156 basic sound system to ??? what speakers with head unit power only?

[schranz]

Hi,

I was wondering if any1 could tell me what can i do with my alfa 156 factory car speakers as i bought amp and getting wiring kit for it to power sub in the back(later maybe gonna get twin sub enclosure as amp is ~100w rms into 4ohm x 4; so 2x 275-375wrms into 4ohm). but i dont want to get another amp for speakers, so bought alternative to basic head unit - Pioneer DEH-7300BT with 3preouts and 4x 50w... and now what i could power with it ?? in halfords stock clearance maybe could get like cheapest alpine or jbl speakers, but have no idea if they would work only on head unit ? i need front 2x 165mm(6.5) + 2x tweets and in back 2x 165mm(6.5). would appreciate if you suggest me smth as i look at those 2 could buy for back like 40quid for 2x speakers, so not much. or you could suggest smth better? maybe ebay ? or any other car audio shop got clearance or etc? best solution would be easy install that i could install myself - i dun have idea how to even get that grill off, but if could get info would try do it myself (im not so useless, just never done it in a car - maybe easy to break some plastic trimmings or etc)

for back maybe ?
JBL GTO628 6.5'' two-way speakers with Plus One woofer cone and 1" edge-driven My-Ti tweeter. JBL GTO628 speakers feature JBL's intermount mounting system, so it can be installed in most 6" hole sizes. The JBL unipoint rotating tweeter pod is also included allowing imaging to be optimized based on speaker location.
features & benefits of the JBL GTO628 speakers
6.5'' 2 way speakers
Plus One woofer cone
1" edge-driven My-Ti Tweeter
Fits most 6" speaker holes


or

The Alpine SXE-1725S custom fit speakers are good value for upgrading your factory fitted system. The SXE-1725S's are designed for easy, do-it-yourself installation, including a complete kit with adaptors, and are designed to fit in a wide range of cars with minimal installation.
Features of the Alpine SXE-1725S speakers

Peak Power 220W
RMS Power 40W
Frequency Response: 60Hz-20kHz
Sensitivity: 92dB/W/m
Neodymium Magnet
Mylar-Titanium Balanced Dome Tweeter
Ferrite Magnet
Long Fibre Natural Pulp Cone
High Polymer Foam Edge

tell me what u think about these. also is it possible to fit into 6.5 holes 5 speakers ?? does any1 do it ? (asking just cause they eat less maybe could get better brand that would work on my head unit only). just keep in mind i need speakers that it wasnt only sub from boot bumping and nothing else would be nice to hear high freq aswell

[schranz]

just bought these from USA now waiting for delivery

NEW - Karma SS RCA Cables - The New Karma SS line features a new braid shield to go along with its twisted Smoke/Silver design. Each channel also receives a mylar foil shield, blocking out unwanted noise from entering your audio signal. Termination of the Karma SS RCA is made complete with turbine cut, Black Chrome RCA connectors. Each end uses rubber o-rings to provide a sure grip for installation of the Karma SS Kable.
Also Available in 2 Channel, the KARSS4.6M is a 6 Meter (19.5ft) RCA Cable

and KnuKonceptz KCA 4 Gauge Amplifier Installation Kit Includes

18 Feet KCA 4 Gauge Ultra Flex Blue Power Wire
3 Feet KCA 4 Gauge Ultra Flex Black Ground Wire
One inline fuse holder with 80A AGU Fuse
One 5 Meter Blue eKo RCA Cable with Built in Turn On lead
20 Feet Clear TCA 14 Gauge CCA Speaker Wire
2 Gold Plated 4 Gauge Ring Terminals, 2 Gold Plated 4 Gauge Spade Terminals
Wire ties

[shiny_car]

Use the amp to power the front speakers, and it will be a big improvement over powering from the headunit (more power, highpass crossover filter, better clarity and dynamics). Rear speakers are not very important (they are for the rear passengers), so they can be powered by the headunit.

Audition the speakers for yourself, playing the music you enjoy the most. Then choose whatever sounds better. JBL and Alpine make quite good speakers.

Spend more money, and you could by Morel Maximo 6, Focal Access SG, Boston Acoustics S60, etc. But compare for yourself to determine if they are worth the extra money.

Whatever you choose, you are likely required to trim some of the plastic on the door trim to fit the new woofers. No big deal.

