Upgrading car speakers after collecting new car...

[baz555]

Has any one upgraded there car speakers since picking up there new mk3

Like some people here, I should have splashed out the extra £400 for the upgrade to canton but i never heard of that make..

( i do now, there made in Germany )

I know people say speakers need time to bedding in  , but standard ones are not that good..

I'm thinking changing my ones ...if it not to costly to do and easy for them to fit...

If any one knows of any good companies they know of, as I live in Surrey, that boarders Kent & West Sussex

Or can Skoda dealer refit them..????

 

[JoseDB]

The speakers are only part of the problem, the standard amp is only 20W per channel as well.

 

If you want to upgrade you will need to put an amp in as well. Should be easy enough to do - the simplest option will be to get an amp that accepts high level (aka speaker line) inputs, something like http://caraudiosecurity.com/kac-6405-4-channel-amplifier (I'm not endorsing this particular amp, just an example of one with high level inputs - some only have RCA which may or may not be an option depending on what is available on the back of the standard head unit)

Using high level inputs will definitely work and also the volume/fader/bass/treble etc will all still work via the existing head unit.

 

Then get some speakers to match the amp power and of course fit the hole in the doors.

[loadswine]

I would expect the speakers to be the weakest part of the package for normal volume listening. certainly that was the case with a Seat Altea that I had from new a few years back. The old paper cone speakers were woeful and changing those to Infinity kappa speakers made a huge difference.

At some point, I am hoping to do similar with my Octy. I really could do with info on how the door panels are fixed though.

[Bigrj141]

I too will be changing the speakers in the Octy. Would you happen to know the speaker size?

[loadswine]

I am not sure, but 165mm seems to be the size they usually go for. I need to get a door panel off and have a look. You are very likely to need spacers for the woofer units. One of the Golf spacers that they produce might well be what we need.

[Bigrj141]

Cheers for the Info. If you do this upgrade before i do, i would love to know how you get on.

[Robfab]

It's something I'm think in as there are awfully bad. Mk2 were definitely better

[Spudey]

The speakers are only part of the problem, the standard amp is only 20W per channel as well.

If you want to upgrade you will need to put an amp in as well. Should be easy enough to do - the simplest option will be to get an amp that accepts high level (aka speaker line) inputs, something like http://caraudiosecurity.com/kac-6405-4-channel-amplifier (I'm not endorsing this particular amp, just an example of one with high level inputs - some only have RCA which may or may not be an option depending on what is available on the back of the standard head unit)

Using high level inputs will definitely work and also the volume/fader/bass/treble etc will all still work via the existing head unit.

Then get some speakers to match the amp power and of course fit the hole in the doors.

I was under the impression that the only outputs from the standard system are already split into channels for the speakers. To add an amp you need to sum these channels back together first before using another amp and crossovers. That's likely to be expensive and a give you a really bad signal path.

There was a link in an earlier thread I think.

[JoseDB]

I was under the impression that the only outputs from the standard system are already split into channels for the speakers. To add an amp you need to sum these channels back together first before using another amp and crossovers. That's likely to be expensive and a give you a really bad signal path.

There was a link in an earlier thread I think.

 

Yes - this was my point - there are 8 cables out the back, +ve/-ve for each speaker (assuming there are only 4 speakers on the standard system?).

 

If you sum them you would lose stereo and fader... Usually a 4 channel amp with speaker line input will have 5 terminals for the input, 1 common -ve (so sum the 4x -ve's from the head unit - is this what you meant?) and then put the 4 individual +ve's to the other 4 input terminals. Quality will be fine, just not quite as neat as if there was an RCA option for cabling.

The amp I linked to comes with a handy special cable to bring the 8 speaker lines from the head unit as one 5 core wire to the amp, and then you run the amplified output either direct from the amp to the doors (more wiring but better quality) or run the amplified outputs again as a single 8 core wire back to the area behind the head unit and splice back onto the existing speaker cables.

[baz555]

Sorry you lost me...!!!

So do to replace the amp also 

when I upgrade the 4 main speakers

or can I just replace speakers...

I think I will have to pop over to an car audio shop and get a price tomorrow

 

What is the output of the Canton..??

[loadswine]

I would expect that you would notice quite a difference just changing the speakers to something half decent. The infinitys have an impedance of 2 ohms, which may make it seem slightly louder.

[baz555]

It lacks a bit of bass..!!

[Aknedude]

Buy this and forget the speaker change. http://www.audiotec-fischer.de/lng/en/match/

Its simpel to install cost almost nothing. And works so well, you can connect a subwoofer too very easy.

And it has DSP as well.

