded Dolby Pro Logic system in a 2002 car and that was phenomenal.
I somehow suspect I haven't finished with S60s just yet. Still miss pretty much every aspect of mine except its fuel consumption. If I find myself outside the company car world again, a nice D5 SE could well find its way onto my drive...
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>> I heard the upgraded Dolby Pro Logic system in a 2002 car and that was
>> phenomenal.
>>
I had that in my 2005 S80 and I still miss it everyday. Standard fit audio in most cars just isn't even in the same league. *sigh*
I also tried the High Performance Audio in the 2008 S80 and whilst different to the DPL system, it was also very special.
Why didn't I buy another Volvo again???
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Felix I accept you have found these digital files ok in another car and elsewhere but have you tried comparing an original cd with a digital file copy through your C4 system... just in case something weird is going on with the digital input?
Assuming that isn't the issue I'd just mention success I've had with replacing the dash tweeters first to gain treble and upper midrange clarity. As zero says some cars have just a small paper cone speaker in the tweeter position wired in with no crossover.... not a true tweeter at all.
I've used JBL GTO units similar to these several times.
www.caraudioni.com/car-audio-car-speakers-tweeters-c-145_70_143/jbl-gto-18t-1-inch-tweeters-150watt-50watt-rms-p-695?language=en
Thay have their own crossover and can usually be easily tied into the existing wiring below the original tweeter. You can ever blue-tak them in position over the original grilles for a test period before junking the original tweeters completely.
These are far better for overall system clarity than many of the replacement door speakers where they will have a tweeter in the centre of the bass unit and most highs will be absorbed by the footwell carpet and your trousers.
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>> Felix I accept you have found these digital files ok in another car and elsewhere
>> but have you tried comparing an original cd with a digital file copy through your
>> C4 system... just in case something weird is going on with the digital input?
>>
I haven't tried that, though I've got to admit I'm a bit sceptical - I hire a lot of different cars through work, most of which have USB inputs and generally found them to be acceptable. But I'll give it a try tonight.
Interesting comment about the tweeters, I'll bear that in mind.
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>> have you tried comparing an original cd with a digital file copy through
>> your C4 system... just in case something weird is going on with the digital input?
tried this last night, they sound exactly the same to me so this isn't the problem. BTW I assume that replacing the tweeters (there's definitely something there, there's sound coming out) is normally a straightforward job and doesnt involve anything crazy like removing the dash? There are grilles over the speakers but can't tell whether they can be prised off and not about to damage anything by trying.
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Getting at tweeters on the dash will be a case of simply prising them off. Using an old credit card or RAC membership card does the trick and won't mark anything.
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>> Getting at tweeters on the dash will be a case of simply prising them off.
>> Using an old credit card or RAC membership card does the trick and won't mark
>> anything.
Errrr. No, possibly not. Quite a lot of speaker installs do not have a grill over them that prises off, being moulded as part of a much larger piece of trim. Some are even buried in the whole single mould dash assembly that is installed as the car is built. You may have to be prepared to abandon the existing tweeters and install others somewhere else.
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I defer to your greater knowledge Zero, but I have to say, I've never *seen* such a tweeter install and I'd be surprised to find one that is so inaccessible. But then it is French!!
OTOH, our C4 Grand Picasso has speaker grilles over the front tweeters and they most definitely do pop off, as they also did in my old C5.
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Well by chance Felix I needed some touch up for my C5 and on my travels chatted to an old Citroen aquaintance today who was able to show me a new shape C4 with an aftermarket diy upgraded system.
Circumstances meant I couldn't listen to it but did see the info sheets/instructions that were in the car so I noted the makes & part numbers. Checked them out on the web and it seems a sensible upgrade.
The guy had initially fitted a kit of door speakers and tweeters... this make/model...
www.jlaudio.co.uk/tr650-csi-car-audio-tr-speaker-systems-91036
He said the improvement was there but not as much as he wanted so next he'd fitted this amp under the front seat... www.caraudiodirect.co.uk/alpine-pmx-f640.html
This gave the sound he was looking for.
Just a personal thing but I would have spent a few more pounds and used a similar speaker kit from JBL if I was going to that trouble.
The tweeters were in their own pods sitting on the original tweeter locations. Not sure how they were fixed or how he'd routed the wires but it looked neat.
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Although not directly related to the OP, from my experience, the sound quality of the standard fit stereos in (some) cars seems to be taking a turn for the worse. I'm not looking for the last word in sound quality, but I like something that is pleasant to listen to and doesn't frustrate me by sounding rubbish! My 2001 Golf GT TDi had the standard fit radio cassette unit, with a separate single disc CD player which sat above it in the dash. Although the tone controls needed some fine tuning to get a 'natural' sound, it was fine when playing CD's. My wife had a 2001 Beetle and again, the standard fit stereo and speakers gave a reasonable sound.
