Upgrade Speakers.

skodaw · 03-08-2003, 22:35

We all know that the Skoda head units are pant's, and at some stage I will be upgrading, but in the mean time would like to replaced the speakers - would have to stick to standard location though as I don't want to cut any trim,

Anyone got experiance of particular speakers -- what's best for the standard locations ? -- they will need to be good as I intend to upgrade amplification as well -- at a much later date that is.

And last but not least -- where to get them from ?

shugz · 04-08-2003, 08:22

Hi,

As you might be aware Dave,I have been doing an upgrade of the pants Skoda/Grundig set-up.I am REALLY happy with the results and here is what I have installed (I mainly listen to guitar/rock etc):

Front speakers: Pioneer TSE1775's
Rear Speakers: Sony 13cm (can't remember model no. sorry possible 1236's! Rob??)
HU: Panasonic cq dfx783n

I am over the moon with the difference in sound quality between these and what was originally fitted to the car.Of course,there are many different way's to go with this and I'm sure the rest of the guys will be able to add their tuppence worth too.

The ICE suppliers linked to this site are also very keen with deals/prices etc so you should be able to save a bit than going to a local expert or Halfords (I know to my cost now!). Not sure of your location but would hazard a guess it isn't north of the border else I'd be more than happy for you to come over to have a listen.

Cheers
Hugh

P.S Liked the wheels/exhaust.......................(note to myself) where's that credit card??

**robmawer** · 04-08-2003, 09:19

I've upgraded to Infinity 652i (or something - search on Infinity will bring up details!) in the front, and Pioneer TS-G1316 in the rear, as well as disabling all my tweeters.
Went for the Infinity's as they came recommended on here, and would fit in the shallow space where the existing speakers were. I went for the Pioneers as they were the 13cm ones cheapest Halfords had...

As Hugh said, the links on this site are good for getting a bargain, but if you don't want the hassle of mail order than specialists and Halfords will be convenient at a price...

Rob.

redbaron · 04-08-2003, 09:34

i have gone for upgrade to sony xplod components in the front... and coaxials in the back... but im junking the rears and going 6x9?

**TaviaRS** · 04-08-2003, 09:38

Dave, couldn't you just "borrow" a Bose unit from an A3?

gunnie · 04-08-2003, 09:39

I've upgraded the fronts to Alpine SPS-170A, and the rears to Pioneer TS-H137. Both units fitted well, although the rears were a bit of squeeze under the grill but they went with a bit of push. Both sets of speakers have directional tweeters built in so the std tweeters have been disconnected.

A much better sound overall even with the std head unit.

I got mine from a local ICe dealer but only cos I wanted them that day, but they can be had for good prices over the net.

skodaw · 04-08-2003, 10:43

Quote:

Originally posted by TaviaRS in this post
Dave, couldn't you just "borrow" a Bose unit from an A3?

Hmm now theres a thought !

SkodiRS · 04-08-2003, 11:07

I got the Infinity 652i in the front and changed the head unit for a Blaupunkt Los Angeles MP72. Disconnected the rear tweeters but running standard rears; will probably gets some 6x9 Pioneers for that "nts, nts" factor.

The rear speakers aren't that bad upto a certain volume level however by disconnecting the rear tweeters, at lower volumes there is noticeable "gap" is sound reproduction.

I have the system slightly biased towards the rear speakers.

Dr Zoidberg · 09-08-2003, 16:12

I've got Kenwood dualmags components in the front (110 from bass-junkies) and some kenwood custom fit coax's from MCS for the back which came with the wiring adaptors.
They aren't particularly bass heavy but are much better than the factory fits , and I don't feed them any bass below 87 Hz as that all goes to the JBL sub in the boot :0)

skodaw · 09-08-2003, 16:46

Its no wonder we like to modify the ICE in our cars --- who would like to tell me how much a A4 door speaker costs ? £20 , £25 ? -- oh no -- a quite ludicrus £6.50 -- and it must cost £2 for the packaging it comes in !! -- how on earth can they make a decent sound for that money !

***ncarring*** · 10-08-2003, 00:45

Who gives a stuff?! It's in the CAR, for heaven's sake .......... somewhere you spend between 10 and 110 minutes a day unless you're really sad, like me ........

Quinten · 10-08-2003, 09:17

Nick, chill out dude

. It's all horses for courses. You like to spend £2.50 on a vent, someone else spends £250 on a better speaker...

