Sound System

[hi8ha]

Hi Guys:

Would like to change the sound system in my MY99 C2. Planning on doing this:

After market HU (Pionner/Alpine)

Electronic Crossover

4 Channels Amp.

Subwoofer self powered(Bazooka/Infinity)

Would like to to use the door speakers as mid range, do I need a different type of speaker than the factory installed or will the crossover take care of it?

Should I match the speakers peak rate to the amp rms power or the speakers rms rate to the amp rms power?

[viper501]

The stock speakers in my 99 C2 were garbage. Not as bad as my BMW ///M Roady was but really bad. I'd highly recommend changing them all out. The Alpine h/u, or for that matter the Pioneer, should be no problem to install using a VW/Audi harness adapter and a FM antenna adapter. I used Focal's w/ the tweeter mounted in the stock dash location and the 5 1/4's in the door spaces. I then used an inexpensive set of MB Quarts for fill in the stock rear location. I am still debating how to deal with the sub question. I want the a-i box that mounts in the passenger footwell but can't bring myself to shell out that kind of money for it right now (performance is a more pressing priority since the Focal's still provide 'decent' bass).

As far as the Amp, I'd buy the cleanest signal you can afford with the highest, within reason, power output. Overdriving the amp is bad for both the speakers and the amp. I'd rather have the headroom in the amp than be trying to make it do things it doesn't have the strength to do. With that philosophy also brings a responsbility to not frag the speakers by turning the thing all the way up. Sort of like your throttle. :D

If budget is an issue, I'd upgrade the speakers and amp first, then add a new head unit, then the sub. Also, while I have no personal experience, my understanding is that the self-powered subs are a definite 'compromise' and you'd be better served doing something custom ( I'm probably going to do a clone of the caraudioinnovations box with 3 JL 6w0's being driven by my JL 250/1 .

[hi8ha]

Thanks for your response Viper.

Guess I started from the bottom up, already have the HU installed and a Bazooka self powered subwoofer (a frien gave it to me) not installed yet.

Is there any modification needed to mount the dash and door speakers?

[viper501]

Check out ... http://www.renntech.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=8780 for some ideas. I just used a piece of abs plastic sheet to mount to.

[hi8ha]

Thanks, good link.

[jmj996]

Hi Guys:

Would like to change the sound system in my MY99 C2. Planning on doing this:

After market HU (Pionner/Alpine)

Electronic Crossover

4 Channels Amp.

Subwoofer self powered(Bazooka/Infinity)

Would like to to use the door speakers as mid range, do I need a different type of speaker than the factory installed or will the crossover take care of it?

Should I match the speakers peak rate to the amp rms power or the speakers rms rate to the amp rms power?

I recommend similar solutions described above:

1) Replace the speakers first. They are junk. If you do this yourself, be careful with what you buy, the mounting depth is too shallow for most replacement speakers. I purchased a set of MB Quart's and they worked out great, and sound awesome. It still took a lot of fabrication work to retrofit them to the existing grills. I also chopped the wiring off of the old speaker so that I could attach it to the new speakers and plug/unplug with the factory harness instead of messing with the original factory harness.

2) Next, install an aftermarket AMP. In conjunction with this, you should get the auxiliary output harness for the stock Becker CDR 220. You do not want to use the amplified/high-pass signal because it is pre-balanced for the factory speakers. I think there is actually a defeat for this that allows you to set the output signal to ALL LINEAR (see page nine of the CDR 220 guide), but still, a low-pass/auxiliary output is best. Note: The auxiliary output is only 2-channel. If you have a four-channel amp and you want to be able to adjust the fade from front to back, you will need to use the high-pass amplified outputs. If you don't care about being able to fade front-to-back, you can use the auxiliary outputs.

Also, while you're at it, might as well get the auxiliary input cables so that you can add an iPod or other mp3 player as direct auxiliary input (you can get these adapters at http://www.beckerautosound.com/).