Fast forward to now and my 2011 Golf 2.0 TDi Match, once again has the standard fit stereo and speakers. Can't fault the features (DAB, 6 CD changer, SD card slot, full iPod connectivity, Bluetooth) and ease of use, but frankly, the sound quality is really poor. Despite having fiddled with the tone controls and fader, I just can't get a decent sound out of it. The treble sounds brittle, there's no punch to the bass and the mid range just sounds muddy and 'wrong'.
Without wanting to start World War 3, does anybody have a view as to whether some replacement speakers would be a good starting point (!), as I'd like to keep the head unit. I live in Cheltenham and the two in car entertainment places that used to exist here have both closed down. I don't think Halfords is the way to go, as they will probably stick a sub woofer in the boot! I work in Worcester, so if anybody has any recommendations for where to go in Glos / Worcs, please shout...
The door trims / cards look like a challenge to remove. A far cry from fitting some improved speakers to the front of a Peugeot 205. Undo two screws to remove the speaker grilles and stick in some new speakers! Couldn't be easier!
Last edited by: VxFan on Fri 19 Oct 12 at 00:52
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Hi,
Very rude of me, I never thanked you for all your helpful suggestions. Just a quick update, I've finally gotten round to visiting Dynamic Sounds and Cartronics but have come away rather disillusioned. At Dynamic Sounds a guy listened to the stereo, pronounced it "not bad" and said there wasn't much they could do to improve it that wouldn't involve sticking a subwoofer in the boot so walked away a bit unimpressed though to be fair at least they didn't try to fleece me. At Cartronics they were much more bullish, took one look and said that a simple speaker upgrade would do the trick so I was quite optimistic until I asked them to give me an estimate... £800!!! Given Zero's suggestion earlier and my own gut feeling I'd figured on budgeting up to £200 so we're not remotely close. Out of the corner of my eye I could see the speakers he was recommending were about £200 a pair for starters. I asked him whether he thought such expensive speakers were necessary and he suggested I’d be disappointed with the results of anything cheaper.
So I think I might just have to put up with it as it is. Though after walking away I wondered whether as a half measure it might be worth considering replacing just the front door speakers with his expensive suggestions, it’s not as if I have a lot of back seat passengers anyway, and could possibly come back to the dash speakers another day. Having played with the unit’s settings a bit more I’ve got the treble sounding half-decent now, but the bass is still fairly weak and distorts quickly.
What do you think? Oh BTW agree completely about the S60, remember test driving one 10 years ago and the standard stereo was just brilliant.
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Wellllll.
As you are where you are now then, I would be looking at something like this
www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-PYLE-PLTAB8-8-250W-Amplified-Car-Subwoofer-Sub-Tube-System-with-Blue-LED-/350605044973?forcev4exp=true&forceRpt=true
The tube type sub woofers while not as expansive as the box types are easier to fit in the boot.
or one of the spare wheel well type ones
www.caraudiocentre.co.uk/product_m-ts-wx610a_p-26787.htm
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How about digging out some second hand Volvo speakers from a scrappy or flea-bay ?
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Felix you have now experienced the complete lack of understanding which exists at many car stereo places... they haven't a clue about audio reproduction... they just know how to lighten your wallet. To advise £800 of speakers on a standard head unit is a joke.
Chucking in a £200 set of speakers is not a value option.
The links I gave for new front speakers, dash tweeters and an amp would give a far better balance of improvements for the same cost. Couldn't you get some help from a friend or relative to DIY install?
www.jlaudio.co.uk/tr650-csi-car-audio-tr-speaker-systems-91036
www.caraudiodirect.co.uk/alpine-pmx-f640.html
Last edited by: Fenlander on Sat 27 Oct 12 at 12:28
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If it were me I would have the door cards off and a pair of 100 quid speakers in.
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I know £800 is a joke, I was impressed they had the balls to say it! I was disappointed because I expected better of that place from the positive comments here. I think your recommendation is looking a good one now. Don't know anyone who would do a DIY install However looked up 001 mobile that boxsterboy suggested and see they advertise installing customers own kit. So I might try contacting them with this proposal.
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>>>Just a personal thing but I would have spent a few more pounds and used a similar speaker kit from JBL if I was going to that trouble.
Fenlander, what would you suggest is the nearest jbl equivalent?
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>. I think your recommendation is looking a good one now. Don't know anyone who
>> would do a DIY install However looked up 001 mobile that boxsterboy suggested and see
>> they advertise installing customers own kit. So I might try contacting them with this proposal.
>>
Visited 001 mobile this afternoon and booked the car in to fit the JL speakers, got them to order them too as they didnt quote much more than the online price. A bit nervous about the amount of sucking air through teeth about the fitting so hopefully they won't ruin the car, but they've come in under £200 so fingers crossed...
