After realizing its impossible to sell a tidy '07 VRX 380 for anything more than $2, i figured i may just hold onto it for awhile, it is a good car after all ;)

One thing that needs improvement though is the sound. Plan is to replace the chinese 7" double din rubbish i originally fitted with a 6" sony/kenwood/jvc double din as a good starting point. Ive got a 12" alpine, box & cables just laying here from my last install. Keep in mind mind im not keen on amping any speakers other than the sub. So the questions are:

1. Will replacing all the stock speakers (6?) with new low level stuff (xplod for example) still be an improvement?

2. Does anyone know the exact size/replacement specs of the VRX speakers so that i could buy something that easily fits straight in, or doesnt take much to fit?

3. Is there much room to fit a largish monoblock amp under the passenger seat?

4. Whats the best way to route the power cable inside the car from the battery


Cheers in advance !!!

I would stick with a Pioneer headunit. In my experience, they seem to be better quality than other name brands like Sony. I fitted some Sony XPlod speakers to my old car and not only were they only just marginally better than the factory speakers, about two days after the one year warranty expired, one of them died.

I am looking at one of these:
http://www.pioneer.com.au/au/products/25/109/281/AVH-X8550BT/page.html

Can be had for about $850.

Am thinking of selling my volume modded factory bluetooth in the marketplace to offset the cost. Will unfortunately need an axxess unit to keep the factory steering wheel controls. Why cheap chinese head units can support programmable steering wheel controls, but name brands like Pioneer don't, I will never understand.

Why cheap chinese head units can support programmable steering wheel controls, but name brands like Pioneer don't, I will never understand.

pretty much sums it up, its about the only thing i like about the headunit i have now. In regards to that pioneer, it looks good but waaaay out of what im looking to spend. Im looking at a sony double din touchscreen for under $300 atm. Not looking for much, just clear sound, 6"< screen, USB, reverse camera input etc etc.

I dont mind spending a bit more on speakers, as stuff is cheap to get shipped in, just wanted to know how good the factory stuff compares, and if theres any room for improvment, and what sizes they are to make replacment easier

If you're going to put aftermarket speakers in, you are definitely going to need an amplifier. I put in some Kenwood 6x9s on the rear shelf the other day without an amplifier and the stock 6x9s actually sounded better because they required less power (15w compared to 60w). So I'm off to buy a 4 channel amplifier today to power front and rear speakers to see the difference.

your right, theres nothing aftermarket that is built for your standard 20wrms (50w peak x 4) headunit. Hmm.

I put in some Kenwood 6x9s on the rear shelf the other day without an amplifier and the stock 6x9s actually sounded better because they required less power (15w compared to 60w)

but did they at least sound cleaner & more crisp than factory? Im prepared to trade bass for clarity in the speakers, and make up for it with the sub if you know what i mean

Installed dig options sat nav unit in 2007 vrx some months ago. Not happy with sound quality.

Replaced stock speakers with aftermarket. Big improvement in clarity and sound quality compared to stock system.

Was planning to install an amp as well but more than happy with system as it is now so not going ahead with amp.

Installed dig options sat nav unit in 2007 vrx some months ago. Not happy with sound quality.

i pretty much figured they were all the same thing just rebranded

but its promising to hear that speaker change was positive.

Now, its been mentioned the rears are 6x9, so what the other 4 pairs?

but did they at least sound cleaner & more crisp than factory? Im prepared to trade bass for clarity in the speakers, and make up for it with the sub if you know what i mean

Clarity improved tenfold! Very happy with the clarity and crispness of it. Little upset about the loss of bass, but a sub would definitely make up for it.
The other thing I noticed is that you can't hear the rear speakers as much from the front as I could previously. Hopefully an amp will fix that too. Then I'm just going to need a sub for the low end and I should be good.

too easy, i'll replace the headunit & fit a sub/amp then change speakers see how it sounds.

sony XAV-63
http://www.sony.com.au/product/xav-63
http://sp.sony-europe.com/da/981/293728.jpeg

12" Alpine SWS12D4...... 500wRMS
http://www.alpine-usa.com/product/view/sws-12d4/
http://a248.e.akamai.net/pix.crutchfield.com/ImageHandler/fixedscale/400/300/products/2012/16/500/x500SWS12D4-F.jpeg

Kenwood KAC-8105D.......... 500wRMS @2ohms
http://www.jbhifionline.com.au/car-sound/car-amps/kenwood-kac-8105d-1000w-class-d-mono-car-amplifier/649160
http://www2.crutchfield.com.edgesuite.net/pix.crutchfield.com/ImageHandler/fixedscale/400/300/products/2010/26/113/x113KAC8105-i.jpeg

Get a cost up there on what you want..

