Car stereo?

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Hi there guys at the moment I got Vauxhall Corsa C from 2004, it's my first car. I'm looking to upgrade my sound stereo in my car but not quiet sure what I would need to replace first.

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I got these two 6/9 speakers (pioneer ts-a6958) for £4 on car-boot sale and I just couldn't resist it. I checked them and the work and sound way better than my car ones when I hooked them into my sony cinema blu ray head unit at home. However, when I connected them to my car's stock head unit they sound unclear and kind of distorted. Any ideas how could I fix this ?

Also any recommendation on good sub? It probably have to be purchased 2nd hand due to quiet limited budget, but I can save up if it's worth to spend more on one. I found EDGE EDB12 12" V2 active sub woofer for £30 gumtree.

I would highly appreciate if you guys could help me. Kind Regards Sam
 
1st, have you checked if the polarity is good, if you have one the one way, and the other one reversed, they will cancel each other out and it will kind of sound hollow ish.

Distorted means bad contact/cabling or a bad amp.

Subwoofer:
Basically most will do, what is important is the casing: Ported or closed enclosure, size, etc... Ported will usually go lower, while closed will often sound tighter( though this is of course dependant on budget and gear, you can get closed subs that go lower than ported subs and ported subs that still sound tight.

Anything over 50 quid for the sub will mean you'll spend silly amounts of money for only a tiny improvement in my experience. Not had experience with active subs in cars, but most people say they are a bit rubbish compared to passive ones where you can hook/select a good amp for it yourself. This is of course, assuming passive sub. In total for the whole gear ( amp+sub(w. enclosure)+cabling) 100-120 quid is about the sweet spot of value for money imo. Stuff under that is usually rubbish, stuff above that usually means you pay a lot more for a little extra.

Tough the sub you named should be good enough if you're just looking for a bit more Bass, make sure to take your time to test and do all the settings like you want them. Crossover freq (or hpf) at 80hz ish or so (some prefer different settings, see what sounds best), so your regular speakers can go louder without distorting and not having to do the lower end of the bass.

Headunit is very important, no point in getting a sub often with some stock rubbish OEM crap (if it even has pre-outs), and I'd personally avoid radio's that don't have HPF/LPF/Subwoofer customization in the audio menu's.
 
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Thanks guys can you recommend good passive sub that would need an amp? For the amp I'm not sure what to look for. I just got these 2 speakers from pioneer and possibly looking to replaced the ones in the front too + add a sub so what kind of amp would I need?

Also what headunit would you recommend that is relatively cheap and have functions you mentioned above +usb/aux

Lastly would I need to replace battery, alternator etc to power 2 pioneer speakers + sub + possibly front speakers as well? (4 speakers + sub)
 
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Thanks guys can you recommend good passive sub that would need an amp? For the amp I'm not sure what to look for. I just got these 2 speakers from pioneer and possibly looking to replaced the ones in the front too + add a sub so what kind of amp would I need?

Also some headunits have outputs are they any good or would I be better off with amp? I'm not sure if it's worth to replace the stock head unit.

Lastly would I need to replace battery, alternator etc to power 2 pioneer speakers + sub + possibly front speakers as well? (4 speakers + sub)

For amp the RMS power is important, you can get a mono block amp ( just for the sub) or a 2 channel one ( and bridge the 2 channels). 4 channel is fine too but personally I wouldn't spend more than necessary.

Sub: Brand/model hard to say, the market is filled with cheap brands, and I'm not convinced they are actually worse than the bigger names ( JBL/Harman, Alpine, Pioneer, etc...). It's a gamble often if you can't listen to them before buying. Personally I use an el cheapo ''Raveland'' 12'' sub ( sub/driver itself is 20 euros on Conrad electronics, w. ported enclosure its €50) now for 6 or 7 years and it still sounds better imho than people who have thrice as expensive gear.

Same with amps, it's hard to say, they often lie/exaggerate their (RMS) power, to even ignore the rubbish ''peak'' figure some name, I've used various 2nd hand cheapo stuff and new stuff ( Got 2 no name 2 channel amps, a 4 channel Raveland one, a 4 channel Fusion one, and a 2 Channel JBL). It's really trial and error, a matter of simply trying em out/listening to them.

HU wise you'll want a decent branded one prefferably ( Pioneer, Alpine, Kenwood, etc...), though the ''B brands'' like JVC aren't bad either and at your budget more than sufficient imho.


