MR2 Roadster Owners Club

The Workshop => Audio / Security / Electrical => Topic started by: James and his MR2 on January 16, 2014, 18:45

Title: £130. Sub vs Upgraded speakers
Post by: James and his MR2 on January 16, 2014, 18:45
Good afternoon all,

Where is my £130 better spent, I have a 4x45W sony stereo currently. I love bass but still want decent sound quality, atm with standard speakers its good until you turn it up a bit  s:evil: :evil: s:evil:  

I have a choice of a good set of speakers with in-built bass V  m http://www.amazon.co.uk/Inphase-USW10-C ... B00379UM7M (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Inphase-USW10-Compact-Active-Subwoofer/dp/B00379UM7M) m  which has a built in amp and will fit under the seat

Any ideas?

Thanks in advance
Title: Re: £130. Sub vs Upgraded speakers
Post by: markiii on January 16, 2014, 18:48
your sure it will go under the seat?

not a lot of room under there
Title: Re: £130. Sub vs Upgraded speakers
Post by: andyroo104 on January 16, 2014, 18:51
Sound proofing the doors vastly improves the bass.
Andy.
Title: Re: £130. Sub vs Upgraded speakers
Post by: Pavett1990 on January 16, 2014, 18:53
In my experience over the last 7 years I find the Inphase subwoofers quite good but the speakers themselfs awful.. I'd recommend a small subwoofer (either under dash or behind seats in bins) and a set of vibe slick speakers..

This is my bootbuild mk1 lol..
Currently on mk2 but looking to go for mk3 very soon

(http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/01/17/jujeheby.jpg)

I have changed the subs to the JBL all round.. But next I'm going to be fibreglassing the front and spraying it instead  s:D :D s:D
Title: Re: £130. Sub vs Upgraded speakers
Post by: James and his MR2 on January 16, 2014, 19:19
7 years Pavett?? I thought you was born in 1990 lol. Looks awesome. So a set of vibe speakers are good at like £50 cost are they? If so ill go for that
Title: Re: £130. Sub vs Upgraded speakers
Post by: Flipside on January 16, 2014, 19:25
(http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/01/17/y7adama2.jpg)

Like this.
Title: Re: £130. Sub vs Upgraded speakers
Post by: shnazzle on January 16, 2014, 19:28
The USW10 will NOT go under the seat  s:) :) s:)

I've got it temporarily mounted to the wall behind the bottom of the passenger seat but will be mounting it under the steering wheel (same place as the under-dash sub box) when the weather gets better.

(http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/01/17/qy8ezyte.jpg)
Title: Re: £130. Sub vs Upgraded speakers
Post by: James and his MR2 on January 16, 2014, 19:32
Ok Shnazzle thank you, whats ur set up with that USW10?
Title: Re: £130. Sub vs Upgraded speakers
Post by: James and his MR2 on January 16, 2014, 19:33
Quote from: "Flipside"Like this.

Bit more that £130s worth i think flip?
Title: Re: £130. Sub vs Upgraded speakers
Post by: shnazzle on January 16, 2014, 19:37
Quote from: "James and his MR2"Ok Shnazzle thank you, whats your set up with that USW10?

Simplez: USW10 connected to my Sony single din. Lovely bass and stock speakers sound much better even at higher volume as they're not being loaded with the bass.
Title: Re: £130. Sub vs Upgraded speakers
Post by: James and his MR2 on January 16, 2014, 19:38
Great news  s:D :D s:D  Thanks
Title: Re: £130. Sub vs Upgraded speakers
Post by: Pavett1990 on January 16, 2014, 19:44
Well just shy of 7 years lol passed when I was 17.. In 2007 lol will be 7 years in June lol..

Yeah vibe speakers are just as good quality and a decent price too.. I'd recommend vibe all day long
Title: Re: £130. Sub vs Upgraded speakers
Post by: shnazzle on January 16, 2014, 19:46
Ps, if you're going to put a sub in the cubby hole, do it like above without the doors. I put my sub in the cubby hole with the doors closed to test what it would sound like and I came to the conclusion within 10 seconds that it was utterly pants.
I wanted the best bang for buck without losing storage space. Can't beat the USW10 mounted under steering wheel.
No separate amp, easy wiring, remote to control bass volume...all good.

No the bass isn't ground-shaking, but it's enough to make my softtop warble  s:) :) s:)
Title: Re: £130. Sub vs Upgraded speakers
Post by: Flipside on January 16, 2014, 20:55
Quote from: "James and his MR2"
Quote from: "Flipside"Like this.

Bit more that £130s worth i think flip?