And we'll get you sorted in gear...
And wait for it, we'll get something peaandham and I agree on....

But if you want a nice set of kit, we'll need a budget...

Keep in mind mind im not keen on amping any speakers other than the sub. So the questions are:

1. Will replacing all the stock speakers (6?) with new low level stuff (xplod for example) still be an improvement?

2. Does anyone know the exact size/replacement specs of the VRX speakers so that i could buy something that easily fits straight in, or doesnt take much to fit?

3. Is there much room to fit a largish monoblock amp under the passenger seat?

4. Whats the best way to route the power cable inside the car from the battery


Cheers in advance !!!

thats pretty much the q's i have. Budget as low as possible, because im not sure how long i'll have the car for. Not looking for nice sound, just nicer sound lol

HU, sub & amp is all paid for. Just wondering on replacing stock speakers, amp location & cable routing

Front door speakers are 6.5 inch. Small mods to make them fit in existing mounts.

I wish there were better speakers that sounded good with a head unit only.

I've had Stock ES speakers in the front, Very nice Jaycar Premium speakers, and back to GT Speakers.. Now I've a set of morel tempo's....
A couple of things I've noticed...
The standard speakers are pretty good... Even in the mid-bass department..
If you make a custom ring MDF baffle, which you will need to do. You'll need to be quite thorough to get an improvement out of the mid-bass and Mids... Say 80 Hz to 3000... That's Rear speaker pad, dynamat door skin, In and out, and seal up the service holes..
Tweeter improvement - Due to the stock location hidden under that plastic, I've seen some really nice tweeters go into a 380 in the OEM mount position, and hardly sound better than the Factory Units.. However, get a nice tweeter and mount it properly, free and clear of any Inhibiting plastics and there is a lot of improvement to be had in this area...
So adding a set of splits with the tweeter on the Apillar will reward you really nice highs over stock.
The Mids will require attention to detail to get the same kind of improvement. Have no fear, the rewards are there, but you'll need almost a whole Boot Kit of Dynamat ( 5 Sheets ) to achieve the same improvement like exposing a nice tweeter....
If you do this, you'll have to spend a decent amount of time chasing down rattles before you seal the door, as others have done....

I've exposed the morel tweeters and the improvement is great. But there is not much preparation in install a tweet.
I've yet to do the doors in the 380 yet, I'm just waiting to get the car for the weekend. MDF and Dynamat at ready... If they come up anything like the magna, I'll be in for real treat....

So if you aren't going to keep the car for long... Add the mono and the sub.. And see how you feel from there....

As for power, there is a grommet in the LHS near the front door hinges left of the glovebox. With a short run through the fender like in a magna...
As per ADR's ETC.. Fuse the power cable close to the battery.
And I also had an issue with noise, I had the X-overs for the splits tucked up behind the glove box, and it squealed like a pig... Not sure why, Gas computer maybe... Moved them, noise gone...
Keep your RCA's away from speaker and power cables, and motors ( fuel pump for example ).

I wish there were better speakers that sounded good with a head unit only.

Just two weeks ago, I saw a GT owner, who was previously an Alpine Type R splits fan, be converted to the Morel Tempo 6's after hearing them in a magna, and then be even more impressed to learn they were powered of the Headunit...
Just don't hide the tweeter. And go nuts on the doors...

great info people, thanks

Yes, thanks, I've never heard of that brand much before, I'll check them out.

I upgraded my sound system with a JVC Head unit, Morel Splits in the front and Morel 6X9 in the rear using a PIoneer 4 Channel Amp. I have a Morel sub in the boot driven by another Pioneer amp under the passenger seat. Its a great fit and the sound is awesome. The only problem I have now is that at high listening levels the sound from the sub causes the passenger side sunvisor to vibrate, although I have the sub volume level set quite low. So I'll have to locate the exact position of the vibration and fix it with some blu tack or something!

I can flick up a video of what's possible of you really treat your doors.
Getting new gear is one thing. That's a good upgrade.
Installing them properly makes a great upgrade. The more you do. The better it is.

just as i order & pay for new headunit, and arrange the other to be sold i get a phone call from someone about viewing and possibly buying the car. I told you i didnt want to spend too much haha

Good luck with it!

