(What) Aftermarket car audio?

[10AE]

Couldn't see a car audio section on here so hopefully this is the right place to post!

My 306 came with an old Sony CD player that is half hanging out of the dash. It works well enough (i.e. it plays CDs) but the sound quality is not so good. Anyone who has driven an XUD powered Peugeot will realise why I would like a nice audio setup.

I don't want something that will shatter glass at 100 paces, I just want something I can play my collection at a decent volume with little distortion. Previous cars I've owned (Volvo S60, Nissan Primera SVE) have had excellent standard stereos with amps and subs which were excellent.

I'd like a head unit that has USB connectivity so I can load my songs onto a memory stick an plug and play. My collection is in MP3, WMA and AAC so something that will recognise and play all three formats is required.

I'd like some base, but not to bang out 'Club Choons', merely emphasise the lower ranges of my tracks. Definition without distortion is the aim.

I realise my budget is tiny and it will be a budget setup. However, I know nothing about car audio and don't want to entrust this to a spotty oik from Halfords.

So, on a budget of £250.. what would you suggest for my humble 306?

[anonymous-user]

If it were me I would look for an Alpine head unit that can chuck out 60w a channel

Get a decent ish set of speakers for the front and a small amp and sub

Be a squeeze at £250 though but some smart use of the web, Gumtree EBay etc might see you here

Try the non motoring classifieds on here too

[v8will]

Something from Alpine probably, they may even do a connector to link into the steering wheel volume control.

I've had the same Alpine unit for the past 6 years in a number of cars and although it's outdated now it still sounds excellent.

[Deluded]

http://www.caraudiodirect.co.uk/jbl-gt5-a402e.html

http://www.caraudiodirect.co.uk/jbl-gt5-650c.html

http://www.caraudiodirect.co.uk/fli-audio-ak8-8awg...

http://www.caraudiodirect.co.uk/sony-cdxgt35u.html

That lot should be in budget. Pretty much the system I installed into a friends car last year. He had £250 to play with too and thats pretty much what I got him. He used to listen to rock. Stuff like linken park etc. Sounded very nice through them.

The comps are basic but for the money are probably the best in their class. Obviously not hugely bassy as but hold there own and will be much better than the standard speakers in any car.

The amp is pretty much ideal for the comps. Good price too and its a neat little amp. Tiny little thing.

Head unit is ideal. pretty basic but a good budget unit. Supports USB and all the formats you need I believe. Much better than some of the other budget brands.

The wiring kit will be fine for the amp.

Only thing I would suggest you add on top is a small active sub. a small 8 or 10 inch will be a good bet. Active so its just plug and play. Will just give that extra range to the music that the comps just can't handle. If you've ever owned a car with a sub, you'll not want to go without again.

Obviously installation comes down to sound quality too. Mounting them straight to the doors in the original points will reduce quality and might even lower performance and increase distortion. A tidy MDF ring and a bit of sound deadening can do amazing things without even replacing the stock speakers.

Edited by Deluded on Friday 1st April 20:27

[anonymous-user]

Head Unit

http://www.caraudiocentre.co.uk/product_m-alpine-c...

Speakers

http://www.caraudiocentre.co.uk/product_m-alpine-s...

Amp

http://www.caraudiocentre.co.uk/product_m-alpine-s...

Sub

http://www.caraudiocentre.co.uk/product_m-sony-xs-...

I think I'm slightly over but it was a quick search

ETA: I was also soundly beaten

[Deluded]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

Headunit wattage is irrelevant if using an amp. Plus, the rated wattage on a head unit will be max power. a quoted 60w per channel head unit is probably only putting out 3-5w RMW per channel, if that.

[anonymous-user]

Deluded said:

Headunit wattage is irrelevant if using an amp. Plus, the rated wattage on a head unit will be max power. a quoted 60w per channel head unit is probably only putting out 3-5w RMW per channel, if that.

Kick a man when he's down

[Deluded]

Heh, wasn't trying to make a fool of you. Just something a lot of people overlook. It's all a marketing ploy by the manufacturers. Big numbers sell, even though they are irrelevant.

