How can I improve the sound system?

[jpritchard]

I''m not a boom boom maniac but the standard speakers etc in my cerby 4.5 are pretty cr*p. It is distorted when relatively loud and it appears to me the speakers aren''t up to the job. They are pioneer all round and the ones in the rear seem a small diameter so cannot retro-fit the ones I have in the garage as they are too big. Any advice without getting big boom booms in the boot etc (something simple to make the sound better!) Also how do I get better radio reception? thanks JP

[dyap]

Radio recep is a prob which I don't think can be fixed, unless you are happy installing an external antenna. I've sought advice from at least half a dozen car hi-fi specialists. Some have gone to the extent of removing the std antenna and fitting replacement antennas-no joy. Let me know if you find a solution. I was tired of the std Pioneers too and have gone for the Emotion range Pioneers all round - I wanted to keep the same size speakers - therefore went for TSE range (3 way speakers in front and 2 way at the rear), all for less than £110 cf retail price of about £170. Personally, quite happy with the sound quality (for dance music) without having to go OTT (with 2 kids in the car !!) Good luck DY Edited by dyap on Friday 21st September 09:00

[AdamB]

I have seen an article on how to improve reception without fitting an external aerial. It involves running the aerial cable down the loom from the dash to the boot, then putting a standard aerial inside the rollbar that runs along the side of the drivers head. Lots of trim to remove and refit but it looked simple enough. If I can find the link I'll post it

[jpritchard]

dyap - did you go for same power output or have you improved this with the new speakers. I am assuming 'same size' means diameter of the speaker not number of watts? JP

[RichB]

quote:I have seen an article on how to improve reception without fitting an external aerial....If I can find the link I'll post it

Do you mean http://www.fc.net/~imaster/ Rich...

[dyap]

JP - I went for same size speakers but increased output. From memory Pioneer TSE1695 at the front and TSE1075 for the rear. 1695 = 16cm diameter and 95 (not sure re the logic) is the 3 way speaker - from memory 160W per channel I wanted 1095s for the rear but unfortunately Pioneer don't make 3 way speakers in the 10cm size. Hence I settled for the 1075 which is only marginally better than the standard rear speakers. Most of the improvement came from the front. I 'toyed' with the fader on the head unit to send more noise to the front - overall, clearer & better quality noise for just over £100. Not sure where you live but there is a large Halfords superstore in New Malden, Surrey which was where I went to check out the quality of various speakers. I purchased them via mail order at about 2/3rds retail price - not a bad deal. Good luck DY

[dyap]

RichB and AdamB - thanks - know anyone or garages who would be happy to do the job ? DY

[RichB]

whereabouts are you?

[dyap]

Nearest main town is Croydon, nearest dealer is Mole Valley

[jpritchard]

dyap - thanks, good info. I looked at the fronts at the weekend and they are 120w so 160 will be better. The rears are small and I'll take your advice on those. Where did you buy them mail order? Is there a good web site for this stuff? Thanks again JP

[dyap]

JP To be certain that we have the same taste etc, you ought to check them out first. When I shopped around in August, I found www.mcs-direct.co.uk to be the cheapest. They charged me £10 for delivery of 2 sets of speakers. There were lots of adverts in a borrowed copy of the MaxPower car mag. Good luck DY

[AndyTather]

dyap - Did you have any problems with electric window clearance because of the depth of the TSE1695's in the cerbera front or is it just my car ??

[funkynige]

From experience (not in a TVR I'm afraid[one day, she will be mine. Oh yes...]) I've found if you want dance music with lots of bass go for a European brand (Blaupunkt, Technics, etc.) but if you like more high end stuff, eg. pop music, go for a Japanese brand (Eg. Sony, Pye). That's NOT a racist comment, just a view on differing musical tastes - I know how tetchy internet messageboards can get.

[YellowCerbie]

Andy - dyap responding but changed name to yellowcerbie as I lost my original password some months ago. The only problem I had was to use a little force to get the speaker into position (as the original 'hole' was about 0.5mm too small). Good luck.