Good luck with it!

got cold feet, and told them this morning its not for sale anymore & cancelled the carsales ad.

back to audio talk :)

Nice, it's a car worth keeping, it will "last you long time"......

got cold feet, and told them this morning its not for sale anymore & cancelled the carsales ad.

back to audio talk :)

Yeah, its a buyers market out there, with fuel economy and dropping car prices. It might be tough... Good luck all the same..
I put up a video in my ride thread, (link in my signature) of what can be achieved when you take the time to put more effort in the fitting of speakers...
They say gear is half the battle, and the install the rest...

Any more questions?

will check out the vid, and yes buyers market for sure.

regarding more q' i guess i'll just see how i go, and post back here if i have any troubles, cheers for all previous advice

so the frigging headunit doesnt even look like its been posted yet, ebay seller ignoring my emails.

found out today how hard it is to locally source 4ga terminals for battery & amp. Looks like the only way to get them is to buy a full amp wiring kit, or on ebay.

Found my largish monoblock amp easily fits under passenger seat yay !! And have removed seat from the car, and started routing the power cable into the car, will post some pics tommorow

re: subwoofer............ ive always faced the sub towards the back of the seats so i can throw stuff in the boot without worrying about damaging the sub. However ive heard it actually sounds better if you face it towards the rear of the car. Ive ordered a 12" grille to protect if i go this way, but just wondering on other peoples opinions?

Re 4 gauge terminals, what are you after ring terminals? Jaycar will sell them, I used to buy mine from there.

Re Sub placement, generally speaking, and only generally, you lose output from facing the sub forward into the back of the seat, however the quality improves, I dont care for this theory, I have always found it sounding just as good facing away, and loading into the open space tends to help output too.

found a ring terminal, but not a suitable fork terminal for the amp. Local electronics shop is a jaycar stockist, but didnt have much, neither did 4 other places

hopefully sounds better facing away, seems to be more of an argument for this than towards the seats

Use a grinder to turn the ring into a fork.

Use a grinder to turn the ring into a fork.

worked a treat, thanks

well its all back together, and it sounds ***ing shit, i reckon i could fart louder than the sub.

its a 500wrms alpine with a 500wrms kenwood monoblock. Worked a treat in my last car with a JVC headunit. Now today is back in a different car with same amp but sony headunit and i cant get the ****ing thing to thump. Theres no "loud" setting on this headunit, only RBE which apprently gives more bass to the rear speakers. The sub is defintely wired up and working, you can see the thing jumping around through the ski hole in the back seat.

the only possible thing i can thing of is this time i used a generic pyramid box which i got real cheap, and its quite small. Could the small box honestly cut the sub out thaaaaat much ??

ok so its not the box because it requires .90 ft and the box im using is exactly that funnily enough. Theres no specs on the pre-out voltage of the Sony XAV-63, but ive got the sensitivity on the amp turned all the way up just incase. Also have the bass booster set to +2 on the amp to help things. Fiddled with a few other settings and the sound is nearly passable but doesnt sound like 500WRMS thats for sure.

When i go for a drive i expect it to lose whatever bass it has. On the upside, the new headunit is alot more clearer than the chinise double din it replaced.

lol another update to mitsu miyagi's blog

the sound isnt so bad after all, it seems the music i listen to doesnt have much bass hence why i couldnt tell if the subwoofer was even running.

looking at a previous post about the factory tweeter, i turned up some music and removed the grille and noticed straight away it was better, Then pulled out the tweeter and sat it upright and noticed an improvement even more. So have ordered some Kenwood tweeters and will fit them on the triangle part of thre pillar plastic. I know these arent what anyone would consider "quality" however i still reckon it will be an improvement over the factory tweeter where it sits

http://www2.crutchfield.com.edgesuite.net/pix.crutchfield.com/ImageHandler/fixedscale/400/300/products/2012/9/113/x113ST01-F.jpeg

I have some silk dome tweets on the Apillar, theres heaps of room there.
I' did muck about with some blutack on the tweeter before I drilled any holes though.
Normally they try try to aim up toward the opposite headrest. Some aim them at the cabin light, some straight across....

yeah could put them on the pillar, but i think it would annoy me after awhile. Down the triangle part seems to be the least obnoxious spot

i guess i'll just trial fit them like you said and see what sounds best. I also dont want to hear them too much as treble can kill bass

thanks for the ideas

Yeah! I gotchya
http://i1191.photobucket.com/albums/z467/Shootmarty/Audio%20Mods/20130504_171507.jpg

lol yep thats the plan

anything special about removing that whole pillar plastic piece? is it all clips?