***ncarring*** · 10-08-2003, 09:33

True. Sorry

**robmawer** · 11-08-2003, 11:57

Quote:

Originally posted by ncarring in this post
Who gives a stuff?! It's in the CAR, for heaven's sake .......... somewhere you spend between 10 and 110 minutes a day unless you're really sad, like me ........

But if you have a sound system you can't hear, you might as well have bought a car without one at all... :p
Admittedly there are limits to the fidelity of the sound reproduced compared with home hi-fi setups, and there is a point at which the extra investment becomes pointless, but replacing the manufacturers setup with even the cheapest of aftermarket stuff will yield good results!

I suppose you'll next be asking what's the point in have a fridge in it...

Rob.

SilveRS · 11-08-2003, 13:45

Quote:

Originally posted by robmawer in this post
But if you have a sound system you can't hear, you might as well have bought a car without one at all... :p
Admittedly there are limits to the fidelity of the sound reproduced compared with home hi-fi setups, and there is a point at which the extra investment becomes pointless, but replacing the manufacturers setup with even the cheapest of aftermarket stuff will yield good results!

I suppose you'll next be asking what's the point in have a fridge in it...

Rob.

Agree with Rob on that point, for not much dosh you can make a marked improvement over the standard set-up by simply replacing the speakers.

Why bother? Depends on how much you listen to your radio/cd's. I have mine on whenever I’m in the car so an improvement in sound quality makes my daily commute easier going.

redbaron · 11-08-2003, 14:03

Rob, you need to hear the 6x9's nowi have them tweeked up! will knock your socks off... (assuming you have them on with your sandals....)

**robmawer** · 11-08-2003, 14:05

Quote:

Originally posted by ffelan in this post
Rob, you need to hear the 6x9's nowi have them tweeked up! will knock your socks off... (assuming you have them on with your sandals....)

No matter how good the system is, it won't make S Club sound good... :p

Rob.

***ncarring*** · 11-08-2003, 15:01

Quote:

Originally posted by SilveRS in this post
Agree with Rob on that point, for not much dosh you can make a marked improvement over the standard set-up by simply replacing the speakers.

Why bother? Depends on how much you listen to your radio/cd's. I have mine on whenever I’m in the car so an improvement in sound quality makes my daily commute easier going.

I agree to some extent - and my stereo is also on 100% of the time I'm in the car - always CDs. But .... maybe I'm getting very old ... I don't worry too much about the quality - as long as it's acceptable, I make allowances for the fact that I'm in a car, not a sound studio. My real quibble was with Dave W's assertion that because it cost X pounds, the OEM speaker must be replaced with something more expensive.

I've thought about changing the speakers but I think mine sound OK. Maybe the previous owner changed them, or maybe I'm just so old and insensitive that I wouldn't benefit from the change anyway. I was going to listen to Rob's at the Midlands meet but never got round to it. Next time ...

shugz · 11-08-2003, 15:28

Hi Nick,

Only speaking from my experience here but the first upgrade I performed on the original ICE system installed in the car was the speakers both front then rear. I found a noticable difference in terms of response and both low range and high range frequencies appeared to be much more prominent and with a lot more clarity than the OEM ones fitted.

I would never say I was in any way an 'audio-phile' but having said that, I guessed within minutes of listening to the original Skoda hifi, I didn't really rate it. I am a huge fan of music in general so I have a system at home that I believe, in my opinion, is pretty good and sounds great with many different styles of music I listen to. This however, is at home so there's no way it would be possible to try to repeat it in the car without spending a complete fortune.

With regards to the speakers I was prepared to 'leave it at that' as far as upgrading went (like you say as long as it was acceptable to you, it's OK) but as you may have seen from other forums I know own an Apple iPod.This was a birthday gift and it was intended for me to download my music to it and play it in the car. I have over an hour long commute to work each day so having a large collection of music to listen to is a big help in passing the tedium.

I bought a new head unit to accomodate this (i.e have a facility to plug the iPod in) and have found it to be a great addition. I find the clarity of the music now much more prominent and dare I say it, more involving/enjoyable etc. Basically, though Nick, the choice is totally yours and ,as with your tastes when it comes to car cleaning products, as long as YOU remain happy with the sound in the car that's all that matters.

I'm sure Rob will help out as much as he can if you were to decide to do any upgrading work as he and several others on here were a big help to me during my ICE installation work. I can also offer any help based on my new-gained ICE install experience too for what it's worth.

