Altea Speaker up grades.

[loadswine]

CMD the issue with the speaker mount is that they are custom ones so you don't get to buy speakers and just bolt them in, that was the good old days, now you need speakers adaptor kits aka mounts. First choose your speakers then find the mounts. The reality is that only specific sizes of speakers fit and that Golf adaptor kit works for the said dimension of speakers in that thread albeit you need to trim the rim off, else you need to get into construction which is what Googies is talking about.

Right without taking it all apart again and it's far too cold for that... well I was going to offer you Loadswine pictures but they have gone so as to give you an idea of the mount. MDF is the in word as I recall with car audio.... one suspects that if you are a good hand at construction you can do something. Can you not just use some of the screw holes ?.

Basically as I recall and looking at this picture for the SAK-3103

http://www.nexxia.co.uk/Speaker_adaptors/volkswagen.htm

the speaker mount deeper into the car than the plane where you bolt the construction back onto the car else you can't get the grill cover on !. That's what the adaptor does as well as giving you the screw holes in the right place. I don't think the 5mm makes a difference and why can't you just drill out extra holes ? in the said adaptor ... just a thought. LOL. [post crossed I think they would]

We're getting there ...

The inner screw holes as I recall hold the adaptor too the car and the outter ones hold the speakers or it's the other way round.... see the problem. Some one with a heated garage can reveal which way round it is . Bottom line is that it isn't straight forward. The thread holes are around the outter ring. The speakers go in one set and the other holes are used to hold it to the car.... got there in the end.

<where is Loadswine picture these days showing the stages of the project>

I don't know what happened to the pics Tell, but I've gone back into the thread and edited in some new links. Take a look:
http://www.seatcupra.net/forums/showthread.php?t=76991&page=2&highlight=buzzy
or you can go direct to the pics on the photobucket album if you want:
http://s50.photobucket.com/albums/f313/2000silver2/altea speakers/

Not a hard mod really, but very effective without going OTT on too much in car entertainment and keeping it stealth.

 

[Tell]

Lovely, Loadswine, yes you can see that the thread that bolts the manufactures speaker into the car is well down inside the car, which is what I was trying to say at the time and why you need the adaptor kit. Still we need to help Bentley and Porche ICE installers fit kit to Alteas .

 

[googies]

hi, got my Alpines fitted, didt get time to cut wire ofr tweeters, it started raining!!typical!

The 17cm speakers werent even an issue as the custom fitting on the speaker had plent of movemnet to compensate for the 165mm mount.

 

[Tell]

Sounds good... pictures you put them on photobucket or some other similar site, click the icon button and paste in the http and that's via advanced button on this site, others have img tags..

Think you'll find it sounds much be better when the in built tweeters are isolated out. The headend isn't bad at all and the doors etc of the car reproduce the base well. I find when the foot well of the rear is full with shopping it extends the base range / feel of the sound... ... a treat when returning from those continental trips with wine under the seats.

 

[googies]

Thanks Tell, will try that for the photo's. I used my hands to cover the original tweeters and the sound was less tinny and better mid/bass and the tweeters in my new speakers working fine.
Think there is some room for a sheet or two of dynamat or similar to be placed behind the speakers on the door and inside edges of speaker mounts to minimise vibration/distortino of the mount. (hope im making sense or this would have some +ve effect on sound.)

Afraid no contenental trips for me!dublin will be the furthest for me this year!!

 

[Tell]

Well the sound is suppose to resonate in the door like a reflect type of port, although I'm no expert, but part of the base extention comes from moving the air mass behind it as well as in front, so I wouldn't go over the top at sealing the back.

 

[googies]

Not really sealing the back in mind, just a sheet on the door panel behind the speaker location and somee strips and the inner edge of the mount if you know what i mean? but get what you are saying, althoughclearness is what i want too, as i listen to likes of Hendrix, SRV, Zep etc so mids and highs are good (except the highs on the stock tweeters, going out now to cut them!! cable 2 on the adaptor wasnt it?).

 

[loadswine]

I actually found that the door has some deadening material in as standard, but putting in some extra Dynamat can't do any harm.
Just enjoy those decent sounds matey!!

