Hi All

Not into spending a million quid, but would like some half decent sounds in the mota!!

Not bothered if it's won awards, etc.. and would rather keep the cost reasonable.

What would you suggest?

I guess I need speakers and everything.

Security is VERY important. I don't want people breaking into my car to get the stereo, even if they can't nick it when they do.

I have a 2 door type r (don't know if that's important info??)

Cheers lads

Simon

PS. I'm crap at this!!!

 

Simon, any chance of some further info?

Approx price range?
What media? (no point suggesting minidisc, if al you have got are tapes)
What kind of music? (lots of bass, or not?)

Not sure what connectors or blanking plates you will require because it is a Jap Import, but someone will

If you are looking for something which sounds OK, is near invisible, and dont cost a lot I went for:

Kenwood Minidisc Head Unit and CD Changer (under passenger seat), with Inifity CS605 speakers for the front (once they turn up) which comes in at < £400. And quiet simply anything is an improvement over the std setup

Personal opinion of course, but it is not worth spending much more on a car stereo, as with the amount of background noise in a Scooby it'll never sound that good anyway

 

Thanks for the reply mate...

sorry I was so vague...

OK...

Price : £500 ish if possible - would be willing to spend more if the difference was REALLY worth it.

Media : CD mainly. Quite happy with single CD in the face of the head unit, but would look at changers also.

Music : mostly rock. I do like quite a bit of bass though, but also like a lot of high frequencies!!! in fact, I like a lot of mid range as well!!!! LOL sorry... I'm crap at this!

Any help appreciated.

Cheers

Simon

 

I can see the Top Gear theme tune being belted out of a car powersliding for hours on end... As such, I don't really want to respond to this...


Anyhow, recommendation for that sort of budget would be a fairly simple set-up: in-dash CD of around 300 quid mark (plenty to choose from, I like the Kenwood range but they'll all have something at that price point).

Then, add front speakers.

You've got a choice of simple coaxials, which have a tweeter centrally mounted and require no external crossover as they'll use a simple capacitor on the tweeter, or a "component set" which have midbass, crossover and tweeter. 150 quid would buy you a good set. I use CD Technologies and would normally recommend them, particularly as they have an entry level component set at this range. Alternatively, JBL and Infinity are well liked by the group.

For bass, you can (shudder) fit 6x9s in the back and kill the soundstage, or fit a small sub in the boot. This is probably something to do at a later date though, IMHO.

After reading your music tastes, you may want to try a more "in your face" set of speakers than the CD Technologies stuff. Rockford Fosgate is quite a "ballsy" sound, as will JBL be and, to a lesser extent, Infinity.

I would listen to anything from Pioneer/Kenwood/Alpine before parting with hard-earned as I find 'em a bit "bright", which is a rather sweeping generalisation. Try to hear a car you like and take it from there. There's probably someone in your area with JBL or Infinity fitted... If you're Ooop North sometime, you're welcome to have an audition...

 

Thanks mate...

OK.. a couple of q's...

What did you mean by "kill the soundstage"?

re tweaters as part of the main speaker... I have to say, I've always been dissapointed when fitting these.. would I not be better using seperate tweaters and a crossover? I do like lots of high frequency definition and find that you lose it a bit with the tweaters being down in the footwell? Could just be the crap I've fitted before though!!

Why do you say I should wait before fitting a sub? is there another alternative so I still get good base response?

The stereo I fitted in my WRX was an Alipine jobby, with a single CD. The shop recomended some speakers when I asked for all the above, and fitted it. When I got it, it just sounded really flat. No stereo seperation, and no extreme ranges (low or high). The mid range was great though!! lol

I am a little nervous of getting this again, so would rather spend a bit more money than be really dissapointed.

I know this is a different ball game, but...
I used to have a Jag XJR, which came witha harmon karden (sp?) system as standard. OH MY GOD, it was probably the best sounding stereo I have ever heard (and I don't just mean car audio). I guess, the jag is a far better basis for audio being so big and solid, but I have been dissapointed with everything I've heard since.

Cheers

Simon

 

Kill the soundstage - bring the "stage" where sounds appear to come from backwards, effectively killing stereo effects, etc.

I recommended a component set: mustn't have been clear from my ramblings... Mount the tweeters on the panels behind the wing mirrors (*INSIDE* the car though )

You can get a very good sound in a Scoob: Paul O'Loughlin was winning competitions with his (before it was nicked )

Security wise - do it right and there'll be very little to see. Maybe a pair of tweeters, and that's it!

I was extremely disappointed with the last set of Alpines I heard, despite them being around 350 quid... Very eugh.

If the best sound you've ever heard was in a car, you must be listening to sh1te at home...

 

Thanks for the advice mate...

I'll go and start shopping then

Re: Harmon Karden... you should go and listen to the sterio in a Jag XJR, I think you will be very very surprised.

I am very used to high quality audio at home / in recording studios etc, which is why I was so stunned to be making the comment that it was probably the best sounding stereo I've heard.

The system was made from scratch for the XJR and really is awesome. I don't think Harmon Karden make car audio normally.

cheers

Simon

 

Simon
here is my Penny's worth

Forget sub in boot. Get a JL AUDIO 8W6 which will need a very small box That will fit in the rear footwell behind drivers seat, With the speaker facing the roof. I am making this for my Legacy soon At the moment it is in a normal small box.If you have ever heard a good 8. inch Kicking you will not need a bigger speaker in your Scoob.Stick with a single CD unit.Try to get 6.5 inch speakers in the doors. DDDDDDDOOOOOOOO use some type of "Dynamat stuff".

