1997 850 R Wagon Speaker Replacment

[97snowR]

HI! im new to volvospeed and just got my first Volvo it is a 1997 855R with the premium sound system i plan on a lot of fun toys in the future but im a student and only work part time so i have to save up for parts and thought i would start my project with an upgraded sound system, however my problem is that i am a complete moron in the world of stereos, i can hold more than my own with a wrench but give me wires or anything with electronics and i am lost.

SO on to the questions, what should i look for when buying new speakers? is there anything i should be concerned about with new speakers or when installing the new speakers, will the stock head unit be able to power the better speakers? is an amp worth the money if i am only doing upgraded speakers? if i installed tweeters would there be extra parts that i would need? is it possible to wire in a sub to the stock head unit?

just basic sound questions about what to look for or buy, and any recommendations on specific speakers and accessory's would be appreciated thank you guys for your help and i plan on keeping you informed on my project! :D

[steve s]

for amp installation

http://volvospeed.com/vs_forum/index.php?showtopic=549

for speaker sizes

http://volvospeed.com/vs_forum/index.php?showtopic=12943

pinned thread up top has a lot of good info. generally, upgrading speakers only leads to poor bass. i had that for a short time. and even though anything above bass sounded nice, it just didn't do anything when u try to play anything with bass

[paulr]

To answer some of the other questions: - your car being an R already has an amp, 4x25w IIRC, much more powerful than a HU, but not quite as good as a completely aftermarket one. Normally volvo HU's have two plugs, one for power etc, and another for speaker outputs. In the R, the second cable plugs into the aftermarket amp, and there's a 6 pin DIN cable that goes from the HU to the amp which is located inside the dash. This amp is actually pretty decent, it's 2 ohm stable, and has pretty good SQ.

Also, yes, aftermarket speakers don't tend to go as low as stock ones, especially on stock HU power, but this is generally because they're designed with a lower efficiency to allow them to perform better with aftermarket amps versus HUs. While a HU may provide 13w RMS, and the 850R amp may provide 25w RMS, some aftermarket speakers want 30-60w RMS to really "sing". Plugging them straight into a HU tends to produce disappointing results from a bass perspective, even though they do sound clearer, etc (I've also been there). That being said, you'll never get great lows from the stock locations due to their small size and location. You really need a sub if you want low frequencies. I've heard some pretty damn good setups involving aftermarket speakers in stock locations + subs, with little perceptible midbass hole. Not as punchy as I like, but still a nice flat response curve. They all involved aftermarket amps, however.

Realize that the R amp will complicate amp / sub installs - the amp is better than almost any HU amp, so until you have the money for an aftermarket amp it's advisable to stick with it. However, the 850's only have one DIN output on their HU's, so if you make / buy a DIN-RCA adapter for a sub amp, you'll need to purchase a DIN Y cable, or a DIN-RCA adapter with a DIN pass through - either provides a mirror of the stock plug for you to plug the R amp into. If you buy an aftermarket HU, you'll also want to consider a RCA-DIN adapter, to run the stock amp off the line-out on the new HU.

I have a 96R wagon, and they have almost no midbass, and no bass whatsoever - due to the lack of rear deck speakers, as in a sedan. Were I strapped for cash, I'd start by adding a sub - it will give you the most bang for the buck. Speakers, amps, HUs will all help out and eventually be necessary, but will cost you a lot more. Consider putting a single 12" in a box you build yourself, on a decent sub amp. Image dynamics IDMAX subs are very good for the money but still pricey, a JL 12W6 is also good and a little cheaper on ebay - there are lots of good subs out there, but try to avoid cheaping out and getting stuff brands (pyramid, sony xplod, etc) - it will cost you more in the long run, when you decide you want more and need to upgrade, or it breaks. I suggest a sealed box versus a ported, which although it will be a little quieter, being sealed it will help you set the lowpass filter (what determines where the sub "cuts in") a little higher (80-130Hz versus 60-80 on a ported) on the sub amp to provide some of that midbass fill & "snap". A sealed box can still get quite loud.

Once you have your sub installed it's up to you - a HU will help with sound quality and features, but won't really get you much more volume, speakers on the stock amp will make the sound clearer but won't add much more volume unless you get an aftermarket amp - once you do both you'll have decent sound and volume, but whether it's "enough" will depend on you. Putting good 6.5" speakers in the rear doors (preferably WITHOUT tweeters) will help with mids too, but isn't quite as ideal. Personally I went straight to kickpods for gobs of midrange and midbass, and was very glad I did.

^Not cheap but worth every penny.

Anyway, hope some of that helps you out! Welcome to Volvospeed, good luck, and if you have any more Q's feel free to ask!

[gmsgltr]

I added a sub and amp to my stock setup using a y splitter cable mentioned above inorder to connect my stock R amp to my stock headunit and to get the RCAs. I am somewhat pleased with it yet I think something is wrong... With the speed sensitive control on the stock headunit my speakers pop when rapidly acclerating and seem to not be able to handle what the stock amp is putting out at high audio levels. I was suprised because my setup in my 854 GLT sounded a bit better. I feel as if I should change out my four main channel speakers to something new that can handle more... my sub and amp seem to not have as much punch as it did in my 854 glt as well.

My suggestion to you dude is that you should purchase the y splitter cable for stock R headunits and go from there. You may be satisfied with that. I purchased mine from someone on VS by the name of Crazykn. He had a very reasonable price as well as shipped quickly. Definetly go through this guy if your gonna buy this.