Fair point. But worth it.  I also have a jl under dash sub. Sounds awesome.
Title: Re: £130. Sub vs Upgraded speakers
Post by: James and his MR2 on January 17, 2014, 10:25
I'm thinking of these but may spend a lot more not sure yet. Can get these for like £25 so seem to maybe be too cheap. Opinions?

 m http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stor ... yId_265869 (http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_storeId_10001_catalogId_10151_productId_1006495_langId_-1_categoryId_265869) m
Title: Re: £130. Sub vs Upgraded speakers
Post by: Pavett1990 on January 17, 2014, 10:29
The subs are great with edge (mate just fitted 2x12") never had experience with speakers lol
Title: Re: £130. Sub vs Upgraded speakers
Post by: James and his MR2 on January 17, 2014, 11:13
So ill upgrade my speakers and then buy the USW10/underdash sub if im still not happy
Title: Re: £130. Sub vs Upgraded speakers
Post by: nathanMR2 on January 17, 2014, 11:43
I agree that good speakers are the way forward providing your stereo can power them.

However the good thing about adding a sub and having such a small car is that you can turn down the bass off your stock/basic speakers and use them pretty much as tweeters. With the UD sub it has enough range to give you enough balance for a good sound.

I uprated my door speaker well before i installed a sub. However when i did install a sub i ended up turning the bass down on the door speakers as it wasnt needed and i didnt feel it was really adding anything and got the feeling it was clearer this way.

For the record and just incase you were interested i have got a spare UD sub box which may or may not be availble should/when you want it.
Title: Re: £130. Sub vs Upgraded speakers
Post by: James and his MR2 on January 17, 2014, 18:43
May be interested Nathan ill let you know. I have ordered some speakers and tweeters and if im not impressed enough I will be buying either the USW10 or one of your UD subs. Thank you
Title: Re: £130. Sub vs Upgraded speakers
Post by: Anonymous on January 19, 2014, 22:36
James.. can i just say for the record that the sub won't fit under your seat.

I ended up doing a custom rear bin install!

Rich
Title: Re: £130. Sub vs Upgraded speakers
Post by: shnazzle on January 19, 2014, 23:07
Think we covered that already  s:) :) s:)  
Can barely fit an ice scraper under the seat.
Title: Re: £130. Sub vs Upgraded speakers
Post by: trickyD on January 20, 2014, 14:53
The door speakers are some of the crappiest I've ever heard in my life!
That and the thin metal doors make for somehow awful sounds.
Please upgrade your head unit and speakers. Look at a sub afterwards.

I changed my head unit to a cheap Alpine and it sounds better, but clearly the Toyota speakers are sh*te

The beauty is that virtually any (cheap) aftermarket speakers will be a massive improvement
Title: £130. Sub vs Upgraded speakers
Post by: shnazzle on January 20, 2014, 15:14
I had a good play with my setup today in traffic  s:) :) s:)
Partially mirroring TrickyD's comments above:
- the stock speakers are absolute PANTS. I'm definitely replacing mine soon. They rattled and distorted all over the place when I put it up loud (louder than I would ever put it to be fair)
- lots of stuff in the doors seem to need pegging down to stop them from rattling.
- head unit makes a huge difference, so definitely get that (thought you already had that...sorry)
- the USW10 woofer is more than sufficient for my needs. But if you're a total bass-head then, no, it won't shake you testes out your mouth. Still crazy bass though.

So my personal upgrade order would still be:
1) get better head unit
2) flash door cards and make sure there are no rattles
3) get (active)woofer
4) get better speakers and tweeters

But 3 and 4 best done at the same time if you can afford it.
Title: Re: £130. Sub vs Upgraded speakers
Post by: trickyD on January 20, 2014, 15:19
Oh yeah +1 for insulating the door cards and the metal doors as well (flashing or Dynamat)
Title: Re: £130. Sub vs Upgraded speakers
Post by: cptspaulding on January 20, 2014, 15:32
How easy is it to remove the door cards to do this? Just had a quick look through the How To's & nothing jumped out at me.

I have nightmares of breaking clips & plastic pins & ending up with my door cards half hanging off as a consequence.
Title: Re: £130. Sub vs Upgraded speakers
Post by: trickyD on January 20, 2014, 15:43
You'll always break clips!
Just be gentle, I've never let that stop me  s:) :) s:)
You'll always be able to redistribute clips/ fir trees about to make it stay. Or buy some more.
Title: Re: £130. Sub vs Upgraded speakers
Post by: trickyD on August 24, 2014, 16:20
Quote from: "shnazzle"No separate amp, easy wiring, remote to control bass volume...all good.

No the bass isn't ground-shaking, but it's enough to make my softtop warble  s:) :) s:)

Is it any easier to wire than a conventional sub?
Thinking out loud.....I guess it's all located a bit closer, but I'm still going to need to take power through from the battery?
I guess the switch wire is right next to you (aerial or ignition) and the phonos for the signal as well....

Anyone done a how to?
Title: Re: £130. Sub vs Upgraded speakers
Post by: shnazzle on August 24, 2014, 16:43
Quote from: "trickyD"
Quote from: "shnazzle"No separate amp, easy wiring, remote to control bass volume...all good.

No the bass isn't ground-shaking, but it's enough to make my softtop warble  s:) :) s:)

Is it any easier to wire than a conventional sub?
Thinking out loud.....I guess it's all located a bit closer, but I'm still going to need to take power through from the battery?
I guess the switch wire is right next to you (aerial or ignition) and the phonos for the signal as well....

