ICE / Speakers

[MattB]

I'm thinking of upgrading the speakers in my 854.

Does anybody know the power rating (in watts) of the standard volvo speakers. I've looked at them, but they only sate impedence (ohms).

Also, what make would you recommend?

Infinity? Phoenix? Clarion?

And who would you steer clear of?

[Vikingxl]

Im thinking of doing the same in my V70 anybody with any ideas?Mulletboy2 possibly where are you?

[p fandango]

your best bet is to go to a car audio shop & have a listen to the speakers they've got set-up on the stands (they won't quite sound the same when fitted in the car but won't be far off)

the 850's use 5 1/4inch speakers matt, sorry not sure what size V70's use Viking

[MattB]

your best bet is to go to a car audio shop & have a listen to the speakers they've got set-up on the stands (they won't quite sound the same when fitted in the car but won't be far off)

the 850's use 5 1/4inch speakers matt

Thought so - although the rears appear to be 5 x 4"!? My car's not a GLT, so I don't currently have any here. I'll have to see what's available...

(With the amount of help and advice you are affording me, I reckon it won't be long before I owe you a barrel, let alone a couple of beers!! lol)

[p fandango]

the rear doors are the same 5 1/4's but not 100% on the rear shelf speakers (5x8 springs to mind but sure several have fitted 6x9's with some cutting)

you'll have to drill a couple of new holes to mount the universal 5's in the doors because volvo use odd mounting positions but its dead easy

i'll have to come to a meet soon to collect my payment lol

[MattB]

i'll have to come to a meet soon to collect my payment lol

**MattB feels a sharp pain in his wallet!**

Have spotted a couple of pairs of Infinity Reference 4" going for a sob.
Does size matter??
fner, fner...

Infinity 1

Infinity 2

Note the ad says 42" (I reckon he's bragging!). Have emailed him and he confirms they are 4".

[p fandango]

i don't think you'll get 4's to fit matt they'll just fall thru the hole (inless you make an adaptor plate, i'll even help make some if you need), Infinity are one of the better makes but looking at the low power rating i guess these are they're budget range. 4's will still sound good especially if you go for some decent rear shelf speakers & a sub (what you planning?)

i'd have brought a pair if they were 42's

[MattB]

i don't think you'll get 4's to fit matt they'll just fall thru the hole (inless you make an adaptor plate, i'll even help make some if you need), Infinity are one of the better makes but looking at the low power rating i guess these are they're budget range. 4's will still sound good especially if you go for some decent rear shelf speakers & a sub (what you planning?)

i'd have brought a pair if they were 42's

Call me daft if you wish, I thought I could just fix them in with just one of the mounting screws??

I think I'll have to go back to the drawing board anyway, as the speakers end in a mo...

I have a 12" Sub - not sure of the RMS, which rocks, but I just feel that although the Volvo speakers are better than most, they could do with a little more clarity.

[Paul ABZ]

I will be fitting Infinity Kappa's in the front doors of mine. They are a dream to listen to - better than that, bliss. If you can find a local dealer, try comparing some music from the Kappas to others, like Pioneers - no comparison.

You will be fitting 130mm speakers (5.25 inches for non-techies), but they don't normally fit well without an adaptor - about £30 a pair. You can make adaptor plates out of MDF if you have the time and the tools. Try listening to the Infinity Kappa 62-7i speakers for a start. UK price is about £140 a pair, $80 USA price, typical septics.

[p fandango]

to get the best quality out of the speaker you really need to secure it properly, with only 1 screw the chassis of the speaker will be vibrating & cancelling out the movement of the cone (which is what creates the sound)

volvo speakers aren't that bad tbh & even changing just the headunit can improve the sound by a bit

what makes your sub? i do like 12's you get a good quality sound & plenty of pressure, i used to have 2 x kenwood 12's & admit i think they sounded better than when i had 3 x 15's

[p fandango]

