Hi, I am after some advice for upgrading the stereo in my mk2 please? I'm not interested in subs, amps, 6x9's etc as done all that in previous cars and I want to keep it standard and relatively light. Firstly; what are the best speakers on the market which will fit into the standard speaker pods in the front door card and rear pods either side of the parcel shelf? Secondly; the headunit (I realise what I want may not exist)! I am after a headunit which looks relatively basic, low key and as original as possible but has very good radio reception, I can plug iPod/phone into and is powerful enough for good quality audio without requiring an amp. Any suggestions, thoughts, products and experience much appreciated..
I have a delightful and and simple clarion system with a pair of splits and a sub. Sadly without a sub, you wont achieve the bass response you need to complete the full dynamic range. As for good radio reception, you cant beat Digital Audio Broadcast (DAB), so that fills one criteria and most good new systems have DAB Speakers, I'd hunt down a Split system for the parcel shelfs, mounting the tweeters and crossovers in the corners on the dash, this provides a clear and crisp directional hi frequency with a a wide dynamic. Any speaker you place in the rear side parcel shelf will lose its HIGH ad LOW response, unless you enclose it beneath and even then there wont be enough bass response. Clarion makes a perfect fit sub that fits tightly in the rear and it a small 20w amp to drive it will do the trick. Yes, you asked not to be spec'd that way but you cant achieve a full range of frequencies with doors and parcel shelf alone. The key to any good sound system is a clear separation of the sound/air coming out the front of the speaker from that coming from the rear. Having an open parcel shelf is going to cancel out all the bass. Door speakers unfortunately wont provide good sound as they are down near your ankles, they often provide fill and it you drive them hard, you will rattle the doors. If you must, ensure you mount directly to metal or make a sound board to mount to. I have 6" mid speakers from the splits mounted on felted ply wood attached to the parcel shelf. Sound quality is great as it reflects forward via the rear window. I think this can be achieved from the original side parcel position as well. I have a soft spot for Clarion, I also use Alpine gear. Sadly Sony has flooded their range with cheap rubbish, pioneer followed suit as well. If you want to delve into the higher end gear, then let your ears choose, close your eyes and mind to price and dont believe what it says on the pack. All decent head units with built in amps will weigh more than a cheap unit. The capacitors, electronics and heat sinks will determine the quality and it all weighs up. Might sound primitive, but it's always worked for me! Also ask the suppliers which BluTooth system is best, some are a pain in the (_!_) I paid 300 quid for my wife's polo, it was a nice Alpine double height with MP4 video and DVD. Be sure to connect to the handbrake if you choose a system or you could void insurance. I didnt have DAB, which I do regret but I wanted a hands free system with reliable blutooth for her and it sounds awesome with the standard Mk5 polo speakers. The Clarion kit in the MK2 came in aound 400 quid. Good luck and remember, LESS is MORE wen it comes to sound... Two good speakers blitz 12 crappy ones every day of the week!
Not sure about speakers but head unit wise I have one of these.http://www.blaupunktdirect.co.uk/car-audio/oem-radios/birmingham-2012.html I wanted something OEM looking that had a few modern functions and this seemed to tick that box for me. Unfortunatley the usb will not work with my iphone. It does have the blue aux sockets on the back of the unit but as it is basically a unit for commercial vehicles i have been unable to find what is compatable with it. I was hoping to be able to plug in a denison type device and have dab, bluetooth, ipod/phone capability hidden away. No luck so far though.
Do you have a budget in mind? Focal or Hertz comps at the front and a nice fitted sub in the boot where the first aid box should be. As for a headunit - what about a Nakamichi?
Personally I can't get too excited by car audio, the acoustics in a car don't lend themselves to high quality audio reproduction & TBH if you're concentrating on listening to the music you're not concentrating on the roadlol However I have heard people say good things about Boston Audio car speakers, they're American but you can get them on Amazon, loads of people in the SAAB world use them to replace the lousy OE speakers in their cars & everyone seems to agree that they are the best sound/value combination
ive just fitted some components into the mk2 . 6inch on the doors and tweeters on the top door corner plastic. All going through high and low pass filters. With the engine off sounds ok , but when running . awfull . just to much high end. Defiantly need a sub somewhere to balance everything out .. im thinking of putting another two 6inch components in the rear cards ,without a low pass filter , and then install a 10" sub in the boot floor covered tho , no sure how this will sound tho