[10AE]

Deluded said:

http://www.caraudiodirect.co.uk/jbl-gt5-a402e.html

http://www.caraudiodirect.co.uk/jbl-gt5-650c.html

http://www.caraudiodirect.co.uk/fli-audio-ak8-8awg...

http://www.caraudiodirect.co.uk/sony-cdxgt35u.html

That lot should be in budget. Pretty much the system I installed into a friends car last year. He had £250 to play with too and thats pretty much what I got him. He used to listen to rock. Stuff like linken park etc. Sounded very nice through them.

The head unit you link to is the one I had my eye on when I first did a bit of browsing - the colours even match the car!

I presume I'd need two sets of the speakers one set for the doors, one for the parcel shelf speakers?

Where does one usually mount the amp on an in car setup? Where is the power taken from? (I assume it needs power!).

How would you wire in the amp if you are not using the standard plug on the back of the head unit. I presume it would be HU > Amp > Speakers, making much of the existing wiring redundant?

Could I add a sub at a later date if I felt it needed it?

I used to be quite into my home separates, but have no clue when it comes to basic car audio stuff, as you can probably tell.

[Deluded]

10AE said:

The head unit you link to is the one I had my eye on when I first did a bit of browsing - the colours even match the car!

I presume I'd need two sets of the speakers one set for the doors, one for the parcel shelf speakers?

Where does one usually mount the amp on an in car setup? Where is the power taken from? (I assume it needs power!).

How would you wire in the amp if you are not using the standard plug on the back of the head unit. I presume it would be HU > Amp > Speakers, making much of the existing wiring redundant?

Could I add a sub at a later date if I felt it needed it?

I used to be quite into my home separates, but have no clue when it comes to basic car audio stuff, as you can probably tell.

Might be worth getting an electrically minded mate to help out if it's something you've never tackled before. If you were closer I would lend a hand for a few beers but you're not, so I can't. Wouldn't want a bit of dodgy wiring to end in fireballs...

Anyway, the head unit is pretty good. It's basic but does what you want. The only downside is that it lacks extra pre-outs for adding extra amps etc. There are ways around this with splitter cables but the best way is always to have dedicated outputs for each amp.

Speaker wise, the best to replace (especially on a budget) would be the fronts. It's best to have the sound stage in front of you rather than from behind. Rear speakers could be a nice upgrade in the future but provide nothing more than fill. Having the speakers up front will give you a better sound. You dont need rear speakers.

Most people mount the amp in the boot but a small amp like that can be mounted under the passenger seat or somewhere up front. All they really need is some breathing space. They take power from the battery directly and need to be earthed to the chassis somewhere (an existing earth point is fine).

An amp has 3 "power" cables. 12v+, GND and Remote. The 12v+ goes to the positive on the battery. The GND goes to an earthing point on the chassis. The Remote goes to the remote cable on the back of the head unit (all aftermarket units have these, pretty much always the blue wire). The remote lead tells the amp to turn on and off with the head unit.

The amp gets its sound from the Pre-outs on the back of the head unit. They are also refered to RCA-outs. They are the red/white plugs you get on TVs/stereos etc. You use an RCA cable to connect between the head unit and the amp. The standard speaker cables are redundant when using an amp. There are then normal speaker cable outputs on the amp which then run to the speakers.

As for adding a sub, you could yes. The head unit is limited to one pre-out but you could split this signal using a splitter cable allowing you to run another amp off of one signal. Its not the best thing to do (sound quality wise) but is perfectly acceptable and tbh, you probably won't notice much difference anyway. Doing it this way, you could buy an active sub or a second amp to run along side the first.

Alternatively (if you know you want to add a sub later) you could go for a 4 channel amp now instead of the 2. This will save all the extra wiring when you want to add a sub. All you will need to do is connect the sub up to the amp and off it goes. No power cables to run etc. Something like this - http://www.caraudiodirect.co.uk/jbl-gt5-a604e.html... You would run the front speakers off channels 1-2 and bridge a sub over 3-4. One of these : http://www.caraudiodirect.co.uk/jbl-gto804.html in a box would be tight and puncy, not boomy, and suit the amp and comps nicely.