Anyone done a how to?
You would indeed have to pull power through straight from the engine bay.
The rest of the wiring is absolutely dead easy if you have a head unit with subwoofer output. Bit more of a pain if you have the stock units.
The built-in amp does indeed mean you won't need a separate one. Depending on your head unit,  this will be more than sufficient.
As cptspaulding has now witnessed,  the bass is plenty  s:) :) s:)  

No how-to,  but happy to type something up if you need it.
Title: Re: £130. Sub vs Upgraded speakers
Post by: trickyD on August 24, 2014, 16:47
Yes I have a sub out, so sounds easy thanks  s:) :) s:)
Where did you get the power through the bulkhead?
And where did you pinch an earth?

Was yours the In-phase jobby?
Title: Re: £130. Sub vs Upgraded speakers
Post by: shnazzle on August 24, 2014, 16:50
Quote from: "trickyD"Yes I have a sub out, so sounds easy thanks  s:) :) s:)
Where did you get the power through the bulkhead?
And where did you pinch an earth?

Was yours the In-phase jobby?
It was indeed.

Power through the bulkhead goes through a rubber bung behind the battery and comes out by the ECU(??) behind the plastics of the passenger side bins. It's a bit of a fiddle, but perfectly do-able. It's where all the other wires from the engine bay come into the car.

Negative is just anywhere where there is some unpainted piece of metal bodywork. Tons of screws to use for that all over the car. Take your pick.
Title: Re: £130. Sub vs Upgraded speakers
Post by: trickyD on August 24, 2014, 18:50
Thanks
Title: Re: £130. Sub vs Upgraded speakers
Post by: trickyD on August 27, 2014, 09:14
Quote from: "shnazzle"
Quote from: "trickyD"Was yours the In-phase jobby?
It was indeed.

What's the verdict on the in phase unit?
How does it sound?
Title: Re: £130. Sub vs Upgraded speakers
Post by: shnazzle on August 27, 2014, 09:26
Quote from: "trickyD"
Quote from: "shnazzle"
Quote from: "trickyD"Was yours the In-phase jobby?
It was indeed.

What's the verdict on the in phase unit?
How does it sound?
I think it sounds amazing for the price.
I may be biased,  but I demo'd it to another forum member last weekend and I do believe he was suitably impressed. I think there was an "oooff" from him when the bass kicked in. Always a good sign.
I genuinely wouldn't want more bass. This is already embarrassing in traffic haha. Luckily I have the remote to adjust the gain in a handy place
Title: Re: £130. Sub vs Upgraded speakers
Post by: trickyD on August 27, 2014, 09:51
Cool, sounds ideal to me!
Thanks for the feedback

Don't be shy with your bass, Just tell the other road users to deal with it!

(http://gifsec.com/wp-content/uploads/GIF/2014/03/Deal-with-it-chuck-norris-gif.gif) -   s8) 8) s8)
Title: Re: £130. Sub vs Upgraded speakers
Post by: Rob988 on August 27, 2014, 12:43
I have one of those USW10 subs that I have no intention of putting back in my car...  Worked great when it was in but I rarely listen to music so took it out.  Got a fairly decent amp knocking around too.  Let me know if you're interested in either and i'll do an official sales thread for it. (don't want to break any rules)
Title: Re: £130. Sub vs Upgraded speakers
Post by: trickyD on August 27, 2014, 13:09
Thanks, I might be interested. Depends on price of course  s:) :) s:)
Title: Re: £130. Sub vs Upgraded speakers
Post by: shnazzle on August 27, 2014, 13:44
Ive never seen it for less than 130 new. Which I think is what I paid. They always say it's on and amazing offer with. Rrp of some stupid unrealistic amount. Load of bull. They're 130 shipped.
Title: Re: £130. Sub vs Upgraded speakers
Post by: trickyD on August 27, 2014, 15:23
So, £70 second hand
Title: Re: £130. Sub vs Upgraded speakers
Post by: shnazzle on August 27, 2014, 20:18
Quote from: "trickyD"So, £70 second hand
Meh maybe for one that's been used for a while, a bracket or so missing or a scratch or two.
They don't really lose "value" much over use. So 70 would be really good. I'd expect a bit more.
Title: Re: £130. Sub vs Upgraded speakers
Post by: trickyD on August 27, 2014, 21:00
Everything loses value except gold
Title: Re: £130. Sub vs Upgraded speakers
Post by: shnazzle on August 27, 2014, 21:30
Quote from: "trickyD"Everything loses value except gold
This is gold. Audio gold mutha*****!!!
Title: Re: £130. Sub vs Upgraded speakers
Post by: trickyD on August 27, 2014, 21:36
 s:D :D s:D
Title: Re: £130. Sub vs Upgraded speakers
Post by: shnazzle on August 27, 2014, 21:37
... No call for that hahaha. I do apologize