Speakers for the Rover 75 Saloon

[erikwgraver]

Good evening everybody!

As there is nothing left to fix on my 2002 Rover 75 2.5 V6, I'm considering new and better speakers. The car has got the the Symphony sound option, which means 4x25 watts into 5 ohms, if I remember correctly. Treble and midrange are ok, the bass not so much.

So I'm looking for a set of fairly efficient speakers (92 db or higher) to put into the doors. Does anyone know the size of the mounting holes?

I could buy a better head unit for more power. Any speaker would then sound even better. Were there any bigger systems available for the Rover 75 than the one I've got? If so, I can get a used one.

A friend of mine here in Sweden suggests the Xtron head unit for Rover and BMW. The price is a bit stiff, almost 400 pounds, and I am trying to save some money for my motorcycle projekt. I still play CD's and tapes anyway.

So a more powerful, used head unit would be interesting. But above all, knowing the size of the door mounting hole would be very useful.

I'm sincerely grateful for any advice.

Have a nice evening,

Yours sincerely
Erik Graver

[suzublu]

Some cars had the Harman Kardon speaker setup with the amp under the rear parcel shelf and tweeters in the doors if that helps?

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[erikwgraver]

Originally Posted by suzublu

Some cars had the Harman Kardon speaker setup with the amp under the rear parcel shelf and tweeters in the doors if that helps?

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Thank you, that does help! So the bass speakers was mounted to the parcel shelf and the midrange/tweeters in the doors?

[suzublu]

Sub woofer under the shelf, speakers in the doors and tweeters to replace the existing ones near the mirrors. Some pics of the sub
https://www.the75andztclub.co.uk/for...d.php?t=287104
Apparently, those speakers in the sub can be upgraded, not being an expert in these things, can't help with output etc.

[AndyN01]

I have an Xtrons unit in my Rover. It's very good BUT the after sales support is dreadful to non existent. I'll never buy another Xtrons product purely because of this.

Hope that's useful.

Good luck with the project.

[Dorset Bob]

There is quite a lot of info. here on speaker upgrades.

[SD1too]

Originally Posted by erikwgraver

Treble and midrange are ok, the bass not so much.

I agree Erik, the bass response of the standard Goodmans speakers is poor. As suzublu says, MG Rover's optional premium sound system used Harman Kardon speakers but I would avoid both the sub-woofers in the boot and the HK power amplifier which introduces distortion. Just replace the door speakers, including the tweeters, and the improvement in quality and bass response will be immediately noticeable. It won't thump like a BMW with blacked-out windows driven by a young man in a baseball cap though!

Originally Posted by erikwgraver

I could buy a better head unit for more power. Any speaker would then sound even better.

I disagree. Better quality does not automatically follow from higher power. 25 watts per channel is more than adequate for a car. In order to increase the perceived loudness you would have to move to absurdly high wattages. If you take that route you'd need speakers able to handle it.

Simon

[The Rovering Member]

The standard speakers are frankly, rubbish. I replaced my speakers here:

https://the75andztclub.co.uk/forum/s...d.php?t=299321

Three-way Pioneers in the front with Harmon Kardon tweeters in the upper door mounts, with a pair of bass response units with matching tweeters in the rear. The difference in sound is night & day.
I still have the Harmony unit which really is more than acceptable with the speaker upgrade but l have a Symphony to replace it which has recently been returned by Jules who fitted the SLE bass circuit to it for me. I haven't fitted it yet but Jules says it sounds fantastic. Apparently the Symphony is known for a fairly poor bass response (worse than the Harmony) which is why l bought the SLE circuit before l fitted the unit but l think you'll have a hard time getting one now as they appear to be discontinued. I bought mine a few years ago as it was always my plan to fit a Symphony on aesthetic grounds as much as the power increase.
You could do worse than try the bass speakers linked to in my thread. They're not expensive & they have impressed me. I'm looking forward to getting the Symphony installed to see how they perform with the upgraded circuitry of the unit.

EDIT:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/p/21034596865?iid=323568964921

Actually l paid a bit over a third of that price, reduced from Halfords as the packaging was shop-soiled, but they're very good units so the price isn't unreasonable for the difference they make.

EDIT 2: It's linking to a cheaper pair now. At £48 that's only twice what l paid.

[VVC-Geeza]

I have an Xtrons DD unit too and am amazed how much better the standard speakers sound now.I also have a Pioneer sub in the boot.I'm planning to upgrade the door speakers with Focal K2 components.Pricey, but first class sound quality I'm told.

[SCP440]

I fitted a full set of Focal with MDF front speaker mounts and the difference was well worth the work and cost. I managed to find a seller on the bay who let me have a couple of pairs for little more than one pair.

These also have crossovers that came with the speakers.