Thread: Upgrading basic LR stereo

Hi Mate,
Are you keeping the original head unit? Good quality speakers will improve the sound quality but I think you would have to change the wiring to get the best results, running an amp will also help but not needed if you match your speakers to head unit output. I am yet to install my upgraded speakers and amp, but I have installed some Dynamat into all doors and gives a much more solid sound to the door.
Cheers Matt

Thanks for you response Matt.
Dynamat looks a great idea, but will probably not bother with it at this stage.
Is the road noise noticeably less?
If I could find a 1.5DIN head unit I liked, I would be keen to swap it out. Unfortunately they are like hens teeth.
I take it, from your comments that you can't wire in an amp using existing wiring.
What type of speakers and amp were you planning to install?
Sorry for all the questions, I'm a bit new to the hi-fi scene
Cheers,
biggin

Hi Biggin,
The standard head unit is only single din, nearly everyone at first believes it is a 1.5 din, but only the face is larger, the actual mounting hole is single din and the fittings behind the stereo are fairly standard ISO plugs I believe. After market speakers work best with larger speaker wires because they are less resistive, the standard wires are very thin and no after market speakers will match the plugs on the standard wiring. You probably can wire an amp in with the standard wiring but you would have to run new power cables to the battery, I was just going to run new wires. I bought nearly two years ago some new infinity split speakers for the front and an amp but have not yet got around to fitting because I wanted to install a dual battery set up first to run the amp off. If you want to upgrade the speakers then spend most of your money on splits for the front as you don't want too much sound coming from behind you, the idea is to have the sound stage in front of you like going to a concert. The dynamat does reduce the ambient noise inside but also gives the doors a nice heavy thud sound when closing, I am going to install it in the rear panels as well because it is only a single skin of metal that is open to road noise from under the car. If you want some more info on car audio have a read of the following website under FAQs, it is good for understanding the basics:
Fhrx Studios - Audio / Visual Specialists

Cheers Matt

I recently replaced my Harman/Kardon front speakers and amplifier and bought a Kenwood stereo, amplifier and splits for the front. What a difference! I ran the battery cable from the fuse box near the battery to the new amp under the passenger seat and earthed it where the new amp mounts near the seat mounts. The splits were a bit of work, especially the tweeters. The amp powers the front splits and the rear 6" subwoofers whilst the stereo powers the rear passenger doors. It's still an unfinished project as I have to replace the back speakers and the HK subs in the tailgate.