When I get my vRS in a few months it will be the first car that I'm really going to town on as the last two haven't really be worth it. So just for ideas i wanted to know what sort of ICE people here have in their cars as I have very little knowledge about ICE installs and what's good and what's bad and what brands are better to go for. The only brand I know to be good are Alpine.

Currently my Polo just has a JVC headunit with a USB port which is pretty good just using the standard speakers but I will be buying a new headunit with bluetooth and USB.

What sort of stuff should I be looking for? A friend of mine has told me to get a good sub and two separate amps; one for the sub and one for the speakers. For speakers I was thinking of trying 4 6x9's? Would this fit in a standard parcel shelf? I'll probably build a custom shelf anyway to save ruining the standard shelf.

So just want some info on what you guys have and what's the best to go for.

stripped my stereo out so i have room for guages:D

NO SPEAKERS,NO BODYKITS NO BULLS$IT,just my tuppance worth:thumbup:

would not borther with 6x6 i would just get a good set of componants

Go and buy the biggest sub, then buy another one, the fabias boot is massive so will fit loads in it.... init

Jokes about how chavvy big installs are aside. I used to have a big setup in my Pug 306, in fact it nearly cost the same as the car itself!!

At it's peak I had two 15" subs, 2 pairs of 6x9s, hooked into two monster big 1600w amps that kept blowing the fuses (Had to buy gold ones in the end), a CD change in the glovebox with mp3 head unit and uprated door speakers.

I then got a bit older and wiser, and figured out all that weight was slowing down my car AND making it quite tricky to get shopping in it. So I went for this set up:

My best advise is to never EVER cut holes in your parcel shelf, as your speakers WILL be nicked.

A compromise between practicality and performance would be one sub in the boot, with your 4 channel amp, feeding uprated front door speakers to an aftermarket head unit. You'll get good bass, and nice treb from the front. Shoudln't cost to much neither.

My best advise is to never EVER cut holes in your parcel shelf, as your speakers WILL be nicked.

A compromise between practicality and performance would be one sub in the boot, with your 4 channel amp, feeding uprated front door speakers to an aftermarket head unit. You'll get good bass, and nice treb from the front. Shoudln't cost to much neither.

Yeah. That seems like a good idea. Much more practical. Right what makes should I be looking at for components?

You can get fibreglass sub boxes which fit a sub in the side of the boot like this pic but they squash into the corner better because they're designed to fit. E.g. see Auto Acoustics StealthBoXz (although not sure there's one for a fabia :( )

I made a sub box for a Polo that fitted along the floor of the boot so it filled the bottom rather than one side of the boot and meant that you could fit a Tescos shop on top of it

good set of components up front, i chose rainbow for my setup, get your doors sound deadened, this will give you a better sound and also help stop any rattles from the door cards. you can also uprate your rear speakers again for a good set of components although you will find you can achieve a better sound without them. a single 10" sub of good quality with a good amp to power it should be plenty for the fabia, i opted for 2 x 12" inifinity kappa perfect VQ's which give more than i need.

a couple of brands to check out if your unclear:

MTX

JL Audio

Focal

Rainbow

I made a sub box for mine a little while ago. Still haven't got around to carpeting and fitting it. I've got some pics somewhere.

I think it was not knowing how to get the interior apart to lay the required wiring that stopped the project. I still haven't found out either......!!

Was gonna run with the standard HU to start with to see what it was like (and also to deter theives!).

I still think the standard set up is good, it just needs MORE BASS :D

Fabia's boots too wee for anything big.

I might get somthing done in months to come.

Probs just a wee cheekey sub and amp.

Speakers on the fabia aint too bad.

I have some pictures of my install in my thread found here: http://briskoda.net/forums/ice-security-insurance/ice-install-diary/110247/

Regarding markes, i would also recommend rainbow and focal as KTP does.

What you should buy depends on what you want. SQ (Good sound) og SPL (high volume). I have opted for SQ, as I´m not a barryboy. :-)

Visit some carstereo specialists and have a listen, the setup and installation means alot for the sound experience - not only the price. As KTP, i would also recommend you to install components in the front doors, and maybe loose the 6x9`s in the back.

There is a good review of different 6.5" components in the 'magazine' section of the Talkaudio forum. Basically mate it depends on your budget. To be honest the stock speakers aren't that bad, your biggest improvement will be with a good head unit, I just put a Kenwood (not known for sound quality as much as Alpine/Pioneer) in mine and it made a hell of a difference.

Regarding markes, i would also recommend rainbow and focal as KTP does.

I would also recommend Focal. I had a set of Focal components in the front of my old car and the sound quality was eceptional. They were expensive IMO but worth it for the sound

The head unit is the most important part for me as it has to have a USB port as I've gone now that I don't use CD's any more. The head unit I have isn't bad. It's a JVC which i bought 2 years ago. Was one of the 1st to have a USB port. I'm thinking of going for an Alpine head unit, something like this.

Alpine iDA X100 (IDAX100) iPod USB MP3 WMA AAC Car Audio Media

Is this any good? Looks OK and I like the fact that I can hide the USB Stick somewhere. Only downside is that if I want to use Bluetooth I have to pay another £99 for an add-on. IMO this should be with it for this price.

EDIT: Just read that it doesn't have a CD Drive so this is out then! I will still want to play the odd CD.

Are Sony Xplod head units any good or are they just popular because of the name?

Kai, the Alpine is excellent - a good solid product.

I want to go down the route of components (JL Audio ZRs), sound deadening and that's about it. To get really good sound you need a sub, but I need the boot space and I still don't like the 'sub-image'.

Are Sony Xplod head units any good or are they just popular because of the name?

popular because they are cheap and nasty. dont get one.

if you want a good head unit, get a Becker. you will find the pricing not too much different to Alpine, less fancy looking and excellent sound quality. i was hasty in my head unit choice and regret it but i'll be changing for a becker in the near future to give it a more OEM look and improve the quality tenfold from the Clarion i currently have.

Use the oem hu and get an ipod interface. Front components (ideally amped) and a sub in a suitable box.

If you want to go stupid I think the boot is too small in the fabia. My sub ideally needs 60l. That takes up most of the boot.

I'm still looking for ideas for mine.

Currently have a Pioneer DEH-P77 or whatever it is, but the front end vibrates terribly, still to see if it's the actual speaker, or the door surround.

After that i'm just going to go for a smallish active box, and that should do me as i need the space.

I've got a double din Kenwood CD/DVD/IPod stereo in my bad boy, I've got a stealth shelf with Kenwood 6x9's and the new slimline Kenwood sub that goes under the passenger seat (I need the boot, as it's my work car), and it sounds spanking. I will upgrade the components at some point, and could really do with some sound deadining as I get some good rattles! But generally the acoustics of the car are all good!

Any details on the Kenwood sub ?

Any details on the Kenwood sub ?

Kenwood KSC-SW10

There's the link fella, it's has a built in amp which saves a lot of space/money/hassle, bit like the old skool bass tubes etc... but completely flat!

Perfect for what I need!

P.S The missis loves it!!

Hmm..worth a wee look anyway. I'm not after anything mega...just better than whats there just now.