big horn

need some help with my vp commodore. I want to put my jvc head unit and speakers in. There already are speakers in the back shelf and want to replace them with mine can someone tell me how i can access them and replace them. I think i have the head unit under control and should be ok with that.

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phobos0001

not 100% on the VP's but im pretty sure you need to hop in the boot, trace and disconnect the wires, the speakers should either lift out or be sccured with screws, usualy you wither pop the mesh off with a flat blade screwdriver or knife to access the screws sometimes the mesh is attached to a shroud that clips onto the speakers and the whole whroud lifts off, pretty simple stuff. if there are speakers in the dash however, i cant help ya, they are a nightmare to get at, i just upgraded the audio in a 93 magna so i'd assume its pretty similar, hope this helps, but it probably doesnt, there are a few websites dedicated to model specific installations, mp3car.com's forums are pretty good, but there are better ones outthere. caraudioaustralia.com should be pretty helpful too, good luck

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big horn

thanks for the help and the sites mate

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phobos0001

no worries, let us know if you hit any snags and ill see if i can help, hope it all goes well for ya, you shouldnt have too much trouble though. good luck with it

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big horn

got the head unit and speakers in today but only one works and makes a buzzing noise. Getting a amp and sub for it next week as well as 2 pioneir splits so there should be improvement then.

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phobos0001

hmmm.... did you test out the speakers directly off the headunit before you put the dash back? its a good idea to ensure its not the wires. does it buzz with the engine turned on? or just constantly buzzing away? could be interfearance. i had to put in a noise supressor in my celica install.
sounds like its turning out to be a nice system, pitty your in WA oterwise i'd give ya a hand

not to say you diddnt, but you hooked up the headunit correctly? your memory wire (genraly yellow) needs constant power and the power (usualy red) is gets +12 on accesorys? none of the speaker wires are touching are they? you need to tape up every wire thats not used to it cant short out.

i'd put my money on either speaker wires shorting each-other out, or else faulty speakers. if its niether of those i might think on getting a replacement headunit, i'd make 100% sure no bare wire is exposed and test the speakers directly from the back of the headunit.

oh another thing i just thought of, a problem i had to fix with my magna install..... you diddnt just get the plug from the old head unit and wack it in the back of the new one? sometimes the plug might fit but the pinout for the plug is totaly diffrent. i'd check the wiring diagram on the top or bottom of the headunit and make sure everything is as it should be.

btw how'd you go with the rear shelf speakers? get em out?

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big horn

Yeah I got rear speakers out and when i get my sub and amp ill check the head unit again and test the speaker. All wiring is correct and forgot to tape them up so ill check it a weeks time when i get my other speakers and amp.

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phobos0001

nice to hear some positive progress!
just remember with the amp they need pre-out connection and not a speaker out, they are already amplified by the head unit and will damage the amp!

im pretty sure your speakers are just shorting on the other bare wires, although if not to test your speakers get 2 long cables and attach them to one of the headunit's speaker outputs and test the speakers themselves to ensure the speakers arent faulty.

also check the simple things like your fade/ballance settings your other speakers might simply be muted, ive had that once, boy was my face red!

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big horn

the rear speakers still sound crap. There jvc 180 watt and you turn the volume up and sounds all blured. I didnt cut holes in the parcel shelf should i do this and will it make better sound. Played around with fade and ballence and did no improvements.

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phobos0001

what head unit do you have, usualy head units have around 4 50 watt channels, if your trying to push 180 watt speakers it just wont work, you probably need an amp to boost it up, i'd say get a cheap 4 channel amp, i cant remember it offhand but there's a formula to how many watts amp you need to drive the speakers, but i think that you would need more then what the headunit can deliver. keep in mind if its peak watts or RMS. i had a set of pioneer kevlars and they where only 73 watt RMS, but they where 330 watt peak, RMS ratings give a better indication to how good the speakers, amp and whatever else are.

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phobos0001

just had another read through your post, did you just place the speakers on the rear shelf or did you seat them in the shelf? free-air mounted speakers are very in-efficient and distort easily, i had the same thing with a pair of cheap 6x9's i made a box and they sound great now!

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big horn

in the shelf. got me sub and amp today and another set of pioneir speekers. Hooked them up in the back and still crap and distorting. Could this be the wires or the headunit maybe or do i need a amp. Really starting to piss me off but hope to get it sorted

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phobos0001

its pretty easy to tell, is it clear at a low volume and distorts when you crank it? if so you will probably need an amp, if its crappy sound at all volume levels you definatley have a problem with the wiring or headunit. if its at all volume levels the best option is to remove the headunit, get some short wires and test the speakers from the headunit itself, if its still sounding wrong, your headunit is to blame, if not that just leaves the wires. just make sure none of the wires are exposed, make sure they are all insulated properly with insulated connecectors or at least insulation tape, dont use sticky tape please!

i think thats about the limit of what i can tell ya without being there and having a look for myself. if your mounting the sub in the boot aswell make sure its in a box that matches its size, ported or unported boxes im not 100% on, i think it depends on the cone material or speaker type (anyone is more then welcome to correct me here, please) i think thats about all i can say other then test, try and good luck.

one more thing, make sure your amp&sub combo has a crossover or something in it. if you send high pitched sounds to the woofer it will be damaged, i think a lot of amps have settings built in them, just be careful, you dont want to kill your hard-earned sub!

good luck mate, hope you get around the problem soon

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big horn

cheers for the help mate its been takin on board. The amp does have crossover on it. The volume at low is good but when i crank it goes all distorted. This means more money oh well should be worth it install it tomorro hopefully. Thanks for all the help as i dont know that much

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phobos0001

dont get me wrong here, im no expert myself mate, im just telling you what i have learned from my experiance, ive done a couple of installs for me and my family then a couple mates but thats about the size of it. id reccomend getting advice on what is the best option for you before you spen more money, mabey go to somewhere like strathfield or something and ask what size amp you will need to drive the speakers.

hope it all goes well for ya

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