Greenman14 Posted May 6, 2015 Share Posted May 6, 2015 Hi, anyone changed the speakers in late model Ducato? I think my audio unit is capable of a better sound than I get. The original speakers sound awful when the volume is turned up, as it has to be if I want to hear anything when I'm driving. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
euroserv Posted May 6, 2015 Share Posted May 6, 2015 I did some experimenting myself! If you have the standard Fiat audio unit it is not capable of driving more powerful speakers. I tried a couple of pairs of Pioneer and Kenwood speakers with very little gain in clarity. I also applied 'dynamat' to the door panels behind the speakers and this improved the tightness of the sound but the difference is barely worth the expense. If you have a higher powered after-market machine it might be worth swapping the speakers (there is some modification required to the grille that fits over them and you will need adaptors to be able to fit standard 17cm speakers in there. In an ideal world you would have a separate amplifier (even a modest one will sound better than without). If you fit a component set of woofer and tweeter, or even a two way coaxial speaker you will have to disconnect the tweeter that is installed in the panel by the windscreen because a mis-match between the sensitivity of the old and new speakers will sound bad. Take my word for it; a piecemeal approach will yield small results and won't really be worth it. Go to town on it and fit an under-seat powered subwoofer, plus some decent component speakers with an amplifier and you will achieve much better results but it won't be cheap and it's a lot of faff! Nick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terry1956 Posted May 6, 2015 Share Posted May 6, 2015 I can second the above.the fiat head unit is very poor,speakers the same.i took the lot out.i fitted a double din kenwood dab head unit. A kenwood sub under the drivers seat.600w speakers in the doors and at the rear.the speakers are driven by a 2400w amp placed under the rear seat.to be honest its a pain to get the wiring runs in place.but well worth it. Michael Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greenman14 Posted May 6, 2015 Author Share Posted May 6, 2015 Thanks. The head unit is a Clarion with about 80w per channel, it doesn't look like an OEM unit but it's well short of the power outputs you guys have. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
euroserv Posted May 6, 2015 Share Posted May 6, 2015 In your case; it might be worth changing the speakers and dynamatting it. The output of 80W per channel can be taken with a pinch of salt. You probably have actually got about 25w pc at an acceptably low THD (total harmonic distortion) and at a voltage of 12v and not the 14.4v that most are quoted at. The difference between 0.1% THD and 1%THD is massive. That said it is much better than the paltry 10W or so that the factory units produce. If you choose speakers with a sensitivity of over 90% and with a power rating of not more than 150W you may have a more controlled sound. If you use separate woofers and tweeters with their own dedicated crossover you should improve separation and definition. With the sound deadening material and by only feeding the 17cm driver with low frequencies you should get more bass without every plastic part on the doors doing a buzzy dance of their own! One area that you should look at though is the power supply. The connector for the factory head unit will have some pretty lightweight wiring and is probably rated at 3A. A high powered head unit will not be able to get enough current to deliver a clean sound. Get a new power and earth to it and you should hear the difference straight away. Insufficient power supply will lead to 'clipping' which leads to distortion on the highs and lows. You might even find that with a clean signal; the original speakers won't sound so bad! This has been a hobby of mine for as long as I can remember! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billggski Posted May 6, 2015 Share Posted May 6, 2015 Just an alternative view, the cab stereo and speakers are only really useful when driving, and the engine and wind noise make good sound impossible. So I left it alone. So I have a domestic set up in the lounge, with 12v and 240v inputs where I can use a high end hi-fi and proper speakers when sitting out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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