Speaker Location

Ian_Fearn · Post by **Ian_Fearn** » Sun May 17, 2009 4:56 pm

Next week see's my BX take a big trip down to southern Spain loaded to the brim with camping gear.

I've got a decent head unit and have fitted some JL audio co-ax's in the front doors but its still not amazing.

I dont want to cut into the parcel shelf. Can the rear doors accept speakers? Anybody got any experience?

Tourist · Post by **Tourist** » Sun May 17, 2009 5:08 pm

I don't think the BX ever had speakers in the rear doors, the 6 speaker system (TZD and probably some other models) had speakers in the dashboard (odd), front doors, and above the rear seats, at the top of the C pillar.

I'm sure there's a way of doing it DIY, perhaps some other members will have experience with this?

toddao · Post by **toddao** » Sun May 17, 2009 5:11 pm

Can't you fit them in the C-pillars? I know some BXs already had the space for them and some didn't. I can't imagine you would have the depth in the rear doors unless you had a protruding cabinet like on the front.

One bonus in the Mk.1s was the bass 'boom box' unit mounted under the dash which really gives a good bottom end and makes a big difference to the range even with moderately good player.

Ian_Fearn · Post by **Ian_Fearn** » Sun May 17, 2009 5:13 pm

Its a TZD i'm refering to.

Dash speakers: dont seem to do much at all
Front door: now replaced they're good mid and hi range but no bass
C pillar speakers: completely useless, just vibrate and make an awful noise.

toddao · Post by **toddao** » Sun May 17, 2009 6:16 pm

I would change the C-pillar speakers too. They'll never be good stand alone units as they're too small ( unless you're gonna spend €€€s) but the ones that I fitted improve the spatial aspect of the music in the car. Then perhaps a sub/ bass unit under the seat or in the boot where It can be hidden away.
I'm not a stereo expert but everyone who rides in the car comments on the sound and I'm still running cassettes off an old Grundig player! There was one of those Mk.1 bass units in a scrapper GT in France last month that I was recommending to TB2 for his BX.

Ian_Fearn · Post by **Ian_Fearn** » Sun May 17, 2009 7:14 pm

What sort of speakers did you fit in the C pillars? I've never actually seen what type of speaker they are.

toddao · Post by **toddao** » Sun May 17, 2009 7:21 pm

I don't know what they are Ian. I simply measured the size of the recess then went along to one of those car audio shops where you can switch between different speakers to hear the various tones and bought the best ones that fitted the mounting - €40? As I said, they don't sound good alone at volume but with the bottom end in there..

MULLEY · Post by **MULLEY** » Sun May 17, 2009 10:12 pm

How come you dont want to put any speakers in the rear parcel shelf? Thats the only place where you can fit some decent 6x9's to get that decent bass & overall sound quality.....

DLM · Post by **DLM** » Sun May 17, 2009 10:47 pm

Dash speakers: dont seem to do much at all
Front door: now replaced they're good mid and hi range but no bass

Dash: Piezo tweeters probably on a late TZD. Earlier domes sounded better to me. May be somewhat upstaged if you've upped the power and the high - end frequency response of the door speakers. There's no crossover as such , just a high-pass filter in the tweeter units themselves. Were the door units you've chosen designed to be used in conjunction with bass box(es)?

C pillar speakers: completely useless, just vibrate and make an awful noise

.
The rubber speaker cone mounts perish on these - hence the farting noise. They are very compact units (2" or so) on a saloon so you can't expect much in the way of low-end frequency response. The space available for alternative fitment is not large, and the original mounts take up nearly all of that space.

Hatch cover speakers: the third BX I owned had some DIY-fitted (flush-mounted 6" units). A space-stealing pain in the arse for load-carrying, even with covers inside and detachable feeds, though they beefed-up the low frequencies considerably. Ideally, they need independent volume control at the head end.

In my opinion, BXs weren't really designed with the ICE of today in mind - options are limited and it requires major surgery if that's what you really want.

Philip Chidlow · Post by **Philip Chidlow** » Mon May 18, 2009 10:09 am

Cal me wierd but I always thought the space above the glove box - a void really - could take a bassy speaker to help with what's going on at the front

Yes, actually I am wierd. Sorry.

Post by **Tim Leech** » Mon May 18, 2009 10:26 am

Ive got some 6x9s in the parcel shelf of the 16v which do sound great, Ian spare parcel shelfs arent exactly expensive or rare so I wouldnt worry. Unless somewone has one with holes in already?

Vanny · Post by **Vanny** » Mon May 18, 2009 1:38 pm

Ian, i wouldn't bother putting anything in the C-Pillars, the C-pillar plastics are hard, brittle and very loosely attached, they will just rattle if you put any power through the speaker which will be more annoying than not having them.

I have seen retro fit speakers in the back of a BX, some chopping up of a front door plastics where undertaken from what i remember, but you could always glass up a housing to take a speaker??

Speakers in the rear shelf are the way to go though. If you dont want them to show you could put them under the 'carpet' of the shelf so they dont show. But i suspect you don't want to loose boot space?

Phil, do you not like air flow to the end of dash outlet? Cos thats what takes u much of the space above the glove box. If you get a pic of a LHD 16v you can see the aux glove box is very shallow and pretty useless. I guess you might squeeze a speaker in, but it would surely stick out of the dash??

Philip Chidlow · Post by **Philip Chidlow** » Mon May 18, 2009 1:46 pm

Told you I was weird.

There is some 'empty' space in there, but yes, you're right of course. It would stick out. And look bloody stoopid too. Just ignore me, I might go away

Way2go · Post by **Way2go** » Mon May 18, 2009 2:02 pm

Philip Chidlow wrote:
There is some 'empty' space in there, but yes, you're right of course. It would stick out. And look bloody stoopid too.

More than that, it's the wrong place anyway as you don't want the bass in your face drowning out the main info from the mid/high units. Bass is not particularly directional to the ear so can comfortably (or uncomfortably) live in the boot if you really need more.

Jayboy · Post by **Jayboy** » Mon May 18, 2009 9:16 pm

Fearny! Remember the parcel shelf in the GTi I took to Interlaken? Yours if you want it but prob ain't got time to get it to you!

Always find 6x9's in the parcel shelf a pain in the arse cos I actually use the boot alot and they take up a fair bit of space! Always worried about damaging them or stuff in the boot - especially when camping stuff's in there. Imagine ripping through the tent.....