All clips and Slots down the bottom, Pull out from the top, moving down undoing clips as ya go, and lifts up and out..

cheers, thats just saved me from breaking the bottom tabs.

just noticed the factory tweeter is 8ohm.

the kenwood tweeter ive ordered is 4ohm............ did i just stuff up?

does anyone know the impendance of the front door speakers?

ok pulled the door trim off and had a look.

the factory front door speaker is a 6" 4ohm 15W and the the factory tweeter is 8ohm which means theres a 2.6 ohm load on that channel of the headunit. How does that work? Why didnt they make both 8ohm to present a 4ohm load on the headunit?

so by using the new 4ohm tweeter the load will go from 2.6 ohm to 2ohm which isnt much of a diffenence you would think. Wheres SHOOT when you need him lol

If the amp is stable at 2.6 ohms, it will probably be OK at 2 as well. that low load just means moar power @ the expense of a touch more heat....

30 Mins late
I was playing with these
http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/waves/clocol.html#c2

i gonna have to try, as i spent 50 bucks on the damn tweeters, but i cant say ive ever put a 2ohm load on a headunit before. Maybe i'll lower the volume on the fronts via the headunit to save frying stuff.

I'm not sure I follow why you are running two different impedance drivers off the same headunit channel but ill have a better read later when I'm not at work.

Also the reason why they use different impedance drivers is so in conjunction with a resistor they don't need crossovers or tuning to set the output of the speaker volume wise.

i ordered a 4ohm pair of tweeters mistakingly to replace the factory 8ohm tweeters

im thinking now of replacing the front door speakers with new 6" midbass items, and make sure they are 8ohm to essentially go back to the factory combination pairs of 4ohm & 8ohm speakers on the same channel?

www.ebay.com.au/itm/Cadence-FX8M8-8-ohm-8-250-Watt-Mid-Bass-Driver-Midrange-Car-Speaker-Kevlar-/350817368324

You have a 2 or a 4 channel amp? So you are running active? Eg: running channel 1 and 2 to the tweeters (with no xover in between) and then channel 3 and 4 to the midbasses (with no xover inbetween)

What im getting at is why would the tweeters and midbass share the same channel? It wont work like the factory setup, if you plan to run both the tweeter and mid of one channel be it the headunit or amp then you should really be putting a xover in between or it will sound like ass. Otherwise run active, so in this situation you will need to get yourself a 4 channel amp, something good with some decent crossovers, (this is if you are retaining the factory headunit), disconnect the rears, connect channel one and two from the amp to the tweeter and channel 3 and 4 from the amp to the midbasses then set the xover points on the amp.

Otherwise better yet, buy a set of splits. This means you can use one channel for the front mid and tweeter.

Let me know if Ive over looked something.

im talking about my sony headunit.

i dont plan on amping the speakers, i just wanted to locate an aftermarket tweeter on the pillar for a bit clearer sound. The new tweeter has a built in crossover

the tweeter im waiting on is the wrong impendance, or at least..... is not the same as the factory tweeter. So to save putting more load on my new headunit im looking at changing the front door speaker to an 8ohm to bring back the balance.

the factory front door speaker & dash tweeter ar both connected to the same channel as per factory diagram

There is a reason speakers are sold in pairs and sets. There has been many a worse thing tried. It's an experience you should go through.
There is enough info around to know an upgrade when you see it.
It's the factory system. And he knows he is a taking a punt.
He might like it. He might not.
He might make the filter to make it work too.

i looked into just sourcing an affordable 8ohm tweeter, but couldnt find any surface mounted ones. All i could find was tweeters that needed 70mm mounting depth which im sure doesnt exist behind the pillar plastic

yeah i know im going backwards on way how this all should be done, but im gonna make it work dammit haha. I know subs well, i just have never played with the rest of the system before.

Yeah. Sometimes it's the old suck it and see.
You bought them. . Nothing will stop you from trying them. .

The only way to do it is try. There is always a way.

