182 standard speakers

[Rico]

Would you say the standard 182 front and rear speakers are good quality?

I've not got the best ear for audio equipment quality but i think they are pretty punchy but lack a bit of bass and definition. The music seems a little flat to me.

Was wondering if anyone would recommend something to me to improve it. I'm not after amps or a stealth shelf or owt. Or having it so it's loud enough to ear on the moon. I would just like to improve the quality of the music played via my standard cd player and 6 cd changer. Most likely by simply changing these speakers.

Any recommendations welcome as I haven't got a clue in regards to ICE and thus what everything is, what I'm after and what would best suit my needs :S

 

[Gobsheene]

Either mine are shite or they're knackered.

They're getting changed to Alpine components when i can comfortablty afford it

 

[Rico]

Either mine are s**te or they're knackered.

They're getting changed to Alpine components when i can comfortablty afford it

You just replacing the speakers yes? Will the current wiring be used or will it require re-wiring?

Apologies for my noob-based ignorance

 

[Gobsheene]

I've already changed the HU to an Alpine so i'll change these to match.

I wont be changing the wiring as I'm just wanting a marginly better sound and not perfect SQ

 

[Rico]

what speakers are you purchasing - you got any exact model in mind yet?

 

[MT AUDIO]

pretty pointless upgrade without changing the stock headunit

 

[fUbAr]

unless of course, they blow... which one of mine has

 

[murcod]

pretty pointless upgrade without changing the stock headunit

No it isn't. The stock speakers are absolute rubbish. For someone who is simply after a big improvement in sound quality it's an excellent place to start. Not everyone is after an ear shattering competition system.

If you choose the replacements carefully you will get a lot clearer sound and more bass. You need to look for speakers with a high sensitivity (around 93dB/ Watt or higher), most component speakers are around 87dB and won't be any good without an add on amplifier.

The Focal range would be a good place to start looking. It's also worth the effort to change the speaker size from 5" to 6.5" -a bit of custom work is required but the Focal 6.5" splits will fit.

 

[Stu_F]

I'm selling my Clio so I'll have a set of Alpine SPG-13CS's and a set of SPG-13C2's for sale in the next two weeks.

The general sale price of these two items totals about £160-£170 new, so if anyone's interested, please pm me to make me an offer.... otherwise I'll stick them in the for sale section when theyre out of the car. They have only been used for about 6 months and were professionally installed by Alpine, and will be removed by the installers at Alpine. They fit the car perfectly without any holes needing to be drilled.

Wicked high-spec speakers which kick the sh*t out of the originals.

I also have the adapter required for Alpine units to work with the steering wheel control which I'll be putting up for sale too.

 

[Rico]

No it isn't. The stock speakers are absolute rubbish. For someone who is simply after a big improvement in sound quality it's an excellent place to start. Not everyone is after an ear shattering competition system.

If you choose the replacements carefully you will get a lot clearer sound and more bass. You need to look for speakers with a high sensitivity (around 93dB/ Watt or higher), most component speakers are around 87dB and won't be any good without an add on amplifier.

The Focal range would be a good place to start looking. It's also worth the effort to change the speaker size from 5" to 6.5" -a bit of custom work is required but the Focal 6.5" splits will fit.

High sensitivity - 93dB/Watt or high
standard size - 5"

Thanks a lot, will have a looksy

Any particular brands you recommend using/avoiding? As i have no idea who's good and crap in terms of ice.

 

[murcod]

I've fitted Focal Polyglass 6.5" V2's in my 182 - but like I said they're not a straight fit. They do sound very impressive and totally different to the stock speakers.

For something that will bolt straight in you'll be looking at 5", I'd recommend start with looking at Focals purely because I know they sound really good and have a high sensitivity. They make the Access 130A1's (bottom of the range) with 91dB sensitivity and the Polyglass 130VB which is the next model up with the same sensitivity. They also list a 5" Polyglass 130VR model with 94dB sensitivity- that would certainly be worth looking at. http://www.focal-fr.com/

(A bit of a side note for every 3dB less sensitivity you'll need twice the amplifier power for the same volume level. My 6.5" are around 93dB from memory, smaller speakers are generally less efficient and will give less powerful low end frequency response.)

 

[MikesDman]

no point of buying such nice speakers if you aint going to amp them.

 

[Tigger]

The standard speakers are worth about 60p each in bulk production to Renault - was told that by someone who got a tour around a few factorys on some audio-installation course in France.

 

[murcod]

no point of buying such nice speakers if you aint going to amp them.

Well there is, because they are designed to be used without an amp.

From the Focal website (regarding the 130VR):

Its high sensitivity permits to reach high sound levels even without amplifier.

The good thing is if you do get the urge they can also be driven by a decent amp - they handle 50W nominal power.

I'd rather pay the extra and not have to buy an amp. Less stuff to install and no insurance hassles. The Focals will work well if you are after a big improvement in sound quality/ clarity with the added bonus of a slight volume increase.

PS: it would pay to check the available depth, although they're the same size (diameter) they will be deeper than the stock speakers. A 13mm MDF spacer might be necessary?

 

[MT AUDIO]

No it isn't. The stock speakers are absolute rubbish. For someone who is simply after a big improvement in sound quality it's an excellent place to start. Not everyone is after an ear shattering competition system.

If you choose the replacements carefully you will get a lot clearer sound and more bass. You need to look for speakers with a high sensitivity (around 93dB/ Watt or higher), most component speakers are around 87dB and won't be any good without an add on amplifier.

The Focal range would be a good place to start looking. It's also worth the effort to change the speaker size from 5" to 6.5" -a bit of custom work is required but the Focal 6.5" splits will fit.

i said pretty pointless,never said dont ever do it.as youve said youll notice it clearer etc at low volume but once you start turning it up you wont be much better off.why make the best out of a bad situtation?better to be in the best possible position with an upgraded headunit where your speakers can make the best of a good situtation

prime example is playing a cassette then playing a cd.same as upgrading your oem headunit.

 

[murcod]

Ten years ago I would have agreed, but modern factory headunits have come a long way and there is no longer such a huge sound quality gap. Sadly manufacturers still skimp on speakers and in every vehicle I've owned they're always the weakest link. (The RSC has some of the worst sounding stock speakers I've heard.)

The biggest improvement in sound quality is easily gained by a simple speaker change- but be careful of the sensitivty if you're not planning on running an amp. Plenty of other RSC owners have listened to mine and are amazed at the improvement (and it does go louder without distorting.)

Let's face it, you can upgrade the speakers first and if that doesn't satisfy then do the rest. It's pointless buying a flash headunit and then expecting top qualtiy sound from the stock speakers!