Buy second hand from folk you know .This way you will get more for your cash


Be lucky

P.s If you want a good 8.inch Rockford fosgate sub in a box mint never been thrashed
It is the one I am using until I custom build one for the "JL"

Let me know.

 

thanks Luke...

does that mean I'll lose the footwell though? What about passengers?

Cheers

Simon

 

Why has no-one mentioned amplifiers yet? Surely this is the most important part here, or at least the one that will make the most difference.

I would say, buy a headunit (any of the above) get a decent set of 6.5" component speakers and an amp or two. I used to run Philips DAP 600 for the speakers and a Kenwood or DAP 900 for the sub and sound was excellent. In my first car I ran one amp, a philips Dap600 which was run in three channel mode 2x80w and 1x160w and it sounded pretty reasonable with a celestion sub and can't remember the speakers. I then progressed to a two amp system, 2x160w for front speakers and 1x almost 400w for the sub!

As has already been suggested, try and buy decent second hand stuff and you'll get a lot more for your money. I just bought a Soundstream ref405 amp for £200!

Shopping list should be;
Decent Headunit/multichanger (might be best to go used here)
6.5" Front component speakers (it pays to get a decent set! Forget pioneer etc and go for a more top end range circa £300 new- I use MB Quart but there are many more, Boston acoustics etc..)
1 or 2 amps (again, try and get a good used deal)
Subwoofer (loads of good ones here without going bonkers..£100-150ish should do it!-probably a lot cheaper now!)

Depending on the type of bass you like will determine whether you want a 10" or 12" sub. 12" generally goes lower and rumbles more while a 10" is more punchy. Also you wont want an extremely heavy box/sub in your boot!

A couple of decent amps or one good one will probably set you back £250ish used.
£300 or less for a headunit
£150 sub (or buy used for much less)
£300 front components (personally I'd probably go for new front speakers!)

You'll probably be looking at between £800-1k for a really good setup. £500 wont be enough for a complete system probably but if you're going to spend £500 you may as well spend a little more and do it properly.

hth
Nito

 

Simon oh Simon oh Simon
If you E-Mail me with what you would like i will try and sort you out.
Give me an idea into what you expect and price range and i'll sort you out, I'll even fit it for ya.
let me know i'll do me best as i always do for scoobynet members!!!!!!!

 

Simon
The custom made box will not be higher than the transmision tunnel.The top will have a rubber mat cover. So feet will be ok.

Do try to buy good front speakers. have a look at the "DLS" range. As I did a lot of testing and for the money they won. Again see whats for sale on the I.C.E section

YOU CAN DO IT !!


I'm away to Istanbul in the morning. I know the owner of the "SUBARU" dealership there. He is letting me "Test drive" new scoob for weekend !!!!!!!

 

Simon....

I wish I could sum up my driving skills in such a short but succinct title.

 

Nito, no-one mentioned amplifiers as there's a budget suggested! I'd rather get quality stuff and add other quality stuff at a future date rather than start again...

I've just sold my DAP600 so can't suggest that to Simon...

 

Hello Mate(s)....

Simon...I started the car stereo thing about a year ago before I got shut of the MY00 and got the P1.

My remit for the installation was that it should be descrete and sounds pretty good, if not amazing. Speakers should be component types that fit into the std. door housings.

You probably like a similar sort of music to me (i.e. rock, metal and general other stuff). I basically ended up getting the following speakers:

Front : Boston Rallye RC65(?) with separate tweeter kit and crossovers
Rear : Infinity Reference i653s (I think).

I listened to loads of stuff in the Shop (i.e. Alpine DDDrives, MB Quart, JL Audio etc). The Alpines sounded a little tiny (probably good for dance music - which I listen to from time to time). The reason I got the bostons is because they sounded very warm and defined. The seem to suit rockmusic pretty well (they are an american speaker I think). I think they were about 270 quid for the fronts (cheaper in the USA mind)

check out the bostons at:

 

Simon,

My 2p's worth...

I opted for a Pioneer DEH-P7100 CD(the one with, erm, dolphins on it). You should be able to pick one up fairly cheap, nice head unit with steering wheel remote control, removable facia etc.

Speaker-wise I went for Pioneer TS-E series speakers all round, nice thing with them is that they are a direct replacement and go in just great, they are ok, if a little harsh on the top end, components would be better.

I also got a sub and amp with free wiring kit from Quantum in coventry for £270 with may push you a bit above your budget but is worth it imho. The sub and amp is rockford fosgate stuff too, which is nice

If you go for something like that I am sure you'll be happy with it and it doesn't cost an arm and a leg.

ta,
Matt.

 

Simon, is the £500 budget 'it' or are you likely to want to add another x hundred quid's worth in a couple of month's time?

Makes a big difference, hence chiark's comment about adding the sub later.

 

Ian,

Got my Nakamichi in Newcastle for £425 (e-mail me if you want details).

Does sound very good, clear and defined sounds throughout the range, even with the standard speakers. So long as you don't want it too loud. But then that would spoil the sound of the decatted exhaust and I don't want that

Simon,

I'd just get a very good quality head unit and see if that does you before looking at speakers etc. But I suppose it depends on how loud you like your music to be

DaveW

[This message has been edited by DaveW (edited 07 March 2001).]

 

Si i am using the standard addzest head unit in mine (which i might say has more gadgets than my old kenwood mask )and ive just bought a second hand phoenix gold 5 channel amp and 2 boxed and ported pioneer 10" subs and the sound it awesome all in all it cost me 225 quid mustn't grumble