Rover 75 audio upgrades
 

Hi

I have just joined the site as I am looking for advice on upgrading the audio on a Rover 75 (2000 W) that has been in the family from new but I will now be using regularly.

I recently completed a full audio instal in my MGB GT including full Dynamat, Kenwood single din head unit with time alignment and DSP etc., Focal ISN 130 component speakers (French made), Genesis series 3 4 channel amp (bought from Gordon - the amp doctor) and JL audio micro sub. Therefore I have a pretty good knowledge of what can be done in principle but I am after some knowledge/information as to what can be fitted where etc.

The car currently has an early Chinesse double din DVD/Nav unit fitted. This has fr/rr and sub outputs at line level. I would like to keep the unit (though the blutooth is poor) and add more power/more resolved bass.

Therefore my plan is to upgrade the front speakers with a better set of components. What sort of upgrades have people fitted and does anyone know the mounting depth? I understand that an MDF baffle would improve the sound and increase the options available. I plan to Dynamat the front doors (inside outer skin + seal holes in the inner skin). I was thinking of Focal ISN 165 as they have a shallow mounting depth and a very compact crossover. Any other suggestions would be appreciated.

I am contemplating purchasing a Gensis stereo 100 if I can find one to power the front end. I would locate it under the fuse box lid in the passenger footwell if people think it could support the weight? This has the advantage of short cable runs for power, signal and speakers.

As for the remainder of the system, upgrading the rear speakers with some co-axials powered off the rear head unit outputs would help.

My biggest issue is improving the bass response. I have seen a few under seat active subwoofers that might do the job if they fit neatly. Both Kenwood and Pioneer do compact units but has anyone fitted them and if so, what sort of results/compromises in space did you find?

I do not want to fit any large sub boxes in the boot!

As for the practicalities of the install, how have people resolved:
1) locating/routing power from the battery, especially considering the location of the powered items I require?
2) finding a suitable ground in the passenger footwell/seat area?
3) using the existing speaker cables located behind the head unit. Are these good enough to connect to from an upgraded amp and if not, how easy is it to route cables through the doors etc?
4) to run signal and power cables from the head unit/battery to an under seat active sub located under the passenger seat, is it best to route through the back of the glove box and then own the base of the a-pillar and then lift the carpet slightly to route along the inside of the sill?

On a final note, has anyone achieved good results with just upgrading the speakers and adding sufficient power without having to install a sub? I am not a bass head by any means but like to hear the full range of music. The Rover 75 is certainly a quiet car (on a par with the XF that my parents also have) so it must be possible to get good quality audio without having to fit large quantities of equipment!

I've had all manner of speakers (inc Focal Access 165's) and mounting depth has never been an issue.

I wouldn't suggest mounting it on the fusebox cover as the mounting at the front are quite weak - and once they break the only real fix is a new centre console. Mine had worn out.

On the bottom of the glovebox or even on top of the glovebox could work - there's space either way - but i'm not sure if there's enough space for a Genesis 100. The 60 would def fit.

The front and rear speakers are the same so I would go for components in both rather than co-axs in the rear.

Routing of power cables has been covered many times before - but it's no issue.

Loads of ground points in the passenger footwell, at the bottom of the A-post.

I don't know how big the wiring is for the standard speakers - RAVE doesn't say - but I would guess 1mm². Running new cables through the door is quite difficult (IMO) esp if you want to go larger (i.e. 2.5mm²) - but I still would as it sounds like your pretty serious.

Many thanks for the reply Jakg. I have looked up your 'journey' in developing your sound system in the ZT.

Out of interest, how did you find the bass response of the Focals without a sub? I am quite happy to put the time/energy into sealing the front doors.

I will investigate amplifier instillation options further. I would have to remove the redundant (and broken) cd changer from the glove box to fit something in there. Cooling could also be an issue in a sealed environment.

Are there any mounting depth issues for the rear speakers? Also, the car does not have rear tweeters - are the mountings there or is drilling required to make rear tweeters fit?

Ironically fitting the system in the MGB was quite easy as the battery (single 12v) is located near the back of the car and I had removed all the interior (except dash) to Dynamat everything, so running cables was a doddle.

I don't remember running without a sub when I had decent components unfortunately so I can't help there. I would think that I wouldn't be happy without a sub though - but that's my personal opinion.

The rear speakers mount in a similar way to the fronts - so again no issues. The rear tweeters mount to the door card, but the wiring might not be present - it just connects into the speaker loom in the door.