3) Consider a trunk-mounted subwoofer connected to the auxiliary output. A lot of cons here, as it takes up valuable space, but wiring was not a challenge with the relative location of the battery and good, solid available ground connections. I used an Infinity Basslink that I can easily remove when I need the space. I did not have the benefit of existing door-mounted speakers, but if I did, I probably would have focused my low-frequency efforts there instead.

With the ability to provide a flat/linear output (exclusive of virtually all other OEM head units), auxiliary output, auxiliary input (or CD Changer), speed-dependent volume control (great for cabriolets), and a perfectly matching front plate with matching amber lighting, the case for an aftermarket stereo can be somewhat hard to make. I have heard some complaints about problems with these, but they are probably not widespread or warranted considering where they're used. My first CDR 220 lasted eight years with a lot of rough driving. Considering the environment, that's probably not too bad, and also consider that the factory still supports these and rebuilds them. I have not seen a single aftermarket stereo that looked good in a 986 or 996, they all look ridiculous.

CDR220.pdf

[GranburyChuck]

Hi Guys:

Would like to change the sound system in my MY99 C2. Planning on doing this:

After market HU (Pionner/Alpine)

Electronic Crossover

4 Channels Amp.

Subwoofer self powered(Bazooka/Infinity)

Would like to to use the door speakers as mid range, do I need a different type of speaker than the factory installed or will the crossover take care of it?

Should I match the speakers peak rate to the amp rms power or the speakers rms rate to the amp rms power?

I recommend similar solutions described above:

1) Replace the speakers first. They are junk. If you do this yourself, be careful with what you buy, the mounting depth is too shallow for most replacement speakers. I purchased a set of MB Quart's and they worked out great, and sound awesome. It still took a lot of fabrication work to retrofit them to the existing grills. I also chopped the wiring off of the old speaker so that I could attach it to the new speakers and plug/unplug with the factory harness instead of messing with the original factory harness.

2) Next, install an aftermarket AMP. In conjunction with this, you should get the auxiliary output harness for the stock Becker CDR 220. You do not want to use the amplified/high-pass signal because it is pre-balanced for the factory speakers. I think there is actually a defeat for this that allows you to set the output signal to ALL LINEAR (see page nine of the CDR 220 guide), but still, a low-pass/auxiliary output is best. Note: The auxiliary output is only 2-channel. If you have a four-channel amp and you want to be able to adjust the fade from front to back, you will need to use the high-pass amplified outputs. If you don't care about being able to fade front-to-back, you can use the auxiliary outputs.

Also, while you're at it, might as well get the auxiliary input cables so that you can add an iPod or other mp3 player as direct auxiliary input (you can get these adapters at http://www.beckerautosound.com/).

3) Consider a trunk-mounted subwoofer connected to the auxiliary output. A lot of cons here, as it takes up valuable space, but wiring was not a challenge with the relative location of the battery and good, solid available ground connections. I used an Infinity Basslink that I can easily remove when I need the space. I did not have the benefit of existing door-mounted speakers, but if I did, I probably would have focused my low-frequency efforts there instead.

With the ability to provide a flat/linear output (exclusive of virtually all other OEM head units), auxiliary output, auxiliary input (or CD Changer), speed-dependent volume control (great for cabriolets), and a perfectly matching front plate with matching amber lighting, the case for an aftermarket stereo can be somewhat hard to make. I have heard some complaints about problems with these, but they are probably not widespread or warranted considering where they're used. My first CDR 220 lasted eight years with a lot of rough driving. Considering the environment, that's probably not too bad, and also consider that the factory still supports these and rebuilds them. I have not seen a single aftermarket stereo that looked good in a 986 or 996, they all look ridiculous.

I am wondering how well your subwoofer in the trunk sounds. I have an Alpine CDA-9820XM radio in the car and only dash and rear side speakers. Changed out all of the speaker with Pioneer 4" 2 way speakers and the sound is still horrible. Absolutely no bass and very "tin"y. I was considering building a subwoofer box and putting in an 8" sub as well as better component 6.5" speakers.

Edited July 4, 2007 by GranburyChuck