Speaker recommendations?

[4x4]

So - like to keep my car looking tolerably original.
Front door panels never been cut - and I'd like to keep it that way.
Not keen on rear cubby panel speakers if I can avoid it.
So - I have the idea of using a scattering of little pod type speakers (like the Bose ones) mounted discreetly around the car.
Has anyone done this and like the results?
Does anyone know if the Bose speakers are active (or otherwise weird) so that I can't just buy some and hook them up to something non-Bose and still get a reasonable sound?

Any other (polite please) suggestions?



Thanks,


Adrian.

[Kev43]

Hi Adrian,

I tried something similar in mine. I have 2 pioneer speakers mounted in the dash where the single speaker usually fits, and then 4 2 1/2 inch driver units hidden within the rear cubby holes.
The problem I got is that the driver units really need to be mounted on a largish panel to get the frequency response out of them. Fitted where they are do not sound that great but are just about ok to fill in the sound from the front.

I do tend to just listen to the TV8 most of the time.

The Bose satellite speakers are not normally active, I have a Bose surround sound system and they are connected just like normal speakers.

Kevin
.

[Mike J]

I bought a couple of Radiomobile pods that I fitted under the dash. These seem to be ok. Mike

[m9fdb]

I always thought the space under the soft top (behind the rear seat) would house a nice set up of speakers and some very discreet tweeters on the top of the dash in the corners.

[ChasR]

When (and if) I get around to putting in a stereo in my car, it will be to put the roof down to listen to that wonderful Triumph V8 exhaust note .

Joking aside, I plan to put some pods just beneath the dash solidly mounted to the dash and inner A Panel. That should give quite a good sound in addition to being relatively discreet (some speaker carpet on top should do the job of concealing things .

[saffronstag]

Hi Adrian,

There's always the Retrosound speaker option fitted in the original centre dash position. Plenty of threads on this including this one:

http://www.stag.org.uk/forum/showthread.php?16962-Retro-sound-speaker-in-front-dash&highlight=Retrosound

Probably the most unobtrusive option.

Regards
Andy

[4x4]

Thanks for your inputs - I do have the Retrosound - but I'm up for pods too. But thanks to Apple, searching for pod speakers and finding what I'm actually looking for is a nightmare!!

[Malc_R]

If you need a bit of bass grunt, I have put a small powered subwoofer in the hood cavity behind the back seats - works a treat !!

[steve.n]

I once had tweeters fitted into the front eyeball vents, subs in the boot, three ways in the rear cubbies, mid range under the dash, amps & crossovers on a board mounted in the hood well behind the seats, 1900 watts, then I grew up!!! If you use home stereo speakers check the impedance (resistance) of the speakers & head unit, the speaker impedance can be reduced with resistors but not increased. The most common values are 4 & 8 Ohms. You will also loose most of the bass when moving with the roof down anyway. I now just listen to the natural bass.

[ChasR]

The problem with home speakers for the car is that the frequencies they play (well, how they play them) can sound quite harsh in a car. Saying that, with a bit of research, you can get some great results with home speakers in the car.

[Dazza the Stag]

I once had tweeters fitted into the front eyeball vents, subs in the boot, three ways in the rear cubbies, mid range under the dash, amps & crossovers on a board mounted in the hood well behind the seats, 1900 watts, then I grew up!!! If you use home stereo speakers check the impedance (resistance) of the speakers & head unit, the speaker impedance can be reduced with resistors but not increased. The most common values are 4 & 8 Ohms. You will also loose most of the bass when moving with the roof down anyway. I now just listen to the natural bass.

Hi steve

love vet he idea of the speakers in the front air vents - given that they are pretty useless at blowing air out !

Can you give me any details on which speakers you used ? Maybe I need to grow up too but not just yet .......

[Marco Polo]

Ive got Mazda Miata (MX5) headrest speakers in my car and two 6" speakers under the dash at each end, I used to have speakers under the front seat but they are disconnected at present, Id really like to try the retrosound speaker in the front centre of the dash, the two under dash speakers at each end of the dash, the under seat speakers, the headrest speakers and a decent bass unit in the hood well but I haven't got a clue how to install it!
regards,
Raoul

[Tdm]

When I bought my car it already had door speakers fitted and have always been happy with the sound from them, but just recently one blew so I bought a matching pair of 4" speakers from Maplins that fit the cut recess perfectly. Have only fitted the left hand side one so far but it seems to sound better than the original and the cost was very reasonable. Have also got a 3rd small speaker in the centre of the dash were the original used to be. I fitted a smaller speaker because in the space beneath the speaker grill I also have the phono jack end of a microphone cable which is connected to the microphone that permanently resides in the rear bumper just above the exhaust so that I can better record the "burble" sound of the engine when putting a camcorder on the dash to record some video footage when out on a run.

[steve.n]

Dazza, the speakers were all component type running through a crossover network. The Kenwood tweeters fitted in the vents just happened to be the perfect size & very thin, 3/4 of an inch. I simply had to rotate the eyeballs 180 degrees & fix with plastic cable ties. I think I got lucky writhe everything!!! Another installation I had was using tiny pod tweeters, again Kenwood, sitting on the dash in the corners, only about an inch an half diameter. very neat but this was early 90s. Not sure if they are available now.

[Nambo]

I also have the phono jack end of a microphone cable which is connected to the microphone that permanently resides in the rear bumper just above the exhaust so that I can better record the "burble" sound of the engine when putting a camcorder on the dash to record some video footage when out on a run.

What a brilliant idea!
What sort of microphone did you use?, its surely waterproof?
Maybe I could record the sound of my Stag and then instead of playing my Lady GaGa greatest hits CD as I drive along, I could just play the sound of my exhaust, will save me a load of petrol money as I find I put my foot down in order to hear the sound rather than actually go any faster, especially when I drive through tunnels.
This way I could just turn the volume of my stereo up instead!

Pete