You won't get any real bass from the components up front. I have focal set up all round in my cra. My components lack bass but make up in the clarity of sound that comes out of them. Very crisp and sharp. My rear focal coaxial can take a bit more bass. Without a sub it sounds nice but I still find myself needing a bit more so I have a 10" sub in the boot of my car which finishes if off nicely for me.

Thanks for the responses.

Ravinder, do you know which focal speaker sets you fitted front and rear (model codes etc.) and did you have any issues fitting them?

Where did either of you position the crossover for your component sets?

I have looked into subwoofer options and I am not sure as yet. I cannot put anything in the boot because:
1) the boot space is needed.
2) it is still my parents car so they certainly will not want a great big bass speaker in there!

I have considered an under seat sub but the rear seat vents (on both sides) are just where a small sub would fit nicely. Ideally the unit would need to be fitted forward of the rear air vents but that limits me to very small units. Behind the rear air vents will get in the way of their airflow and run the risk of being kicked by rear seat passengers!

My focus ST (2.5 model) has a standard Sony system which produces a good quantity of upper bass with the original fit Sony 6.5 inch speakers front and rear. TBH a performance level similar to that would suffice in terms of bass. Incidentally I have just sold a fiesta MK 7.5 titanium X that had the Sony upgrade but that was far too bright in the standard setting and meaningful bass was certainly lacking in that system.

I think I have these components up front:

http://www.caraudiodirect.co.uk/spea...speaker-system

And these in the rear:

http://www.caraudiodirect.co.uk/spea...oaxial-speaker

My friend fitted them for me. I think the cross overs are hidden behind the door cards. Speakers fitted straight in. If I was to do it again, I would go the whole hog. MDF speaker mounts and sound deadening all round. These bits were skipped on this occasion. Worth doing I think.

Tweeters are mounted on top of my door cards as couldn't get them to fit in the standard 75 tweeter pods as they were slightly bigger. This doesn't bother me but may bother some others.

Both amps are mounted to the back seat and I have a 10" sub and ported box in the boot. It does take a lot of space but that's ok with me.

Not sure if the subs can be mounted under the rear parcel shelf? Worth looking at...

Thank you for the information. I have looked at those Focal speaker sets in your links but I am afraid that might be a bit too expensive for what I am trying to achieve - they are very good speakers though!

I have done some more research and as ever, it has thrown up a few (hopefully easily answerable) questions:
1) A set of Rover 75 specific front door speaker mounts made from MDF seems a common suggestion to do the job properly. The only ready-made ones I have found are on e-bay through a manufacturer/supplier in Poland/Austria.
Has any one bought these and were they good quality and from a trustworthy supplier - I have never bought items 'off-shore' through e-bay before.
Does anyone know of a supplier in the UK?

2) Regarding wiring and colour codes, did Rover keep the colour codes consistent throughout production? I assume that the original speakers have some type of clip rather than conventionally indicated positive and negative terminals? If so, it would be handy to know which wire is which! I also assume that I will need to cut the connectors off carefully and put appropriate spade-type terminals in their place.

3) Would you recommend I order a set of replacement clips, including the infamous 'fir tree' type clips so that I can actually fit the door cards (front and rear) back on properly with no unsightly gaps/rattles? Again, can anyone recommend a supplier who will shend the correct ones?

4) Because the standard tweeter is small (25mm?) and it actually sounds quite clear it appears that many people have kept the original tweeter and just upgraded the door woofers and sound deadened the doors. With this in mind, I am pondering installing a pair of Audison Prima AP 165 (4ohm version - circa £85 a pair) woofers which have a shallow mounting depth and are supposed to be able to be installed without a crossover due to their cone design. Indeed, the complete Audison component kit (with tweeter) appears to have a filter for the tweeter but not one for the woofer. I will check on this with a supplier but if the case, it could be an interesting option for those wishing to upgrade the woofer without affecting/disturbing anything else.

I think that a pair of the matching Audison co-axial speakers would be a good option for the rear doors (about £100 a pair).

The Audison Prima range is designed to integrate as easily as possible with OEM equipment and it includes good stuff like the Bit 10 processor and Bit8.9 amp with DSP - things that are essential when de and then re-equing modern factory headunits that cannot be removed from the car.

I think I will see how this set up goes and then decide whether a good quality amp for the front stage is required (Genesis type).

Regarding a sub, purchasing and then upgrading the drive units in the HK factory item might be a preferred option, but I would like to try the system without first. I understand some people have had good result with using two 6.5 inch Rainbow woofers/subs.