Audio upgrade for 159SW

I'm thinking of upgrading the audio in my 159SW (which doesn't have Bose). I want to keep the original head unit and Blue&Me, so I think I'm looking at some combination of amp, replacement speakers and sub.

I'd really like to keep everything out of sight and looking original, so I think this means fitting the amp under a seat. I also want to keep the boot space, so this rules out a sub unless there's a really clever way of fitting a small one in somewhere.

I'm currently thinking of an Alpine PDX 4.100 (fits under the front seat, I've tried it) and either Hertz Hi-Energy or Alpine SPX 17REF component speakers in the front and rear.

Anyone tried anything like this? How will it sound without a sub? Any other amp suggestions? Total budget is around a grand including installation, maybe a little bit more if necessary.

Thanks in advance!

I fitted the Blaupunkt self-contained sub/amp
in the boot and have been pretty happy with the result.

Thanks Nev. I saw your posts on this - I reckon a sub under the seat might be a good idea.

a compact sub is not going to produce much bass. certainly better than nothing, but not like a dedicated sub in a subbox in the boot. the cabin area of a 159SW is fairly sizable, so much of the bass will be 'lost', especially from under the seat (in the boot, you can face the sub towards the back/corner, and acoustics will boost the subbass).

alpine PDX certainly has its appeal cos it's compact, and also very efficient. so definitely worth considering. you will require some form of LOC (line output converter) to connect the audio signal as i figure the B&M has no line level/RCA preoutputs. no big deal; these tap into the speakerwire outputs (eg: speakerwires that currently feed the front speakers) and drop the signal level down to low-level to suit an RCA cable connection into the amp. basic ones are decent and cheap (AUS$40~80, so probably UK$20~40); but you could also consider a high-end model with EQ and other fancy tuning features (eg: alpine PXE-H650, rockford fosgate 3sixty, audison bit-one, JL audio cleansweep, etc).

to improve (mid)bass from the front speakers, have them thoroughly sound deadened (eg: Dynamat Xtreme), and 'sealed'; covering over the service holes will ensure no loss of acoustic energy out of them. it creates an 'enclosure' for the door woofers to operate. this will compensate some way towards lack of sub.

however, you could also use a simple sub-box that is removable. if you need the space, you uncouple the wiring and put it aside. easy.

plenty of other speakers worth considering, including:
*boston acoustics SL60
*focal 165KRS/K2P
*mb quart RVF-216
*morel dotech mkII 6 or elate 6

audition what you can, and see what you like.

Thanks for the advice. I like the idea of a removeable sub.

I've bought a lot of home hifi in the past and it's always a good experience - knowledgeable staff, cups of tea, plenty of choice, and they take the process of auditioning components seriously. Buying car hifi seems to be quite a bit different - how do you go about auditioning amps and speakers? I guess what I need to find is a good dealer!

Originally Posted by ip75

I guess what I need to find is a good dealer!

exactly. just like you wouldn't shop at a discount store for high end home audio, you won't get decent service at a discount car audio store either.

find a reputable specialist. (unfortunately i'm not from the UK, otherwise i might know who to recommend.)

Just been speaking to a guy from Berkshire Car Sounds in Reading. The first place I've called where he asked what sort of sound I wanted, what I had at home, what music I listen to and when can I go into the shop to audition some speakers. I'm going in next week to talk to them.

yeah, seems he was asking the right questions. very encouraging.

I spoke to the dealer and I think I've settled on the following system:

- Existing Head Unit
- JL Audio Cleansweep (if necessary)
- DLS CA31 3 channel amp (2x65W + 1x280W into 2 ohms) - screwed to the back of the rear seats.
- DLS UP6i 6.5" component speakers in the front
- DLS W308 8" sub in a small sealed box in the boot (velcroed in), easily removable when I need to fill the boot
- Sound deadening in the front doors
- Rear speakers left as stock, with a filter on to remove lower frequencies (which they struggle with most)

I've heard this lot (with a larger sub and different head unit) in the shop and it sounded great - not too bright, plenty of detail, nice punchy sound. I much preferred it to the Focal and Rainbow speakers they had set up at around the same price.

My only dilemma now is whether to spend the money on the Cleansweep (which is about 300 quid) or just change the head unit to something like a Pioneer FH-P80BT - this does pretty much everything B&M does, and *might* give a cleaner sound than the standard head unit. Obvously it won't look as good though. Any views on this?

looks like a nice combo. dls has a strong following in europe, including competitions.

i would definitely change the headunit, if sound quality is a priority. it will be noticable.

i'm yet to be impressed by any factory headunit that relies on the high level speakerwire outputs as the audio signal. cos the signal has passed through the internal amplifier ICs, it is degraded. bypassing these to use low level RCA preouts (ie: with an aftermarket headunit) is far better: improved clarity, frequency response, dynamics, much lower distortion, and MUCH lower noisefloor (ie: high level = hiss, low leve preouts = (near) silence).

that pioneer should look nice in the dash, except perhaps the blue backlighting which won't suit your car (i presume you have red or green backlighting).

whilst the CleanSweep is a nice unit, as the saying goes: you can't make a silk purse from a sow's ear. it will not compensate for the relatively poor audio signal from the factory headunit.

Quick update on this - it's booked in for Monday. I've scaled it back though, in the interests of cost saving and keeping everything looking standard. I'm going for a DLS Performance CA22 2-channel amp under the front seat, and DLS UP6i component speakers in the front. Rather than a separate LOC it will use the speaker inputs on the amp. Plenty of sound deadening in the front doors to ensure we get some bass out of the system.

I'll let you know how it sounds...

should be a lot better than currently. though a sub would still be nice.

Originally Posted by shiny_car

should be a lot better than currently. though a sub would still be nice.

Yeah, a sub would have been nice but I've had to compromise...for now. Leaving out the sub keeps it simple, and therefore makes it a lot cheaper (about half the price, including installation).

Originally Posted by shiny_car

plenty of other speakers worth considering, including:
*boston acoustics SL60
*focal 165KRS/K2P
*mb quart RVF-216
*morel dotech mkII 6 or elate 6

audition what you can, and see what you like.

All great speakers but speaking from experience Morel are a lovely soft sounding spaker whereas the Focals are a very Stereo speaker for want of a better word. They distinguish between left and right sounds great in a recording the sound some people call it hard but I think they justt need to be set up correctly and a few positions to get the best out of them

Well, it's done. All fits fairly well - the mids are in the factory locations in the front doors, and the amp fits nicely under the passenger seat. The tweeters don't fit in the factory locations so they're surface mounted on the drivers door, in the little plastic triangle next to the wing mirrors. Probably a better location for them, sonically speaking.

The sound is great. There's plenty of deadening in the doors, which are now really solid, and consequently the bass is pretty good, whilst not earth shattering. It's now great to listen to at all volumes. The top end sounds very smooth and listenable. The soundstage is OK, but I think it's here that the limitations of the head unit come in - I think I'd like a bit more clarity in the sound. There's nothing wrong with it per se, I just know it could be better.

So, I'll see what it sounds like when it's all run in, and then consider a sub and/or change of head unit. I can see how this gets expensive...

Oh yes, and I'd recommend Berkshire Car Sounds in Reading (Berkshirecarsounds.com -) to anyone - they've been very helpful and seem to have done an excellent job.

sounds good. photos?

Think I've attached some images of the tweeters and amp under seat.

cool. thanks for posting.

the car audio bug may well bite you again, and you'll end up with a nice sub and subamp too.