So i have turned 18 and have bought my first car, sadly the sound system is paper speakers with a old car stereo which only got cd and fm-radio (they sound terrible!). I have decided to try to change out at least both speakers and the car stereo, alternative i get a active base in the back. So my question(s) then is what speakers and car stereo's (with DAB+) would you guys recommend for a fair price. Also do i have to fix on the cabling with new plugs or is there a standard that makes them all just plug'n'play ready? Any tips in general is welcome as i have never actually been messing around with the audio system on a car before (or anything car related). I own a Golf GTD 94 mod Diesel Turbo (bought it only because of its cheap price).
There are general standards for car audio, and I recommend anything at a decent price that is rated good for everything. Most stuff you buy for car audio usually includes all the adapters you need and anything else pertaining to your car. I recommend Crutchfield for shopping online.
Get the correct speaker size for replacements, and it is recommended to re-run all new speaker cables, but only if you are going to use a speaker amp. Trunk Subwoofer systems require you to run a 4 gauge (or thicker) battery cable through the firewall and down one side of the car, and RCA (signal) cables to be run on the opposite side of the car, so they don't intersect or cross each other. Power+Signal cables that cross = annoying feedback and unwanted noise. Make sure you use good connectors, I use gold plated cable posts since I'm a boss, and Swag is turned up a bit. If you are at all afraid to essentially remove a LOT of your interior, I suggest getting this done professionally. Door speakers are easy enough, just make sure you remove all the screws and bolts, then GENTLY but firmly pull the door card off so you don't break those ever-fragile clips. I can assist if you have any questions. Also, it's good to have a wiring diagram handy so you know which colors are positive/negative. Also, usually speaking, OEM speakers have a specific harness clip that attaches to the speaker. Not sure about an older Golf, but either way, you want to essentially snip that off, strip 1/4" of the end of each wire, and attach spade connectors onto the ends so you can use the OEM speaker wire and attach to the pos/neg posts on the speaker itself when you replace it. In terms of a recommended brand, I typically suggest Alpine Type S door speakers, as they are pretty decent quality for the price (around 120-160 USD per pair) and the Type S line offers a lot of different speakers, from 1 way woofers, to 3 way Component speakers. I use 1 Way woofers from the rear deck/rear doors, and use component speakers for the front. You want to "Stage" the sound up front, while adding mids and bass the further back you go. And make sure you get a Single Din stereo that has decent audio adjustments, and of course (which most have) RCA outputs on the back so you can easily add an RCA wire for your Subs, when you decide to do that. I also HIGHLY recommend getting the front door speakers as actual separate parts, meaning put a 1 way woofer in the lower part of the door, and if you are handy, use a hole saw and cut a small circle in the top part of the door near the mirror and run a separate tweeter so the signals are not mixed in the speaker itself. The Type S component speakers are best. http://www.alpine-usa.com/company/p...-and-type-s-speakers-from-alpine-electronics/ I can go on and on. I do Stereo installs on the side for cash
I just changed all the speakers in my car. Pain in the ass. Saab is quirky but their quirkiness is dwarfed by the insane ridiculousness of their sound system set up! Every speaker location have a different impedance. My centre 2.5" tweeter blew some time ago and only recently I had it replaced with one of my rear door 2.5" tweeters which I removed and replaced with 6.5" speakers. I blew that other 2.5" in under a week due to the impedance being different. I'm using stock wiring from a factory deck so I know for a fact that I'm no where near what my speakers can perform. Last year my friend and I installed a mono amp and a subwoofer, we stole the signal from one of my 6x9s since my deck sends a subwoofer signal to those rear speakers. Stock my car is a 9 speaker Harmon-Kardon system powered by a 170W or so Pioneer deck. Brand new, the system sounded great. After 13 years and 400'000km, things start to go. Now all of my speakers are Alpine except my two corner dash speakers which are Kickers DS, and my blown centre dash speaker remains empty since my deck is probably gonna blow my last remaining 2.5" door tweeter. So to summarize, my sound system is a bit of a frankenstein. It works, it sounds good but the louder I go the more I need to start lowering my levels. There's no point going loud if the levels are out of balance. Too much bass sounds like shit and too much treble wreaks havoc on my ears. What I suggest is that you avoid doing what I have done. Half my speakers were blown so they needed replacement anyways but my factory deck just ruins the quality. It's as if I wasted my money. Even though I have a good stereo it would be so much more if it had been rewired with a new deck! Next year perhaps... Save up some money, get some good speakers and a deck and rewire your whole vehicle. Get a pro to do it because stereo equipment can be sensitive and expensive to replace! Check out some only message boards which are dedicated to audiophiles or car stereos, there you can find the car audio subforums and you'll probably meet some very knowledgeable members whom are more than willing to point you in the right direction. You may even come across somebody with the same car as you for even better advice! If you do it yourself, there's a lot to learn, and a lot to fuck up! So... don't fuck up!
