25 replies to this topic

[Lutetium]

Hey all,

I'm looking to upgrade the sound quality on my VE Calais Sportswagon. I don't need any more volume just better SQ, sound stage and tighter bass. My initial budget was around 500, but I have gone to two specialist dealers in NW Melbourne and have received the following quotes.

Quote 1
Focal 165v30 splits for the front and Focal 165ca1 for the rear doors. Installed for $800

Quote 2
Maestro CS6508 splits for the front and Maestro CC6508 for the rear doors. Installed for $800.

Both sounded good in the store although the Focal appeared to have a better enclosure and the bass was more forceful. Both system where in different stores so it was hard to compare the two.

My questions;
Are these good value upgrades, considering I will be using the standard HU?

Would it be better value to spend less on say Pioneer speakers?

Is it worthwhile spending an extra $200 on sound proofing the doors?

Can I stick to $500 and get a fairly decent upgrade in SQ?

Has anyone done a similar upgrade?

Thanks all for you response.

[~Spyne~]

On a tight budget?
Morel 'Maximo' or 'Tempo' component speakers upfront, with the matching coaxials in the rear.
The Maximo set (front and rear) would be around the $350-$400 mark all up. The Tempo set would be closer to $500-$550. Plus installation.
Crescendo have the 'Opus1' ($249) and 'Opus3' ($399) component speakers that sound very good.
Hertz 'Energy' speakers should be around $450-$500 for components and coaxials.

Tighter bass will come from proper speaker installation first. Then sealing the doors. Then an amplifier. Then added 'sound deadening' products, such as Stinger Roadkill or Dynamat Extreme. Adding a subwoofer will also obviously give a great improvement in bass.
Sealing the doors (service holes) will have a much more noticeable effect than just sound deadening the door panels. Make sure the speakers, when installed, are installed on some solid mdf baffles/rings, that are themselves securely mounted to the metal inner skin of the door.

Only you can decide whether the difference in sound you hear between the focal/maestro and something cheaper like pioneer/kenwood is worth the difference in price.

[Lutetium]

Thanks for the reply. It is not so much that I’m on a tight budget, it is more that I can’t justify the additional expense. I’m no 20 year old who needs the best stereo around, I’m a Dad who wants to make an improvement to the family hauler.

I like what I have read about the Morels but it seems there are no installers on my side of the city.

[~Spyne~]

Where abouts are you located? Sometimes it can be worth travelling to get the job done properly - I live in Ballarat and travel to Langwarrin (Frankston) to get most of my installation work done by Mark at Frankston Car Audio.
Sam and Brett are also excellent, but again, are out at Braeside.

[Lutetium]

I live in Taylors Lakes. I was just talking to the Vic rep for Morel and he recommended Riverside Custom or Phat Audio. So I guess I'll check them both out.

[~Spyne~]

Yep, Mick at Riverside would probably be your best bet for being close and knowing what he's doing.

[hsvmonarogen3]

Let me know how you go. I just ordered a Calais V. No doubt an upgrade will be on the cards

[Lutetium]

I believe the Calais V comes with the 11 speaker Bose system, so you my be happy with it stock.

[shiny_car]

Lutetium, on 31 January 2012 - 04:02 PM, said:

Quote 1
Focal 165v30 splits for the front and Focal 165ca1 for the rear doors. Installed for $800

Quote 2
Maestro CS6508 splits for the front and Maestro CC6508 for the rear doors. Installed for $800.

Normally it's only worth upgrading the front speakers. Rears are primarily for rear passengers; so it depends how often the car has rear passengers, and what the priority is for them. If the vast majority of driving involves only the driver/front passenger, I think it's hard to justify upgrading the rears.

If you do only upgrade the fronts, it offers the option to go with higher quality (though, no point over capitalising; high quality speakers warrant an amplifier to run them optimally, whereas sticking with entry level speakers is fine when they are run off the headunit), or caters for any sound deadening that you're considering. Or it'll just save money overall.

[Big_Valven]

I would recommend the focal out of those two. Hard to go wrong with them for a simple upgrade. However if you can stretch for sound deadening on the front doors it'll also give you a lot more midbass punch.

[Lutetium]

shiny_car, on 31 January 2012 - 08:22 PM, said:

Normally it's only worth upgrading the front speakers. Rears are primarily for rear passengers; so it depends how often the car has rear passengers, and what the priority is for them. If the vast majority of driving involves only the driver/front passenger, I think it's hard to justify upgrading the rears.

If you do only upgrade the fronts, it offers the option to go with higher quality (though, no point over capitalising; high quality speakers warrant an amplifier to run them optimally, whereas sticking with entry level speakers is fine when they are run off the headunit), or caters for any sound deadening that you're considering. Or it'll just save money overall.

I had thought of only doing the fronts, as either the back seat is empty or my kids are there. However as the current speakers are 2 ohms and the new speakers will most likely be 4 ohms, I believe there will be a volume discrepancy between the two with the original back speaker considerably louder. I would have to use the fader to correct this and I also don’t believe that would be ideal.

Edited by Lutetium, 01 February 2012 - 08:24 AM.

[~Spyne~]

There's nothing wrong with using the fade function - it just limits the output to the speakers you are fading out. Exactly the same as turning the volume down.

[Big_Valven]

+1, no shame in using the fader.

If you were to do the two front speakers and use sound deadening, leaving the rears stock, even the rear seat passengers will get more bass from the front.

[Lutetium]

Thanks for the great and timely replies guys. I will head back to VSS in Keilor and organise the Focal splits for the front with sound deadening and plugging any service holes if possible. I’ll let you know what I think of the results.

[Lutetium]

So I had the Focal 165V30 splits installed in the front as well as Dynamat Extreme on the front doors and the centre speaker removed.

The Verdict.
There is a far greater range of sound from mid bass to the highs. The bass on CDs such as Mezzanine from Massive Attack is almost sub like, very deep, low and powerful.
Much more detail and clarity across the range, and instruments on acoustic music are more defined. Sound stage is far greater with the sound field deeper and wider.
There also appears to be more detail at lower volume levels and the car appears to be quieter. Even the Wife is impressed!

Conclusion.
Very happy with the upgrade, has breathed new life in to the standard Head Unit. Makes driving more enjoyable. I would recommend the upgrade to other VE owners.
Could have I found a similar improvement from alternative products had I shopped around a little more? – most likely, but VSS are were close and once I had made the decision to upgrade, I wanted it done straight away.