Originally posted by skodaw in this post

only a 1.6 ambient-so didn't have standard

The 1.6 Ambiente does have speakers in the rear as standard! Something sounds not quite right about that...

Rob.

Originally posted by robmawer in this post

The 1.6 Ambiente does have speakers in the rear as standard! Something sounds not quite right about that...

Rob.

I was wondering that myself - when he told me it didn't have them I was quite supprised -- does look a bit strange - esp with the upgraded head unit -- me thinks may have been pinched by the dealer for another car....

I suppose if it was second hand and the previous owner got so PO'd with it that he pulled it all out, then when it came to trade in it might not have got put back in.

But judging by the number of standard cones I used to get through, your theory of "resource allocation" sounds likely...

Rob.

In My Octavia i have got 17cm Infinitys in the front 55 quid from halfords, and 13cm Infinitys in the rear, also 55 quid from halfords. Then i have got Two Vibe 10" Subs with built in amps, sound the *******s, plus six tweeters dotted about. Plus a Sony head unit 52W x 4,

Trevor I'm sure it sounds great - but I just want music for accompaniment, not to split my eardrums

Originally posted by ncarring in this post

Trevor I'm sure it sounds great - but I just want music for accompaniment, not to split my eardrums

With the power from Trevor's amps/HU, and the quality of the speakers, I expect it has good presence and clarity at lower volumes though, and will be more comfortable at volumes that the standard set up distorts... :p

Thinking about it though Nick, I'd imagine if you have an aftermarket quality headunit, it's going to have a fair amount of power pushing through the speakers, so you've already replaced the weakest link in the system.

However, the HU will bring out the flaws in the standard speakers sooner...

Rob.

Isn't the standard HU quite powerful already?

I think it's probably more than adequate to drive some aftermarket speakers although, of course, it wouldn't drive them anywher near as well after an upgraded HU.

A general improvement in sound quality then.

the std head unit is 4x7w rms... most personal stereos have more power.....

Mine is 4x50, I've just discovered from the Clarion website. And it has lineouts too, apparently, should I wish to feed it into an even bigger amplifier

My home stereo is 2x25W and is about 27 years old :p

Originally posted by ncarring in this post

Mine is 4x50, I've just discovered from the Clarion website.

Would explain how you don't get the ICE upgrade thing... :p

My home stereo is 2x25W and is about 27 years old :p

Is that RMS or max though? The car one will be max, while home hifi tends to be quote RMS - assuming this, you have the same power per channel for each of your systems...

Rob.

Originally posted by ncarring in this post

Mine is 4x50, I've just discovered from the Clarion website. And it has lineouts too, apparently, should I wish to feed it into an even bigger amplifier

My home stereo is 2x25W and is about 27 years old :p

thats peak... should be about 4 x 20 rms... still massivly better than std... the biggest amp in head units is in the alpine 4x60w peak and 4x30rms...

From my O-level physics isn't RMS = Peak / sqrt(2) ?? Not such a huge difference. Of course my memory may be playing tricks on me.

Originally posted by robmawer in this post

Would explain how you don't get the ICE upgrade thing... :p

Rob.

Not sure of the implication of this remark, young Rob! Are you suggesting:

a) I'm too lackadaisical to take an interest in my own ICE until prompted?

My ICE is already that much better than standard that I don't need to worry?

c) I'm old and shouldn't worry about these things?

* delete as applicable

:p

PS I never needed to know before - like I said, the dealer fitted it as a sweetener to get me to buy the car, and it seemed adequate up to now ....

I'd say a little from column B and a little from column C... :p

But seriously - having never tried the better HU with standard speakers, I'm not too sure on it's performance. Judging by what you've said, the tweeters are the bits you really notice giving up first. So replacing the tweeters alone might be sufficient to compensate this - however, when you look at the price of separate tweeters, compared with coaxials, they don't seem like such good value.

Really you should only upgrade it if you have a problem with the way it sounds, not because you think it could sound better...

Rob.

Originally posted by ncarring in this post

From my O-level physics isn't RMS = Peak / sqrt(2) ?? Not such a huge difference. Of course my memory may be playing tricks on me.

rms refers to the ability of a product to deliver sound without distortion.. peak is how much noise of any quality it will produce...

hence rms is the figure that matters.... bit like scoobys with 300 bhp in a powerband so narrow you cant use it.... and their usable figure is more like 240/250....

I replaced the HU before the speakers and was a little disspointed with the result so I went and did the speakers as well.

Generally though I would expect a new HU and original speaker set-up to be improve upon standard system.

I'm suprised a tthe output power figures Paul quoted; I did think it was more.:confused:

Another fact leanred today.

There's a good explanation here. My memory was close, but not quite right. RMS voltage=Peak voltage/sqrt(2) for a perfect sine wave. This means RMS power=Peak power/2.

nice link nick... explains it better than i could...

Well, due to a small surplus of cash and a nice sunny day, i made the decision to get some decent speakers for the vRS.

Took out a front & rear, and went and visited the local Pioneer dealer.

Front - Pioneer TS-G1746

Geoff,

Now what would be really excellent - would you mind? Could you post the depth of the OEM front speaker plus any clearance you thought it had - would be a good guide for others considering new speakers ....

Wotdoufink?

:cheers:

Ignore that last post - realised just how lazy I was being so went and did it.

The OEM speakers are 1 7/8" or roughly 47.5mm deep from mounting surface to rear of magnet

The clearance to the metal bracket at the back of the aperture is approx 2" or 51mm so very little to play with - don't get anything deeper than the standard or it won't fit.

I had time to kill this morning as the car was in service, so walked over to the radio peoples that fitted my CD player. Was told a decent pair of fronts would be

Originally posted by ncarring in this post

Ignore that last post - realised just how lazy I was being so went and did it.

The OEM speakers are 1 7/8" or roughly 47.5mm deep from mounting surface to rear of magnet

The clearance to the metal bracket at the back of the aperture is approx 2" or 51mm so very little to play with - don't get anything deeper than the standard or it won't fit.

Sorry Nick, i didnt see your post about the measurements

As you say, theres absoloutely NO space for anything deeper than the OEM front speakers. So the best advice i can give anyone is whip out a speaker and take it to the shop with you

The Pioneer's i got are actually thinner, so no probs there.

By the way, for those of you who have removed the foam behind the speaker, have you considered the effect of having a large magnet so close to the bracket behind the speakers with nothing to seperate it ?? :eek:

Geoff,

We'll have to have a meet up sometime soon so I can have a listen to your new speakerws. I've been well hacked off at having to have the door speakers "looked at" and changed half a dozen times so far - time for a change, methinks,

Hiya Mark,

Yep, feel free to give me a shout sometime, i've just spent an hour or 2 running around playing with the new toys, and i'm really happy with them.

It'll never win any prizes but its a vast improvement on the standard set-up.

And for the price i paid, you can't really go wrong