Cheers
Hugh

redbaron · 11-08-2003, 15:39

Quote:

Originally posted by ncarring in this post
I agree to some extent - and my stereo is also on 100% of the time I'm in the car - always CDs. But .... maybe I'm getting very old ... I don't worry too much about the quality - as long as it's acceptable, I make allowances for the fact that I'm in a car, not a sound studio. My real quibble was with Dave W's assertion that because it cost X pounds, the OEM speaker must be replaced with something more expensive.

I've thought about changing the speakers but I think mine sound OK. Maybe the previous owner changed them, or maybe I'm just so old and insensitive that I wouldn't benefit from the change anyway. I was going to listen to Rob's at the Midlands meet but never got round to it. Next time ...

the std speakers are crap nick - the reason they are crap is cos they are built to a price... hence the assumption that any aftermarket option that costs more is better....

03-08-2003, 22:35	#1
skodaw Briskodian Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: This area is under construction - please call back later :) Posts: 3,186 Thanks: 2 Thanked 9 Times in 5 Posts	Upgrade Speakers. We all know that the Skoda head units are pant's, and at some stage I will be upgrading, but in the mean time would like to replaced the speakers - would have to stick to standard location though as I don't want to cut any trim, Anyone got experiance of particular speakers -- what's best for the standard locations ? -- they will need to be good as I intend to upgrade amplification as well -- at a much later date that is. And last but not least -- where to get them from ? __________________ Dave '05 Silver Fabia vRS

04-08-2003, 09:19	#3
robmawer Briskodian Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Rochdale Posts: 12,389 Thanks: 2 Thanked 65 Times in 58 Posts	I've upgraded to Infinity 652i (or something - search on Infinity will bring up details!) in the front, and Pioneer TS-G1316 in the rear, as well as disabling all my tweeters. Went for the Infinity's as they came recommended on here, and would fit in the shallow space where the existing speakers were. I went for the Pioneers as they were the 13cm ones cheapest Halfords had... As Hugh said, the links on this site are good for getting a bargain, but if you don't want the hassle of mail order than specialists and Halfords will be convenient at a price... Rob. __________________

04-08-2003, 09:34	#4
redbaron Briskodian Join Date: Jun 2003 Posts: 9,261 Thanks: 9 Thanked 51 Times in 46 Posts	i have gone for upgrade to sony xplod components in the front... and coaxials in the back... but im junking the rears and going 6x9? __________________ ________________________________________ Some times I just feel like smiling.

04-08-2003, 09:38	#5
TaviaRS Dinosaur Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: North of the Watford Gap Posts: 14,918 Thanks: 19 Thanked 42 Times in 38 Posts	Dave, couldn't you just "borrow" a Bose unit from an A3? __________________ A jolly sensible Mercedes E class saloon in a rather fetching bluey grey colour. No it isn't fast, no it isn't modded, and yes, it will still eat your Fabia for breakfast. Official mobile chicane for Briskoda trackdays

04-08-2003, 09:39	#6
gunnie Briskodian Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: wherever the filthy lucre is Posts: 70 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	I've upgraded the fronts to Alpine SPS-170A, and the rears to Pioneer TS-H137. Both units fitted well, although the rears were a bit of squeeze under the grill but they went with a bit of push. Both sets of speakers have directional tweeters built in so the std tweeters have been disconnected. A much better sound overall even with the std head unit. I got mine from a local ICe dealer but only cos I wanted them that day, but they can be had for good prices over the net. __________________ Jabba'd, of course....

04-08-2003, 08:22	#2
shugz Briskodian Join Date: Jan 2003 Posts: 338 Thanks: 1 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Hi, As you might be aware Dave,I have been doing an upgrade of the pants Skoda/Grundig set-up.I am REALLY happy with the results and here is what I have installed (I mainly listen to guitar/rock etc): Front speakers: Pioneer TSE1775's Rear Speakers: Sony 13cm (can't remember model no. sorry possible 1236's! Rob??) HU: Panasonic cq dfx783n I am over the moon with the difference in sound quality between these and what was originally fitted to the car.Of course,there are many different way's to go with this and I'm sure the rest of the guys will be able to add their tuppence worth too. The ICE suppliers linked to this site are also very keen with deals/prices etc so you should be able to save a bit than going to a local expert or Halfords (I know to my cost now!). Not sure of your location but would hazard a guess it isn't north of the border else I'd be more than happy for you to come over to have a listen. Cheers Hugh P.S Liked the wheels/exhaust.......................(note to myself) where's that credit card??