There are guides around on the net to help you. It's a pretty easy thing to do but will take all day if you want to make a good job of it. Also helps if you can solder to tidy up connections instead of using blocks etc. Taking the trim out and running wires is the longest part!

Hope that helps

Edited by Deluded on Friday 1st April 21:30

[anonymous-user]

Is it right that you want to run the RCA on a separate side of the car to stop interference or is that a myth?

[Dr Doofenshmirtz]

I've got one of the Ripspeed DVD players from Halfords - I can highly recommend them, they're excellent.
They play pretty much everything (DVD, MP3, DivX etc) and have an SD and USB slots. You won't need separate amps either.

ETA - this one. http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/...
For £90 you'd be nuts to buy anything else.

Edited by Dr Doofenshmirtz on Friday 1st April 21:41

[Deluded]

Yes, definatly run them separate.

Always best to run the power cables down one side and sound cables down the other. Might not always happen but you tend to find that if you run them down the same side, you get a buzzing sound that changes pitch along with the reving of the engine. A poor earth doesn't help much either.

Definatly worth making the effort to separate the wires and run them down separate sides. Saves having to take out all the interior again to re run them if you do get interference!

[Deluded]

10AE said:

Good call. I've a friend who used to install in-car systems so I think I'll leave it to him rather than try it myself. I'm not too bad once I know what I'm doing but a little knowledge can be a dangerous thing!

I presume the additional sound quality from installing an amp is worth the expense/hassle rather than simply using the HU's inbuilt amp? I'm thinking it must be similar to the difference between a midi system and proper separates in a home hi-fi set up.

Thanks for the other info

Definatly worth it in my opinion. Some standard stereos aren't that bad but you will almost always get better quality out of a well installed aftermarket setup. Install it poorly though and you might end up with worse. You will get better results running aftermarket speakers over standard ones but they will be even better if run from an amp.

From a spec point of view, if you buy some aftermarket comps, they will probably be designed to run between 40-60w RMS. A head unit will only put out around 3-5w rms tops. Buying an amp allows you to give the speakers the wattage they are designed for and so they will perform better as long as they are installed properly.

Plus, you can't run a sub without an amp and the difference between having a sub and not is like chalk and cheese.

[cheadle hulme]

Why doesn't PH have a car audio sub forum?

We can get advice on everything from photography to bridge design, but the thing car users use every day? Nope.

I'm sure there are other forums, its just I'd rather PH was there for these things.

OP - Aldi had a great spec USB compatible unit for £70 or so a few weeks ago.

[Deluded]

Dr Doofenshmirtz said:

I've got one of the Ripspeed DVD players from Halfords - I can highly recommend them, they're excellent.
They play pretty much everything (DVD, MP3, DivX etc) and have an SD and USB slots. You won't need separate amps either.

ETA - this one. http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/...
For £90 you'd be nuts to buy anything else.

Edited by Dr Doofenshmirtz on Friday 1st April 21:41

Most people will think you're daft. Especially a lot of audio enthusiasts.

I don't though. I probably wouldn't buy one myself as there are other units for the same price that I would prefer to buy.

Ripspeed and other cheaper units are very well speced for there price and for just normal every day use will be fine. They don't tend to last as long as a better branded or more expensive unit though and sometimes the software can be buggy, as can the hardware be buggy but they tend to be hit and miss. The software can also be a bit cumbersome to use sometimes compared to some of the more expensive units.

All I can really say is to have a play around and buy what you like. Can't go wrong with that.

[uncinquesei]

Thank you. Just the sort of clear helpful, jargon free advice i have spent hours looking for. Will be changing stereo in Alfa when i can afford it and have now bookmarked this in readiness.
Thanks again.

[Deluded]

No probs!

Feel free ask if you need any help. It's something I could blabber on about all day!