Speaker upgrade - Alpine

[spkennyuk]

Found this picture below which shows where the auditorium amp is located.

 

[FIFTY]

In my car there is a whole lot of nada!



Found the clarion amp in the UK seems like they are mostly in the US https://m.ebay.co.uk/itm/Clarion-XC...619199&hash=item48a113b54d:g:w44AAOSw2NtZlClP

I think i have interpreted all this correctly the blue cable goes into the 12v C1 6 port of the NIT which provides both power and output data to the speakers.... obviously speakers are plugged into the relevant ports on the amp

While the red +12v power cable goes to A4 permanent +12v. Chasis ground cable to port A8 and the job is a good un. .. right?




Edit sorry no idea why the screenshots are so small

Seems simple enough, will the amp work as the crossovers for the fronts by any chance? http://www.clarion.com/gb/en/products-personal/speaker/XC1410/

 

[conaero]

I would not bother fitting the rear shelf speakers and disconnect the ones you have, it actually sounds better without and is a whole lot of agro to fit.

Simply remove the seat back and you can reach in and disconnect them. Try it first and spend the money you save on a descent amp and sound deadening!

 

[FIFTY]

Hi Matt... not a fan of the clarion mini amp? Could you recommend something please? There are loads of options for the same price just not sure if they will all fit in the void under the centre console

Ok I will discount the rear shelf speakers and get some better 5x7's (3 way or 4 way) and amp with the money saved... didn't think running 4no speakers off 2 channels would sound very good tbh.

 

[conaero]

Hi Matt... not a fan of the clarion mini amp? Could you recommend something please? There are loads of options for the same price just not sure if they will all fit in the void under the centre console

Ok I will discount the rear shelf speakers and get some better 5x7's (3 way or 4 way) and amp with the money saved... didn't think running 4no speakers off 2 channels would sound very good tbh.

I am afraid this is not my area of expertise so Ill let someone else recommend something.

Oh, when fitting the front door speakers, don't do what I did and fit the crossovers, apparently the feed is already fed through a crossover and adding another one is simply not required.

 

[FIFTY]

I read that on the 4200 if you fit crossovers on the fronts the NIT would think there is double the amount of speakers giving the full range to the tweeters and eventually the NIT goes pop(?) Guessing an aftermarket amp will circumvent that too.

This document has some useful infor nothing that hasn't already been discussed https://checkvist.com/checklists/47779?simple=true

 

[FIFTY]

I ended up going for JL Audio C1 fronts and mids and will disconnect the rears. I got these speakers for a third off in the sale

http://www.caraudiodirect.co.uk/jl-...-5-inch-165-mm-2-way-component-speaker-system
http://www.caraudiodirect.co.uk/jl-...-x-8-inch-125-x-180-mm-coaxial-speaker-system

In terms of the amp I have done a load more research and installing a high power amp is a little beyond me so I am going to go with the class D mini amp option and the clarion seems to be the best output for the price (4x50w RMS) and has all of the cables wired in making it a little easier for me which is what I'm going for... not exactly an audiophile I think the combination of the new speakers and amp will check the boxes for me. Will let post up how I get on when I get round to fitting it in a few weeks.

 

[conaero]

JL have a good name they are very “bright” as the salesman described them, take from that what you will.

Make sure you dynamat the mids and the doors if you can.

 

[Slowly]

This is what was put in mine.. it isn't short on power (600W RMS I think) - I have an Alpine headunit and fear that turning the volume up above about half power would cause my eyes to pop out of their sockets and brain to dribble from my nose. The amp fits nicely where the old CD changer used to be in the recess on the opposite side of the boot from the battery. Now I just need to fit some under-skirt neons (or now, the LED equivalents) and I'll be set to cruise Weston Super-Mare.

JL Audio XD600/6v2 amplifier
1.00 Alpine Type R 6.5" component speakers (pair)
1.00 Alpine Type R 5.25" coaxial speaker (pair)
1.00 Alpine Type R 6x9" coaxial speaker (pair)
1.00 Dynamat Sound deadening material
1.00 Stinger 4AWG OFC power/earth cable +
speaker cable and connections
1.00 Alpine DAB glass antenna

ETA, seeing the pictures of the location of the Auditorium amp, mine was, I think, in a similar place or a little lower down - I may have posted pics a few years ago when my solar powered trickle charger overcharged the battery and the acid dribbled down and corroded the offshoot from the audio loom to the slave amp, resulting in an unpleasantly exciting little fire... fortunately I reaped the benefits of being a never-smoker so was able to huff and puff and if not blow the house down, blow out the flames before anything else got damaged.

 

[Mr S]

As the Becker is now discontinued, is there anything else that compares to the Grand Prix head unit? There are some 2nd hand one son eBay,

 

[Team GCR]

The Becker Cascade is the one to go for on eBay although they can be quite pricey.

 

[Spartacus]

Just about to change the 4 main speakers in my GS ,( im binning the rear shelf speakers ) Am i right in thinking that the black striped speaker wires are the negatives ?

 

[conaero]

How to test speaker wire for positive and negative?

Set the multimeter to measure DC voltage, and touch the speaker wires to the probes. If your probe is touching a wire with an opposite polarity, such as the positive probe to a negative wire, you will get a negative numerical reading. Try switching which probe you're using to get a positive reading instead.

 

[CatmanV2]

Not sure how that works with an AC signal....

Sparts, it's probably possible to work it out from the originals (they probably have a red dot or positive sign on the terminals somewhere) . But if you're replacing them all, it shouldn't matter (much)

C

 

[Navcorr]

Probably better to replace the speaker cables anyway. A PITA perhaps but the existing cables can often be used to pull through the new ones. A worthwhile upgrade imo.

 

[CatmanV2]

Probably better to replace the speaker cables anyway. A PITA perhaps but the existing cables can often be used to pull through the new ones. A worthwhile upgrade imo.

JIHAD!
<I can talk. One of my new team has been sending me home with new interconnects..... Alchemy or satanism, I tell thee!>

C

 

[Navcorr]

JIHAD!
<I can talk. One of my new team has been sending me home with new interconnects..... Alchemy or satanism, I tell thee!>

C

More likely to be beneficial at home with just a washing machine spinning in the background than in a car with a V8 upfront
I'm not into most of the typical car stereo upgrade 2 million watt boloks.
Replacing 10+ yo cables that were barely adequate to start with seems reasonable though.
Just make sure the cables have got a flash name and a fancy colour scheme as this "definitely" makes a difference

 

[CatmanV2]

Yeah, I guess, but what does 'adequate' mean in terms of a cable. It's a slippery slope....

C

 

[Navcorr]

In a car suitable shielding from electromagnetic interference.

 

[Zep]

Not sure how that works with an AC signal....

Sparts, it's probably possible to work it out from the originals (they probably have a red dot or positive sign on the terminals somewhere) . But if you're replacing them all, it shouldn't matter (much)

C

An AC signal on a speaker? That would just be a buzzing noise surely?