Thread: Defender Stereo Speakers

My recommendation is as follows, this is what I did for my parents 2001 Defender Extreme...

Pioneer or VDO make cheap 4inch splits for about $100... these are pretty simple to install and will fit into the factory holes. Just mount the tweeters on the dash. You will get NO low end out of 4 inch splits, especially since the enclosures in the dash aren't properly sealed so its best to forget about even bothering to try and get any bass out of the front. When I installed mine I put raven tape (the foam type used to seal doors) between the bass driver and the dashboard to stop any vibrations and reduce air leakage from the side of the speaker as much as I could.

Get a new headunit which has a high pass filter built into the head unit and set the filter to high pass at 100hz. What does this mean? it means your headunit wont output most of the lower bass frequencies to the speakers and this means you will get a bit more output from them without distorting. A cheap pioneer unit with high pass can be had for about $200... they usually have options for ipod cables and an mp3 capable CD unit which means lots of music for touring.

Now to the back of the car and getting some bass... installing 6x9's in boxes is a bit pointless... why? because these size speakers need a decent size enclosure to produce bass, prefab boxes are pretty small and wont give you great bass, also because they have a big cabin to fill you loose alot of the sound... also running these off a headunit with the amount of noise in a defender generally yields quite average results as the speakers have to compete over the noise and also they are a fair way back in the car so they wont be as loud as the front speakers. You can end up damaging speakers by running them too loud just to overcome the engine noise.

So back to bass, JB, Repco and Autobahn sell a brand of subwoofer called Fusion. They have 10 inch self amplified tube subwoofer - this sub has its own amp, produces quite decent bass and can be easily disconnected if you need the storage room. They are usually rated about 100 watts RMS. Install the sub in the back of the defender and either mount it permanently or affix it using heavy duty velcro for easy removal. You will need to run a pair of stereo RCA leads up to the head unit from the sub and provide the sub with a power source. These units are usually about $200 but can be had on special for about $150. They have plugs at the subwoofer end to allow for easy removal.

To complete the picture... a nice set of small or 5 1/4's mounted in the back in small boxes will provide a bit of rear fill in the cabin, these arent necessary but do give you a bit more sound..

For about $600 you can put in a setup which provides good bass and reasonably good sound in the front... there is no point going too 'premium' in a Defender due to road noise,etc.. what you are looking for is to get the maximum out of the cabin speakers connected to the head unit (with the high pass) and some good low end bass which the subwoofer will provide.

Hope this helps and apologies if its a bit rushed.

Andrew

I hope this info helps.

Thanks for the info but already have my eye on speakers be a sub. Looking at an 8" sub slimline enclosure. As for cabin noise the puma is quite quiet at crusing speeds. Looking at alpine head unit with 4" speakers in the factory holes the sub enclosure that will hopefully fit under rear seats and I'm not bothering with rear speakers no point.
Although I'm no expert at audio set up, I do know a bit as I read up before phil helped me fit up my twin amp twin sub Rockford set up in my discovery

Originally Posted by astormsau

My recommendation is as follows, this is what I did for my parents 2001 Defender Extreme...

Pioneer or VDO make cheap 4inch splits for about $100... these are pretty simple to install and will fit into the factory holes. Just mount the tweeters on the dash. You will get NO low end out of 4 inch splits, especially since the enclosures in the dash aren't properly sealed so its best to forget about even bothering to try and get any bass out of the front. When I installed mine I put raven tape (the foam type used to seal doors) between the bass driver and the dashboard to stop any vibrations and reduce air leakage from the side of the speaker as much as I could.

Get a new headunit which has a high pass filter built into the head unit and set the filter to high pass at 100hz. What does this mean? it means your headunit wont output most of the lower bass frequencies to the speakers and this means you will get a bit more output from them without distorting. A cheap pioneer unit with high pass can be had for about $200... they usually have options for ipod cables and an mp3 capable CD unit which means lots of music for touring.

Now to the back of the car and getting some bass... installing 6x9's in boxes is a bit pointless... why? because these size speakers need a decent size enclosure to produce bass, prefab boxes are pretty small and wont give you great bass, also because they have a big cabin to fill you loose alot of the sound... also running these off a headunit with the amount of noise in a defender generally yields quite average results as the speakers have to compete over the noise and also they are a fair way back in the car so they wont be as loud as the front speakers. You can end up damaging speakers by running them too loud just to overcome the engine noise.

So back to bass, JB, Repco and Autobahn sell a brand of subwoofer called Fusion. They have 10 inch self amplified tube subwoofer - this sub has its own amp, produces quite decent bass and can be easily disconnected if you need the storage room. They are usually rated about 100 watts RMS. Install the sub in the back of the defender and either mount it permanently or affix it using heavy duty velcro for easy removal. You will need to run a pair of stereo RCA leads up to the head unit from the sub and provide the sub with a power source. These units are usually about $200 but can be had on special for about $150. They have plugs at the subwoofer end to allow for easy removal.

To complete the picture... a nice set of small or 5 1/4's mounted in the back in small boxes will provide a bit of rear fill in the cabin, these arent necessary but do give you a bit more sound..

For about $600 you can put in a setup which provides good bass and reasonably good sound in the front... there is no point going too 'premium' in a Defender due to road noise,etc.. what you are looking for is to get the maximum out of the cabin speakers connected to the head unit (with the high pass) and some good low end bass which the subwoofer will provide.

Hope this helps and apologies if its a bit rushed.

Andrew

I hope this info helps.

Thank you to all that have posted in this thread. On yur advice I have just squeezed yet another deal out of Ebay with some VDO 4" speakers with tweeters to mount remotely. They are only 60W but they'll do as I'm really only after some back ground music and the news while I'm doing the fencing etc.

Thanks again everyone and happy motoring.

Cheers,

Rohan.

TSD1002R D Series 4" could be the way forward. They have excellent reviews and I am about to order a pair to replace the front speakers in my 2012 Defender. As we all know the factory fitted speakers are diabolical at best. I will let you know how the TSD1002R perform once fitted. At $130 each they blooming well should upscale the acoustics of my Clarion head unit!

Astormsau and others,
Thanks for that info. Great recommendations.
I have just installed a head unit in an extention on the front of the dash with 6" Fusion splits (tweeters on the dash) into the door pockets of my Perentie with home built boxes inside the pockets to enclose them.
I can already hear the roars of "you wont be able to hear it above the 4BD1" etc etc but I have completely rebuilt the cabin including a ute single cab, headlining, door linings, floor and firewall all with sound deadening and marine carpet. It is substantially quieter than it was under canvas!!
The result is pleasing but as Astormau said lacks bass.
I have seen the Fusion subwoofer at Super.... and am now thinking about mounting it behind the seats. Thanks !!
I haven't taken any photos yet but I will soon.
Regards,
Phil B