ICE Advice ?

[Fat Audi 80]

Right then so here's the current plan - after mulling over many options - not all discussed here. I am definitely going to tackle this in stages to spread the cost, the time required to do it and to somewhat more objectively describe any benefits.

0 - Rip out the old Sony shyte and tidy up the wiring in the dashboard...

1 - New head unit (prolly that Alpine CDE-9874RR and its iPod adapter), fitted along with new front speakers (Pioneer or Hertz for example). This head unit has enough line-out jacks for me to expand if necessary with further amps etc.

2 - Upgrade the rear speakers - probably MB Quart 213 or similar when I can confirm if they will fit normal location

3 - Add a sub unit - prolly that compact Alpine one which might fit in the rear cubby slot - or corner of boot if all else fails

Hoping to have that all done for about £300-350 in three easy chunks.

See here: http://www.s2forum.com/forum/showpos...7&postcount=32

[S2central.net]

Aye your all wild clever... Please forgive for not knowing anything about the stereo system on a car I've owned for 7 yrs... Other than it sounded shyte... I just aint thought about it until it stopped playing CDs last weekend. I needed to weigh up some options in my head before I could see straight.

Thank goodness things like turbo selection are so much more objective when the requirements are clearly stated.

[Fat Audi 80]

I was merely pointing out that you had come to a sensible conclusion considering all the differing advice there was available.

You are right of course, there is so much more conjecture and opinion with sounds, whereas with a Turbo you can prove your point on the dyno!

Cheers,

Steve

[johne]

Paul,

Agree with your final choice which is actually very close to mine except I have a Blaupunkt head unit - Washington from 10 years back - partly because you can alter the display colour from deep red to orange to green in fine steps andso match the rest of the car exactly.

For the rear speakers use Sony XSF1325. They fit, I have them in there. They sound good and a great improvement over the OEM Nokia rubbish and they cost under 20 pounds from Amazon delivered.

John

[S2central.net]

Cheers John - I'll get a look/listen to those - seem very cheap though... Any difficulty fitting them ?

IIRC there is some weird twist fit on the rears - I assume those ears slide straight in then or is any cutting/tweaking required ?

Just realised these coaxial 2-way jobs could make the rear parcel tweeters a bit redundant though and that maybe a mid/woof speaker in the rear trim is better. Then again - for 20 quid plug and play and leave the old tweeters disconnected it could be really quick and easy - seeing as my rears sound woeful.

[johne]

To fit

Remove the side panel & the old speaker
Remove the star washers holding the galvanised panel & front cover in place & fold down the panel.
Glue the new speaker to the galvanised panel using silicon/gasket maker & allow to set
Offer up to the panel & speaker back to the side panel & relieve the openning in the side panel as necessary - I had to remove a few mm at one point using tin-snips
Reattach the galvanised panel & front cover to the side panel replacing the star washers. Use more silicon or sticky foam to ensure an airtight seal between the speaker and the side panel - this bit is important.

Graham in Oz did a good post on the same topic but he fitted bigger speakers so had to do extensive mods to the galvanised panel including fitting nutserts and much more work.

As you comment, what to do with the OE tweeter. I took advantage of the fact that Audi route the wiring to the tweeter via the plug/sockets on the speaker. I hacked those off the old speaker and reused them. The wire loop is in series with the tweeter so I extended it up to a minature toggle switch I mounted down inside the pocket in the side panel so I can either switch in the OE tweeters to the sound or not.

Having said that, I've found the sound fine with them off. The sound is excellent and much better than the fronts because the speakers are bigger giving better bass and you can create a speaker enclosure by sealing them to the side panel.

John

[S2central.net]

Nice simple info there Johne - Thanks !

[S2central.net]

Been thinking about this one again - always dangerous - missing some tunes in the car of late.

I still aim to do this for a reasonable sum of money. I see that the Alpine range has moved on again but prices are OK. Think I'll avoid the exotic speakers from the likes of MB Quart.

Current hitlist for me looks like --->

Alpine CDE-9882Ri (includes iPod cable and is red/blue switchable illumination) - about GBP150

Hertz DCX-100 for the front - about GBP40

Hertz DSK-130 for the rear as a two piece component - about GBP70

I might add a sub later on... But this should give me a mighty upgrade on the old orrible system - without breaking the piggybank. I know it won't be up to audiophile quality at this price, but still a plentiful benefit for me.

[borderS2]

Sorted!

Glad to see you've got somewhere with this.

Did you have a CD changer in the boot? does the original loom have the coaxial cable for audio from the changer? If it does you could make an adapter to link this to the Sub output on the head unit, sending a signal to the boot to be ready for a boom box.

The one weakness I see in your choice is the front speakers. They will not like full volume abuse for long. Leave the backs til later and spend a little more on the fronts.

Dane

[europeanme]

Paul,
Did you upgrade you system with any of the above equipment??...if you did, I was wondering how you got on....

Cheers Mike

[S2central.net]

Not spending a penny more on my fricking car until the water leak is fixed. I am at my wits end with it now... Too many hours dicking about with hoses, sealant and such. Thankfully I haven't wasted a penny on any audio gear for the car. Piece of crap...