Tuscan 1 Speakers
Discussion
On the few occasions I listen to music, the quality of sound is crap at the volumes needed to out-do the engine!
As I don't use it that much, I don't want to spend stupid money on it where it could be better used on other upgrades, just really want to improve the bass without going to the extent of fitting an amp and sub.
So what is the easiest way to improve it? - The head unit is a reasonable quality hi-power JVC CD unit, so I suspect the speakers are the obvious weak point.
Would better speakers in the existing place help much? has anyone fitted bigger/better ones in the rear panel - is this possible without comprimising something?
Any advice/experiences appreciated....
As I don't use it that much, I don't want to spend stupid money on it where it could be better used on other upgrades, just really want to improve the bass without going to the extent of fitting an amp and sub.
So what is the easiest way to improve it? - The head unit is a reasonable quality hi-power JVC CD unit, so I suspect the speakers are the obvious weak point.
Would better speakers in the existing place help much? has anyone fitted bigger/better ones in the rear panel - is this possible without comprimising something?
Any advice/experiences appreciated....
Edited by RPE11Y on Tuesday 16th December 09:19
I'm not convinced there's any alternative in the Tuscan to fitting a decent amp. Your head unit won't have the power to drive speakers to the sort of volumes needed without distorting, regardless of what it says on the specs. Here's a long winded answer as an alternative to the usual "go to a chap called Carl" (which is also a good answer, I hasten to add)...
When I got my Tuscan it had a basic "50w" Pioneer head unit, 4" Pioneer speakers in the rear side panels, and 5.5" speakers in cutouts in the rear bulkhead. Sound was pretty uninspiring even when stationary, let alone at 70mph on the motorway. Harsh treble, no mid range, and any bass just made everything vbrate and distort
There were a couple of issues to address. The side speakers were horrible and harsh, so I replaced them with a set of 4" MB Quart Reference components in the same locations. The main improvement was to set them so they only handle mid and high frequencies, as they're not big enough to do meaningful bass.
To get some bass, I fitted a couple of Genesis 6x9 subs in the rear panel, set to only handle mid and low frequencies. I originally put these in the same place as the stock speakers, but the magnets fouled the fuel tank, and the fibreglass panel just isn't rigid enough. A sheet of MDF carefully cut and covered in black carpet now sits about 3" proud of the rear bulkhead, with the speakers mounted securely to that. Because of the overhang above this panel you can't tell that anything has changed, unless you are very familiar with the Tuscan interior.
The last problem is that all the sound ends up behind you. To compensate, I put a couple of little 3.5" Infinity speakers in custom pods on the dash shelf. Copying a few people on here, I made them them from the cardboard tube from a bottle of decent malt, covered in dynamat and black carpet. Again, because they're small speakers, they are high-passed at about 120Hz to avoid distortion.
Finally, the speakers I used need a hefty amount of power, especially the Genesis subs and the MB Quarts. I put a Genesis Profile 4 in the boot; it's tiny for an amp of its power, fitting neatly on the left of the fuel tank. The speakers on the shelf are the only ones driven from the head unit.
All in I paid about £500 for the bits, through creative use of eBay and online sales. The sound is now nicely balaced, goes loud enough to hear with the roof off on the motorway, and there's even enough bass so that it doesn't sound like an AM radio when moving at more than 20mph. It won't win any awards, mainly because the stereo imaging is all over the place, but the Tuscan cabin is small enough for that not to really matter.
If I had to suggest a bare minimum, I'd fit better 4" coaxial speakers or components in the stock locations, a set of mid/bass drivers in the rear panel (but be prepared to need at least some spacers or even MDF reinforcement), and a good amp. I believe Carl does exactly this, but the Tuscan is a very easy car to work on yourself. All the trim is easily removed and re-glued in place, so it's no problem to route wiring around the car if you're methodical about it. It's very easy to get wiring from the battery compartment, along the sills, then up behind the seatbelt straight into the boot. If you're even remotely competent at DIY you'll get a lot of satisfaction, end up with something you really understand, and save a load of money into the bargain.
