Sound System Upgrade

[eeyoreish]

Since one of my rear speakers has now officially shuffled off this mortal coil and the general sound quality in my Esprit is woeful I've decided that I need to upgrade things a little...

I'm already planning to remove all of the interior trim and carpets in the next few months for a full, back to original spec renovation so this seems like the ideal opportunity to sort out the sound system at the same time.

I'm not looking for any Halfords bass boxes or massive subs, just something sensible and hidden that gives me decent sound quality so I can turn up The Eagles nice & loud now and again without any distortion 

I already have a good JVC CD head unit so what I want to do is replace all 4 speakers with something more 'substantial' and add an amp to drive them better and give me a nice clear sound.

My current thoughts are:

4 new speakers in the 100W range (6.5" subs in the rear, 4" mid ranges in the dash)

Suitable amp (ideally concealed under the passenger seat)

Upgraded speaker wires

(Possibly) CD changer in the boot

I'm also thinking about one small concession to 'non-standard' by fitting a couple of tweeters into the rear screen surround, which I've seen on a couple of GT3s and seems like a neat little addition.

There seems to be very little on the web and here on the Forum about peoples experiences with specific speakers and amps so I'd appreciate any feedback or advice while I'm in the planning stage.

I also had a look at what was supplied as OE in the Special Edition Esprits and found that they only had 45W and 60W speakers, which seems a bit puny for an 'upgraded' system?

I don't have a massive budget for this so I want to plan it carefully then try and pick up some decent equipment new or second hand over the next few weeks.

All advice gratefully received!

[mdw]

I doubt you will get anything under the seat but you might behind it on the bulkhead. I have a thin kenwood active sub behind the passinger seat .I would not bother with a cd changer. As a non cd head unit is cheap small and can take a massive amount of tracks on usb or and sd card. If it's had lots of rear speakers you may need to chop out a section of the ply fit new and cut. New holes .

[mdw]

With an na the fuel pump bolts through with 3 bolts you access from behind the passenger seat and the wiring for it is under the carpet and sound deadening as well. So if you do mount an amp there make it easy to remove.

[eeyoreish]

Thanks for the advice Malcolm.

I can't afford to lose any legroom (I'm 6'1") so if I can't squeeze an amp under the passenger seat it'll have to go in the boot space, which is less ideal. When I get a chance I'll have a look at what space is available and the likely size of an amp although I agree it's going to be tight if it's possible at all...

[Alex Carter]

I'd recomend a set of 6 4 and tweeters a digital rockford rail amp and a jl flat range sub audio is my business and with this kit it will sound amazing

[eeyoreish]

Thanks Alex.

My rears are 6.5" and the dash speakers are 4" and I'd like to stay with these standard sizes for a stock look, although I don't mind adding tweeters as I mentioned, probably in the rear window frame. I don't have door speakers like the later Esprits and don't want to add any.

Do you think the basic set up I described in my first post would work well ( bass in the back, mid ranges in the front) and am I overdoing it going for 100w speakers when something more conservative would be more than adequate??

I know the Esprit cabin and speaker positions aren't ideal but I want to make the best of what I have to work with.

I've seen a reasonably priced 4x 100w JVC amp that I might go for unless you'd advise against their kit?

Just need to find some suitable speakers then to match to it. 100w rms 4" speakers don't seem easy to find...

Like everyone I guess, I want a 'decent' system but I'm on a budget and don't need anything too extreme.

[ramjet]

Don't you want to go awesome big sub and have what we call a 'doof doof' car?

 

Chicken. 

Excellent choice in the Eagles by the way.

[eeyoreish]

Like rock, paper, scissors - Eagles beats chickens.

 

As I said in the original post, I want something sensible and not something that can only be enjoyed with your baseball cap on backwards...

[ramjet]

You might set a new trend though.

Oh wait. It's already been done, hasn't it.

[eeyoreish]

By every Citroen Saxo driver I see....

[ramjet]

I had to google that. They are a bit bland, aren't they? Who told all these people that your hat on backwards and your arse showing above your pants belt are a good look anyway?