[schranz]

and where do you buy these speakers? checked on net are they around 150-200quid total with shipping ? is there anything around 100quid not too bad and in UK? i dont have any spare for that but would consider saving abit then if its worth. and would it work on factory wiring ? or need do new wires + cut holes or etc (all new link to speakers from amp??)?? should i use 20 Feet Clear TCA 14 Gauge CCA Speaker Wire from my amp wiring kit for that ? or not enough lenght ?

if any1 know any link where shown with pictures/video how to do the speaker change on alfa (156 would be perfect) would appreciate if u share its very hard to find cant find anything

just rang garage about my alfa 156 jtd cause its got ENGINE OIL LEVEL LOW error on infocenter they tried repair infocenter, changed oil, oil filter, wiring and still error on whats wrong with it ?? (

[GeeCeeV6]

From memory, if you look closely at the speaker grill there is a small dimple / spot which show where a spring clip latch is and you carefully insert a flat tool like a thin flat blade screwdriver to depress the clip this will allow the first part of the grill to come forward - then it is just finding the other spring clips and prize them inwards to release the grill cover fully. 4 x screws hold the actual speaker to the door card frame. the older 156's had a yellow push fit for the connections - these will need to be removed or adapted to fit aftermarket units which usually have tag connections or studs with nuts. I rate Kenwood for speakers but it is all down to personal preferences & price etc - difficult to tell in a shop what they will sound like but usually they will be an improvement over stock items.

[schranz]

i do have facelift 2005/06 reg alfa 156 JTD 1.9 mjet 16v.
also when driver side door was open and abit windy i noticed when door moves sound was gone from speakers for a second :P i really do need some info where to see how i could remove grills/check wires and install speakers
also to do the wiring in interior what tools i should get ? would appreciate if someone who done the wiring for amp and speakers before could list me the tools or give link in b&q or screwfix or whatever they hide that i could see how much they cost n buy em.
Or maybe i should just buy all the stuff to be ready and then go to some fitting garage to get all done at once ?
any ideas how much could cost to wire 4channel amp(4gau kit), then change front components to new and wire them to amp? also install new head unit (got fascia and HU).
atleast give me approx estimates that i knew if i should better learn to do it on my own
thnx

[shiny_car]

Originally Posted by schranz

and where do you buy these speakers?

Yeah, sorry, I don't live in the UK, so I'm not sure what pricing is like over there.

You need to audition them first to help determine if they are worth it. It's a subjective decision.

You could also look into the 2-way coaxial versions of the speakers, rather than components. They will still be far better than factory speakers, and should be a step above the mainstream entry level products.

and would it work on factory wiring ? or need do new wires + cut holes or etc (all new link to speakers from amp??)?? should i use 20 Feet Clear TCA 14 Gauge CCA Speaker Wire from my amp wiring kit for that ? or not enough lenght ?

The factory wiring goes from the back of the headunit to the speakers. You amplifier will presumably be in the boot. So you have to do something there!

14ga is thicker than you really need (16ga would be ample), but not an issue. I don't know what TCA or CCA are, but presumably marketing spiel.

Installing ICE into a 156 is not the easiest. You may wish to employ a good, specialist ICE store to do the work.

In a nutshell, hooking up speakers to an amplifier is best done by running new wire from the amp and joining them to the factory speakerwire. It is very difficult to pass new wire across the door multipin plugs. Either find the wires in the cabin just before they exist (eg: in the front kickpanel areas under the carpet are wiring looms and using a multimeter, logic, and dexterity, you can find the speakerwires amongst the 10 or so wires); then cut and join there. Alternatively, run the new wiring to the speakerwire plug at the back of the factory headunit. Buy a matching ISO speakerwiring plug with flyleads, and make the connection there (ie: join new speakerwire to new plug, then plug into factory plug); thus, the audio signal goes from amp > new speakerwire > new plug > connects with factory plug > factory speakerwires > speakers. Something like this (this is a combined 'power' + 'speakerwire' ISO harness, but you should be able to find only the speakerwire version): ISO Repair connector for Radio online at Nexxia UK

if any1 know any link where shown with pictures/video how to do the speaker change on alfa (156 would be perfect) would appreciate if u share its very hard to find cant find anything

There is nothing particularly peculiar to the 156. You follow the same principles as with any modern car. Honestly, if you don't have confidence or skills or tools to tackle it yourself (and most people don't, don't worry ), pay a pro. It will save stress and you don't have to invest in all the tools.

Originally Posted by schranz

i do have facelift 2005/06 reg alfa 156 JTD 1.9 mjet 16v.
also when driver side door was open and abit windy i noticed when door moves sound was gone from speakers for a second :P i really do need some info where to see how i could remove grills/check wires and install speakers

Probably a bad connection with the speakers.