Miyagi. A ot depends on how the tweeter is wired in, and how you'll wire in the new one.
As long as you take the OEM filter out with the old tweeter you will be sweet, Just wire it up, or source a cross over, that will put a 4 or 2 ohm load on the Head unit..
The 4 ohm being the better option, as the filter with the new tweeter will cross where it was made to. You'll lose almost 3Db off the volume scale. But you'll have a tweeter aimed at you. Will it be bright or dull, only time will tell.
If you load the new speaker at 2 Ohms the filter will go nuts, I think the speaker will be crossed too high, and you have lowered frequencies in the range, the amp might get a little hotter, but I doubt that will be a problem.
How the tweeter itself will react, NFI..
Don't do anything non reversible while having a play... Keep the volume low for starters.
I sense a set of your splits in your not to distant future tho.... Adding a tweeter, is a full half step ;)

thanks for the advice

i assume the "filter" is the big black resistor hanging on the back of the factory tweeter?

by changing tweeter to 4 ohm & then do the opposite with front door speakers to 8 ohm would this essentially mean im keeping the same impedance load on the headunit as the factory speakers were doing?

The tweeters have been arriving by snail mail for the last week, but the midbass should be here express mail from the U.S. so everything should arrive same time hopefully

this morning tried facing the sub towards the rear of the car as opposed to the front seats like i always have.

i found that with music that has short tight bass it didnt make much difference, BUT with songs that have boomy shaking bass it definitely made a difference by facing towards the rear of the car. There you go, the rumours were true lol

i also read (and i had a 15" setup like this with only 300wrms that THUMPED) that the best setup for a sedan is to face towards the seats, but design a box or faceplate that the box can attach to that seals completely against the seats so the soundwaves go through the seat and arent cancelling eachother out by heading different directions. I had a look in my 380, and the back of the seat is too uneven to be able to make a good seal.

what a farce............. turns out the cadence 8ohm speakers are not sold in pairs, but your only buying a single. So i order another one. Then have a good look at the speaker which arrived and find theyve sent me a 4ohm speaker anyway.

return fees will make sending it back a waste of time & money

Man, that sucks. :(

im over it. I honestly am an idiot, i get ripped by having the wrong speaker sent out then give them more money & another chance to do it again.

im hoping that they stuff up again, at least i'll having matching matching speakers

Yes, there is the chance you'll have mismatched speakers, unless they stuff up again.

Are the 4ohm ones sold in pairs, or is it just the 8ohm ones for some reason?

that my fault, i cant say ive ever bought speakers other than subs that didnt automatically come as a pair.

theyve replied and asked for photos so its a positive. To return it will cost the same as to buy another one so not an option. Why can they do 4 day post from the U.S for $30, but it'll cost me $60 to snail mail it back

I wouldn't expect speakers other than subs to come singly either, that is plain strange.

They would have an account with a company for reduced shipping costs, a good thing for a business to have.

Buying guitars from the US I have had ships charge $100 for 4 day shipping and individuals up to $400 for regular international. Depending on the type of guitar both were ok at the time.

replacement speaker has been sent out, and whilst waiting for it i fitted the 8ohm midbass speaker i do have along with the tweeter that side........ and........... had no guts at all, terrible.

ripped it straight out and put the factory door speaker in there and left the kenwood tweeter with fingers crossed the 2ohm load didnt blow my headunit. Sounds good, and touch wood headunit functioning properly.

I will get a couple pics when i get a chance but i was wondering so what is the factory speaker, ie: 2way full range etc.? If it ever failed, what type of speaker would you buy to replace it to keep the same sound & freqeuncy? Because that cadence midbass speaker was really soft

Having listened to a few songs i can say the addition of the kenwood tweeters gives a fantastic clarity to the sound compared to the factory tweeter setup. Headunit seems to handle the extra 4ohm tweeters ok, i guess i'll have to wait and see long term how it holds up. I decided to mount them up top so theres no drilling of holes whilst the wiring remains hidden.
http://img209.imageshack.us/img209/4797/fmf0.jpg

the sony XAV-63 headunit does the job, sounds great although the wallpaper (apart from 4 preset ones) & lighting colours arent customizable like the pioneer version which is $100 dearer though.
http://img534.imageshack.us/img534/6752/2z7g.jpg

12" Alpine with .90 cubic ft sealed box. Box has velcro glued & stapled underneath & wiring has bullet connectors for easy removal. Also added a 1m SMD LED strip in the boot
http://img843.imageshack.us/img843/6562/t5b9.jpg