Hello all.

I'm considering replacing the speakers in my 04 Octy VRS as they're a bit... 'flat'. Will that make any difference as I don't want to change the head unit cos its got Sat Nav built in and don't want to lose that?

Any thoughts...?

Cheers MD

I found it made a difference to my fabia. Remember aftermarket will be quieter as their less sensitive so you may have to look at amping then.

one of the ways skoda saved money in our cars is by not fiting a good audio system, the speakers iirc are paper......if you want good sound, you need to upgrade for sure!

Im looking at doing the same.

Its annoying that only slim speakers fit, as that severly limits the choice.

You can make / buy collars that allow you to fit deeper speakers. It's noticeable that '12' on my original HU is about '6' on the Octy one I have now, so the impedance of the Octy speakers is presumably higher, therefore allowing them to be mated to a more powerful amp (the sound quality of the stock Octy HU is noticeably better than the stock Fabia one, too)

BUT, back on topic... As I understand it, mating expensive speakers to a middle-of-the road HU is a bit like putting top-of-the-range tyres on a poverty-spec car. Sure, you'll get some sort of an improvement, but the rest of the car / soundsystem won't be capable of making the most of the tyres / speakers, so you won't be getting good value-for-money...

:ne_nau:

I actually think some of the "problems" with the Octy's stock system are down to music production, probably too much bass in the master. My Amy McDonald CD distorts at about 15, but my Bruce Springsteen one can be turned up to 36 (which is clearly far too loud, since it drowns out tyre roar and engine noise).

I actually think some of the "problems" with the Octy's stock system are down to music production, probably too much bass in the master. My Amy McDonald CD distorts at about 15, but my Bruce Springsteen one can be turned up to 36 (which is clearly far too loud, since it drowns out tyre roar and engine noise).

yeh i noticed this. my rockier CD's can go well loud and stil sound alright, however i bought Jack Penate's new album the other week and i'll stuggle to get it over 16 before it goes all distorted. i thought my speakers were blown until i put my Enter Shikari CD back in and it would easily go 30+

If the speakers are way better in the octavia than in the fabia....wow they are going to really be bad!!!

As ap0gee said you really need to look at replacing the whole system including your wiring as its not up to decent audio equipment level.

The problem with the doors is you have part of the door metal/frame behind where the front speakers mount, you can solve this one of several ways; chop the metal....easy enough but you might need to expand your door skins to cover, fit uprated slim fit speakers (like i have) eg infinity or mb quart do these, or buy/fabricate expensive 'pods' to bring the speakers out....these are expensive to buy however and will not look oem.

The standard head unit does not have much of an internal amp and is also poor quality compared to an aftermarket head unit, sound is not consistant, i imagine the sat nav unit will be better however. Overall this will give a lack of power in the system so if you are looking to get more 'loud' good quality sound ideally connect an amp or two or change the unit.

yeh i noticed this. my rockier CD's can go well loud and stil sound alright, however i bought Jack Penate's new album the other week and i'll stuggle to get it over 16 before it goes all distorted. i thought my speakers were blown until i put my Enter Shikari CD back in and it would easily go 30+

30+ :eek:

i have mine on volume 3 and it's loud enough for me!

I do have that setting on so it gets louder automatically the faster you go though!

Oh and Enter Shikari has been in my car since i got it, it's never coming out!

Well, having played with my Alpine HU settings, and the standard speakers, i can make the whole door card vibrate in time with the music, at even low volumes.

As such, i think when looking at speaker upgrades, you need to invest in a load of dynamat (or similar), to sort the door card, otherwise any advantages will be lost by the car sounding like a 17year olds Nova, with the whole car rattling!

I found it made a difference to my fabia. Remember aftermarket will be quieter as their less sensitive so you may have to look at amping then.

No, how loud depends on the sensitivity of the speakers. I'm not running an amp with my aftermarket rear speakers and they sound louder at the same volume.

If you're absolutely desperate to keep your headunit, buy the cheapest "custom fit" speakers you can find and then use Dynamat to sure up the mid-bass performance. This is the best you're gonna get without changing your HU.

30+ :eek:

i have mine on volume 3 and it's loud enough for me!

I do have that setting on so it gets louder automatically the faster you go though!

Oh and Enter Shikari has been in my car since i got it, it's never coming out!

one of the best bands around at the moment!!