Sound System Options
03-13-2005, 10:19 AM
#2
Senior Member
Join Date: May 2002
Location: California
Posts: 22,465
the rears are 5 1/4 and the fronts are 4 1/4,
my speaker recomendations are wierd, but the factory speakers are/were cheap and they sound great in the back. in the front we used to run pioneers, but i'm not sure you can get em anymore.
for whatever reason you need a speaker thats got lots of low and midrange to sound good in these cars, speakers that are clear and not bassy, like infinity's sound weak imo.
for the deck, i look for anything with a volume **** that still looks like a radio and not a video game.
also keep in mind ive never really gone and put a really killer stereo in one of these, i usually keep the stock deck
my speaker recomendations are wierd, but the factory speakers are/were cheap and they sound great in the back. in the front we used to run pioneers, but i'm not sure you can get em anymore.
for whatever reason you need a speaker thats got lots of low and midrange to sound good in these cars, speakers that are clear and not bassy, like infinity's sound weak imo.
for the deck, i look for anything with a volume **** that still looks like a radio and not a video game.
also keep in mind ive never really gone and put a really killer stereo in one of these, i usually keep the stock deck
03-13-2005, 06:04 PM
#3
Junior Member
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Southern Maryland
Posts: 4
[quote name='inuissus_cendi' date='Mar 13 2005, 09:16 AM']hey everyone, what are some simple options for upgrading the sounds system in an '83. just basic stuff, like what head units/ speakers fit. thanks for any info.
joe
[/quote]
You can make just about any 3rd party head fit, there's adapter kits available, really sucky ones at that, that'll cover the gaps in the flimsy plastic molding covering the existing stereo.(you will probably break this opening it up, they're commonly available on ebay for sadistic prices) I was able to fit a simple JVC CD player and a slim equalizer into the space left by the busted stock Clarion cassette/eq unit.
The first hard part is replacing the head, it's a tight, thick steel space, you will bleed. THEN you'll discover that the wires on the back are not right. In my '85 the head was not amplified, in a strange, but well documented stock- proprietary move, the two 25w amplifiers were below the storage compartments behind the seats... The wires from the back of the head go to the center console joystick-thingy, that controlled the fade between front-back/ L/R, at line level rather than speaker level. The wires left the scratchy joystick and meander toward the amplifiers. The speaker wires only lead to the amplifiers themselves.
I found it much simpler to rerun new wires from the new head under the dash to the existing speaker locations, rather than try to j-rig the existing stock wiring.
Of course if you're installing big boys (thumpin' amps) in the back or something like that , that's different.
Hope this helps.
db
joe
[snapback]685099[/snapback]
[/quote]
You can make just about any 3rd party head fit, there's adapter kits available, really sucky ones at that, that'll cover the gaps in the flimsy plastic molding covering the existing stereo.(you will probably break this opening it up, they're commonly available on ebay for sadistic prices) I was able to fit a simple JVC CD player and a slim equalizer into the space left by the busted stock Clarion cassette/eq unit.
The first hard part is replacing the head, it's a tight, thick steel space, you will bleed. THEN you'll discover that the wires on the back are not right. In my '85 the head was not amplified, in a strange, but well documented stock- proprietary move, the two 25w amplifiers were below the storage compartments behind the seats... The wires from the back of the head go to the center console joystick-thingy, that controlled the fade between front-back/ L/R, at line level rather than speaker level. The wires left the scratchy joystick and meander toward the amplifiers. The speaker wires only lead to the amplifiers themselves.
I found it much simpler to rerun new wires from the new head under the dash to the existing speaker locations, rather than try to j-rig the existing stock wiring.
Of course if you're installing big boys (thumpin' amps) in the back or something like that , that's different.
Hope this helps.
db
03-15-2005, 11:41 PM
#6
Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: ummm, Oregon
Posts: 504
03-16-2005, 02:26 AM
#7
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Vero Beach, Florida
Posts: 674
[quote name='spaceman Spiff' date='Mar 16 2005, 01:41 AM']i hope u dont mean something like...
Rockford
thats the same type that came in my vw when i bought it, quickly changed them out for these
the rockfords are priced around 60 and the diamonds around 200. u make ur decision.
[/quote]
To each their own, Ive been playing with stereo systems for years and have always used RF. For the price they sound good. Im not all that interested in having everyone at the light listening to my music anyway, they have my exhaust to listen to.
Rockford
thats the same type that came in my vw when i bought it, quickly changed them out for these
the rockfords are priced around 60 and the diamonds around 200. u make ur decision.
[snapback]686480[/snapback]
[/quote]
To each their own, Ive been playing with stereo systems for years and have always used RF. For the price they sound good. Im not all that interested in having everyone at the light listening to my music anyway, they have my exhaust to listen to.
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