Battery&alternator: Nope, at the lower end certainly not, it might increase the wear on the battery and perhaps alternator, but this is negligible unless you'll be hanging in more than 500W RMS in the car, which is often pointless anyhow (unless you're deaf or like the attention).

I'd keep the regular speakers on the headunit, more than loud enough with a good headunit. I've experimented with this quite a bit, and found that on the 4 channel amps, hooking up the regular speakers on the amp goes at the cost of sub performance, but that's because I use cheaper amps :p.

It's hard for me to tell what you like, generally the best boost in sound quality is a good HU and a good compo set in the front doors. If you like more bass then a sub is definitely essential ( I personally love shaking mirrors and feeling the bass on some genres of music once in a while). Personally I think many **** this up, how many people drive around with just bass and no tone or midrange at all.

Rear speakers ( eg. the 6x9) are very dependant on where they're mounted, on some cars they're absolutely worthless for anything but filling the rear a bit, on other cars they can provide the backbone of the bass ( when lacking sub).
 
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Thanks Snowdog very appreciate your help. Just quick question about amp is it 500W RMS per channel or in total? I will need to have a look for cheap ones on gumtree possibly car boot sales as I just don't have a lot of money to spend on sound stereo as when I compare the sound to beyerdynamics headphones it's pretty bad. ( I know I shouldn't compare headphones to car speakers but they sound quiet bad as they are clipping and sound kind of compressed.)

Also would it be possible to use for example power bank to power amp or speakers? I got 2 30,000mAH that I dont use anymore.

For the HU I think I will just save up and buy new one. What do you think about this one Kenwood KMM-303BT?
 
Thanks Snowdog very appreciate your help. Just quick question about amp is it 500W RMS per channel or in total? I will need to have a look for cheap ones on gumtree possibly car boot sales as I just don't have a lot of money to spend on sound stereo as when I compare the sound to beyerdynamics headphones it's pretty bad. ( I know I shouldn't compare headphones to car speakers but they sound quiet bad as they are clipping and sound kind of compressed.)
500w RMS in total, it is a lot.

Consider that most head units specify 4x50W, but are fused at 10A, so they can't really pull more than 120-140 ish watts ( depending on voltage), let alone provide that. So the whole 4x50W RMS is also marketing rubbish.

Also would it be possible to use for example power bank to power amp or speakers? I got 2 30,000mAH that I dont use anymore.

Why should you want to ? 30 Ah at what voltage? 12v? Never heard of power banks for cars tbh.

For the HU I think I will just save up and buy new one. What do you think about this one Kenwood KMM-303BT?
Looks like a cheap HU, but I really can't say, only a persons ears can say, ask for a demo in a shop :). I'd personally be tempted to spend more. It's the most important basis for audio. If you have the choice to skimp on the HU or amps further down ( or the speakers), then I'd skimp on that instead of the HU.
 
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I just checked and my cars's alternator can output 70 amps in total so around 20-30 can be possibly be used for audio. So If I get an amp should I hook up the stock speakers to it too or just sub + x2 6/9 speakers that I got?

I will try to go to halford tomorrow and have a look at different HU, but not sure what to look for as I dont know how good quality HU sounds ( as when I connect to my speakers it will sound different) What HU would you buy or which one do you have so I can have a look at reviews and possibly view it in shop?
 
I just checked and my cars's alternator can output 70 amps in total so around 20-30 can be possibly be used for audio. So If I get an amp should I hook up the stock speakers to it too or just sub + x2 6/9 speakers that I got?
Probably more, your car won't use that amount at all times, and you have a battery as buffer. Nor will an amp pull its peak constantly.

I'd personally, with a cheap amp, not bother amping the speakers, only speakers worth amplifying (usually) are the front door ones, and it's quite a hassle cabling wise. Not to mention having to spend more money on an amp, when a better HU will do.


I will try to go to halford tomorrow and have a look at different HU, but not sure what to look for as I dont know how good quality HU sounds ( as when I connect to my speakers it will sound different) What HU would you buy or which one do you have so I can have a look at reviews and possibly view it in shop?
I personally use various headunits, I have an OEM Citroen C5 radio ( there are various versions so doesn't say much) in one car, an El cheapo Aliexpress headunit ( cost me 2 tenners) in the 2nd , and a Pioneer DEH-6200BT in the 3rd car ( this is the car where I have an amp in the boot and sub). I've installed various radio's for friends. The el cheapo or OEM units are rubbish, the Pioneer is decent, but I've heard better.