04-08-2003, 11:07	#8
SkodiRS BRISKODA Staff Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: darkest Hampshire Posts: 8,650 Thanks: 0 Thanked 17 Times in 13 Posts	I got the Infinity 652i in the front and changed the head unit for a Blaupunkt Los Angeles MP72. Disconnected the rear tweeters but running standard rears; will probably gets some 6x9 Pioneers for that "nts, nts" factor. The rear speakers aren't that bad upto a certain volume level however by disconnecting the rear tweeters, at lower volumes there is noticeable "gap" is sound reproduction. I have the system slightly biased towards the rear speakers. __________________ Adrian.

09-08-2003, 16:12	#9
Dr Zoidberg Decapodian Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: On the back of an AA truck with a failed turbo Posts: 10,378 Thanks: 20 Thanked 175 Times in 130 Posts	I've got Kenwood dualmags components in the front (110 from bass-junkies) and some kenwood custom fit coax's from MCS for the back which came with the wiring adaptors. They aren't particularly bass heavy but are much better than the factory fits , and I don't feed them any bass below 87 Hz as that all goes to the JBL sub in the boot :0) __________________ Alex "I laugh in the face of danger, then I hide until it goes away" www.drzoidberg.co.uk

09-08-2003, 16:46	#10
skodaw Briskodian Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: This area is under construction - please call back later :) Posts: 3,186 Thanks: 2 Thanked 9 Times in 5 Posts	Its no wonder we like to modify the ICE in our cars --- who would like to tell me how much a A4 door speaker costs ? £20 , £25 ? -- oh no -- a quite ludicrus £6.50 -- and it must cost £2 for the packaging it comes in !! -- how on earth can they make a decent sound for that money ! __________________ Dave '05 Silver Fabia vRS

10-08-2003, 00:45	#11
*ncarring* Don't talk, drive! Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: The B roads of Britain Posts: 12,864 Thanks: 15 Thanked 86 Times in 74 Posts	Who gives a stuff?! It's in the CAR, for heaven's sake .......... somewhere you spend between 10 and 110 minutes a day unless you're really sad, like me ........ __________________ Nick

10-08-2003, 09:17	#12
Quinten playing dadsie Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: fast lane Posts: 10,013 Thanks: 16 Thanked 41 Times in 38 Posts	Nick, chill out dude . It's all horses for courses. You like to spend £2.50 on a vent, someone else spends £250 on a better speaker... __________________ Awooga!!!

10-08-2003, 09:33	#13
*ncarring* Don't talk, drive! Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: The B roads of Britain Posts: 12,864 Thanks: 15 Thanked 86 Times in 74 Posts	True. Sorry __________________ Nick

11-08-2003, 14:03	#16
redbaron Briskodian Join Date: Jun 2003 Posts: 9,261 Thanks: 9 Thanked 51 Times in 46 Posts	Rob, you need to hear the 6x9's nowi have them tweeked up! will knock your socks off... (assuming you have them on with your sandals....) __________________ ________________________________________ Some times I just feel like smiling.

11-08-2003, 15:28	#19
shugz Briskodian Join Date: Jan 2003 Posts: 338 Thanks: 1 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Hi Nick, Only speaking from my experience here but the first upgrade I performed on the original ICE system installed in the car was the speakers both front then rear. I found a noticable difference in terms of response and both low range and high range frequencies appeared to be much more prominent and with a lot more clarity than the OEM ones fitted. I would never say I was in any way an 'audio-phile' but having said that, I guessed within minutes of listening to the original Skoda hifi, I didn't really rate it. I am a huge fan of music in general so I have a system at home that I believe, in my opinion, is pretty good and sounds great with many different styles of music I listen to. This however, is at home so there's no way it would be possible to try to repeat it in the car without spending a complete fortune. With regards to the speakers I was prepared to 'leave it at that' as far as upgrading went (like you say as long as it was acceptable to you, it's OK) but as you may have seen from other forums I know own an Apple iPod.This was a birthday gift and it was intended for me to download my music to it and play it in the car. I have over an hour long commute to work each day so having a large collection of music to listen to is a big help in passing the tedium. I bought a new head unit to accomodate this (i.e have a facility to plug the iPod in) and have found it to be a great addition. I find the clarity of the music now much more prominent and dare I say it, more involving/enjoyable etc. Basically, though Nick, the choice is totally yours and ,as with your tastes when it comes to car cleaning products, as long as YOU remain happy with the sound in the car that's all that matters. I'm sure Rob will help out as much as he can if you were to decide to do any upgrading work as he and several others on here were a big help to me during my ICE installation work. I can also offer any help based on my new-gained ICE install experience too for what it's worth. Cheers Hugh

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