Car sound systems is an intimidating jungle for the ignorant I am.
May be I stick with Pioneer to simplify, why not.
2 speakers for the rear parcel shelf
2 speakers for the front doors
1 class B amplifier
1 single head unit (with stow away screen)
1 rear camera/radar system.
What do I forget?
Thanks.
Do not forget to take the wiring into account, Ericā¦
Using existing wiring simplifies upgrades/changes - but the existing wiring may not be dimensioned to take more powerā¦
And frankly; you donāt really need all that much power to fill the car with sweet soundsā¦
Frank
xj6 85 Sov Europe (UK/NZ)
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Yes correct, my mistake, I meant to say Class D for digital.
Why?
Just measure the recesses at the parcel self and get something that will fit inside, I think itās 8".
If possible get 2 or 3 way component speakers, i.e. with separate tweeters/mids and a crossover. The all-in-one never perform as well.
You can mount the tweeters and mids at the side panels? They are small and shallow.
Same rules here.
Get 5.25" Mid Bass speakers for the doors.
For something not expensive Iāve heard very good things about this one:
Tweeters at the front of the kick panel, mids (if you want them) at the side of the kick panels, there is just enough room.
Mind you that placement is very important, especially for the high frequencies as they are much more directional than low frequencies, so for tweeters and mids you want them to be as equidistant as possible.
Thatās your choice, and depends on your budget.
As I said, stay away of super powerful amps, itās all lies.
Most advertise Peak Power that says nothing. Look for true RMS Watts and distortion values.
Not my cup of tea, but again your choice.
If you want good sound get something simple that concentrates on making good sound.
You want screens, internet and fancy graphics I doubt they will have good sound, unless you go to the really expensive stuff.
Nevertheless there are double din Android head units that are good, but the console will need to be modified.
If I didnāt have my fabulous retro Blaupunkt I would have gone for this one:
For rear view camera you can maybe get the kits that display at the rear view mirror?
Cable routing:
The RCA lines should not be beside any power lines to avoid interference.
Amp power and ground as close to the head unit to avoid ground loops. Better power the head unit directly from the battery together with the Amp.
Cables:
Use Oxygen Free Copper (OFC) cables.
For the Amp use AWG 8 min. Anything bigger than AWG 6 is a waste of money.
And a big fat fuse ofcourse.
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Wow, thank you for this wealth of knowledge!!
I donāt want internet and all that jazz and I am not really looking at modifying the front console. The fold away screen would only be for reversing, and in fact, radar sensors might be better than a camera.
What I forgot was handsfree Bluetooth phone. Not sure how the microphones work. I was thinking of installing an overhead console with useful lights and integrated microphones, maybe something from a modern Jag. Any thoughts on this?
Agreed. I aspire to listen to Bach, not get the neighborhood ears bleedingā¦
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Most Bluetooth head units have a hands free connection option and an embedded microphone.
From what I saw the Continental has it, check the manual.
External microphones are very small though, there are many places you could mount them.
I also toyed with the idea of an overhead console, it would be very nice, but never got around it.
Not very easy on the SIII as there is not much space between the sun visors, mirror and sunroof.
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