Edited 18 February, 2014 by Aknedude

[Aknedude]

No cutting in wires, forget the cable nightmare, had mine for a week now and its sound sooooooo much better.

[SteveWCombivRS]

No cutting in wires, forget the cable nightmare, had mine for a week now and its sound sooooooo much better.

This sounds an interesting option. What do you have to remove to fit the unit?... Where do you pick the power supply up from?...

[loadswine]

The price is eye watering on the website £600!

[pipsyp]

VAG have I reckon done some programming to limit volume and distortion in the aim of reducing warranty claims surrounding interior rattles and blown speakers. Wouldnt surprise me if theres some sort of supression coding in there somewhere that in time might be adjustable by VCDS.

Certainly the system does not seem to be as loud or provide such punchy bass as the system in my old MK2 but I wouldnt necessarily suggest it sounds worse, with the bass, mid and treble settings ramped up a bit and the volume whacked up it sounds pretty good and the cars not quite yet 1 week old.

There is an element of regret not having ticked the Canton box but in all honesty whilst it will be louder, bassier and no doubt a bit better Im still not convinced it wholly justifies the £400 spend.

The door trims will just rattle even more (they do rattle a bit with the standard system) and those sat in the back will have to live with the din of the subwoofer (when you are sat that close to one you sure as hell can tell where the low notes are coming from - that'll be two v young kids in my case).....i think personally people get hung up on the headline 570w output figures and think its going to be utter revolution compared to the standard system.

Im sure the Canton lovers out there will disagree with me but IMHO its a marketing spin for Canton as a company to sell more high end home hifi equipment; the quality of the additional amplification and speaker gear installed in the Octy wont be that high end. Im also not thatbconvinced the accoustics in the Mk3 are as good as the MK2 (given it doesnt weigh as much and has v light doors) and suspect thats half the problem.

[JoseDB]

This sounds an interesting option. What do you have to remove to fit the unit?... Where do you pick the power supply up from?...

 

They does EXACTLY what I am talking about - but they have just made the wiring easy by putting an ISO plug on the end... Neat solution, but do you need to spend 3 times the price just for a £10 plug and 2 hours of your time?

 

It picks power up from the ISO plug as this carries 12v, ignition power, and the speaker cables etc. It basically plugs inline with the block connector that goes to the back of the head unit and highjacks the speaker outputs.

Edited 19 February, 2014 by josedebardi

[neiln]

I really think £100 on better speakers will make a significant improvement and suggest you try that first. There is another thread like this on here somewhere....iirc the op was buying some better speakers, I haven't seen him report back yet though. You might want to see if he does.

[neiln]

Found it. Op was about to buy some focal speakers at 150 euro.  Hope he reports back soon. http://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/302836-bolero-sound-system-on-octavia-rs-iii/?hl=+bolero

[baz555]

Right ok...

I have just  popped over to my local car audio's this morning 

they told me NOT to change the speakers unless your adding a amp as it would be pointless & If you do take the door panels off chance of them rattling as they never fit back the same way..

BUT.. just add a sub.. (75W ) he was fitting one on another car... sounded fab..!!

Sub's these days are small now, & can fit under the front seats of the car...

So I have booked the car in on Monday for a Focal sub to be fitted, takes under 1-2hrs to fit and will cost £300 fitted

[neiln]

I can't comment on the door trims, I guess it depends how they attach. Ford trim quality is poor but my Mondeo door trims have been off a few times ( to replace faulty locks) and since it's all screws they go back fine. If the Octy relies on some plastic clips there is always a danger of breaking them or not getting them to clip back in place correctly.

 

Please report back on performance one done and let us know what product is fitted. Oh and where the feed is taken from, is there a feed on the bolero for a sub or is it coming from somewhere else?

[baz555]

I can't comment on the door trims, I guess it depends how they attach. Ford trim quality is poor but my Mondeo door trims have been off a few times ( to replace faulty locks) and since it's all screws they go back fine. If the Octy relies on some plastic clips there is always a danger of breaking them or not getting them to clip back in place correctly.

 

Please report back on performance one done and let us know what product is fitted. Oh and where the feed is taken from, is there a feed on the bolero for a sub or is it coming from somewhere else?

I will let you know when its fitted..

[baz555]

I think its this one..

http://www.roadradio.com/Focal/iBus-20/

[Orville]

I would be very interested in the results also. The two VRS's I have driven (one stock Bolero and the other Columbus with Canton) both sounded poor. The Canton was of course a bit better than the Bolero, but still sounded far worse than my stock BMW stereo so Canton just wasn't worth the upgrade price for me.