basic audio upgrades

Hi all,

first post so please bare with me,

first stop, vehicle 1995 Golf MkIII 1.6, completely unmodified

I am looking to make a simple upgrade to existing stereo because except for using an itrip or similar or one of those cable cassette things theres no way to plug my ipod in to my good old cassette player, and also at any kind of volume the sound quality is, well, no good!

So, by altering as little as possible on the vehicle I want to add aux connectivity and improve sound quality (not looking for big bass)

My plan is to fit a new head unit, looking at something like a Sony CDX-GT530UI (USB connection would be useful), 4 new 6.5" door speakers (any suggestions for a reasonably priced but quality speaker much appreciated) and possibly the 2 smaller dash speakers. Maybe a small amp tucked away somewhere if neccessary.

My questions are as follows;

- Will simply replacing head unit and speakers improve the sound quality enough?

- Do i need to modify/upgrade/add any wiring?

- Why do the front door speakers have 2 wires to them but dash and rear door speakers have 4 wires?

That is probably enough for now, just trying to get as much info as i can before making any purchases, I will post again if anything else comes to mind, many thanks, fw86

Replacing the factory equipment will improve your sounds quality a hundred fold, it's amazing the sound difference you'll get simply by switching the speakers out. If you want the best sound quality, an amplifier is in order. I would recomend a 4 channel amplifier with between 75 and 100 watts of continuous (not peak, you're looking for RMS ratings) power and no less than 90db signal to noise ratio. The higher that signal/noise number, the better. A set of component speakers in the front doors and a set of coaxials in the rear will get you good sound and a good basic sound stage. I wouldn't bother witht the dash speakers, especially if you're going for an SQ minded setup. Essentially, you want the band that you're listening to to sound like they're using your dash board as a stage. The majority of your sound should come from the front, and have rear speakers to fill out the sound, rather than a primary point of sound. Source your audio from a good head unit, preferablly something with a built in graphic equilizer, and 3 rca preamp outs. Adding a second amplifier and a subwoofer will round out the audio system and give you a killer set up.

The installers of your setup will play a big factor in how it sounds. My friends had 10,000 $$$ worth of Arc Audio equipment installed in a boat and it sounded like complete crap. We re-wired the entire boat not changing any speakers and now its off the hook. You can request certain things be done during the install, which costs more but are just as important as the brand of equipment. Request details if you consider the option.

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This is what I do for FUN!

if you want ipod connectivity then you need a radio that is ipod ready(virtually every radio that exists now) but you will want the ipod adapter instead of using the usb because im not sure if you will be able to control the ipod from the radio through the usb. the ipod adapter lets you control it through the radio so you can just stash the ipod away somewhere. sony makes a cool little radio that actually has an ipod wire built in, cant remember the model number but it's out there.

i would also change at least the front speakers and you dont need to go all out like lil evo wants you to believe. if you upgrade your system too much it will ruin your opinion of your ipod. mp3 audio is compressed audio so if you upgrade your system all the way it will probably bring out all of the flaws in your lower bit rate mp3 recordings and they will sound like poo poo compared to if you were listening through headphones. everything on your ipod would need to be atleast 256k bit rate or higher just to sound decent.

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soundnsecurity wrote:

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i would also change at least the front speakers and you dont need to go all out like lil evo wants you to believe.

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He asked for something that was going to sound good, and there's no argument that aftermarket equipment will trump factory paper-cone woofers any day. Soundsecurity does make a good point though, and something to consider when upgrading, an aftermarket set up will make obvious the shortcommings of compressed audio. I used to love my iPod, now I can't stand the sound quality through my truck, it just sounds like butt.

If you're trying to be cost efficient, try just replacing the head unit first. If you're satisfied with the system then, let it be. If you're still wanting more, replace the fronts, then rears, so on and so forth. It's ultimatley going to come down to your listening preferences.