Test: See how loud it'll go without distorting, cheaper HU's simply don't go very loud, or start distorting quite soon. Have a scroll through the settings ( subwoofer modes, pre out settings, high and low pass filtering, etc), and check the connections on the back, more pre-out ports often means the radio will have more settings for customizing amps and stuff. Clarity is important ( at volume). Most OEM radio's will simply not boost the volume of all frequency's from a particular point, eg. the on the 2014 Work Octy stock headunit or on the 2015 Audi A3 stock headunit, the lower range (bass) is pretty much the same at full volume as on half, the amps in those rubbish headunits lack enough power for higher volumes. In the Octy the overall volume is actually barely any higher at full volume compared to half, rubbish low powered headunit.
 
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I've got a little Polo, and the difference between the cheap head unit that it had in it compared to the good I put in it is Insane.

I also got rid of the 6x9's that were on the parcel shelf as they ruined the sound as it is such a small car the acoustics were all off apparently according to the sound guy at work, they did sound crap.

I put a decent set of alpine component speakers on the doors/up top and a sealed box with a 12" sub and a phoenix gold amp and my God, it sounds so good.

I also amped the speakers rather than running them from the head unit, which again was a big improvement.

I only spent about £300 all in and I'm so pleased with it now.
 
Would echo the above, just changing the stock head unit for a Pioneer in my similarly aged Astra G made a big difference at the time.
 
Thanks guys for your all replies very helpful. I will try to get better headunit and up and see if I need to remove back speakers and replace them with 6/9 that I got or just keep stock. Unfortunately I dont have 300 pounds for sound so all needs to be 2nd hand so all comes to around 120 pounds ish.

I've got a little Polo, and the difference between the cheap head unit that it had in it compared to the good I put in it is Insane.

I also got rid of the 6x9's that were on the parcel shelf as they ruined the sound as it is such a small car the acoustics were all off apparently according to the sound guy at work, they did sound crap.

I put a decent set of alpine component speakers on the doors/up top and a sealed box with a 12" sub and a phoenix gold amp and my God, it sounds so good.

I also amped the speakers rather than running them from the head unit, which again was a big improvement.

I only spent about £300 all in and I'm so pleased with it now.

What head unit did you upgrade to?
 
Ahh the good old days of car audio!

Just have fun with it. Have you tried just connecting one of the 6x9's up to the car stereo, should sound a lot better and you get a feel of how they might be in your car.

6x9's as everyone said wont give you amazing sound quality, however stick an amp on them to power it and see if you are happy with the quality.

If you get an amp with an high level input, it will allow you to connect the existing speaker wire for the sound source. (Again, its not the best as a dedicated amp output on a nice head unit is ideal). But its a start.

Get a 4 channel amp that lets you bridge two channels for a sub and it will allow you to expand if needed.

Again the advice of a decent head unit would be ideal, but there is no harm in trying out the amp 6x9's too see if you are happy with the results.
 
£120 won't get you very far at all. In fact, I would spend all your budget on a headunit, and use that to drive the 6x9's. That is probably the best you could realistically expect at this budget. Trying to get subs / amps and a headunit for that money will not end with a nice sounding system to be honest.
 
Im trying to get a HU but didnt have time to go halford and check out some. The pioneer speakers that I got were only £4 used for both they play much better when I connected to my home cinema (i unpluged everything else just speakers then I tried with sub and played well even better.)

However when I connected them to my car they dont sound as clear and crisp as on home cinema and sound very uncontrolled at high volumes. I didnt notice this on home cinema. But to be honest I dont even know how good these speakers supposed to be (Pioneer ts-a6958) and what should I expect. Probably not much as only 4 pounds for both.
 
The problem in your car is your HU wont have the power to drive them. An aftermarket HU will be much more powerful, and make them sound better. You could knock together enclosures for them, and they may sound better again.

I bought a couple 6x9 enclosures for a set I have lying about in my garage, and I had planned on using them at some point. But I just don't have the patience for mucking about with this stuff anymore. And I'd struggle with placement in my Alhambra, as it is sooo handy as a "van" with all the seats down.
 
I went to Halford today and I'm just confused the ones from 80 pounds range to 110 sounded identical I just couldn't tell the different. Although they had different features etc. I want to purchase quality product any recommendations as they have to differ in some way internally better pre outs etc?? Also Is there much difference between 100 pioneer pound radio and 50 pound radio from jvc (as they have 50w outputs ?
 
I just found pioneer deh x8500dab used quiet cheap for 25 pounds is it worth to get it? (I can test it before buy as it's still in the owner's car. What do you guys think would it be significant upgrade or would I be better of with new Pioneer DEH-X3800Ui for 80?
 
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