You will be fitting 130mm speakers (5.25 inches for non-techies), but they don't normally fit well without an adaptor - about £30 a pair. You can make adaptor plates out of MDF if you have the time and the tools

i think i had to make adaptor plates for my rear doors but never needed to do anything for the fronts, the only problem i've ever with front speakers is the tweeter sticking out to far on 2way's making the standard grill impossible to fit back on

[MattB]

to get the best quality out of the speaker you really need to secure it properly, with only 1 screw the chassis of the speaker will be vibrating & cancelling out the movement of the cone (which is what creates the sound)

volvo speakers aren't that bad tbh & even changing just the headunit can improve the sound by a bit

what makes your sub? i do like 12's you get a good quality sound & plenty of pressure, i used to have 2 x kenwood 12's & admit i think they sounded better than when i had 3 x 15's

Hi Pedro,

Sub is a 1000w Sony Explode, powered by a Kicker Amp - think its only pushing 120w RMS, but not sure. Headunit is only a basic Sony Cassette Player with 10 Disc Changer. I think I'll tackle the headunit first and see how I get on.

BTW nice subs!!
Ilike the port too. I removed my ski hatch cover and replaced it with material. Tidy job and allows sound to come thru really well. I have also positioned the sub on the left hand side of the boot, facing the drivers side. This allows the sub's sound to reverb more in the boot and produce more rumble. Although I plan to swap it over to the other side, as the sub sounds better when sat in the passenger seat and we can't have that now, can we!

[p fandango]

to solve your sub problem why don't you buy another one to keep it company, if your amp is 2ohm stable when bridged (linking both left & right channels together to form one channel like you must be doing now) you can run the second sub in parralel & it will increase the power that the amp kicks out (normally by double )

i did a fabric covered ski hatch first & it worked & stopped the panel rattling but changed it to the port design on the next install (can't remember why, might have been a freebie off Vibe lol)

[MattB]

to solve your sub problem why don't you buy another one to keep it company, if your amp is 2ohm stable when bridged (linking both left & right channels together to form one channel like you must be doing now) you can run the second sub in parralel & it will increase the power that the amp kicks out (normally by double )

I've considered doing this before but thought I would have to buy another amp. But, having said this, won't this drown out the rest of the car?

[p fandango]

I've considered doing this before but thought I would have to buy another amp. But, having said this, won't this drown out the rest of the car?

you need to find the spec on the amp to see if it can run 2, in the instructions it will tell you the ohmage rating in different configurations, from that you can work out how many you can run & how (my Vibe VP4 is 1ohm stable so ran my 3 subs off the single channel at about 800rms each ) If you give me your model numbers off the amp i'll see what i can find out about it

you've still got the gain control on the amp to turn it down if it does drown out the rest of the sound (could always be posh & fit a dash mount gain control that plugs into the rca line)

[mulletboy2]

Don't listen to speakers in a shop..it's very easy to design and make speakers that will sound good in a shop/proper enclosure - better than they would in a car. Often a speaker that sounds worse in a shop than another may sound better in the car than the same other speaker.

Also, don't fit rear shelf speakers aswell as a sub in the boot.. the pressure from the bass is likely o kill the speakers over time... fit the largest speakers you can get in up front, in properly sound deadened doors, remove the rear speakers altogether, and fit a single sub.

As for a 1000W sub being driven by a 120W amp, I wouldn't add another sub, I'd replace the amp with something with more power... 2 underpowered subs will sound twice as bad as one underpowered one.

HTH

Mark

[GOODVIBRATIONS]

What sony sub is 1200W rms? make sure its the rms figure, otherwise ur wasting money on wattage u wont need. if its a red coned "pentagon" its 350w RMS..

[T5_SINGH]

i agree pedro. i mean ive got alpine all the way through my estate. ive got the alpine 9813r cd/mp3 head unit, alpine 5 1/4's, running of a mini V12, and 2 12" alpine type r's each one with its own V12 mono block.

mind blowing and back masaging sound.

[MattB]

What sony sub is 1200W rms? make sure its the rms figure, otherwise ur wasting money on wattage u wont need. if its a red coned "pentagon" its 350w RMS..

I stand corrected sir.
Any idea what ohm rating the standard volvo speakers are??