Pete
When I got my Tuscan it had a basic "50w" Pioneer head unit, 4" Pioneer speakers in the rear side panels, and 5.5" speakers in cutouts in the rear bulkhead. Sound was pretty uninspiring even when stationary, let alone at 70mph on the motorway. Harsh treble, no mid range, and any bass just made everything vbrate and distort
There were a couple of issues to address. The side speakers were horrible and harsh, so I replaced them with a set of 4" MB Quart Reference components in the same locations. The main improvement was to set them so they only handle mid and high frequencies, as they're not big enough to do meaningful bass.
To get some bass, I fitted a couple of Genesis 6x9 subs in the rear panel, set to only handle mid and low frequencies. I originally put these in the same place as the stock speakers, but the magnets fouled the fuel tank, and the fibreglass panel just isn't rigid enough. A sheet of MDF carefully cut and covered in black carpet now sits about 3" proud of the rear bulkhead, with the speakers mounted securely to that. Because of the overhang above this panel you can't tell that anything has changed, unless you are very familiar with the Tuscan interior.
The last problem is that all the sound ends up behind you. To compensate, I put a couple of little 3.5" Infinity speakers in custom pods on the dash shelf. Copying a few people on here, I made them them from the cardboard tube from a bottle of decent malt, covered in dynamat and black carpet. Again, because they're small speakers, they are high-passed at about 120Hz to avoid distortion.
Finally, the speakers I used need a hefty amount of power, especially the Genesis subs and the MB Quarts. I put a Genesis Profile 4 in the boot; it's tiny for an amp of its power, fitting neatly on the left of the fuel tank. The speakers on the shelf are the only ones driven from the head unit.
All in I paid about £500 for the bits, through creative use of eBay and online sales. The sound is now nicely balaced, goes loud enough to hear with the roof off on the motorway, and there's even enough bass so that it doesn't sound like an AM radio when moving at more than 20mph. It won't win any awards, mainly because the stereo imaging is all over the place, but the Tuscan cabin is small enough for that not to really matter.
If I had to suggest a bare minimum, I'd fit better 4" coaxial speakers or components in the stock locations, a set of mid/bass drivers in the rear panel (but be prepared to need at least some spacers or even MDF reinforcement), and a good amp. I believe Carl does exactly this, but the Tuscan is a very easy car to work on yourself. All the trim is easily removed and re-glued in place, so it's no problem to route wiring around the car if you're methodical about it. It's very easy to get wiring from the battery compartment, along the sills, then up behind the seatbelt straight into the boot. If you're even remotely competent at DIY you'll get a lot of satisfaction, end up with something you really understand, and save a load of money into the bargain.
Pete
I moved the std speakers from the rear sides to the front tray, and used the boxed in method above. The replace the side speakers with some decent 13cm ones which fit in, without the grilles however. But they look good without and are not in a place to get damaged. Find this works well in bring the sound stage forward and just running off the HU provide enough power.
I'll try to take some photos at the weekend, as long as I remember among the last minute Christmas shopping!
The cardboard tubes are fine for the front speakers, as long as you choose the right diameter. I wrapped mine inside and out with a layer of dynamat to up the weight a little, and also sealed them pretty tightly. There's no buzz or appreciable resonance, but I do have them high-passed pretty high using the crossovers in my headunit.
Radio reception is ok on FM and pretty good on DAB, using a boot mounted DAB tuner and bee sting aerial in the middle of the boot lid. I improved things a bit by sticking a big X of aluminium tape under the boot lid carpet, to which the aerial is earthed. That gives a bit of a ground plane which is otherwise lacking. Ironically the only problem I have with FM reception now is when I put the xenon headlights on; I've got huge capacitors across the input sides of the ballasts, but they still create enough RF noise to make the FM radio useless at night!
Cheers,
Pete
The cardboard tubes are fine for the front speakers, as long as you choose the right diameter. I wrapped mine inside and out with a layer of dynamat to up the weight a little, and also sealed them pretty tightly. There's no buzz or appreciable resonance, but I do have them high-passed pretty high using the crossovers in my headunit.
Radio reception is ok on FM and pretty good on DAB, using a boot mounted DAB tuner and bee sting aerial in the middle of the boot lid. I improved things a bit by sticking a big X of aluminium tape under the boot lid carpet, to which the aerial is earthed. That gives a bit of a ground plane which is otherwise lacking. Ironically the only problem I have with FM reception now is when I put the xenon headlights on; I've got huge capacitors across the input sides of the ballasts, but they still create enough RF noise to make the FM radio useless at night!
Cheers,
Pete
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