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I got a quote for the following equipment from a local ICE shop in Aberdeen.
Alpine 7544 Head Unit (4 x 35w)
Alpine 6 disc multichanger
Alpine component front speakers (tweeters fitted into correct place)
Alpine 6 x 9 rear speakers
Fitted price £500 :-)
Alpine have a deal on at the moment, where if you buy the head unti/multichanger pack, you get a free set of 6 x 9s for the rear (requires a little cutting).
The other quote I got (still window shopping - can't afford to buy just now) was
Alpine 7545 head unti (same as 7544 but with Dolby B, and disc titles)
Alpine 6 disc multichanger
Infinity Kappa Component front speakers (16cm £200 list price - but sound so sweet)
Alpine 16cm rear speakers (£80 list price)
Fitted price £620
Both these systems would sound loads better than the standard set-up, by fitting reasonable/excellent quality speakers, and getting a decent head unit (basic in terms of features, but good sound quality) and CD multichanger.
I was informed I was getting a discount on list price of components, and free fitting :-)
Since I had a CD head fitted whan I took delivery, I want to perform an upgrade for even cheaper than £500, by just upgrading the front speakers (I sit in the front - why should I want to upgrade the speakers in the back!??)
Any suggestions, and/or what size front speakers can I fit in an MY98 model?
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Was a Type 20. Now has S4U built 2.5l engine and Litchfield LM480-L70 twin-entry turbo.
I think you'll find that just upgrading the front speakers will then make you realise how woefully bad the rear ones are. However, it all depends on budget.
As mentioned above, my system is superb but cost £900. It's worth bearing in mind that I bought the TOTR (top-of-the-range) JVC head unit (which plays both MD and CD) costing £450; I got a £50 discount because it was ex-demo, rrp £500. It's not strictly necessary to spend that much - £300 will get a superb head unit from Kenwood or Pioneer.
It's also worth noting that although the Infinity Kappas are excellent speakers, they too are the TOTR kit from what is a very reputable manufacturer. I justified the expense because a) having a 'no compromise' Type-R it was pointless to then skimp on the hifi, and b) my previous stereo was extremely good (Kenwood h/u, Alpine DDDrive speakers) so I was used to high quality. If this is your first hifi installation and you have a more limited budget, you could always go for some of the slightly lower-spec (but still excellent speakers from, say, the Kenwood range. You should be able to get a decent pair of fronts for about £80-100, perhaps spending a little more (£120) on the rears - particularly if you want a bit of 'oomph', using the boot as an enclosure.
Tricks to bear in mind are to try and buy the 'outgoing' technology; although the Winter 98 kit looks lovely and has loads of 'new' features there will, in fact, be few differences with the Spring 98 range. However brand new kit from the Spring range will be going cheap to make way for the new stuff, so bargains are available. To give you an example, a couple of years ago I bought a pair of 8" rear speakers for a Cavalier which were from the previous range by just two months. RRP: £180, I paid £110.
The other trick is that if you can get ex-demo kit, it's always a good way to save money. True, a few grubby fingers will have pressed the open/close buttons a few times, but it certainly won't affect reliability, and if it means you can either save money (as I did) or get a better system for the same cash, then why not?
I have been reliably informed that it is 16cm speakers that will fit in the front doors.
There are some decent sounding speakers in the 80 - 100 quid range which should improve the sound quality significantly.
I think you can even get a set of component front speakers, and you will be able to fit the tweeters in the apertures on the door handles.
I would doubt that you would be able to hear much difference between a 60 quid pair of speakers and a 100 quid pair of speakers in the rear doors, as you rightly point out that most of the treble will be absorbed by the seats.
As I do with all my cars, I've junked the standard stereo (5dr) in favour of:
Alpine TDA 7565 Headunit (£440)(WOFTOR- Was One From Top Of Range :-))
Alpine CHA604S Six disc changer (£200): mounted on left rear seat back in holes kindly left by the previous owner.
Front speakers: JBL P-622 (£100), measurements being 6 1/2 " or 16cm. Depth: 5.6cm. Fitted straight in with a little modification to the speaker guard already in door. I have instructions on how to get to the rear speakers - it's not as obvious as it looks!!!!
Back speakers: JBL GTO 402 (£40), size 4" 10cm (Depth 5cm) in the back. However the 4dr has 6 1/2" or 16cm on the back shelf. I considered the P-series for the backs, but the extra outlay was not worth it over the GTOs.
All of these equipment was installed without cutting metal or drilling holes.
Infinity and JBL (acronym for Just Bloody Loud apparently) are made by Harman Inc. Infinity is the quality sound (SQ) and JBL are the quantity(!) sound (SPL). To my ears the Infinity's were not worth double the cost of the JBLs.
You're best going for speakers made by dedicated speaker manufacturers, like Harman's brands, than from the likes of Pioneer/Alpine/Kenwood. Particularly with Alpine the speakers are made by an outside contractor who are not bound by the same quality control than the in-house made Alpine electronic gear.
But really there is no correct choice, listen to the stuff in the shop and take what sounds the best to you. That's what I did and I'm happy.
I've just fitted a Pioneer MCD5700 (5730 head unit with 6 disk autochanger) to my 5 door for less than the quoted price for the Phillip CD changer
Speaker wise, the standard paper dual cone are crap, especially after upgrading, so I had a pair of JBL GTO603's fitted to the front and a pair of GTO502's fitted to the rear doors (not worth the extra expense)
These sound just great and costs £120 for all 4, fitted.
The standard stereo in the MY98 is not good (understatement). I'd like to do an udgrade, but don't really have stacks of cash. On the mailing list Mark O has got what sounds <g> like a superb system for £900. Opinion is decided on whether it's the speakers or the head unit which is the most in need of changing... Are there any suggestions on how a smaller budget could be spent? Say £500?