 

[googies]

There is a 6or 8" square of material there, put in some extra as you say just to try it, and to help if the case may be. all done, found my drivers side tweeter wasnt even working, had clunk in door when got car, was sorted out under warranty and presume hasnt worked since! ah wel, not working now have the no.2 cable cut.lol. back doors next when get the cash!

thanks for all the tips people.

 

[Tell]

It's worth doing the back doors since some of the bass is coming from there [should be] and you need to silence those rear tweeters as well. I know it looks a bit untidy with the cut edge put I'm looking for resonance in the door which us where the bass is coming hence why I was saying don't muffle the back of the speaker, besides you want the neighbours to hear what you are listening too.

I just got back from being out with and the sound track of Kraftwerk live DVD from a couple of years back [not 80s recordings] and that does for me with the quality of the sound which I know the fitted speakers would mush up. Enjoy, now you can hear what the quality of the headend can deliver, truly daft of Seat to pit cheap Phillips speakers onto Blaupunkt equipment. In 18 months or so of having fitted them I haven't had problems with them and the crossover on the Infinities I just threw inside the door frame and they can handle the damp as well .

 

[googies]

Good point! was a bit worried about the damp in the door, never came across that before! butchecked all doors and they all the same so thought it consistent so ment to be. Took a drive tonight and the rear tweeters annoyed me, being 6' 1" i sit in the back.lol and they were really noticable after disabling the front.

have apline e-series 17cm,s might put thses in back and a new set of s-series in front. Clarity in front and more bass in back then, think i could deal with that.

 

[Tell]

The door is designed to get water inside it via the window going up and down hence the drainage wholes at the base and the water that drips out when you open it. My crossovers box lays in that but they are happy too.

Dunno on different makes at front and back, I'm a purish and beleive in the same model of speaker at front and back, I do the same in the home on the surround sound, I'd only worry about it if I didn't.

 

[googies]

I figured it was meant to be like that with the doors when saw the holes all round, still it does'nt look that nice!

I was thinking bass in back, and nicer clarity in front as thats where i am all the time? although that could be an issue of power ratings from speakers, impedence and the like, butr would be sticking with the next model up Alpines for the front.

 

[Tell]

sounds good... it looks tidy when the covers are on ... so who cares.

 

[googies]

Yup...good it is covered up, because the cutting of the mount not the best! next project maybe to build a mount to replace covers and show speakers?? Nothing mad just nice and tidy, although it's invitation to thieving B******s!?

 

[googies]

Sorry for double posting, i have had problems with buzzyness and rattles since putting new speakers in, took the adaptors out today and put speaker in and checked window clearance etc, the sound seems better with no buzzing now. Cables tied up out of the way from window, but all ok now. just thought would share this with everyone.

 

[Tell]

Good, are you saying that you managed to mount the speakers in the door with the speaker covers back on ?. Now they were Alpines I think, perhaps since they don't have front mounted tweeters ?? or just different you can get the speaker covers back on.

You are the first to report rattles with using speaker adaptor mounts.

 

[googies]

They are the Apline E series, you are right. they do have ta tweeter cone and it prtrudes out a few mm past the main speaker. i fitted them direct to the door, leaving a 'dish' of about 1' 1/2" and rear of speaker clearing window when open too. the buzz may have been from the speaker cone touching the grill and buzzing. that have eliminated, but i think sound is better now, more punch? could be that the sound is in the door now if you understand me?

 

[Tell]

"the buzz may have been from the speaker cone touching the grill and buzzing" think that's the head hitting the hand emoticon Googies . You are really suppose to have that tube in of one form or another.

The sound is suppose to be in the door and uses the internal compartment as a port type of thing, least I think it does. Clearly if you'd got the cone touching anything it would have effected the sound. Speakers also take a time to burn in like domestic ones do.

 

[googies]

Yea was bit of dumbass moment. here it is then although to my defence there was clearance between cone and grill!! only prob lem is the cone moved out just enough with bass etc to touch grill. the sound is definately better now, as the sound is in the door more now due to about 90% of the rear of the speaker being in the door compartment now. had thses in my last car ~6mths and now for over a month so are well run in i think. All sorted now.