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Just don't expect Citroen to cough up if you start experiencing rattles/buzzes or electrical malfunctions from the controls in the front doors.........
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>> Just don't expect Citroen to cough up if you start experiencing rattles/buzzes or electrical malfunctions
>> from the controls in the front doors.........
>>
That's exactly what I'm afraid of. But the only other option is abandoning the whole enterprise. I think they're a reputable outfit...
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Felix sorry I didn't get back to you... busy weekend. Anyway you're sorted... are you getting the kit with the dash tweeters too?
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>>. are you getting the kit with the dash tweeters too?
>>
Yes, though I've decided to leave the back door speakers for now. I can always come back to do them another day. Taking it in on Thursday, fingers crossed!
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>> >> Just don't expect Citroen to cough up if you start experiencing rattles/buzzes or electrical
>> malfunctions
>> >> from the controls in the front doors.........
>> >>
>> That's exactly what I'm afraid of. But the only other option is abandoning the whole
>> enterprise. I think they're a reputable outfit...
If they do a decent job of it, you'll wonder why you didn't do it sooner. Those JL speakers should be fairly easy to drive with an OE stereo.
I usually replace speakers first as an upgrade but as I wanted DAB in my car as a priority I bought a Kenwood head unit. The best thing is that it has improved the sound quality from the average front speaker set up that comprises of average sounding mid/base units in the doors and carp tweeters in the tops of the doors. The head unit offered much more adjustment to the tone of the speakers, meaning I could dial out the god awful treble from the tweeters - so bad it was making me feel quite ill.
JL Audio have a good reputation - I may well buy a set with silk dome tweeters for smoothness.
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Silk? So 2008! For real smoothness you need domes made from the bottoms of the baby offspring of Bryan Ferry and Kirsty Young.
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>> domes made from the bottoms of the
>> baby offspring of Bryan Ferry and Kirsty Young.
I'll nip off to Tesco's and see if I can find them in the peaches section (sorry, nicked from dog)
:)
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Well I got some jl audio speakers installed at 001 mobile yesterday, I'm pleased with the result. I wouldn't say it's a spectacular improvement but good enough and could always think about adding an amplifier another day perhaps. Bass is definitely improved (tho to be picky could perhaps be better) and the overall detail to the sound seems a good deal better. And it's all completely invisible, glad to say they seem to managed to avoid trashing the interior.
Thanks for all the help!
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>> Well I got some jl audio speakers installed at 001 mobile yesterday, I'm pleased with
>> the result. I wouldn't say it's a spectacular improvement but good enough and could always
>> think about adding an amplifier another day perhaps. Bass is definitely improved (tho to be
>> picky could perhaps be better)
Don't forget that tight new speakers sound a bit harsh straight from the box. Depending on the speaker it can take quite a few hours for them to break in, then they will become smoother and have more bass extension.
To be fair though, a lot of the bass from a mid speaker gets lost in the background rumble of a car as you're driving. You need to get some sort of subwoofer set up if you're still not happy, nothing over the top, just a fill in. You can get them in many different guises, like a small box in the boot or an under seat sub with built in amplifier. And all to suit your budget.
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>>>get some sort of subwoofer set up if you're still not happy, nothing over the top, just a fill in.
Yes the best sub setup is where you can't hear there is one.
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Damn, that's making me think I want one for the LEC. I think the factory speakers are pretty decent but the whole thing - compared with the Volvo anyway - is just a little over-polite with kick drums or orchestral basses. I think there's room under the passenger seat, even with the motor gubbins (not gibbons, thank you, iPhone - too noisy) so should I be thinking JL there?
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Hi,
Apologies for resurrecting an old thread but after getting my speaker upgrade I'm now feeling a bit dissatisfied having been in an Audi a3 the other day with it's standard concert stereo - just a standard 6 speaker set up I think - which knocked the spots off mine for power and depth. Its made me think that perhaps I should go for an amp as well. But I really want to avoid spending much if i can avoid it, I saw the one fenlander had linked to which was over £100. I was wondering whether I'd see a worthwhile improvement if i just got a cheap 2 channel amp like this one to drive the front door speakers, possibly installed under one of the front seats.
www.caraudiocentre.co.uk/product_m-jvc-ks-ax3102_p-26935.htm
As I said before I'm not to bothered about the rear speakers - don't often have back seat passengers - and really dont want a subwoofer of any kind taking up what little space there is in the boot.
Thoughts appreciated!
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Oh and forgot to say, would this (and what I've had done already though a bit late to worry about that) do anything to invalidate the warranty on the car? Also I can't find anything quoted about the power output of my head unit which might had some bearing on the worth of this venture, which is a bit frustrating
Last edited by: Felix on Sun 18 Nov 12 at 13:28
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Citroen - Reputable car stereo installer? - Zero