[fjmuurling]

How about fitting the amp in the front of the car?

[eeyoreish]

It's a possibility but the problem is finding a suitable surface to mount it onto. The front boot is full of spare wheel, curves and awkward spaces and I don't want to start fabricating something that's going to swallow up what little space there is in there.

[fjmuurling]

My amp and cd changer are in the boot between the rearlights. it is a nice place but cabling the whole setup will give you some "fun". I can send you some pictures next week if you like.

[swindon_alan]

My Esprit came fitted with an XTRONS Chinese head unit, mainly because it had a tiny touch screen that could be used for a reversing camera that the previous owner installed. Not very good sound quality I have to say. As I have recently got the car back from repair I'm putting an Alpine head unit in, as being more original - although I don't want a cassette player or a CD changer as in 1996 technology! I've gone for a secondhand CDE-9880R which is the same as I have in one of my other vehicles, it just makes it easier not having to learn a whole new set of buttons and knobs. I set my other Alpine up with a USB socket for MP3s on a stick plus the optional iPod interface. However, I'm moving on with this one in the media department and have bought the Alpine KCE-400BT Bluetooth interface kit. As my smartphone is loaded with most of my music I can stream it from that (I'm putting in a powered cradle for the phone as well). It also means that I can use the head unit for hands-free calls with the remote microphone and car speakers.

 

Not sure what model your JVC is, but is it extensible? It might have native Bluetooth if it is recent. Just an idea!

 

On another note, I have reworked the oddments bin to take a 4.3" display for the reversing camera and as the space inside is  now redundant I have slotted the Bluetooth adapter in with the connectors available through holes in the back.

 

 

 

 

[eeyoreish]

My amp and cd changer are in the boot between the rearlights. it is a nice place but cabling the whole setup will give you some "fun". I can send you some pictures next week if you like.

Yes please! Some photos of your install would be great.

Also to know the make, sizes, details & specs of the amp and speakers etc you chose would be really useful.

[eeyoreish]

Not sure what model your JVC is, but is it extensible? It might have native Bluetooth if it is recent. Just an idea!

My JVC is from the '90s too so it's 'period correct' for my Esprit but dates from a time when Bluetooth was just something you got from eating too many penny chews... 

I'm a relative I.C.E dummy so is it possible to connect a USB adaptor to any head unit or would it need to have been designed to take one (i.e have a relevant plug on the back)? I quite like the idea of not having a CD changer and (like my Audi) playing music from a stick or SD card source...

[swindon_alan]

What's the model number Neil? Let me know and I will have a dig around and find out for you. Let's get you into the 2010's...

[eeyoreish]

Personally I'm still somewhere in the 80's so that's quite a leap...

OK, I'll check the exact model at the weekend and let you know.

[Chillidoggy]

This might solve the issue of not having anywhere to mount a sub woofer?

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Pioneer-TS-WX610A-Bandpass-Spare-Subwoofer/dp/B003USW08E

[swindon_alan]

Ha ha, only if you want to blow the bloody bonnet off..!!!

[eeyoreish]

This might solve the issue of not having anywhere to mount a sub woofer?

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Pioneer-TS-WX610A-Bandpass-Spare-Subwoofer/dp/B003USW08E

For the price, I assume a reversed baseball cap is included? Maybe even some low rise troosers... 

This is exactly the kind of thing I don't want!

[Chillidoggy]

Granted it's a bit expensive, but it matters not where you fit a sub to get the required effect because bass is non-directional. Space-wise, it's perfect, fitting in the redundant space in the spare.

Low-rise strides and arse-about-face baseball cap optional.

[swindon_alan]

For the price, I assume a reversed baseball cap is included? Maybe even some low rise troosers... 

This is exactly the kind of thing I don't want!

Neil, I found this photo of you on the Internet.

[eeyoreish]

Neil, I found this photo of you on the Internet.

Clearly you have too much time on your hands...

You could spend it designing me a decent sound system!