You can't remove the grills?!

also to do the wiring in interior what tools i should get ?

At a minimum, I would have on hand: full set of screw drivers, ratchet wrench and sockets, Allen keys, trim remover tools, jeweller's screw drivers (very small), side cutters, wire stripper, utility knife, quality crimper and/or soldering iron, heatshrink, multimeter (and know how to use it). Probably more, but that's a BASIC set of tools to do the job properly.

If you're starting from scratch (ie: no tools), then you'll find it easier to pay a pro to do the job! But hey, over the years I've accumulated a full set of tools for ICE and working on the cars. You have to start somewhere. Just don't expect to do it for next-to-no money.

[schranz]

Originally Posted by shiny_car

Yeah, sorry, I don't live in the UK, so I'm not sure what pricing is like over there.

You need to audition them first to help determine if they are worth it. It's a subjective decision.

You could also look into the 2-way coaxial versions of the speakers, rather than components. They will still be far better than factory speakers, and should be a step above the mainstream entry level products.



The factory wiring goes from the back of the headunit to the speakers. You amplifier will presumably be in the boot. So you have to do something there!

14ga is thicker than you really need (16ga would be ample), but not an issue. I don't know what TCA or CCA are, but presumably marketing spiel.

Installing ICE into a 156 is not the easiest. You may wish to employ a good, specialist ICE store to do the work.

In a nutshell, hooking up speakers to an amplifier is best done by running new wire from the amp and joining them to the factory speakerwire. It is very difficult to pass new wire across the door multipin plugs. Either find the wires in the cabin just before they exist (eg: in the front kickpanel areas under the carpet are wiring looms and using a multimeter, logic, and dexterity, you can find the speakerwires amongst the 10 or so wires); then cut and join there. Alternatively, run the new wiring to the speakerwire plug at the back of the factory headunit. Buy a matching ISO speakerwiring plug with flyleads, and make the connection there (ie: join new speakerwire to new plug, then plug into factory plug); thus, the audio signal goes from amp > new speakerwire > new plug > connects with factory plug > factory speakerwires > speakers. Something like this (this is a combined 'power' + 'speakerwire' ISO harness, but you should be able to find only the speakerwire version): ISO Repair connector for Radio online at Nexxia UK



There is nothing particularly peculiar to the 156. You follow the same principles as with any modern car. Honestly, if you don't have confidence or skills or tools to tackle it yourself (and most people don't, don't worry ), pay a pro. It will save stress and you don't have to invest in all the tools.



Probably a bad connection with the speakers.

You can't remove the grills?!



At a minimum, I would have on hand: full set of screw drivers, ratchet wrench and sockets, Allen keys, trim remover tools, jeweller's screw drivers (very small), side cutters, wire stripper, utility knife, quality crimper and/or soldering iron, heatshrink, multimeter (and know how to use it). Probably more, but that's a BASIC set of tools to do the job properly.

If you're starting from scratch (ie: no tools), then you'll find it easier to pay a pro to do the job! But hey, over the years I've accumulated a full set of tools for ICE and working on the cars. You have to start somewhere. Just don't expect to do it for next-to-no money.

Oh man this is s*itload of work now i really see that ill need specialist like you thnx for explaining
can grilles be opened easily and only with grilles taken out - remove factory speakers and inserted alpine coaxials ? tweeters would still work ? they seem to be 40w rms so.. later would drop to back instead of factory ones. and when get components for front then power them from amp in the boot.
Halfords | Alpine SXE-1725S - 6.5" (16.5cm) Coaxial 2-Way Car Speakers

Alpine SXE-1725S - 6.5" seems cheapest upgrade like bose grade maybe easy to remove on my own and install if i find that grille lock

[shiny_car]

The grills just pull off from the door cards on the 156. Very easy.

The space for the factory woofers is pretty small. You might need to trim some of the plastic for aftermarket speakers because the frame and/or magnet will be bigger. And drill new holes for the mounting screws. Note that poor fitment = poor sound. Make them fit as snuggly as possible.

Test-fit coaxials before committing. If the tweeter sticks out too much, it will hit the back of the grill, and the grill will not refit properly.

If fitting component speakers, the tweeters might fit behind the factory tweeter grill in the door handle piece. You probably need to trim the plastic there too, and think about how to secure the tweeter (eg: silicone or hot glue or custom metal bracket).